Some of the vegetables that deliver the greatest return in a home garden are also the easiest to grow. That may feel counterintuitive, but it makes a certain kind of sense once you start paying attention to space, speed, and repeat harvests.
Years ago, The Cheap Vegetable Gardener crunched the numbers by comparing two things:
- average yields per square foot, and
- the retail price of that produce at organic grocery stores.
The results were telling. The crops with the highest value per square foot weren’t showstoppers or long-haul projects. They were fast, forgiving plants you can harvest again and again.
According to that analysis, the top performers were:
- Cilantro
- Arugula (rocket)
- Mixed salad greens
- Chives
- Dill
What these plants share is not glamour, but efficiency. They grow quickly, tolerate frequent cutting, and rarely demand perfect conditions. You’re not waiting all season for a single payoff. You’re harvesting steadily, often within weeks.
Contrast that with crops like cauliflower, broccoli, and cabbage—plants many gardeners want to grow, but often struggle to grow well. They take up space for months, attract pests with enthusiasm, and deliver a relatively small harvest for the real estate they occupy. When you factor in time, effort, and frustration, their “return” looks far less appealing.
This doesn’t mean those crops aren’t worth growing. It does mean they’re worth growing intentionallyrather than by default.
If you’re working with limited space—or simply want your garden to feel generous rather than demanding—it can be useful to think in terms of return per square foot. Leafy herbs and greens punch far above their weight. They’re expensive at the store, simple in the garden, and immediately useful in the kitchen.
It’s a quiet reminder that productive gardening isn’t always about ambition. Sometimes it’s about choosing plants that align with how you actually cook, eat, and move through the season.
If you measured your garden by return rather than tradition, what would you grow more of?
For those curious, you can still find the full breakdown and methodology at The Cheap Vegetable Gardener along with a longer list of crops ranked by value per square foot.
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- what vegetables are worth growing
