• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Seeking Joyful Simplicity

Your best life after 40 - living with purpose and vibrant health. Empowering you with a holistic approach: nourishing foods, herbal remedies, and self-care to reduce overwhelm, manage your weight, and enjoy vibrant health in your 40's, 50's, and beyond.

Recipes

Categories

Categories

By Category

By Date

Search

  • Shop
  • About
  • Simple Food
  • Healing Herbs
  • Health and Wellness
  • Living with Purpose

Best Foods to Grow to Save Money When You Don’t Have a lot of Time

7:49 am by Seeking Joyful Simplicity 1 Comment

Best Foods to Grow to Save Money When You Don’t Have a lot of Time

 

Many of us want to grow our own food because we enjoy eating homegrown and we want to reduce our food budget. But we also don’t have a lot of time or energy for keeping up with a large garden, plus the harvesting, canning, and preserving. This is a simple list of the best foods to grow to save money when you don’t have a lot of time.

This is a simple list of the best foods to grow to save money when you don't have a lot of time. Easy to grow, long lasting, and easy storage.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase by clicking on these links, I receive a small compensation, at no additional cost to you. I participate in the Amazon Services Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

 

Baskets bursting with fresh garden abundance. Nourishing meals made with home-grown foods. Pantries stocked with canned home goodness. Watching the sun set from the front porch, sipping a glass of iced mint tea, picked fresh from the herb bed.

 

This is a simple list of the best foods to grow to save money when you don't have a lot of time. Easy to grow, long lasting, and easy storage.

The reality is, of course, all of this takes time, sweat, and a whole lot of work. Blisters, bug bites, and sunburns can just as easily be a part of this reality. Bean beetles, slugs, rabbit, deer, and other pests often enjoy more of the garden abundance than we do. Despite our never-ending efforts, the weeds overrun the garden. And there are often as many disappointments as rewards to gardening.

Gardening in Less Time and The Best Foods to Grow to Save Money

How do we accomplish the goals of growing more of our food, saving money, and eating healthy on a budget?

There are a lot of reasons for wanting to grow more of our food. For me, it is about enjoying healthy food grown without chemicals, being more self-sufficient, saving money, and the wonderful sense of satisfaction that comes with enjoying home-grown meals and a well-stocked pantry.

But how do we balance our desire for home-grown food with the limitations on our time and energy? This is the challenge, isn’t it? I struggle to find the time and energy for growing more of our food and saving money, while trying to avoid homestead burn out. (I share my strategies for avoiding homestead burnout here.)

Gardening to Save Money on Food

Through trial and error, research and reading, this is my list of recommended foods to consider if gardening to save money is your goal, even when you don’t have a lot of time. Of course, everyone’s priorities are different, and you may have some foods you simply can’t do without, and others you don’t want to bother with. Choose those that work best for you.

This is a list of low-maintenance, easy to grow foods that will save you money at the grocery store.

  • Lettuce
  • Chard
  • Garlic
  • Winter Squash
  • Culinary Herbs

I might also add tomatoes to the list, since they can be quite expensive in the winter months. If you choose a determinate variety of tomato, they will ripen all at once, making for a shorter harvest time, and you can process them in one large batch.

I freeze bags of sliced tomatoes to use in soups, stews, and other recipes. Freezing is quick and easy. Of course, canning tomatoes – whole, sliced, or as sauces is a way to preserve and store long-term.

Lettuce

Lettuce is easy to grow, takes up little space, and matures quickly. Lettuce grows well from direct-seeding, allowing you to avoid the time of starting seeds and transplanting. Lettuce can easily be grown in containers, and keeping them in shade during the hottest part of the summer will help you enjoy your lettuce all season long.

My favorite variety for hardiness and long-lasting production is the Prizeleaf Lettuce variety. Gorgeous bright green leaves with ruffled edges in deep bronze, it has a crisp texture with a sweet taste. Slow to bolt, offering a longer harvest time.

Swiss Chard

Chard is my favorite for saving time and money. Heirloom organic Swiss chard seeds are inexpensive and the chard provides me with fresh greens from spring right into the fall.

Varieties of chard, including rainbow and Swiss, are incredibly easy to grow, and chard is both cold and heat resistance. The seeds can be directly sowed, and with good mulching, require little care. Of all the greens, chard seems to be the least susceptible to pests.

 

This is a simple list of the best foods to grow to save money when you don't have a lot of time. Easy to grow, long lasting, and easy storage.

 

Chard can be used in a variety of ways, both raw and cooked, and can be frozen in freezer bags without blanching, saving you both time and money.

Uses for chard include – add to salads for color and taste, fresh or frozen added to smoothies,  chopped leaves fresh (or frozen) can be tossed into soups and stews, stir-fried, steamed, and much more.

