It can be quite daunting when you walk into a nursery and see the staggering smorgasbord on offer, it doesn’t help that many of the seedling packs offer little help with regards to plant spacing and requirements of each of the varieties on offer, so I’m here to make the process a little easier.

Firstly I like to approach gardening with an equitable mind, some veggies just don’t make economic sense when you are limited by your growing space.

For example growing a single cabbage requires a 50cm radius, in that same space you could grow 2-3 lettuces, a handful of beetroots and a rocket plant or 2, which makes better fiscal sense, and a great salad.

The added benefit is that if you aim for ‘cut and come again’ varieties like butter, cos and oak lettuces you will be able to continue to reap your harvest over a period of time.

So with that in mind, let’s look at four easy to grow, cost effective ‘starter’ veggies.

I touched on lettuces and I feel they are the lifeblood of the urban farm/garden as they offer one of the best return on investments with regards to yield, especially when compared to supermarket prices and great health benefits.

Currently it costs between R15-R20 for a mixed bag of green leaves, you could get a mixed seedling tray of 6 kinds of lettuce that would offer you 10 times that for the same price. That’s why it makes fiscal sense.

Another would be Swiss chard, it’s largely evergreen in frost free areas and a single plant will provide the average 2-person household with an adequate, ongoing supply as it’s fast growing and delicious.

I’m a fan of Asian greens, which incorporate mustards, tat-soi and mizuna, plants that often make up a mesclun mix served in most gourmet restaurants, all of which are easy to grow.

Lastly beetroots are a winner in my book, they are dual purpose in that you can eat the leaves as part of your green mix and the bulbs, while you can buy these in trays, I prefer to plant from seeds directly into the soil.

All four of these plant groups are great starter plants and will happily thrive on less than the ideal 6+ hours of direct sunlight, making them great candidates for a shady spot in your garden or on a sheltered balcony.

Matt Allison is a Cape Town based eco-advocate and urban farmer who's rethinking food one meal at a time. Find out more from him at www.imnojamieoliver.com