So you want to grow your own food, but you’re looking out at your “garden” (aka a patio, a concrete yard, or maybe just a windowsill with a half-dead basil plant) and thinking: nope.
Good news: you don’t need acres. You don’t even need a garden. You just need to be a bit picky about what you plant.
Herbs: The Gateway Grow
Supermarket herbs are daylight robbery. £1.50 for a sad little packet that goes slimy in two days? No thanks.
- Basil, mint, parsley, thyme → all grow happily in pots.
- Even on a windowsill, you’ll get months of fresh herbs.
- Each plant saves you a tenner in silly little packets.
If you only grow one thing, make it herbs. Next time you get some, chop a sprig off and dunk in water it will root in a few days and plant it in some muck. Boom.
🧄 Garlic: The Quiet Overachiever
Garlic is the gift that keeps on giving. Stick a clove in some soil in autumn, forget about it, and by summer you’ve got a whole bulb.
- Plant 10 cloves = 10 bulbs.
- Saves a couple of quid each, and homegrown garlic actually tastes of something.
🌶 Chillies & Peppers: Small Space Superstars
Chillies don’t take much room, and you’ll get way more than you can use fresh.
Freeze them whole, dry them, or chuck them into oil for homemade chilli oil.
One £2 plant = a year’s supply.
Bell peppers are a bit fussier, but worth it if you’ve got a sunny spot.
🍓 Strawberries (and Maybe Raspberries, and any other annual fruit you love!)
Stick them in pots or hanging baskets, and they’ll come back every year.
Even a few plants can give you enough for jam or freezer fruit — which, as we’ve already said, makes “artisan-level” gifts for pennies.
🚫 What Not to Bother With (Yet)
- Tomatoes: fun, but not cheap in year one.
- Cucumbers & aubergines: need warmth, care, and lots of space.
- Spuds: unless you’ve got a big patch, sacks from the market are cheaper.
- blackberries- you can often forage these for free! (Just make sure to follow the rules)
Purposeful Planting = Smart Planting
When you’re short on space (or time, or patience), it’s about picking what gives the most bang for your buck.
- Herbs = big savings.
- Garlic & chillies = flavour + shelf life.
- Strawberries = joy + cheap luxury.
Forget the Pinterest-perfect veg patch — you’re after plants that will actually trim your food bill and make you smile.
The Bottom Line
Homesteading isn’t about growing everything. It’s about growing the right things for your situation.
And even if your “homestead” is just a kitchen windowsill with a basil plant, congratulations: you’re doing it.
Next up: My Homesteading Journey (and What I Got Wrong) — because trust me, I’ve tried it all, and not all of it worked.