Garlic

This is a simple list of the best foods to grow to save money when you don't have a lot of time. Easy to grow, long lasting, and easy storage.

Garlic is an incredibly low-maintenance crop to grow, and a small space can yield enough garlic to last you throughout the year. Garlic is typically planted in the fall and grown over the winter, which makes good use of garden space.

Once planted and mulched, garlic requires little care. The most time-consuming part is the harvest and curing stages. But it is well worth the effort to enjoy the flavor and health benefits of garlic year-round.

There are a lot of choices when it comes to garlic, and they differ greatly in flavor and bulb size. I prefer the Music Variety of Hardneck Garlic. The bulbs are large and the flavor crisp, but not over-bearing.

Winter Squash

This is a simple list of the best foods to grow to save money when you don't have a lot of time. Easy to grow, long lasting, and easy storage.

 

Winter squash are a favorite among gardeners because they’re easy to grow, don’t require weeding once established, and most importantly, they store well through the winter to provide a valued vegetable for eating all winter and spring.

The runners need a lot of room to spread, but you can also use vertical garden space with trellis and fencing.

My favorite winter squash is the butternut squash because it is so easy to grow, highly resistant to pests, stores extremely well in your cupboard or pantry, and is so very versatile in the ways you can enjoy it.

Tomato butternut soup is a great way to combine end of summer tomatoes with your winter squash.

Culinary Herbs

This is a simple list of the best foods to grow to save money when you don't have a lot of time. Easy to grow, long lasting, and easy storage.

 

Culinary herbs add flavor and nutrition, and a small amount goes a long way. But fresh culinary herbs can be quite expensive to purchase. Growing your own in containers or garden beds is a wonderful way to enjoy the flavor of fresh herbs without spending a lot.

Many culinary herbs offer medicinal benefits. You can learn more about the best herbs to grow in Starting a Medicinal Herb Garden – 5 Herbs to Grow in Containers and Gardens.

Summary

There are many more foods I could add to this list, but this is simply a way to get you started thinking about the best foods to grow to save money when you don’t have a lot of time.

In addition to growing food you love and saving money, it’s important to consider what grows best where you live and take into consideration your soil, space, sun exposure, and the pests you may encounter in your garden.

And of course everyone has favorites – sometimes the extra effort is worth the pleasure of growing food you love.

Wishing you all the best in your gardens
~ Michelle

Further Resources:

Grow a Good Life – 9 Food Crops to Grow for Storage

Eartheasy blog – 6 Most Cost-effective Vegetables to Grow

Morel Mushrooms and 5 Mouthwatering Recipes

Filed Under: Gardening, Simple Food

Reader Interactions

Trackbacks

  1. Avoid Homestead Burnout - Stop Trying to Do It All says:
    at 12:32 pm

    […] For me, growing food for the family is important, but gardening is a lot of hard work. Instead of trying to do it all, I now focus on growing a few foods that take less time but save us money all year. You can read my strategy – Best Foods to Grow to save Money – when you don’t have a lot of time. […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Hello and welcome! Seeking Joyful Simplicity is about creating space in your life for the things that matter most - abundant health, joy, and contentment. With a holistic approach focused on self-reflection, simple foods, and herbal support, I offer a practical approach to living with purpose and vibrant health. Want to learn more? Start here…

Featured Posts

5 Herbs for Better Sleep

How to Use Roses as Food and Medicine – 6 Rose Recipes

Positive Ways to Start the Day - Best Ways to Start Your Morning

Anxiety and Overwhelm – Discovering Your Strengths

Grief and grieving, healing from loss

A Few Thoughts on Grief

Natural remedies for reducing joint pain using herbs, essential oils, and food. Painful joints can have such a devastating effect on the quality of our lives and make us feel much older than our chronological age. Living with vibrant health requires good self-care, but it can be hard to stay motivated when we are experiencing pain on a daily basis. Although there are many causes for joint pain, reducing joint pain naturally with diet and herbs can offer significant relief.

Natural Remedies for Joint Pain – Using Herbs, Diet, Essential Oils

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Herbal Academy Courses

Learn Herbal Medicine

The Craft of Herbal Fermentation Course by Herbal Academy

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Contributor at the Homestead Bloggers Network

Archives

Simple Food

How to stop comfort and stress eating

How to Stop Stress Eating Breaking the Pattern

Not just for pesto and pasta, let’s talk about how to use fresh basil to make lime basil fizz, basil herb butter, basil vinegar, and more.

7 Things to Do With Basil Beyond Pesto

Sweet, delicious honey. Herbal infused honey is a delightful way to enjoy the many health benefits of herbs and raw honey, and is a wonderful way to give herbal medicine to our children. Let me show you how to make herbal infused honey and some of my favorite herbal infused honey combinations for both health and flavor.

