Many people want to grow their own food in the garden, but don't have enough time to dedicate to planting and growing their own vegetables. Indeed, gardening can be very time-consuming and it often requires a lot of maintenance and a lot of work. Many people simply don't have time to dedicate to it.

This is why all busy people should know about the low-maintenance plants and vegetables they can grow. These plants don't require much time and effort so they are ideal for busy gardeners. It's particularly important to remember some low-maintenance vegetables you can grow without a problem.

Low-Maintenance Vegetables

Here is a list of the best low-maintenance vegetables you can grow in your garden. All of them require very little of effort and time, so they are ideal even for the busiest people who wish to have some fresh vegetables:

Garlic. Garlic cloves are easily planted in the fall and harvested late in the summer. All the care they provide is some mulching, so you should make sure to provide it. other than that, you won't need to take care of them at all. Once they are ready to be harvested, simply take them out of the ground and store at a dry, cold place. You can also use garlic before the main harvest: you can eat garlic scapes that form on hardneck varieties, or greens from the softneck varieties.

Carrots. Carrots are very easy to grow. You should mulch them in the fall and you will be able to harvest fresh carrots well into winter. As long as they are properly mulched, they should do fine on their own.

Onions. You can easily grow walking onions or perennial onions. They are great because they are very easy to grow year after year. As long as you don't pick them all, they will keep coming back. To harvest an onion, simply pick a whole scallion or cut the green top.

Winter Squash. Most of the summer squash types require some care and routine harvesting. Winter varieties, however, can grow unattended and will do fine. When it's ready to harvest, simply bring them indoors and you can keep them like this for months. Most winter squash varieties will last well into the winter.

Tatume Summer Squash. While most summer squash varieties require some care, the heirloom Tatume is an exception to this rule. If you ignore it or leave it alone, it will simply grow a harder rind. This way, it can be harvested later and stored just like a winter squash.

Dry Beans. If you plant dry beans you can simply walk away and come back at the end of the season to harvest them. Simply shake the tops of plants in a paper bag to remove the seeds. Store the beans for future use.

Tomatoes. While many people think growing tomatoes is time-consuming, it doesn't have to be that way. However, tomatoes can generally do without constant care. In case they produce more than you can eat, simply bring them indoors, wash them off and put them in the freezer.

Peppers. While many varieties of peppers require some care, there are also the ones that can do well on their own. Even more, peppers can be easily stored in the fridge so you can use them for a long time. In fact, sweet peppers will become sweeter and the hot ones will become even hotter after freezing.

Photo credit: cristina.sanvito