These 6 Foods Taste Better (and Cost Less) When Homegrown

Herbs

Herbs are the place where you can get max benefit from growing your own versus buying from the store, Mercer says. “Herbs are a great option to grow instead of buy, since you often only need a small amount, and can pick them at the peak of freshness from your garden as needed! Store-bought herbs can be expensive, and have often traveled long distances, so the flavor is not as strong as when it was first picked.”

For the biggest bang for your buck (and your taste buds), opt for perennial herbs like rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage, chives, and tarragon, which you plant once and grow for years. (But don’t worry—you can still enjoy annual herbs like fresh parsley, basil, cilantro, and dill.)

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are pretty easy to grow in your garden—and they provide maximum flavor when homegrown. Plus, you can indulge in some of the more intriguing variations out there. “Many heirloom or specialty varieties are too fragile and thin-skinned to survive commercial transport, so are best grown yourself or bought from the farmers’ market,” Mercer says.

Carrots

Carrots can be a perfect cooler-weather crop, Mercer says. “Carrots taste sweeter when grown in cool temperatures, so being able to grow these in the shoulder seasons of spring and fall will yield a much better tasting vegetable.”

Strawberries

Just like with tomatoes, there’s a big difference between the varieties that you can grow at home and those that you find in the store, which are often bred to be easier to transport. (And bonus: strawberries are perennial plants, so you can grow a fresh crop every year.)

Kale

Mercer also recommends kale as a perfect cool-weather crop, where you’ll get more flavorful produce in peak shape.

Whatever You Love the Most

Mercer recommends focusing on your favorites—especially if they aren’t always easy to find. “Specialty crops that are hard to get at the grocery store are also a good option—specific varieties of sweet peppers, hot peppers, or tomatoes that aren’t standard offerings are great to grow yourself.”