5 Easy Crops to grow for beginners.

When starting your journey into the world of home growing you may wonder what should I grow and why? To ensure success in your garden I'm going to list 5 of the easiest crops to grow and why you should grow them.

1. Tomatoes: Tomatoes are everything you can ask for in a plant. They come in many different shapes, sizes and colors. Every different type of tomato has it's own unique flavor, be it heirloom or hybrid. If you don't know the differences between heirloom and hybrid follow this link https://www.sowtheearth.com/2023/02/heirloom-vs-hybrid-whats-difference.html?m=1. The majority of tomatoes are going to give you an abundance of fruit to snack on all growing season. Tomatoes are a perfect candidate to any garden for their ease of growing. 

2. Lettuce: Nothing screams easy like lettuce. A healthy spring crop, lettuce is a must in any garden. Lettuce is a crop that can be easily grown from seeds without any knowledge or seed starting equipment. One could buy starts from a nursery or big box stores but buying seeds allow for diversity. The feeling of waking up and taking a quick walk outside to cut your own salad mix is unmatched. Mix in some of the easy to grow tomatoes into your salad, you have a great breakfast or lunch. The price of organic leaf lettuce is reason enough to grow your own.

3. Basil: Just like how it should be added to every tomato based sauce, basil should be added to every garden. You can use it fresh from the garden or dry it out and store it for use over the winter. Basil is easy to grow for any beginner gardener. It's also perfect for growing indoors in a windowsill. I have a simple guide for starting an indoor windowsill garden right here https://www.sowtheearth.com/2023/03/how-to-start-window-sill-garden.html?m=1. Basil can be routinely pruned for continued use and benefits from pruning. The aroma alone ensures I'll be growing it every year as should you. 

4. Mint: If you want success without trying, grow mint. Matter of fact, you will have a harder time getting rid of mint than you would growing it. If you don't want it taking over your garden, grow it in a container and prune it continually. Mint is one of those crops where you will be asking everyone you know if they want fresh mint or googling "uses for mint". Being a new gardener, failure can be extremely discouraging. Growing mint is a great way to start out as it introduces you into proper pruning and makes you look for different ways to utilize your harvest. It's almost guaranteed to grow, making it great for beginners.

5. Potatoes: Potatoes, a personal favorite of mine to grow. They can be grown in big enough containers, 5 gallon buckets, in ground, raised beds, making them easy to grow for anyone. Not only are they easily grown but the varieties available that you wouldn't find in any grocery store makes them worth the space. The uses for potatoes make them so versatile in the kitchen that it's a no brainer to grow. Whatever way you want to grow them as long as you fertilize them and water them properly you can succeed. If you aren't sure if your are watering your gardens properly read more here https://www.sowtheearth.com/2023/03/guide-to-watering.html?m=1. There is nothing better than making home made french fries from the potatoes you've grown, and if you grew tomatoes as well you could make your own ketchup to go with those home made fries. 

Gardening is a journey, it's a slow long process. Failure could ruin your experience and motivation to continue gardening. Just a bit of success can motivate you to keep going on this journey of gardening. There isn't any guarantees with gardens as you have other factors at play but these 5 crops I've discussed give you the best shot at success. Don't give up and continue to go back into the garden.