Improve your food security when you plant crops that are high-yield and versatile — crops that can be preserved long-term.
Whether you’re running a homestead or planting your first garden, you can improve your food security — but you have to have a plan. In other words, what you plant matters.
Yes, growing obscure plants can be interesting, but they rarely sustain a family.
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What are the most important crops for food security?
Food security means having nutritious food available as you need it. To improve food security, you need to focus on growing a variety of high-yield, versatile, nutritious foods — foods that can be preserved for long-term food storage.
Before we get started, it’s important to note that each of these crops has different care and watering needs. To get the highest yield for your garden, be sure to research crop-specific advice and care. That being said, let’s look at some of the most important crops you could include in your home garden.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are one of the most popular home garden crops in the U.S. They’re versatile and can be used in salads, sauces, and sandwiches. If you start and prune your plants correctly, tomatoes can produce a pretty high yield.
Tomatoes can be preserved in a variety of ways. They can be canned as juice, sauce, salsa, or in soups. They can also be sun dried.
Potatoes
Potatoes can be grown in containers or raised beds. They’re a valuable source of carbohydrates and can be stored for an extended period if you harvest them after the plant has naturally died off, cure them for 1–2 weeks, and keep them in a cool, dark place.
To preserve potatoes, can them alone or add them to canned soups and stews. Potatoes can also be dehydrated.
Onions
Onions are relatively easy to grow and can be planted in traditional beds or containers. They can be used in a wide range of dishes, have a long shelf life, and are rich in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Grown with other plants, onions can also help protect against pests.
For the longest shelf life, harvest after the tops have dried and fallen over, cure the onions for 2–3 weeks, trim the roots, trim the tops to 1”, and then store in a cool, dry, dark place.
To preserve onions consider pickling or drying them.
Lettuce and leafy greens
Lettuce, spinach, kale, and other leafy greens are easy to grow in home gardens. They provide essential vitamins and can be harvested continually throughout the growing season. For winter months, consider sprouting seeds indoors to keep fresh greens on hand.
Greens are best eaten fresh but you can preserve certain greens through dehydration, canning, or pickling.
Bell peppers
Bell peppers are nutritious and add color to dishes. They thrive in gardens and can be used in salads, stir-fries, and as toppings for various meals.
Bell peppers can be preserved through freezing, canning, drying, and pickling.
Herbs
Herbs like basil, oregano, mint, and rosemary are not only flavorful but also relatively easy to grow in small spaces or containers. They can enhance the taste of homemade dishes.
Preserve herbs by drying them.
Zucchini and squash
Zucchini and squash can yield a lot of food in a small garden. They can be used in various recipes, including breads, stir-fries, and casseroles.
Preserve zucchini and squash for later use by dehydrating, canning, or freezing the excess.
Bush beans
Bush beans and pole beans are both suitable for home gardens. Also known as snap beans or green beans, they’re a good source of protein.
Bush beans can be preserved through canning, being dried, or freezing.
Cucumbers
Cucumbers are great for salads. They require minimal space and can be grown vertically to save garden space. They can also have a high yield.
Cucumbers are best preserved through pickling, fermenting, or canning as a relish.
Carrots
Carrots are a nutritious root crop that can be stored for an extended period. They’re suitable for gardeners with limited space. To store carrots, make sure you harvest them at the right time (typically when their shoulders push out of the soil slightly), trim the tops to ½”, and store them in a cool place with high humidity. Carrots can also be stored in sand or peat moss as long as they don’t touch each other.
Carrots can be preserved through drying, picking, canning, freezing, and fermenting.
Strawberries
Strawberries are a popular fruit that can be grown in small spaces or hanging baskets. They spared year-after-year by sending out runners.
Strawberries make delicious jams, jellies, and pie fillings that can be canned for future use. You can also dry strawberries whole or blend them and preserve them as fruit leather.
Blueberries
Blueberry bushes can thrive in home gardens, and they produce antioxidant-rich berries. They’re well-suited for container gardening as well.
Blueberries are easy to preserve for later use in the form of jams, jellies, pie fillings, and as dried fruit. They’re also delicious when frozen.
Raspberries and blackberries
These berries can be grown on trellises or in containers and provide a source of vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber.
Raspberries and blackberries can be preserved for later use in the form of jams, jellies, pie fillings, and as dried fruit. They can also be frozen.
Cherries, peaches, plums, and apples
Fruit trees can provide a long-term source of fresh fruit. They can also have a very high yield if they’re pruned, watered, and fertilized appropriately.
Preserve excess fruit by canning jams, jellies, and pie filling. You can dry the fruit in pieces, or turn it into fruit leather.
Pumpkins
While pumpkins require more space, they’re a versatile crop for pies, soups, and other dishes. One pumpkin also produces a lot of food.
Preserve excess pumpkin by canning or freezing as a puree, or dehydrating it in slices or cubes.
Why is gardening important for food security?
Home gardening can play a significant role in enhancing food security for individuals, families, and communities. Without your own garden, you’re likely relying on commercial food systems that are growing food in depleted soil from modified seeds, soaked in pesticides, and coated in preservatives.
When you have your own garden you:
Develop resilience. Gardening strengthens your resilience by establishing local food systems. In times of crisis, like natural disasters or disruptions to the food supply, home gardens can be a reliable food source. This is essential for long-term emergency preparedness.
Create food sovereignty. Gardening empowers you to have more control over your food supply, reducing dependence on external sources and corporations. This aligns with the concept of food sovereignty, where people have the right to shape their own food systems.
Grow fresh and nutritious produce. Homegrown fruits and vegetables are fresher and more nutritious than store-bought counterparts. You can also choose to grow non-GMO and heirloom varieties, use organic pest control, and spread the fertilizer your chickens have provided. This contributes to healthier diets and better overall well-being.
Prepping, home gardening, and food security
We believe that prepping is about more than stockpiling preserved foods and other resources. It’s about developing a self-sustainable lifestyle. This includes raising your own animals and crops, and knowing how to build or repurpose the things you need.
For example, if you’re fortunate enough to be bugging in during an emergency, you’ll still have access to everything you’ve built up at home. This includes your gardens and livestock. You’ll be able to replace the food and resources you use up as you wait out an extended crisis — instead of counting down the days to starvation.
Home gardening not only contributes to food security by providing fresh produce, it also promotes self-sufficiency and encourages healthy eating habits.