By Paige Bayer, TheBudgetEcoist.com

Spring is upon us (finally!).  If you're a gardener, this is probably your favorite time of year, where you get to compulsively plan for all the goodies you'll be growing, prepping the soil and setting out seeds and transplants.  If you're not a gardener, this is the perfect time to think about how you can ease yourself into fun by growing one or two plants.  The benefits of growing even one staple food are tremendous:

•  get better tasting food
•  know where your food came from
• control the organic nature of the food
• save big money
• and the all important…impress your friends!

If you're embarking on your first gardening adventure, The Budget Ecoist recommends tomatoes for several reasons.  1) They produce abundantly which is very satisfying, and 2) they can be grown on a balcony (no yard required!).  If you live in a mild climate you can get started now with cool weather tolerant tomatoes for early planting.  For the rest of us, start making your plans to set out transplants late April through June.   

Here's what you need to know to get a couple of good plants going:

• Pick wisely.  For optimum cost-savings, pick what you use most often.  Beefsteaks for slicing and serving on sandwiches; Romas for canning, sauces, and salsas; and cherries for salads.  Ask your local nursery which tomato is easiest to grow under your conditions.
• Decide how you will grow the tomatoes and get tips based on that method.  Methods include growing in the ground, growing in containers, and even growing tomatoes upside down so they hang from a balcony. 
• Make note of when your tomatoes will produce.  All varieties, if purchased from a nursery, should come with a tag that tells you how many days from planting to crop (usually around 50 days). 

And now for the fun part…while you watch your tomatoes grow, make plans for what you'll do with your bounty.  Tomatoes can be heavy producers, which is great news if you're hoping to save some money.  For optimum savings, grow Roma tomatoes that can be canned or frozen for later use, thrown into sauces or diced into salsas.  Learn more about these methods, you'll be surprised at how easily you can pass for a homesteader.   

If tomatoes aren't your thing, or if you get so giddy excited by growing your own and want to further branch out, we also recommend growing your own herbs which can be done not only in gardens and containers, but also in a sunny window.  Learn more about drying perennial herbs at The Budget Ecoist.  Happy growing!

>> Check out " Can You Grow with No Garden" for more green gardening tips!