What to grow in your Keto Diet Garden?
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Are you into growing your own food? There are lots of great keto-friendly vegetables that can be easily grown in a home garden.
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21 Keto Garden Plants
1. Asparagus – 1.8 Net Carbs in 3.5 Oz Raw
2. Bell peppers – 5.8 Net Carbs in 1 Cup Raw
3. Broccoli – 4 Net Carbs in 3.5 Oz Raw
4. Brussels Sprouts – 5 Net Carbs in 3.5 Oz Raw
5. Cabbage – 2 Net Carbs in 1 Cup Raw
6. Celery – 1 Net Carb in 1 Cup Raw
7. Collards – 2 Net Carbs in ½ Cup Cooked
8. Cucumbers – 3 Net Carbs in 3.5 Oz Raw
9. Green Beans – 5 Net Carbs in ½ Cup Cooked
10. Green Onions – 3 Net Carbs in 1/2 Cup Raw
11. Jalapenos – >1 Net Carb in ¼ Cup Raw
12. Kale – 6 Net Carbs in 1 Cup Raw
13. Kohlrabi – 2.6 Net Carbs in 3.5 Oz Raw
14. Lettuce, Iceburg – 1.1 Net Carbs in 3.5 Oz Raw
15. Mushrooms – 2.2 Net Carbs in 3.5 Oz Raw
16. Okra – 5.3 Net Carbs in 1 Cup Raw
17. Radishes – 1 Net Carb in ½ Cup Raw
18. Spinach – 1.4 Net Carbs in 3.5 Oz Raw
19. Tomatoes – 4 Net Carbs in 1 Cup Raw
20. Yellow squash – 2.3 Net Carbs in 1 Cup Raw
21. Zucchini – 2 Net Carbs in 3.5 Oz Raw
Keto Garden Vegetables you need to start indoors
If you’ve gardened before, you know that some seeds need a little love and attention indoors where they can sprout and start growing when the conditions outside are not quite warm enough yet.
If you’re new to gardening and starting your own seeds, here is a link to a primer on starting seeds.
As a general rule, you want to start most of your indoor seedlings about six weeks before your area’s average last frost date. You can find out when that is for your area here. For a detailed calendar of when to start particular plants in your area, check out this handy planting calendar based on your zip code.
We’re in Zone 6 here in Kansas, so we start seeds around March 1. Some years we get antsy and start in February, though. It all depends on the weather and life in general. Get your plants a head start indoors when you can, and you’ll have a higher success rate and generally bigger, healthier plants. That means more veggies for your table!
Keto-friendly vegetables that need to be started indoors:
- Bell Peppers
- Broccoli
- Brussels sprouts
- Cabbage
- Cauliflower
- Eggplant
- Hot Peppers
- Tomatoes
Once you’ve passed your average last frost date and the soil is warming up, you can transplant your seedlings into the garden and let them start maturing and making food for you!
Low Carb Garden Vegetables to direct seed in your garden
Plants that can be started directly in the soil are the gardener’s best friend. These grow easily without needing to be coddled indoors in order to get started. Refer to the planting guide or your local extension office for more info on your specific area.
Keto-friendly vegetables that are easily to sow directly into your garden:
- Collards
- Cucumbers
- Green beans
- Kale
- Lettuce
- Okra
- Radish
- Spinach
- Yellow squash
- Zucchini
What do you do with all this keto bounty?
Of course, once you’ve raised all these fantastic keto-friendly vegetables, you’ll be eating them fresh out of your garden every day.
However, if all goes well, you’ll have a lot extra that you won’t be able to eat before it spoils. What to do with all this extra produce?
The go-to solutions are canning, freezing and drying.
Canning takes a decent amount of equipment and a learning curve, though once you learn how it is not difficult.
Freezing maintains a good nutrient level but you’ve got to have the space in your freezer to hold all the excess produce.
Drying can be easy, especially if you have a dehydrator.
These are all great options, and I do a bit of all of them.
However, my favorite thing to do with extra produce is to ferment!
Natural fermentation not only extends the shelf life of fresh produce, it actually increases the health and nutritional value of your vegetables. And once you get the hang of home fermenting, it’s really easy and fun.
Fermented foods are incredibly supportive of your gut health, increasing the population of your gut microbiome, which improves your digestion, nutrient absorption, nutrient metabolism, gut-brain connection and so much more.
Also, fermentation does not require large batches to be put up all at once, like canning. You can ferment a small amount at a time, if that’s what you have.
You do need a little equipment, but I have found these to be worth both the investment of money and space.
You’ll need some glass storage jars, some lids, and ideally a few bubblers.
Keto gardening for the win
Home grown foods are just better.
Home grown foods are fresher, have higher nutrient content, and they give you the satisfaction of knowing you are in control of your own food supply. A home garden can also make eating keto on a budget easier.
Plus if you have extra, you can save it for later or ferment it and add to its nutritional value! It’s time to get your keto garden on. You got this!
Disclaimer: While I have been keto for over a decade and have guided thousands of people through starting a keto diet, I am neither a licensed nutritionist nor medical professional. I never prescribe diets. I only share my personal experiences and those of my clients for informational purposes only. Nutrition details are provided for informational purposes only, and should not be considered medical nutritional data. You should consult your medical professional before making any major changes in the way you eat.