Grow Your Paleo Food

The Paleo diet brings you back to the beginning, back in the Paleolithic era when the 
only food you ate was what you could hunt, forage, or grow yourself. This diet relies 
heavily on fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs, in addition to the meat and seafood you 
have in the diet. For this reason, growing your own food is often preferred by people 
who start the Paleo diet.

This information is going to give you the benefits of growing your paleo food, as well as 
a wide range of tips and tricks for growing fruits, vegetables, and herbs right in your own 
backyard.

1. Reasons to Garden While on Paleo

Before getting into the types of produce you can grow during the spring and tips for 
growing in containers or in your backyard, let’s look at the reasons why you should start 
gardening when you are on the Paleo diet.

With this diet, a good portion of your food is what you would have been able to forage or 
grow, often including vegetables and herbs, as well as a variety of fruits. Many of these 
also happen to be in season during the spring, so now is the perfect time to start your 
crops.

Here are some of the different benefits of growing your own food while on Paleo.

You Can Ensure it is Organic

First of all, when you grow your own food, you have full control over the process. If you 
are buying produce or herbs from the grocery store, there is no telling what went in to 
growing it. There might have been pesticides used, it might not have been rinsed well, 
or it could have been wrapped in edible plastic before being shipped to the store.

When you grow your own food, it is much easier to have organic, fresh produce and you 
can choose what organic substances you want to control things like pests and weeds in 
your garden.

Your Food is Right Outside Your Door

Also consider how convenient is to grow your own food! This is the ultimate ‘food to 
table’ situation. If you need basil for a tomato sauce you are making, head out to your 
garden, grab some basil, and add it to your sauce right then. You can also grow fruits 
and veggies that you will can to be used later, or always have fresh strawberries ready 
for your Paleo-friendly snacks and desserts.

It Helps to Save Money

Being on the Paleo diet often means spending a little more than you are used to. While 
you no longer buy processed and frozen foods, some of the ingredients, like organic 
produce and meat, can go up quite a bit. If you are struggling with your weekly grocery 
bills, consider cutting those expenses drastically just by growing your own fruits, 
vegetables, and herbs. Not only is it always there when you need it, but you can save 
money on this fresh, organic produce.

Gardening Improves Your Overall Health

The act of gardening itself is great for you and your family if they are involved as well. 
You will get some vitamin D, which is important for everyone to get more of. You will 
also get regular exercise and have the satisfaction of growing food that is helping to 
sustain your family. 

2. Different Methods of Gardening

When you decide to grow your own Paleo food, the first thing you need to do before 
even choosing what to garden, is how you want to garden. The main options include 
growing vegetables outside or in containers, but these are not the only options 
available. Here are the four methods of gardening to choose from when growing your 
own ingredients.

Traditional Outdoor Gardening

The first method of growing your own food is going to be one of the most popular 
method, which involves having a garden in your backyard. This allows you the freedom 
of spreading out your produce, having a combination of fruit trees and vegetable plants, 
and even a raised garden for your herbs. If you have more room in your front yard, it is 
okay to plant there, but this leaves it open to people picking from your trees or plants. It 
is best to choose a side or backyard that is fenced off.

With backyard gardening, there are a few things to consider. You need to think about 
how much space you have and how much produce you want to grow in that space, plus 
the condition of your soil, and the types of climate you have. This should all be 
considered when deciding if this is the best gardening option for you.

Indoor Container Gardening

The next option you can try out is container gardening. This can actually be done 
indoors or outdoors. If you have a patio or balcony, but no actual backyard, then you 
can do container gardening outdoors. This allows the containers of veggies and herbs 
to still get a good amount of sunlight, but doesn’t actually require planting anything in 
the ground.

Then there is the option of indoor container gardening. This is a good idea if you live in 
apartment or townhouse and don’t have a balcony or patio where you can allow your 
produce to get outdoor sunlight. In this case, you just need to have them placed near a 
south or west-facing window, which should get plenty of light during the day.

Greenhouse and Hydroponic Gardening

These are the lesser common methods, but still something to consider. First off is 
greenhouse gardening, which allows you to keep a warm environment for your produce 
and herbs year-round. It does require a greenhouse to be purchased or built, and 
enough room in your backyard for it. But this allows you to grow anything, any time of 
the year.

You can also try out hydroponic gardening, where you grow vegetables and herbs in 
water instead of soil. This is good when you live somewhere that doesn’t have quality 
soil or you want to do container gardening.

3. Fruits You Can Grow Indoors

Now that you understand more about how to grow your own Paleo food, you can learn 
what you are able to grow in the spring season. First up is your fruit! Fruit is a great way 
to have sweetness in your diet without sugar and other ingredients not allowed on your 
Paleo diet. Plus, fruit is filled with nutrients like antioxidants and vitamins that is 
important for general health. 

