• Get more from your plants by using them as decoration in terra cotta pots right outside your kitchen door.
NAME:
Basil, #1 Herbs
YIELD/FOOT (LB.)
0.50
COST/LB.
$64.72
VALUE
$32.36
INPUT
$0.21
ROI
$32.15
ROI%
15,310%
HERBS, OREGANO
This trouble-free herb grows like a weed, but it is the leaves’ savory-sweet flavor and unforgettably delicious scent that makes it a must-have for the kitchen garden. European cooks have known this for centuries, and it accounts for this perennial’s Mediterranean pedigree.
The plant is aggressive and spreading, so it is often grown in a container. Provide it healthy soil to start, and there will be no need for fertilizer during the season. Oregano is also usually pest and disease free, especially in a diverse garden where there are other plants to draw insects.
The flavor of the fresh herb will be most intense about mid summer, when flower buds have just formed, but are not yet opening. That said, you can cut leaf clusters any time after the plant reaches 8 inches tall. Cut stems back to a pair of leaves, and new branches will form from that spot.
Oregano can be used fresh or frozen for use in recipes later (in either case, the flavor fades quickly under heat, so add it only at the end of cooking). You can also dry your oregano—it’s one of the few herbs with a more intense flavor when dried.
Value Added:
• Do not endanger your investment with water. Keep in mind that this is a Mediterranean plant. Water once a week and keep the soil fairly dry, because too much moisture will lead to root rot.
• Get double the bang for your buck by using oregano as a scented ornamental trailing or groundcover plant.
NAME:
Oregano, #1 Herbs
YIELD/FOOT (LB.)
0.75
COST/LB.
$42.44
VALUE
$31.83
INPUT
$0.04
ROI
$31.79
ROI%
79,479%
HERBS, DILL
Like many herbs, dill offers more than just a nice flavoring for many different recipes. It grows lace-like edible fronds and yellow flowers that are often used in bouquets. Dill is even planted as part of bushy, overflowing window boxes.
The plants can tolerate heat, but need steady, abundant water to thrive over hotter months. Heat considerations aside, the plant must absolutely have a maximum of direct sun during the day to ensure its base fills out and the plant grows as big a harvest as possible. Harvest the dill fresh by cutting the outer leaves close to the stem.
Cut flowers to encourage bushy growth. At the end of the season, let the plant bloom. Stake tall flower stems and you’ll attract butterflies when the plant flowers. In fact, although the plants are susceptible to attack by parsleyworm caterpillar, many gardeners plant extra to accommodate any infestation because the caterpillars become stunning black butterflies.
Value Added:
• Letting this herb flower and bolt is the best way to get the most out of the plant in your garden. Cut off and dry the flowers and collect the seeds, which can be used as a flavorful savory spice in cooking. Dry the seedheads in a paper bag perforated with air holes, and then shake the seeds in the bag to separate them from the heads. Separate the seeds from the chaff by spreading them on a clean worktable and blowing a fan very softly across them. The lighter chaff will float away.
NAME:
Dill, #1 Herbs
YIELD/FOOT (LB.)
0.50
COST/LB.
$49.00
VALUE
$24.50
INPUT
$0.06
ROI
$24.44
ROI%
40,733%
HERBS, SAGE
Sage does quite well in containers and in garden beds. Its deep savory flavor inspires gardeners and cooks alike. Both the leaves and the flowers are excellent in a range of cold and hot dishes.
The herb is a perennial in all but the hottest, most humid parts of the country and the coldest regions. It cannot survive excessively high heat or consistently high humidity.
The most efficient way to start sage is as a cutting from an established plant or a nursery-bought seedling. Sage should be planted in soil with superior drainage, although it doesn’t need to be overly nutritious. In fact, if the soil is too rich, the sage will grow leggy and tend to flop over, rather than growing in a nice, full, bushy mound. Once established as perennials, sage plants should be divided when they overgrow their beds or containers. Prune older plants in early spring to remove woodier old growth and encourage tender new growth.
Sage flowers in late summer or fall, and the blooms are both strikingly beautiful and edible.
Value Added:
• Although you can harvest individual leaves at any time, it’s wise to harvest lightly in the first year, if you believe the sage will survive as a perennial in your region. Cutting stems modestly will ensure a nice full growth in the second year and up the overall value amortized over time.
NAME:
Sage, #1 Herbs
YIELD/FOOT (LB.)
0.50
COST/LB.
$42.44
VALUE
$21.22
INPUT
$0.25
ROI
$20.97
ROI%
8,388%
HERBS, CILANTRO
Cilantro is a widely used herb, central to cuisines from the Middle East to South America. The unique, strong flavor can be overpowering, so one plant will usually fill the home cook’s needs.
