Not all crops will be worth the time and effort for your self-sufficient goals, but today we are going to discuss the 10 necessary crops for self-sufficiency.
Growing your own garden is such a valuable skill, obtaining self-sufficiency through gardening is not only important in today’s economy, but for your own food freedom. Allowing you the opportunity to truly know what you are consuming.
When you are planning your garden it’s important to first consider what you and your family will eat, the climate in which you live in, what sort of yields that particular plant will give you and the nutrient density of that plant.
I know its easy to get carried away when looking through seed catalogs, dreaming up all the different varieties of tomatoes, squash, etc, but if you won’t eat it what good will it do for you?
Let’s dive into the 10 necessary crops for self-sufficiency.
Potatoes
Potatoes are a necessary crop for self-sufficiency, easy for beginners, favored among advanced gardeners, they are a must grow for those seeking food freedom and self-sufficiency. Not only are they full of calories, packed full of nutrients, but they can provide a lot of food with minimal spacing.
Simple to grow even in challenging climates. Potatoes not only are easy to grow, but they also store exceptionally well.
You can purchase potatoes starts from your local garden store, or you can let your organic potatoes from the grocery store grow eyes, I’ve tried both ways and had success with both!
They are typically ready to harvest within 2-3 months, simple to grow, tasty in the kitchen. A self-sufficient gardeners favorite.
Winter Squash
Winter squash may be one of my absolute favorites to grow in the garden. There are so many varieties, that if you aren’t a fan of one particular type there’s plenty more to choose from. Every growing season I go crazy with growing winter squash. The Hubbard squash is one of my favorites. Simple to grow seriously it turns into a weed, stores unbelievably long and is packed full of amazing nutrients.
For the picky eaters in the family you can easily hide this pureed into muffins, cakes, pasta sauces, you name it. The gardeners seeking food freedom need to grow winter squash. A prolific producer you won’t be disappointed.
Winter squash can be stored all winter, I’ve never had one rot, and they look beautiful stored in the pantry.
Carrots
My family loves carrots! And so does Doug, the guinea pig. These are amazing because they are delicious, easy to grow, they store really well, and they are versatile.
Did you know carrots can be grown year round? They don’t require a ton of space, or water to grow making them a must grow around our homestead.
When I sow my carrot seeds I use a homemade gel from cornstarch and water, and have a beautiful endless bounty of carrots year after year. I hate trying to individually place each seed, and have found the cornstarch method produces a much higher yield of robust carrots.
Cabbage
Another necessary crop for a self sufficient garden is cabbage! Where we live is incredibly cold for a lot of months out of the year. Cabbage’s ability to withstand frigid temps makes this nutrient dense vegetable a must grow on our homestead.
You can eat cabbage fresh, or make sauerkraut, and even freeze dry it for later use.
Cabbage is a pretty simple crop to grow aside from the bugs that seem determined to annihilate it. Keep up with regularly removing aphids, and checking for cabbage worms and you will have a wonderful cabbage harvest!
Onions
Onions were one of my first crops I ever grew in our garden. A simple starter crop for the beginner gardener, and a loved crop for the experienced gardeners.
Onions are easy to grow, adding flavor to many dishes, and easy to store. These fall into the 10 necessary crops for self-sufficiency.
They don’t hold a ton of nutrients, but they make any dish packed full of flavor. Not only that but onions have many medicinal benefits specifically for respiratory illnesses.
You can also turn your onions into onion powder, allowing you to preserve them longer and season dishes throughout the entire year.
Garlic
A favorite of mine to grow because garlic is one of the most simple crops for any gardener. For me I plant mine in late Fall and leave them be until they are ready to harvest in mid June.
Garlic is a favorite for adding flavor to any and all dishes. Garlic doesn’t require a ton of growing space, and is an easy crop to grow year after year from your own supply.
I don’t know the last time I purchased garlic starts these have been growing on our homestead for the last 7 years!
Garlic is delicious, not so nutrient dense, but a healthy homeopathic remedy for many ailments.