How to Make Herbal Infused Honey – Flavorful, Medicinal

The humble garlic offers powerful health benefits including anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antiviral properties to combat colds and flu, and much more. Fermenting garlic adds healthy probiotics and offers even greater protective benefits. Making fermented garlic is really simple and here are five easy and delicious recipes for using your homemade, probiotic-rich garlic..

Easy Fermented Garlic and 5 Recipes

See More

Simple Herbs

Insect bites, bee stings, sunburn relief. Only four ingredients and using easy-to-find herbs like plantain and dandelion, you can make your own highly effective, all-natural DIY skin salve

DIY Summer Skin Salve – All Natural Relief for Summer Skin

Warm breezes and sunny days, summer is the time for outdoor activities. But along with the summer fun comes summer skin irritations like sunburn, blisters, insect bites, and the dreaded poison ivy. You can buy over-the-counter products to treat all of these, but you will also be getting the added chemicals and preservatives. Why not take a little time to make your own […]

Roses excel at cooling and soothing hot inflamed skin, and a homemade rose and aloe cooling lotion is a wonderful way to treat skin irritations like acne, rashes, eczema, sunburn, and insect bites.

Make Your Own Rose and Aloe Cooling Lotion and Spray

  All-Natural Rose and Aloe Cooling Lotion and Spray Roses are alluring and beautiful, and despite their delicate appearance, they offer some pretty amazing health benefits. Combining the anti-inflammatory and cooling property of rose petals with soothing aloe, we can create a simple, all-natural rose and aloe cooling lotion. This post contains affiliate links. If you […]

Homemade herbal gifts are a delightful way to share our love for everything herbal. Instead of joining the holiday shopping rush, we can take the time to slow down and enjoy the creative process of making simple gifts for those we love. Homemade herbal gifts for friends and family are a great way to spread love and good health. Enjoy this list of 20 inspiring ideas for the holidays.

Homemade Herbal Gifts – 25 Inspiring Ideas for the Holidays

Homemade herbal gifts are a delightful way to share our love for everything herbal. Instead of joining the holiday shopping rush, we can take the time to slow down and enjoy the creative process of making simple gifts for those we love. Homemade herbal gifts for friends and family are a great way to spread love […]

Sweet, delicious honey. Herbal infused honey is a delightful way to enjoy the many health benefits of herbs and raw honey, and is a wonderful way to give herbal medicine to our children. Let me show you how to make herbal infused honey and some of my favorite herbal infused honey combinations for both health and flavor.

How to Make Herbal Infused Honey – Flavorful, Medicinal

  Sweet, delicious honey. Herbal infused honey is a delightful way to enjoy the many health benefits of herbs and raw honey. Let me show you how easy it is to make herbal infused honey and some of my favorite herbal infused honey combinations for both health and flavor.   The content on this site may contain […]

See More

Before Footer

WELCOME

Seeking Joyful Simplicity is about living your best life after 40. I write about using a holistic approach combining herbal remedies, nourishing foods, and self-care to reduce overwhelm, manage our weight, and enjoy more vibrant health in our 40's, 50's, and beyond. Read More…

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Footer

Disclaimer and Disclosure

The information provided here is not intended to replace professional medical advice and care. It is simply my perspective for you to consider as you make good choices for you and your family’s health. The use of herbs is a time-honored approach to strengthening the body and maintaining health. Herbs, however, can trigger side effects and can interact with other herbs, supplements, or medications. For these reasons, you should take herbs with care. The information provided has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not meant to diagnose any disease, nor is it intended to treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Seek the support and care of a physician and/or complementary care practitioner you trust, and above all, listen to and trust in yourself. Be well!

Seeking Joyful Simplicity is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Amazon offers a small commission on products sold through their affiliate links. Each of your purchases through their links supports us at no additional cost to you.

For more information – visit our privacy and disclosure page

Disclaimer

Please Note: the information provided here is not intended to replace professional medical advice and care. It is simply my perspective for you to consider as you make good choices for you and your family's health. The use of herbs is a time-honored approach to strengthening the body and maintaining health. Herbs, however, can trigger side effects and can interact with other herbs, supplements, or medications. For these reasons, you should take herbs with care. The information provided has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not meant to diagnose any disease, nor is it intended to treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Seek the support and care of a physician and/or complementary care practitioner you trust, and above all, listen to and trust in yourself. Be well!

Affiliate Notification

The content on this site may contain affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I receive a small commission at no cost to you. SeekingJoyfulSimplicity.com is a participant in the Amazon Services Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Thank you for you for supporting Seeking Joyful Simplicity. ~ Michelle
  • Disclosure and Privacy Policy
  • About

Copyright © 2022 · Wellness Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in