This is a fast-growing, cool-weather plant that does best in spring and fall, and will grow throughout mild summer temperatures. However, when the thermometer rises past 75 degrees Fahrenheit, it won’t be long until the plant bolts, sending up lacy white flowers. Unlike other herbs, cilantro will not stop bolting merely because you pinch off the flower heads. You can buy bolt-resistant varieties if early bolting is a concern. Also called coriander, choose ‘Calypso’ for the traditional flavor and a pretty, lacy appearance, or ‘Confetti’ for a more unconventional, variegated, and rosemary-like appearance.
Cilantro requires a once-a-week watering and a little shelter from harsh winds. Otherwise, it is largely pest and disease resistant. However, cilantro plants do not like humid, rainy weather, and will not thrive in that condition.
Anytime after the plant reaches 6 inches tall, cut up to one-third at any one time. Leave it in place and let it grow into late fall, and it will reseed for a crop in spring.
Value Added:
• Get a two-for-one return on your cilantro investment by cultivating the coriander seeds from the seed heads once the plant bolts. The seeds are a spice used in many ethnic recipes. Let the seed heads brown, and then clip them and place them upside down in a paper bag. Within two or three days, the heads will split and drop the seeds.
NAME:
Cilantro, #1 Herbs
YIELD/FOOT (LB.)
1.00
COST/LB.
$3.12
VALUE
$3.12
INPUT
$0.12
ROI
$3.00
ROI%
2,500%
HERBS, PARSLEY
This is yet another easy herb to grow, one that is rarely bothered by pests or diseases and is prolific—you’ll likely have more than you can use in a season. You’ll choose between flat-leaf varieties (sometimes called Italian parsley) and curly. The flat-leaf is the choice of cooks for its superior flavor.
The calculations here include seedlings rather than seeds, because seeds take a long time to germinate and can be difficult to start indoors or allow for enough time to germinate in the ground.
Parsley does best plante
d in early spring, about a month before the last frost. Curly varieties will bolt under intense summer heat, but flat-leaved varieties are more heat tolerant and will last longer into the summer. In any case, do not let the soil completely dry out. If the parsley goes thirsty, the leaves will grow tough and bitter and be of little use in the kitchen.
You can take a small or large harvest from the plant, as soon as it reaches 5 inches or more. Cut off a small handful of outer leaves as needed or, if you need a larger amount, you can shear the whole plant back and it will quickly regrow.
Value Added:
• This is another herb that can bring just as much value to your garden design as it can to your kitchen. Curly varieties are excellent lush filler for window boxes, cut flower gardens, and decorative borders. Flat-leaf varieties are ideal as bushy green in amongst the stems and blooms of an edible flower garden.
NAME:
Flat-leaf, #1 Herbs
Curly, #1 Herbs
YIELD/FOOT (LB.)
0.75
0.75
COST/LB.
$7.62
$5.72
VALUE
$5.72
$4.29
INPUT
$4.00
$4.00
ROI
$1.72
$0.29
ROI%
43%
7%
AND NOW FOR THE VEGETABLES
Fresh vegetables are the reason for vegetable gardens, after all. The list of veggies with the highest return on investment contains some surprises.
Although they took a bit of a beating at the hands of the herbs value-wise, the real stars of most edible gardens are vegetables. So let’s keep our high-ROI list moving with the veggies.
One of the things I love about working with numbers is they often surprise you. They can also be fun! (Bet you never thought that when you were sitting in math class.) The numbers that set the order of our list of vegetables revealed a fair share of surprises and some conclusions.
We started with the list itself. We included the most common fruits and vegetables that are grown in a garden. We naturally excluded trees and shrubs. An apple tree or a blackberry bramble are much greater commitments of time and resources, and are different from what most people would think of as belonging in a backyard garden.
We also didn’t delve into individual varieties in the list. Varieties are a matter of preference. For annual fruits and vegetables, different varieties offer gardeners a chance to experiment. Plus, remember we were looking for standardization as much as possible. That said, we’ve included information on certain popular or standout varieties in some of the individual profiles of each crop that follow the top-to-bottom value listing.
The individual crops were ranked based on return on investment dollars. We felt that basing the rankings on dollars rather than the return-on-investment percentage (which we’ve also included) made more sense because it was most applicable in the real world. For your convenience, the rankings are also listed alphabetically here.
PARSNIP
Parsnips are the woodier cousin to carrots. Shaped like a carrot, this root vegetable features a more complex, spiced sweetness and coarser, tougher texture. But parsnips make a wonderful addition to a collection of roasted vegetables or pureed as a substitute for mashed potatoes. They are also easy to grow and relatively trouble free.
