Cheapest Vegetables to Grow at Home
If the goal is maximum food for minimum money, not every vegetable is equal. A $2 packet of lettuce seed grows hundreds of plants; a $4 seedling gives you one. Ranked by cost per plant and cost per pound of harvest, these are the crops that turn pocket change into dinner — and the expensive habits to avoid.
The cheapest vegetables to grow are leafy salads, beans, courgettes, root vegetables from seed, and perennial herbs. A $2–$3 packet of lettuce seed grows 500+ plants — under a cent per plant — while a shop-bought seedling costs $3–$5 for one. Ranked by cost per pound of harvest, cut-and-come-again lettuce, dwarf beans, courgettes, carrots and fresh herbs beat every other crop. Buy seedlings only for slow crops like tomatoes and peppers, where the head start is worth the price.
How we rank “cheapest”
Two numbers decide whether a crop is genuinely cheap: cost per plant (packet price divided by viable plants) and cost per pound of harvest (everything you spent divided by everything you picked). A crop can be cheap to plant but expensive per pound if it yields little — sweetcorn is the classic example. The winners below score well on both.
The top 10 cheapest vegetables, ranked
| Rank | Crop | Seed packet | Plants per packet | Cost per plant | Why it wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lettuce / salad leaves | $2–$3 | 500–1,000 | <$0.01 | Cut-and-come-again for months |
| 2 | Radish | $2–$3 | 300–500 | ~$0.01 | Ready in 25–30 days |
| 3 | Dwarf beans | $2–$4 | 75–150 | ~$0.03 | 10–15 lb per row; fixes nitrogen |
| 4 | Courgettes | $2–$4 | 10–25 | ~$0.15 | 30–50 lb from just 2 plants |
| 5 | Carrots | $2–$3 | 500–1,000 | <$0.01 | Stores in the ground; no processing |
| 6 | Beetroot | $2–$3 | 200–400 | ~$0.01 | Roots plus edible tops |
| 7 | Spring onions | $2–$3 | 300–500 | ~$0.01 | Regrow from cut bases |
| 8 | Kale / chard | $2–$4 | 100–300 | ~$0.02 | Harvests for 6+ months |
| 9 | Peas | $2–$4 | 100–200 | ~$0.02 | Freezes brilliantly for winter |
| 10 | Herbs (basil, parsley, coriander) | $2–$3 | 200–500 | ~$0.01 | Replaces $2–$3 shop packets weekly |
Seed vs seedling: the 100× price gap
How you start a plant matters more than which plant you choose:
| Route | Cost per plant | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Seed packet (lettuce) | ~$0.005 | $2.50 ÷ 500 seeds |
| Seed packet (beans) | ~$0.03 | $3 ÷ 100 seeds |
| Home-grown module seedlings | $0.10–$0.20 | Compost and tray cost |
| Shop-bought seedling | $3–$5 | One tomato transplant |
Growing from seed is roughly 100–1,000× cheaper per plant than buying seedlings. Buy seedlings only for long-season crops — tomatoes, peppers, eggplant — where a 6–8 week head start is genuinely worth the price.
Grow more for less
Every GardenMathLab calculator is free — work out soil volumes, compost ratios and watering schedules before you spend a penny.
The true cost per pound
Cost per pound
Cost per lb = (seed cost + share of soil and water) ÷ lb harvested
Example: $3 of lettuce seed plus a $2 share of water = $5 ÷ 25 lb harvested = $0.20/lb against $5–$8/lb in the store.
| Crop | Homegrown cost/lb | Store price/lb | Saving |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lettuce | ~$0.20 | $5–$8 | 96%+ |
| Courgettes | ~$0.10 | $1.50 | 93% |
| Dwarf beans | ~$0.30 | $3 | 90% |
| Carrots | ~$0.15 | $1.50 | 90% |
| Tomatoes (from seedling) | ~$0.80 | $3–$4 | 75%+ |
Cheap crops for tiny spaces
No garden? No problem. The cheapest crops are also the most space-efficient:
- Salad leaves in a window box — sow every 2 weeks, cut as needed.
- Spring onions in any pot — regrow from the bases of shop-bought ones.
- Herbs on a sunny sill — basil, parsley and coriander pay for themselves in weeks.
- Dwarf beans in a 5-gallon pot — a surprisingly heavy crop from one container.
The maths: one $10 bag of compost plus three $3 seed packets grows salad for a household all summer — under $20 for the season.
Frequently asked questions
What is the single cheapest vegetable to grow?
Salad leaves from seed. A $2–$3 packet yields hundreds of plants at under a cent each, and cut-and-come-again varieties produce for months from one sowing.
Is it cheaper to grow from seed or seedlings?
Seed, by roughly a hundred times per plant. Seedlings make sense only for slow, long-season crops — tomatoes, peppers, eggplant — where bought-in plants save you two months.
Which vegetables are NOT worth growing to save money?
Sweetcorn, onions and potatoes: all cheap in the store and hungry for space. Grow them for flavour and fun, not for savings.
How little space do I need?
A sunny windowsill grows herbs and microgreens; a 2×2 ft container grows a serious salad crop. Start where you are.
Can I cut costs further by saving seeds?
Yes — open-pollinated varieties of tomatoes, beans, lettuce and peppers produce seed that grows true, turning a one-off packet into a lifetime supply. See our seed-saving guide for the technique.
Related guides
Is Growing Vegetables Worth It? Cost vs Store
The full budget breakdown behind these rankings — setup costs, yields and payback.
Easiest Vegetables to Grow for Beginners
Cheap and forgiving — the overlap is exactly where beginners should start.
Succession Planting: Keep Harvests Coming All Season
Sow cheap crops little and often for months of harvests from the same space.
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