8 Easy Foods To Grow In Almost Any Home

Tess Patrick TESS PATRICK

Let’s make the most of this time to make your home your own, and nourish it with an abundance of good quality food. You may live on a farm, or 32 stories up in the city, but no matter what space you live in there’s always a little space for a garden where your own, fresh fruit and vegetables can grow. With a few tips and tricks, you’ll be running your own orchard in no time. The advice from the experts? Channel your earthy energies and make sure you’re planting seasonally and consider the moon as your guide.

1. Herb Garden

The humble herb garden is every green thumb’s starting point. It’s versatile, easily adaptable, and you can fill it with the fragrant herbs that you use most often. How big or small to go is the only question to ask here. Hydroponic or benchtop systems work well in smaller, light-filled apartments, or for a rustic approach you can easily convert a packing pallet into a vertical garden - the garden is your oyster and the herby health benefits are endless.

2. Avocado Tree

We love avocadoes but aren’t as fond of the price-tag they often come with. What is wonderful about the creamy, green fruit, is how you can sprout your own tree from the hearty stone left in the center. By piercing with toothpicks and half-submerging in water, the soon-to-be tree will eventually sprout and be ready for planting wherever you see fit!

3. Tomato Plant

If there were ever a plant to make you appreciate hard work, it’s the humble tomato. A single-serve requires so much effort. For a food that many eat at almost every opportunity, it needs so much love and tenderness to thrive. But like a proud parent, when it does, it’s all worth it. Tomatoes can be grown in an open garden or your favorite pot, but like many of us, need an abundance of sun to grow to their full potential.

4. Pumpkin Patch

Pumpkins are so easy to grow, we accidentally sprouted a patch in our garden that leads it’s way back to the compost heap, and we’re eating hearty soups year-round. If anything, it goes to show you how wild and easy vegetables can be to produce when you just let them. If you’re short on space, work these soul-warming plants along your fence or weaved onto the balcony.

5. Plenty of Potatoes

If you’ve got the space, the soil, and a seeded potato, this is the most low-maintenance staple you can grow. Quite literally, you bury a potato in the ground, and 2-4 months later it has multiplied. Of course, it’s a little more complicated than that for a thriving patch… Potatoes love being built up in a tower where you can keep adding to them, and they love being in a slightly cooler place with frequent watering - but how cool is that?

6. Lemon Tree

This beautiful, bushy, and abundant tree just looks homely. When the lemon season comes you’ll find yourself with citrus you can only give away (a great way to make friends), but in my house, we have a juicing afternoon and freeze individual portions to have as an early-morning tonic throughout the year. Lemon trees grow wonderfully in the ground, but make do in a pot on the balcony too. You can buy them from your local nursery in any age or size too; it all depends how much patience you have for the process.

7. Edible Flowers

These colorful, quick, and easy-growing plants make a vibrant and moreish salad topper, but they’re just as beautiful as decorations on any of your meals. Plus they brighten up any garden and grow just as well in a large pot. We love borage, nasturtiums, and calendula for a flavorsome palate.

8. Sprouting Seeds

These mightn’t technically be a plant you grow from scratch, but they’re delicious and oh-so nutritious. Best of all, seeds can be sprouted anywhere the light does or doesn’t touch. Mung bean sprouts are a great way to get extra nutrients into your diet when fresh veggies aren’t readily available, and a handful of alfalfa sprouts go just wonderfully in a salad wrap. You can even make your next batch of hummus with sprouted chickpeas, that don’t need cooking, for a rich and earthy taste. There are hundreds of contraptions you can buy to aid your sprouting journey, but you can begin with a jam jar and a section of damp cloth!

What are your quick and easy foods to grow at home? Share your tips below!