How long is a quarter? That is about the same length as a season, a semester in school, and a trimester of pregnancy. It can go by real fast especially if you are enjoying yourself. The good news is, you can give yourself that much time if you have been thinking about being self-sustainable. Shopping for groceries can get expensive, and if you had a way to cut a huge chunk of that, it would be great for your finances.
There are vegetables out there that can get you harvesting in less than three months. This is a quick way for you to start growing your own food. It may not be as large scale as farms that have been given the hydroseeding treatment, where the seeds are mixed with mulch and distributed by spraying over an open field. Planting all of these by hand is totally doable. You will be happy to see your yields once harvest time comes.
Arugula
If you like the taste of peppercorn but do not like its hard texture, you can try replacing it with arugula. This vegetable has a similar peppery taste but comes in leaf form, which you can just pick out and chew straight from the garden. It is great to mix with salads or as a garnish in dishes. They also go great with grilled meat.
Arugula is best planted during spring as it likes a cooler climate. You can choose to go with summer instead, but you have to make sure you can move them to a nice shaded area when the sun gets too hot. You do not have to wait too long for harvest, because you can do that in a month. If you are sowing seeds during autumn, make sure that your estimated harvest time will be at just the onset of winter. This is to avoid the plants from getting frozen.
Bok Choy
Bok choy is a type of cabbage mostly used in Asian dishes. The flavor is mostly mild, with the dark green leaves giving off a slightly bitter taste. For those who love texture in their food, they can enjoy the crunchy bite of the juicy stalk. You can find this vegetable mostly in dishes that have soup, and that can also come with meat or fish. It can also be fermented and turned into kimchi, which is a great side dish that can cleanse your palate when you are eating a rich main course.
You can start sowing bok choy in the latter part of spring and throughout the rest of the year, but you have to time your last harvest of the year before the cold days of winter arrive. Make sure they get plenty of sunlight. Not only is that good got them, but it also gives them a fuller flavor. Expect to have a harvest after two months.
Radish
If you are looking for a vegetable that you can just pick out from the garden, clean under running water, then have a bite of, then radish is for you. When eaten raw, it will give you a mix of spiciness, earthiness, and sweetness. It has a nice crunch when you bite into it. Cooking it will make it soft and reduce its flavors to something that is more subtle.
Radishes are among the easiest vegetables you can plant. You can sow them at any time of the year except summer because they hate the heat. You can harvest them after three weeks, and they are said to taste best if you time that during the cooler days of the year.
Spinach
While it does not give you huge muscles like Popeye, eating spinach will provide you with plenty of nutrients like potassium and vitamin A. It is also a good source of folic acid, which can help prevent pregnancy problems. It is best eaten fresh so you can enjoy its crunch and subtle sweetness. Let it wilt away and you will be having something bitter. You can find this vegetable in salads, stir-fried dishes, and savory pies.
The best time to grow spinach is during the autumn season. It does not require much sunlight and it likes to live in colder temperatures. Be prepared to harvest this vegetable in one month.
If you are not the patient kind but you want to have a healthy food source at home, these vegetables will fit your bill. They can give you harvest in less than a quarter, and they do not need that much space. You should have no more excuse for holding off your goal of being self-sustainable. If that is your ultimate destination, then your journey to reach that just got faster.