Green Beans – Pole Beans
Green beans are another vital crop on our homestead. Packed full of nutrients, unbelievably easy to grow, they add flavor and nutrients to so many varieties of dishes.
Requiring minimal space when grown vertically, minimal water requirements, the green bean is a favorite on our homestead.
A prolific producer, you won’t be disappointed with the amount of green beans you are able to harvest in a short season.
Most days in the summer I cannot keep up with the amount of green beans needed to harvest.
Easy to freeze, freeze dry, or can for long term storage, you cannot go wrong with green beans to help with your self-sufficiency.
Tomatoes
Not many people would consider a tomato a necessary crops for a self-sufficient garden, but I absolutely would. What you can do with tomatoes is pretty impressive.
You can freeze them whole, can them into ketchup, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, salsa, BBQ sauce, the list is extensive.
Tomatoes are quite easy to grow. Most years I’m inundated with tomatoes and end up feeding large quantities to the farm animals.
I love to add tomato creations to the freeze dryer for long term storage as opposed to canning. Canning tomatoes personally freaks me out so I opt for freeze dried, but there are some pretty great looking canning recipes for tomatoes.
Tomatoes can be a bit unruly in the garden if you don’t stay on top of them. However, I cannot imagine having a garden without tomatoes, I feel like tomatoes in the garden are non-negotiable.
Dry Beans
Beans are a must have crop for anyone seeking self-sufficiency. There are so many varieties of beans making this addition to the garden a must have for anyone seeking food freedom.
Beans are packed full of nutrients, easy to dry and to store, these are a preppers dream come true. Easy to continue using your own seeds, by keeping a handful of beans for the next years growing season, resulting in self-sufficiency with your own organic seeds as well.
Overtime they will adapt to your climate creating healthier plants overall.
To store beans you must wait until the pods are dry, then place them in a paper bag, and simply shake around and the beans will separate from the pods. I like to store mine in a glass jar and use as needed.
Beets
Beets are a favorite on our homestead. Versatile in so many recipes, simple to grow, packed full of nutrients and flavor. The beet is a necessary crop for a self-sufficient garden they are easy to grow, and store well.
The beet matures so quickly, making it a multiple harvesting crop for your garden. You can dehydrate beets and turn into beet powder to add to smoothies, muffins and other recipes.
My family likes to eat roasted beets and potatoes, a simple, healthy hearty side dish to enjoy in all seasons. Fun fact, beets leaves and stems are also edible!
Bonus necessary crop for self-sufficiency is the kale!
I want to include one more that for our family is essential, but didn’t feel the need to add it to my ultimate list, because a lot of people hate kale.
For us kale is a must have growing in our garden, not only does it feed our animals, but it stores well. Dehydrated, freeze dried, frozen and fresh, kale is versatile and easy to slip into many dishes, a favorite addition to our protein shakes.
A highly nutrient dense vegetable, simple to grow, exceptionally cold hardy, kale is a favorite in my self-sufficient garden.
Tips to Grow a Self-Sufficient Garden
Growing all your own food is really a labor of love.
I pray over my seeds, seedlings, trees, berry bushes, all of it.
If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones.” -Luke 16:10
Cause of the Self-Sufficient Garden Failure
I hear people often discuss ALL the plants they plan to grow, and often see failure because they get caught up in the seed catalog. Not making a realistic garden plan is a sure way to fail. This simple list of 10 necessary crops for self-sufficiency should be a good starting ground for anyone looking to obtain food freedom.
It’s been over 7 years of gardening here in the high desert, it isn’t always easy, we have failures, and successes, all glory to God who continues to sustain our self-sufficient garden with His blessings.
I hope you feel encouraged after reading my list of 10 necessary crops for self-sufficiency. It’s important we begin obtaining food freedom again and rid our diets of GMO fruits and vegetables.
Homegrown food is a piece of art, serving to sustain and nourish those who sit around your table. Let us use our garden spaces as a place to attain self-sufficiency and nourish our bodies with the healthiest foods we can.
Happy gardening!
Danielle
