According to the National Garden Association, thirty-five percent of U.S. households, or forty-two million people, grew fruits and vegetables and other foods in 2021. This number has increased by six million from five years prior. Americans have become more health-conscious and the desire for fresh, local food growth. When it comes to growing food, it’s not that hard but also isn’t that easy. Before you start planting, there is one thing that you shouldn’t do, which is plant your fruits and vegetables together as they digest at different times. When starting your garden, don’t make it too complex, you can grow next to where you live or elsewhere. Now you know that, pick a crop that you’re going to eat, or at least like. Start growing your fruits or vegetables of your choice during a season that the food will thrive in. 

For example, cucumbers and beans are hard to grow in the winter. It’s best to grow cucumbers and beans during the spring because of the warm weather. Keep your crops watered and supported. Plants are sun lovers, so they need about six to eight hours of sun every day, making sure to avoid any places that are always shaded. Think about how much space you have, you’re going to have to think about how much space the plants will take up, while or after growing there. You must have the right amount of soil because plants have great success with the right soil.

Next, you have to think about what you or your family eat daily. A woman, Melissa K Norris, found out how much her family ate by figuring out how much of a specific food they eat during a regular week. Then, after multiplying that total with 52, you need to calculate how much of each crop you will need to grow. This would be based on the average of what the plant produces. So, grow crops that can produce more, and think about how much you would get in return after the plants finish growing. 

For example, if you plant one clove of garlic, you’ll harvest one head. If you’re growing food that grows vertically, then you are not going to need a bunch of space. But if you were to grow a squash, you would need more space because squashes grow out, and they need a lot of room to grow big. Grow what you can save, don’t plant a crop that must be stored 24/7.

 Also, don’t grow a group of crops if that’s not what your family or you eat daily. After your first crop grows, you’ll feel like a pro, you can then move onto growing more than one crop at a time. After that, if you want to continue growing your own food, then you can upgrade to a greenhouse. After getting a greenhouse, maybe you could start selling fresh food with a seller’s permit. I’m not much of a parent to plants, but if they are great for you, keep succeeding.