The garden that gives back

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Published Date 2/4/2025

“Self-sufficient” gardening? Liken it to “off the grid” when it comes to not relying on anyone but yourself to keep it going. But what does it actually portend?

The Spruce’s Nadia Hassani explains how this type of gardening became a buzzword when the pandemic hit and supply chain shortages were in abundance. “While the trend has continued, nowadays, the motivation of gardeners is more often sustainability—and, of course, the unbeatable freshness and taste of homegrown veggies,” she says.

But first she explores what experts have to say about the topic. Think of self-sufficient as akin to self-reliant or self-sustaining gardening, but also different from one another, says Hassani. “Self-sufficient gardening produces as many of the fruits and vegetables that a household consumes year-round. These are eaten either fresh during the growing season or stored and preserved by canning, freezing, and drying.”

She goes on to say that a garden in itself can be self-sufficient when it relies as little as possible on external materials and supplies. Think compost instead of commercial fertilizer, getting good at saving seeds for planting, and planting companion plants placed for natural pest control.

Putting fresh food on the table is always the goal, says gardening and food writer Kris Bordessa, who says there is another hidden bonus: a substantial reduction in your grocery bill. For organic produce, the savings are considerable, as organic food is on average 20 to 30% more expensive than conventionally grown food. “Growing a maximum amount of homegrown produce is also a rewarding experience, and it reverberates long after the harvest is over,” she says.

Did you know the more you harvest in your yard, the smaller your carbon footprint? Consider how produce from the grocery store is hauled hundreds if not thousands of miles before it reaches your kitchen. Then think about the waste all that packaging produces.

Ready to throw your hat into the ring? First off, be realistic about the time you have and how large a garden you can manage, as it’s not uncommon for gardeners to bite off more than they can chew. Next, determine which vegetables your household appreciates the most. If you’re new to gardening, start with vegetables that are easy to grow, such as tomatoes and peppers, and stay clear of challenging crops such as cauliflower and onions.

Now it’s time to calculate your needs for garden space. One jalapeño plant yields dozens of peppers throughout the summer so if you only use jalapeños occasionally, save one or two plants to tuck into a single patio container. Tomatoes? Most gardeners delight in a bumper crop of them, so save space in your garden for them. Bordessa says she needs roughly 250 pounds of tomatoes (the yield from 17 to 25 tomato plants) to feed her family of four with pizza sauce, marinara sauce, and salsa year-round.

Pests don’t have any more respect for this type of gardening than any other. To prevent them, plant disease-resistant varieties and practice crop rotation as well as integrated pest management. And use mulch and cover crops, as it greatly increases crop success, says Hassani.

So what if all you have is a side yard or a patio? Container gardening is for you, as you can still grow vegetables, all types of herbs, strawberries, and even small berry shrubs in containers. “Choosing the correct type of container is important and with the steady increase in container gardening, there have been numerous innovations in container design,” says Hassani. And today’s containers now boast benefits such as water-monitoring indicators, holding reservoirs, drainage plugs, casters, and attached trays.

TheSpruce, TBWS

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