The one food everyone should be growing instead of buying, according to experts

All you need is a windowsill.

Even if you don't have the greenest of thumbs, there are many enticing reasons to consider starting an edible garden this year. Not only will this add color to your windowsill, patio, or yard, but it will also save you money and boost the nutrition of your menu.

"If you grow your own fruits, vegetables, and herbs, you no longer have to buy them from the store," says Rachael Lewis, the head gardener at Miel Restaurant. One of her favorite secrets to share with beginners? "You can get a packet of seeds for a dollar or two at a garden store—and even for free at some libraries."

Whether you're just digging in or have been gardening for decades, it can feel daunting to narrow down what to plant. This is especially true if you need to be selective due to limited space. According to the garden pros we spoke to, you can let your taste buds guide you.

"The most important factor to keep in mind when deciding what plant to grow is how much you like it! It doesn't make much sense to grow something you aren't going to enjoy," says Sam Jett, executive chef and gardener for the farm-to-table restaurant Audrey.

It can also be beneficial to consider what you purchase on repeat and could grow easily en masse at home, be it in a container, a window box, or a garden bed. The items that your neighbors are successfully growing already can also offer a clue to what naturally does well in your climate, adds Ian Beger, Castle Hot Springs resort farm director.

Our Panel of Gardening Experts

• Ian Beger, farm director at Castle Hot Springs in Morristown, Arizona
• Ryan Goldsmith, farmer at The Ranch Laguna Beach in Laguna Beach, California
• Sam Jett, executive chef and gardener for the farm-to-table restaurant Audrey in Nashville, Tennessee
• Rachael Lewis, head gardener for Miel Restaurant in Nashville, Tennessee
• Rohan Maynard, hydroponic farm manager at Aurora Anguilla Resort and Golf Club in the British West Indies
• Jason Skipton, executive director of Growing Gardens in Portland, Oregon

The One Food You Should Be Growing Instead of Buying

If you're seeking one single suggestion about how to start your edible garden, you've come to the right place. Four of the six garden gurus tell us your best bet is fresh herbs.

Fresh herbs "don't last very long once harvested, so being able to walk outside and cut exactly what you need is huge. Herb plants are productive, smell amazing, and honestly, just make people happy," Beger tells Allrecipes.

By growing your own fresh herbs, you can savor fresher flavor and trim your grocery bill by harvesting flavorful cuttings at their peak for use in everything from chimichurri and compound butter to summery smash cocktails and sangria—even herb-infused biscuits, bread, and potatoes.

Fresh herbs are the MVPs of a home garden because they tend to be low-maintenance—as Beger notes—and are a breeze to grow nearly anywhere, including indoors, according to Jett. Basil, chives, tarragon, rosemary, thyme, and parsley, in particular, "offer a high yield, grow fast, are versatile to use, and are inexpensive to start," explains Rohan Maynard, Aurora Anguilla Resort and Golf Club hydroponic farm manager. Plus, "they typically are sold at a high premium at the grocery stores."

Bonus for all who travel or tend to forget to water daily: "Rosemary and thyme can handle—and even prefer—drier soil," Maynard adds.

Honorable Mention

Although it might feel safest to stick to just one plant or category, Beger says he is "always a fan of variety. The more things you try, the more likely something is going to thrive. Once you figure out what works well in your climate and your space, then you can double down on it."

So if you happen to have time and space to start another plant this season, the pros say to go with cherry tomatoes.

"Supermarket tomatoes are often picked unripe, leading to poor flavor, while homegrown cherry tomatoes offer intense, sweet flavors that simply cannot be matched by commercial alternatives. They are highly rewarding for beginners and work well in small container gardens," Maynard confirms.

Tomatoes are ideal for eating raw, cooking into sauces or soups, freezing, canning, and gifting. (Tomato Jam with a fresh-baked loaf of sourdough is one of our all-time favorite food gifts.)

"Tomatoes are one of the easiest edible plants to grow, as they don't need any special care beyond watering and can produce for many months," explains Growing Gardens Executive Director Jason Skipton. The experts also celebrate the fact that this type of tomato grows up rather than out, so you can sneak them into even small garden spaces like planter boxes or patio containers.

The Worst Edible Plants To Grow at Home

On the flip side, the gardeners give you a permission slip to refrain from growing these edible goodies this year (as delicious as they are):

• Mint and oregano. You may have noticed a certain herb conspicuously missing from our list of preferred plants. These two herbs spread quickly and "tend to take over gardens easily, which can be overwhelming for a beginner," Lewis says. If you choose to grow either of these delicious herbs, Skipton suggests growing them in their own pots.
• Blackberries and raspberries. Although these plants produce beautifully fresh, sweet fruit, they also spread aggressively. In addition, their bushes are speckled with thorns, which can be painful to garden around—and might damage your skin or clothes.
• Pumpkins and watermelon. Due to their large size, these plants can "completely take over a small garden pretty quickly," Beger tells us. Feel free to add them to the mix if you have large gaps in your landscape, of course.

3 Gardening Tips Experts Swear By

No matter which ingredients you grow, our panelists agree that these best practices will greatly benefit your plant babies' well-being.

• Find them a happy home. Take note of where the sun shines and for how long on specific parts of your growing area. Then use this as a guide to select the proper plants for the conditions. "If plants need shade for a specific amount of time, don't place them in the hottest, most sun-drenched area of your garden," Skipton recommends.
• Water wisely. To give your plants the most refreshing shower, water in the morning rather than at night. If possible, "water your plants at the soil level rather than overhead, and do so deeply and less frequently so that the plants' lower roots can get watered as well," Skipton says. Give your plants enough of a drink so the water flows out of the drains at the bottom of your box or container (if you're using one), and "let the soil surface dry out between watering," adds Ryan Goldsmith, a farmer at The Ranch Laguna Beach.
• Prune regularly. Keep your trimmers handy and use them to cut off any dead pieces or overgrowth as soon as you notice them. "Removing unhealthy leaves or branches from a plant directs energy from maintaining unhealthy parts of the plant to new growth and production," Lewis tells us.

Above all, have confidence and just try, advises Goldsmith: "Remember, seeds want to grow! They just need some care and attention. It's worth it, because there is no greater satisfaction than harvesting and enjoying food you've grown."

Read the original article on Allrecipes