Crops & Self-Sufficiency
Assess 40 food crops by their nutritional contribution, system compatibility, cultivation requirements and suitability for storage.
Hydroponics complements self-sufficient food production
Leafy vegetables, herbs and fruiting vegetables are particularly well suited to controlled production in limited spaces. Calorie-rich field crops, by contrast, usually require considerable space and energy. This section therefore assesses not only fresh weight, but also the edible proportion, time in the system, lighting needs, resilience to failures and storage life.
Six sections
Plan for self-sufficiency
Consider system choice, space requirements, staggered cropping and resilience to failures together.
Open section →Protein & staple crops
Make a realistic assessment of pulses, potatoes and other crops that make meals more filling.
Open section →Leafy vegetables
Use short crop cycles and staggered harvests to maintain a continuous supply of fresh produce.
Open section →Fruiting vegetables
Plan long-lived, light-demanding crops for both fresh harvesting and preservation.
Open section →Root & tuber vegetables
Use deep, well-aerated substrates for storage organs, roots and rhizomes.
Open section →Herbs
Harvest culinary herbs continuously with suitable water management, and preserve them for later use.
Open section →Assessment, not ranking
What counts as “high-yielding” depends on the cultivar, climate, light, system, reference area and energy input. We therefore make no claim to a universal ranking. Each crop is presented with its real strengths, limitations and suitable growing methods.