Last Updated on April 16, 2024 by Real Men Sow
Growing food starts with growing what your family likes to eat. It’s not a good idea to plant crops that no one in the household wants to eat. Begin by listing your favorite vegetables. These are the ones that you and your family eat most often.
You’ll also have to make sure you have enough space for the crops that give you the best bang for your buck. Avoid crops that take up too much space or require little return if space is tight. Focus instead on large-harvested vegetables, varieties that can be grown densely or vertically, to maximize the amount of food you can grow.
You should also grow crops that can be stored well and are adaptable to ensure you have good food throughout the winter months.
The Best 12 Victory Garden Crops to Grow
Potatoes
For millennia, potatoes have been a staple survival crop. They are high in carbohydrates, calorie-dense, and essential nutrients such as fiber, potassium, and magnesium. You will get more calories from potatoes per square foot than any other crop. They can also be stored in cold storage. These are a must-have for any victory garden.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are a must in any garden! Even if you don’t like fresh tomatoes, you can grow a good paste variety to make tomato sauce, diced tomatoes or stewed tomatoes at home. You can also make your own salsa, barbecue sauce, and other condiments with a few ingredients that you can almost all grow at home.
You can preserve tomatoes in many ways, including freezing, dehydrating, canning, and fermenting. Tomatoes are one of the most versatile crops that you can grow. They have high levels of nutrients and flavor, which is very important if your home grows tomatoes.
Beans
Because beans come in a variety of flavors, they are great options for victory gardens. They are high in protein and fiber, and also have a lot of vitamins and minerals.
Any type of bean can be used in a survival gardening garden. However, green pole beans and other shelling beans such as broad beans (fava beans), pinto beans and black beans are particularly good choices.
Pole beans
These are excellent because they can grow vertically, so you can harvest a lot in a small space. Pole beans can be pressure canned to be eaten all year round. They are versatile and go well with almost any type of food, from stir-fry to roast dinner.
Shelling Beans
These can be dried and stored without special equipment, they are an excellent candidate for the victory gardens. Shelling beans are the classic “rice and beans” style of beans. They can be dried quickly without any special equipment, making them a great survival food that can last through any crisis.
Corn
Field corn varieties are different from sweet corn in that they can be dried and made into cornmeal or corn flour. This cornmeal can then be used to make everything from cornbread, corn tortillas, and corn chips. It can also be used in animal feed.
Corn is an excellent choice for a grain that can grow at home in a small area, especially when compared to other cereal grains such as wheat, oats and barley.
Squash
Because they are high-yielding crops, which produce lots of food with little effort, both summer and winter squashes are great options for victory gardens. Winter squashes like butternut squash, pumpkins and spaghetti squash are all good crops to plant. They’re rich in vitamins and prolific growers. Winter squash can be stored for an extremely long time and requires very little effort.
It is possible to freeze pumpkin or squash, but thick-skinned winter squash can be stored in cold storage for up to six months without any special treatment. We still have spaghetti squash that was harvested in September, six months ago, on our shelves!
Carrots
Carrots are another staple crop for any home garden. These are a good staple crop in any home garden. They are high in antioxidants as well as nutrients such vitamin A. They can be grown in small areas and produce high yields.
Carrots keep well in cold storage, particularly if they are buried in sand. They can also be left in the garden for more temperate climates, and then pulled from the soil when you are ready to eat them.
Cabbage
Although cabbage is not the most calorically dense crop, it is one of the most nutritionally dense crops. It retains most nutrients even when cooked. It can also be fermented to make sauerkraut and kimchi, which makes it even more nutritious.
Fermented cabbage can be kept in the fridge for up to two months. However, cabbage can also be stored in its entirety in cold storage. You can grow it in your garden all year.
Kale
The nutrients in green leafy vegetables include vitamins A, C, and K, iron and folate, magnesium and fiber, as well as potassium. Some leafy greens, such as lettuce, don’t keep well so it’s better to opt for a hardy option like kale.
Kale is a high yielding crop that produces fresh greens throughout the summer and fall. It’s also very cold-hardy and can be grown in any location. You can also blanch it and freeze it, or dry it and make homemade kale chips.
Garlic
In any victory garden, garlic is a must-have. Although garlic is not a high-calorie crop, it is very rich in essential nutrients. It also has medicinal properties like being antiviral and antibacterial. It’s also very versatile and flavorful, making it a great choice for your home kitchen.
Herbs
Herbs are not a staple crop, they can be used to make medicine and food. Rosemary, basil, chives and oregano are essentials for any home garden. However, there are other herbs that you may want to add to your garden to make it more productive, especially as store-bought spices and herbs become increasingly difficult to find. These 13 medicinal and culinary herbs are perfect for your home garden.