Growing your own groceries is a fantastic way to cut grocery bills, reduce waste, and savor the joy of harvesting vegetables straight from your garden. If you love the idea of homegrown produce, gardening is a rewarding, sustainable, and surprisingly easy way to fill your plate. And once you get the hang of growing your own groceries, you’ll become the neighborhood hero, handing out zucchini and tomatoes like a vegetable Santa Claus, with friends and family dodging your overflowing baskets of squash!
This hands-on hobby lets you take control of your food, ensuring you know exactly what’s in it while enjoying the satisfaction of nurturing plants from seed to plate. It’s also a fun, family-friendly activity that teaches kids about nature and offers a relaxing way to unwind outdoors.
Why Grow Your Own Food to Save Money?
With grocery prices on the rise, growing your own vegetables is a smart way to stretch your budget. A single packet of seeds, costing just a few dollars, can yield pounds of produce—far more than you’d get for the same price at the store. It’s also a chance to eat fresher, teach kids about food, and enjoy the outdoors. With the right supplies and tools, you can grow a thrifty garden whether you have a big yard or a small patio.
Vegetables That Thrive in Warm Summers and Mild Winters
These vegetables are perfect for our Zone 8 Climate, loving the heat and producing well with minimal fuss. Here’s a mix of crops to fill your garden and keep your grocery costs down.
Potatoes
Potatoes are a budget-friendly, nutrient-rich crop that thrives in warm weather. Their vines need space, but they’re easy to care for in loose, well-drained soil. The leaves are edible too—great in salads or stir-fries. Harvest before cooler fall days for sweet, versatile tubers.
- VegTrug Idea: Use a VegTrug Raised Bed Planter
for one sweet potato plant in small spaces. Its depth supports roots, and the raised height makes harvesting easy.
Peppers
Peppers, from spicy jalapeños to sweet bells, flourish in hot summers. They need full sun and soil above 60°F to start. A few plants can supply salsas, grilling, or salads, saving you money on pricey store-bought peppers.
Eggplant
Eggplants love the heat, producing glossy fruits for grilling or curries. Varieties like Black Beauty or Asian types are productive and need little upkeep. A small trellis supports heavier plants, stretching your harvest.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are a summer staple, thriving in warmth and producing juicy fruits for salads, sauces, or slicing. Choose heat-tolerant varieties like Roma or Celebrity for heavy yields. Stake or cage plants to save space and boost production.
Cucumbers
Cucumbers love heat and produce crisp fruits for salads or pickling. Bush varieties save space, while vining types climb trellises. Harvest regularly to keep plants producing, saving you on store-bought cukes.
Green Beans
Green beans are easy and prolific, thriving in warm weather. Bush beans are compact, while pole beans climb for bigger yields in small spaces. A single packet can produce pounds of beans, slashing grocery costs.
Squash
Summer squash, like zucchini or yellow squash, grows fast in heat, producing abundant fruits for grilling or baking. Compact varieties fit small gardens, and one plant can yield plenty, keeping your budget in check.
Choosing the Right Planter for Your Needs
- VegTrug planters, are a new item at Wilco that we are really excited about! They are great for growing vegetables on a budget, especially if you’re short on space or want an easier setup. Their raised design—around 32 inches high—reduces bending, making gardening comfortable for all ages. The liners ensure good drainage, preventing root rot in warm, wet weather, and the sturdy build lasts through hot summers.
- Cedar Raised Garden Bed: For those who prefer a traditional look, cedar raised beds are a budget-friendly option that’s closer to ground level but still elevates soil for better drainage and root health. Available in various sizes, it’s perfect for larger crops like tomatoes or squash in a backyard setting. The natural cedar resists weathering, making it a long-lasting choice for our hot summers.
- Galvanized Steel Raised Garden Bed: This modern, durable option is great for gardeners wanting a sleek, low-maintenance planter. Made from rust-resistant galvanized steel, it’s ideal for growing beans, peppers, or greens and withstands our warm, humid conditions. Its modular design allows you to customize sizes, fitting both small patios and larger yards.
These planters are designed to make gardening accessible and efficient, whether you’re working with a tiny deck or a spacious backyard. They help you control soil quality, reduce weed issues, and grow more in less space, saving you money on produce. For climbing crops like Malabar spinach or cucumbers, add a trellis to any of these planters to maximize vertical space.
Budget-Friendly Gardening Tips
Here are some more ways to save money and grow successfully:
- Test Your Soil: Great soil doesn’t have to cost a lot. Test your soil every three years with a Soil Test Kit to check pH (aim for 6.3-6.9 for most veggies). Fix imbalances with Organic Compost, a budget-friendly way to enrich soil.
- Water Efficiently: Save water and money with a Drip Irrigation Kit from Wilco. It waters roots directly, reducing waste and keeping plants healthy. Water deeply 1-2 times a week.
- Mulch to Save Water: Mulch cuts watering costs by keeping soil moist. Use a 1-2 inch layer of Mulch, like our new HealthiStraw, to reduce evaporation and weeds.
- Time Planting for Savings: Plant after mid-April when soil hits 60°F (65°F for sweet potatoes). Start seeds indoors 6-8 weeks earlier with Seed Starting Supplies to save on buying plants. If we’re too late in the season, starter plants are an affordable shortcut.
- Control Pests Naturally: Save on chemicals with Bonides Captain Jack’s Neem Oil for pests like aphids. Rotate crops yearly to prevent diseases, saving soil health costs. Refresh raised bed soil annually for the same benefit.
- Plan to Save: Track planting in a notebook or garden planner to rotate crops, reducing pest and disease costs. For example, grow beans after tomatoes next year. In raised beds, rotate crops within the bed to keep soil productive.
- Maximize Small Spaces: Mix tall cucumbers with short squash to use space efficiently. Plant Annuals like marigolds to deter pests, saving on sprays. A trellis boosts yields for climbing crops.
- Extend Harvests: If you are using a VegTrug, try a coldframe or greenhouse cover to protect tomatoes or peppers from fall chills, giving you more produce for your money.
- Compost for Free Nutrients: Use a Composters to turn scraps into compost, feeding your garden for free.
- Boost Yields with Pollinators: Attract bees with Annuals like pollinator-friendly flowers near your garden or VegTrug to improve yields on crops like squash, saving you from buying more produce.
- Keep Learning: Gardening is a journey, and small steps save big.
Growing your own groceries is a smart way to save money, enjoy fresh flavors, and live sustainably. With budget-friendly crops like sweet potatoes, peppers, eggplant, spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, and squash, plus Wilco’s quality supplies and the ease of VegTrug planters, you’re set for a thriving, cost-cutting garden. Whether you’re planting on your balcony or a bed in your yard, we’re here to help you grow more for less.
Visit your local Wilco or shop at farmstore.com.
Share your money-saving garden with us using #mywilcolife on Facebook, X, or Instagram and tag @wilcostores — we love seeing your harvests!
