Three of the easiest plants to grow
When I chat with people who are looking to get into growing, the first question is almost invariably-“what’s the easiest thing to grow?”. As with learning anything new, starting off small is your best bet for staying motivated and learning what works. There is plenty of time to learn how to grow needy and complicated plants. So let’s chat about a few staple crops that are really easy to grow.
Cucumbers are one of my favorite plants to grow. My household also consumes 2-3 cucumbers a day, so growing them is also very practical. Cucumbers love lots of sunshine, water, and something to climb. If you provide them with those three elements, you’ll be sure to have tons of cucumbers for salads and cucumber water, with plenty left over for pickling. This year, I’m using a few metal trellises to grow my cucumbers.
Beans need the same thing cucumbers do to be successful. This year, I’m growing my beans using a technique similar to one used by Native Americans known as ‘Three Sisters’. Traditionally, the ‘sisters’ are corn, beans, and squash. How it works: Corn grows tall, creating a natural trellis for the beans. The vines of the beans grow up the corn stalks, providing a natural structural support to keep the corn stable. The squash, which grow on the ground, choke out competing weeds and shade the ground, retaining moisture for the beans and corn. Following those principles, I’ve substituted squash with cantaloupe and corn with sunflowers.
Sunflowers are hands-down my favorite to grow. They grow quickly and can get up to 8 feet tall. There are lots of beautiful varieties that can make an awesome statement in your garden. When it comes to harvesting seeds, you’ll have some stiff competition from birds and a whole host of bugs. That said, I had a massive bag of seeds from only a handful of flowers. Once you have your seeds, you can roast and east them. Personally, I use every sunflower seed I collect to grow more sunflowers the following year. This year, I already have about 70 sunflowers in the ground.