Skip the grocery store, grow these 11 items on your windowsill
With SNAP benefit cuts, job loss and mortgage interest upticks leaving some people in a bind, homegrown groceries are the one thing we can all control
For homeowners and tenants who have never shown any interest in a vegetable or fruit garden, the rise in food prices (and for some, the loss of SNAP benefits from the “Big, Beautiful Bill”) may have them reevaluating. If you’re not ready to commit to sectioning off your backyard and growing an entire garden, here are 10 common fruits, vegetables, herbs and a bonus 11th option for your first aid kit.
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1. Mint
Whether you’re more likely to drink mint tea, use mint for garnish or eat it in dishes like mint fudge brownies or in a Tabbouleh salad, it will take about 90 days from planting the seed to reach its full maturity of up to 2 feet tall.
Sunlight: 4–6 hours of sunlight per day, tolerates partial shade
Water: Keep soil consistently moist without getting soggy
Container: Deep pot with drainage because mint spreads out fast
Extra perk: It’s a natural bug repellent against spider mites, flea beetles and silverfish.
2. Lettuce (Loose-Leaf or Romaine)
Whether you’re more likely to put lettuce on a sandwich or as your salad base, you won’t have to wait long for this: 2-3 weeks.
Sunlight: 6-8 hours of sunlight per day (or a glow light)
Water: Keep potting mix moist after pressing seeds lightly into the soil about 3-4 inches apart
Container: Chose a wide pot that’s about 12-18 inches
Extra perk: If you played with Cabbage Patch dolls growing up, you’re going to be delighted at seeing three to five lettuce heads grow next to each other. (Mini cabbage heads take way longer to grow — 100 days.)
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3. Carrots
While you could chop them up in a salad, eat them hot in a soup or bake a carrot cake, I’d spend far more time trying to get Junee to stop eating every last one of them once they’re ready in 60 to 80 days.