Nicole Johnsey Burke (video host) argues that rising wholesale vegetable prices (nearly 40% year-over-year in July) make it important to grow your own food. She lists 10 easy plants to replace groceries in 2026 â arugula, beans, garlic, zucchini, basil, carrots, spinach, sweet potatoes, cucumber, and spring-mix lettuce â with short tips on seed counts, harvest frequency, timing, and preservation.
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Nearly 40%.
2026.
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Wholesale prices for domestic fresh and dry vegetables skyrocketed nearly 40% in July compared to a year ago.
There has never been a time where it is more important for us to learn how to grow our own food. So here are 10 of the easiest plants that you can grow to replace your groceries and save money in 2026. Arugula. The easiest grocery to replace four seed packages will give you over 52 boxes of arugula all year long. Beans. The most underrated plant in the garden grow a ton all summer so you free some to enjoy in the winter. Garlic. Every clove becomes a full bulb in 9 months time just from sitting in the dirt. Zucchini. Just one pack of seed will give you zucchini all summer, plenty to freeze for the winter, and enough to drop off at every single one of your neighbor's doorsteps. Basil. One seed grows all this basil plus gives you seeds for next year. Carrots. Plant this one pack of seed in the spring and again in the fall and you'll have carrots all year long. Spinach. You can get five harvests from every single seed and it tastes so much better than the stuff at the store. Sweet potatoes. Stick them in the dirt at the start of summer and then dig up enough in the fall to last you all year. Cucumber. Eat them fresh in the summer and pickle them for the winter. Spring mix. Lettuce. The very first grocery I ever learned how to replace, get these seeds and start saving on your groceries in the caption.