There are lots of different vegetables that make great mainstays in different dishes, but not all of them are easy to grow at home. Here are three vegetables that are easy to grow at home and cook with. Potatoes, carrots, and beans are three vegetables that have simple requirements to grow at home and can be used in a wide variety of dishes, even dishes combining all three! Potatoes, carrots, and beans are a staple of many households, and if you’re looking to transition to a homegrown veggie grower, then these are some great starters to consider when beginning to garden. The rest of this article will cover how you can grow each of these three vegetables and what dishes you can cook with them.
Growing Potatoes
The humble potato: Alone, it’s bland and starchy, but pair it with some other foods, and its natural flavor shines. Growing potatoes isn’t hard, but the most important trick is to grow them in acidic soil, offer plenty of sun and water, and plant them in winter. Pick a sunny location to plant that gets several hours of sun a day, either in a garden bed or directly in the ground. Till the soil beforehand and plant your seed potatoes.
Space the potatoes 12 inches apart and cover each potato with a few inches of soil. Water regularly until the foliage starts to yellow, at which point the potatoes are nearing the harvest. Once the plants stop flowering at 10 weeks or so of age, wait an additional 2 weeks and then harvest your potatoes.
Dishes with Potatoes
- Mashed potatoes
- Loaded potatoes
- Roast potatoes with garlic
- Shepherd’s pie
- Hash browns
- Potato and leek soup
I can’t get enough when it comes to potatoes. Mashed, baked, roasted, and fried. I love all versions of potatoes. Maybe it’s the Irish in me. Plus as a real estate investor having a garden full of leafy green stems makes selling my houses fast and easy. People love productive gardens, especially in Denver where I have seen houses sell for $25,000 to $50,000 more.” Says Shaun Martin, an avid gardener and real estate cash buyer in Denver, CO. Check out more of Shaun’s company We Buy Houses In Denver AKA The Home Buying Company at https://webuyhousesindenver.org/our-company/. Gardens are a great addition to homes that have the right space and weather for them.
Growing Carrots
Carrots are hardy and easy to grow, but the important thing to remember is to choose a variety that’s appropriate for your soil. These six main categories each have different soil preferences:
- Chantenay – 5-6 inches deep and prefers rich, heavy soil.
- Thumbelina – 4-5 inches deep with rich soil.
- Danvers – 3-4 inches with shallow, nutrient-heavy soil
- Nantes – 6-9 inches with shallow, rich soil.
- Imperator – 2-3 inches with deep, well-aired soil.
- Amsterdam – 3 inches with shallow soil.
With the right carrot selected, choose a spot that has full or partial sun, although some shade is ok, too. If you can, plant in an isolated area or on a raised bed. Carrots aren’t too tough to grow, but they do require some personalized care. You can place them close to the herbs in your garden.
Thoroughly loosen the soil with a shovel, removing rocks, clumps, and small stones. Add organic matter if you want such as trimmings, manure, or compost.
Regulate the pH of your soil to keep between 5.8 and 6.8, and when ready, sow the seeds in rows or at random 3 weeks before the final spring frost.
Cover with ½ inch of soil and monitor the seedlings for the first 1-3 weeks to check for sprouting. Water carefully and thoroughly with a watering can and rake the soil every so often to discourage weeds.
2-3 months after planting, the carrots should be ready to harvest when the width is about ¾ inch across.
Carrots are my favorite of favorite garden vegetables that I grow at home every year in my garden. There is nothing better than a freshly baked carrot cake that includes fresh carrots right out of my garden.” Said Alex Capozzolo, SD House Guys, a home-buying company in San Diego, CA with a website at https://sdhouseguys.com/. “Carrots are bright, colorful, and tasty – just like me of course.”
Dishes with Carrots
- Maple roasted carrots
- Carrot cake
- Pickled carrots
- Carrot fries
- Sauteed carrots
Growing Beans
When growing beans, you’ll first need to decide which type you want, since each type of bean requires different growing conditions.
To get started, choose your garden plot somewhere with lots of sun. March and April are the best times to plant for a fall harvest. Your soil should have adequate drainage and be rich in nutrients. To achieve this, mix compost and topsoil into the plot, tilling thoroughly with a hoe.
“When it comes to growing beans successfully you do need to ensure the garden gets sunlight. I have a number of different garden beds with different sun exposure. The beds with the most sun always grow the best beans.” commented Jordan Fulmer of Momentum Property Solutions, who is an Alabama local cash home buyer. Learn more about Jordan, how he buys houses and other real estate topics at https://www.momentumpropertysolution.com/about-us/.
If you have pole beans, you’ll need to put them in your trellis before planting the beans, and the plants will naturally gravitate towards them as they grow.
Place each seed in a separate hole, 3 inches apart from one another and 1 inch deep. Water every 2-3 days during germination to keep the soil moist, but not overwatered. Mulch a 1-inch layer after the sprout and fertilize with a low-nitrogen compound once a month.
You can harvest bean pods by snapping them off at the top when they are full. Depending on the species, beans can take 60-100 days to mature.
Dishes with Beans
- Baked beans
- Yellow rice and beans
- Black bean burgers
- Quesadilla
- Chili
Final Thoughts
The potato, carrot, and bean are three simple vegetables that don’t require a green thumb to grow properly. If you’re looking to get into home-grown vegetables that you can cook with, these three are the best beginner options out there!