Ideal Bite

Caught with Your Plants Down

Embarrassed about your sad attempt at growing your own groceries? Save face with this list of easy-to-grow produce. (Check in with your local nursery about what grows best in your area, but our picks are hardy, all-around performers if you plant them in the spring as soon as frost isn't a worry.) You'll save money, eat more of those veggies Mom always told you about, and cut down on transport emissions by taking local eating to a whole new level - your own backyard. Way to restore your dignity.

1. (Ra)dish it out.

Add a little color to your tacos with radishes - a good source of potassium (helps lower blood pressure) and folic acid (keeps skin, hair, and nails healthy and is good for ladies with a bun in the oven). These fast-growing root veggies dig cooler temps and should be planted in early spring. They don't take up much space, and even if you grow from seed, you can start to harvest them in about 3 weeks.

2. Lettuce pray.

Get some instant gratification by buying lettuce starter plants instead of seeds - you can start cutting the leaves almost immediately for vitamin A-rich (especially romaine and green leaf lettuce varieties) wraps or salads. Be sure to keep the soil moist, but don't water in the evening (keeping the leaves wet overnight can make them vulnerable to disease). You can plant a second round of these guys in late summer too.

3. Bean there, done that.

Green beans - chock-full of colon-healthy vitamin C and fiber - are a snap to grow, as long as you live somewhere fairly warm with well-draining soil. Just keep in mind that the bush variety can stand on its own, while pole beans require a trellis to climb.

4. Squash it.

Summer squash plants are so fruitful (and easy to grow from seed) that you can keep yourself and your pals supplied with the little yellow vitamin C-packed guys this summer. Work plenty of compost into the soil and make sure the plants get a lot of sun - in about 45-50 days, they'll be ready for the grill or that veggie lasagna recipe.

5. One flew over the cuckoo's nast(urtium).

Give your salads a spicy kick with our secret weapon: nasturtiums (easy to grow, hard to spell...). These edible flowers put a pop of color in your garden and antioxidant vitamin C in your bod. Just keep 'em well watered in full sun, and they'll even keep aphids away from nearby plants.

6. Don't be a couch potato.

Oh, potatoes, let us count the ways we love you: baked, mashed, French fried, scalloped...mmm. Start your own little love nest with certified disease-free seed potatoes from a nursery (planting potatoes from the grocer can be a gamble because they're often treated with a growth inhibitor). In about 2-4 months, you'll be digging up your homegrown spuds.

7. Carrot to elaborate?

Protect your peepers with beta-carotene powerhouse, carrots. You can grow these guys in the garden or in pots, and they do best in light, sandy soil (compacted, rocky soil can make for crooked, deformed carrots). Sadly, we can't grow our own ranch dressing for dipping.

8. Cool as a cucumber.

Wanna refresh that frosty glass of H2O? Add a few slices of cucumber. These salad staples are made of mostly water and - bonus - help soothe skin irritations. Just give 'em plenty of space for their crawling vines and lots of sun.

9. Keep you on your (toma)toes.

Add some more flavor to your homemade bruschetta with juicy homegrown tomatoes - a good source of antioxidant lycopene (protects against prostate cancer when tomatoes are cooked). Skip the hassle of germinating seeds, and go with seedlings from your local nursery (heirlooms are particularly delish, although sometimes harder to grow). Then make sure they get lots of sun and warmth, and watch the bottoms of the fruit for ripening - that's where most tomatoes ripen first.

10. Spin(ach) control.

OK, so it won't make you superbuff like Popeye (who also had a personal trainer, we suspect), but this dark, leafy green is off the charts for nutrients (iron and vitamins A and K, for instance) that protect against osteoporosis, heart disease, colon cancer, and arthritis. Keep it well watered (though try to keep the water off the leaves), and, even from seed, you can harvest in 4-6 weeks.