The thing that parsnips must have—just as with other root vegetables—is well-turned, loose, quick-draining, and nutritious soil. Plant seeds in the garden in early spring, right after the last frost. The vegetable takes a long time to mature—four months or more. Fortunately, even if it’s left in the ground when frost hits, it will be fine. In fact, the flavor is sweeter after a frost.
Parsnips are rarely attacked by pests and are little troubled by disease. If you suspect your garden harbors carrot rust flies, use a row cover over the new plants as they emerge. Harvest the roots as you would carrots, once the tops begin pushing out of the ground. You can even overwinter the crop by mulching over them with several inches of straw or similar mulch. Simply dig them up throughout winter and early spring. The greens are edible but not especially tasty. Most gardeners compost them.
Value Added:
• You’ll give your parsnips the best possible chance by starting with the freshest seeds you can buy. Look at the date on the packet and don’t use old seeds leftover from a previous season. The viability of the seeds reduces dramatically after they age even one year.
NAME:
Parsnip, #2
YIELD/FOOT (LB.)
8.00
COST/LB.
$4.46
VALUE
$35.68
INPUT
$0.64
ROI
$35.04
ROI%
5,475%
TOMATOES
This garden classic tops many lists of the favorite edible of home gardeners across the country. And for lots of good reasons. The astounding number of tomato varieties offers an incredible range of sizes, flavors, and even appearances. Tomatoes come in rainbow of colors and even patterns, and among the options there is undoubtedly something for everyone.
One of the first choices you’ll have to make, though, is whether the variety is determinate or indeterminate. Determinate are bush-type tomatoes with a limited harvest period, while indeterminate are vining plants that can provide a continuous or repeat harvest, making indeterminate the most popular type. If you have trouble remembering the difference between determinate and indeterminate type tomato plants, here is a hint I use. Because the determinate types are bush plants, you know ahead of time how tall they will grow before the growth stops. That’s determinate. Vine types of tomato plants will just keep growing and growing till they are killed by the fall frost, and that is indeterminate.
Regardless of variety, look for pest- and disease-resistant varieties. The plants or seeds will be labeled “VFN,” indicating resistance to Verticillium wilt (V), Fusarium wilt (F) and nematodes (N). These can all kill tomato plants virtually overnight.
It’s always a good idea to plant several different types and varieties, beginning with the mix of available sizes.
Cherry: Although we’ve used the most common type of miniature as the listing title, this category includes cherry, currant, and grape tomatoes. They are all bite-size packages of flavor great for picking and eating right in the garden and are ideal for a child’s garden. Try any variety of black cherry tomatoes for an extraordinary flavor and unusual appearance.
Heirloom: These are varieties that have been passed down through generations (usually 50 years old or more) and have been bred with open pollination between plants for distinctive characteristics. They include some of the most exotic tomatoes with unusual shapes and flavors that make them a favorite in specialty markets and home gardens. Sample any striped variety for an uncommon look in a slicing tomato.
Hybrid: Hybrids are varieties that have been intentionally cross-pollinated to create highly desirable combinations. They are the most common tomatoes. Consider the ‘SteakHouse Hybrid’ for a super large beefsteak.
Roma: These thick-walled, fleshy, compact tomatoes were developed in Italy as the base for classic sauces and tomato paste. The Roma is not considered a great eating tomato because they are less juicy than other types, but they are wonderful when cooked. Check out orange varieties for a wonderful addition to homemade salsa.
Although you can grow tomatoes from seed, many gardeners find the process a bit challenging. Seedlings are the more common start, and any purchased seedling should be buried deep—covering about two-thirds of the plant to encourage a strong root system. Just make sure you pinch off any branches and leaves that will be below ground so they do not rot.
Value Added:
• For the healthiest, biggest tomato harvest year to year, alternate crops in any given location. By moving your tomato plants around, you lessen the possibility of losing one or more of your plants to soi
l-borne diseases. This is true of many vegetables. Crop rotation is very important, and makes records doubly important. Next year, you can look up where everything was so you won’t plant the same thing in the same place.
NAME:
Tomato, cherry, #3
Tomato, heirloom, #5
YIELD/FOOT (LB.)
8.00
8.00
COST/LB.
$3.76
$3.45
VALUE
$30.08
$27.60
INPUT
$3.95
$3.95
ROI
$26.13
$23.65
ROI%
662%
599%
NAME:
Tomato, hybrid, #10
Tomato, Roma, #19
YIELD/FOOT (LB.)
8.00
8.00
Square Foot Gardening High-Value Veggies Page 5