I don't have a green thumb in my body. So far, everything plant-like I have tried to grow has not survived for longer than a few weeks. I planted a garden last year and out of everything I planted, I only managed to get a handful of carrots and about 10 string beans. I would really like to try my hand at having a garden for food during the summer, but I don't know what I am doing wrong. Is there any plants that are easy to grow and take care of I could try? I really love the idea of having my own garden to save on the food bill and also have a sense of being self sufficient.
The simple answer is squash. Easy to grow and there are so many varieties and uses. Green, Yellow, straight or crook necked, spaghetti squash, zucchini all will give you and amazing amount of vegetables. They grow in virtually any soil but leave enough room for the big leaves and beautiful flowers. They are great as a side dish, in spaghetti sauce and soups, for sweet breads, or grilled with a little oil and garlic salt. Even if you get tired of the big crop, you can probably trade with neighbors who also grow. I put in 6 plants and had hundreds of pounds of squash...I ended up giving away some in the free classifieds.
I fully agree that squash basically grows like a weed. Sounds to me like the problem is with your soil. A few easy solutions would be 1) to raise your garden so that your plants aren't subject to root rot. Tomatoes can thrive with relatively little work, but they seem to do much better when raised above ground. The best place to go ask what is easy to grow in your area is any local nursery. The stuff that grows easiest is going to be cheap and abundant. And a local nursery is going to offer you a lot more specific and personal advice. Not sure if you are into cooking with herbs, but herbs also tend to grow like weeds. I bought the house I'm currently living in and didn't even notice a thriving herb garden growing on one side of it for two years. Obviously I didn't tend to the thing since I didn't even know it was there. Have a 5ft. high rosemary bush, oregano, and mint that went a little out of control. And that was in a space that received only partial sunlight and was only watered as often as it rained. So maybe you should pick a few herbs you know you like and see what happens. Herbs also thrive in small spaces, which is nice if you don't want to go all out.
Go to the local garden center - not the stand at the local walmart or supermarket. Talk to them as they can be very knowledgeable about growing conditions in your area. Also keep in mind the daylight conditions in your garden. Some plants really need a lot of direct sunlight while others need only some. Try a variety of different things this year. Keep a record of what grows well and what grows poorly - next year you can refine the garden. How much time and effort are you willing to put into the project? Some plants may grow well, but need more maintenance than others.
You can also give potatoes a try, they are pretty hard to mess up, it's one of the easiest things to grow.
I agree with the advice above to go to a proper garden centre and get some good advice about how to deal with the problems you're having and what kind of plants maybe best suited to your soil or area etc. For plants that are easy to grow, I found peas/mangetout/sugarsnaps one of the most straightforward, and very tasty for the level of effort involved. Herbs really take care of themselves and provide maximum flavour for minimum effort, as well as saving money off your shopping bill as I find herbs expensive in the store compared to the volume of food you get from them! All salad leaves are pretty quick and easy so very satisfying to grow, and there's nothing better than a truly fresh salad. Radishes are super quick and simple and taste totally different to anything I've ever bought from a shop. Zucchini as already mentioned give huge yields for little effort and Jerusalem artichokes pretty much look after themselves.