If you want to grow your own fruit, but don’t have room in your backyard, you can grow 
them indoors. Here are some fruits you can grow in the spring indoors for your Paleo 
food.

Meyer Lemons

There are many different types of lemons, but meyer lemons tend to be among the most 
popular. These are sour like lemons, but have an added sweetness as well. Plus, these 
trees are often small enough to grow indoors when you get the dwarf tree. Not only can 
you grow these in the spring, but they usually survive year-round with enough sunlight 
and care.

Apricots

Next up are your apricots, which also come in smaller dwarf fruit trees. You will need to 
keep the tree in a large container inside your home, close to a window or sliding glass 
door that gets plenty of light. Since the container is in your home, make sure it has 
proper drainage so you don’t get water damage on the floor beneath it. You should 
hand-pollinate when you are growing apricots indoors.

Strawberries

Strawberries are a unique fruit because they don’t require a tree, but can actually grow 
in pots and containers. You can get a strawberry plant that has already been started, or 
you can grow it from seeds. These are usually small enough to fit in a windowsill, so 
they are ideal for an indoor fruit, even for beginners. As with all indoor crops, just make 
sure they have ample light and you water it regularly.

Figs

Figs are popular on the Paleo diet, and they do very well indoors. The tree itself is pretty 
heavy, so make sure you have a large and sturdy pot when you are bringing it indoors. 
Fig trees need sunlight, but indirect sunlight is fine for it. This is good if you live in an 
apartment or condo that doesn’t get the best direct sunlight through windows or sliding 
glass doors.

4. Vegetables to Grow in the Spring

Now it is to talk about vegetables! Vegetables make up a good amount of your plate 
when you are eating on the Paleo diet. Leafy greens are often used as wraps when you 
don’t eat bread or tortillas, you probably eat quite a few salads, and you should have 
vegetables with every meal to make it as nutritious as possible.

If you want to grow your own Paleo food in the spring, these are some really good 
vegetables to start with.

Spinach

You want as many leafy greens as you can get your hands on, and while they aren’t 
expensive to purchase, it is good to grow them at home and always have them 
available. One of the more popular leafy greens that is in season during the spring is 
spinach. Spinach is luckily also very easy to grow and it looks beautiful in any vegetable 
garden.

If you want to grow them in early spring, you should like to keep them close together 
and harvest as the leaves are on the smaller side. Keep in mind that spinach also works 
great in the summer and fall, so you can plant them now and have them almost the 
entire year.

Peas

In many climates, you are actually able to plant peas in the spring and have them 
throughout the summer and fall seasons. You might even get lucky and have them for 
your spring salads. Try to plant them as soon as you can in the spring if you live in a 
milder climate, or wait until the frost is gone if you live in a cold climate with longer 
winters. Snow peas, green peas, and some broad beans like edamame can also grow 
during this time.

Asparagus

Asparagus is a very popular spring vegetable, frequently roasted or sautéed as a side 
dish or added to salads with your leafy greens. It also thrives in the spring, so you can 
plant them late winter or early spring, and they only take a few weeks until you can 
harvest them. Having fresh asparagus will provide you with a lot of delicious meal 
options.

Radishes

If your family enjoys radishes in your salads and other dishes, you will be happy to know 
it is another spring vegetable. This actually grows incredibly fast, going from planting to 
the full vegetable ready to harvest in three weeks. 

5. Grow These Spring Herbs For Paleo Dishes

The last thing you can grow indoors or outdoors in the spring for Paleo dishes is your 
herbs. Herbs aren’t expensive when buying them one at a time, but the convenience of 
having them right in your backyard or on your patio is hard to beat. 

Plus, most herbs are easy for beginners to grow, so even if you can only grow herbs, 
you will be well on your way to growing your own Paleo food. Here are some of the 
herbs available in spring.

Chives

With chives, you can top soups and salads and have a crisp flavor added to these 
dishes. Chives are similar to green onions, though they have somewhat of a milder 
flavor. So if you like the crunch of onions, but not the bitterness, chives are perfect! You 
can easily grow chives right from seeds in the spring and have them a few weeks later.

Basil

This is definitely one of the more popular herbs to have at home. It is used in Italian, 
Mediterranean, and many other types of cuisine. They are good in omelets, soups, 
sauces, and with most meats you enjoy on the Paleo diet. Basil needs a good amount 
of light, so if you are growing it indoors, make sure the container is in the windowsill on 
a south-facing wall.

Dill

Are you interested in putting together a cucumber salad as a cold lunch for a hot spring 
day? If so, you probably want some dill on it! It goes very well with most vegetables, as 
well as fish and seafood cuisine. Dill can be grown from the plant or seed, and also 
needs a good amount of sunlight to grow properly. 

