8 Plants to Grow to Save Money and Time

Eat a lot of salad? Growing lettuce and greens is simple and the right technique provides a steady stream of salad greens.

• Plant loose-leaf varieties in a window box to save on space
• Choose varieties that prefer different seasons for a year-round crop
• Remove only the outer leaves to allow the same plant to keep producing

Herbs are superstars when it comes to easy-to-care-for plants that don’t take up much space. They also add loads of flavor and vitamins to any dish. Yet, they tend to be expensive to buy and don’t stay fresh for very long. Try some versatile winners like basil, oregano, chives, parsley, sage, and thyme.

• Grow them in a window box or even in a hanging planter to save space
• Buy sad-looking plants for a reduced price, with a bit of care they’ll perk up again

Tomatoes are an extremely versatile food and it’s a plant that just keeps on giving! There are also tons of great ways to preserve them like making sauce for pasta or drying them and packing in olive oil.

• Set up a wooden stake to help hold the plant upright
• Use a bit of tomato fertilizer for best results
• Pick them as soon as they start to turn red and let them ripen on the window sill

Add a generous helping of flavor to meals with hot peppers. When harvested with tomatoes, they can be turned into yummy salsa that can be canned for the winter months. For those that don’t like too much kick in their food simply choose milder varieties that offer a rich flavor instead.

• Plant one seed per pot or a few inches apart outdoors
• They grow readily with just a bit of watering

From zucchini bread to zoodles, there is a lot that this green squash can be made into. It also grows so readily and produces so much that it has gained renown for one plant being able to feed a neighborhood!

• Zucchini plants can get large and gangly so will do better in the ground (vs a pot)
• Plant seeds 1 inch deep in a spot where they get full sun
• Allow about two feet between each plant

Cucumbers can be enjoyed fresh in salads or turned into pickles with a satisfying crunch. Pickle lovers, once they’ve tried homemade pickles, will find it hard to go back to store-bought ones. Though the plant can get large, like zucchini it yields a large crop, making it more than worth the space it takes up.

• Plant in the ground leaving 18 - 36 inches of space between plants
• Use a trellis to save space and encourage a more abundant harvest
• Wait to plant until the weather is consistently above 60 degrees