23 Best Root Crops For A Healthy And Hardy Survival Garden | Carrots, Parsnips, And Sunchokes!

The best root crops for home gardens deliver incredible kitchen versatility, vitamin-packed nutrition, and flavors that transform ordinary meals into comforting, hearty feasts. These delicious underground treasures also offer superb shelf lives and sustainable growing habits. Many even double as natural soil improvers, breaking up compacted earth with their powerful taproots!

Fresh garden vegetables like potatoes carrots and beets resting on a wooden table.

Sound enticing?

Then, let’s grow some epic root crops!

23 Epic Root Crops For Home Gardens

Here are several delicious and nutritious root crops for your survival garden or any garden! We also include several little-known (and long-forgotten) gems that you might like.

1. Carrot

Fresh and delicious carrots harvested from the backyard garden.

Carrots are the ultimate beginner-friendly root crop that practically grows itself in loose, sandy soil. These bright orange beauties are vitamin A powerhouses that’ll keep your vision sharp and your soups colorful. From baby fingerlings to foot-long monsters, carrots store beautifully in the ground through winter frosts.

USDA Growing Zone: Best grown in Zones 3 to 10.
Best Time To Sow: Sow in early spring or late summer for fall harvest.
Nutritional Benefits: High in vitamin A, especially beta-carotene, for vision and immune support.

Roast your yummy garden carrots whole with olive oil and herbs to concentrate their natural sweetness into candy-like perfection.

2. Beet

Lovely deep purple beets and leafy greens harvested from the garden.

Talk about getting two crops for the price of one! While those deep crimson roots are busy sweetening up underground, you can harvest the tender greens above for salads and sautés. Rich in folate and iron, beets help build your blood while painting your dinner plate in gorgeous jewel tones.

USDA Growing Zone: Thrives in Zones 2 to 10.
Best Time To Sow: Early spring through midsummer.
Nutritional Benefits: Rich in folate, iron, and antioxidants.

Wrap your beets in foil and roast until tender. Then, slip off the skins for mess-free preparation and intense flavor.

3. Radish (including Daikon)

Lovely homegrown radishes growing next to carrots in the garden.

The speed demons of the root world of radishes can go from seed to salad in just 30 days. Their peppery bite wakes up any dish, while their strong taproots break up compacted soil like tiny underground jackhammers. Plant them between slower crops as natural soil aerators.

USDA Growing Zone: Grows in Zones 2 to 10.
Best Time To Sow: Early spring and again in late summer.
Nutritional Benefits: High in vitamin C and good for digestion.

Slice garden radishes paper-thin for salads or quick-pickle in rice vinegar for a tangy, crunchy condiment.

4. Turnip

Harvesting some lovely turnips from the backyard garden.

These purple-shouldered globes laugh at frost and keep producing when other crops have thrown in the towel. Both the creamy white roots and peppery greens end up delicious in hearty winter stews. They’re the reliable workhorses that helped our ancestors survive long, cold winters.

USDA Growing Zone: Best in Zones 2 to 9.
Best Time To Sow: Early spring or late summer.
Nutritional Benefits: High in vitamin C, calcium, and fiber.

Cube your turnips. Then, add them to slow-cooked stews, where they absorb flavors while maintaining their satisfying texture.

5. Potato

A bucket of healthy delicious potatoes harvested from the backyard garden.

The ultimate survival food that can feed a family from a small patch of ground. These starchy powerhouses can safely store for months in a cool, dark place and adapt to almost any climate or soil condition. Plus, there’s something deeply satisfying about digging up a treasure trove of spuds you planted months earlier.

USDA Growing Zone: Grows well in Zones 3 to 10.
Best Time To Sow: Spring, after the last frost.
Nutritional Benefits: Loaded with potassium and vitamin C. calorie-dense.

Store your harvested potatoes in complete darkness and cool temperatures to prevent sprouting. Cool darkness also maintains their perfect texture for an extended period.

6. Sweet Potato

Lovely homegrown organic sweet potatoes from the summer garden.

Sweet potatoes are lovely, heat-loving vines that sprawl happily across summer gardens. They also produce both nutritious tubers and edible leaves. These orange beauties are packed with beta-carotene and improve with curing, developing their signature sweetness over time. They’re like nature’s candy that is incredibly good for you.

USDA Growing Zone: Best in Zones 5 to 11.
Best Time To Sow: After the soil warms in late spring.
Nutritional Benefits: Rich in beta-carotene, fiber, and vitamin C.

Cure sweet potatoes in warm, humid conditions for 10 days after harvest to develop maximum sweetness and storage life.

7. Onion

Delicious onion harvest from the raised garden bed.

Onions are the flavor foundation of virtually every cuisine on earth! (Well, almost.) They reward patient gardeners with perfectly cured bulbs that you can store for nearly a year. Plant sets in early spring, harvest in midsummer, then braid them up for the pantry. No garden should be without these aromatic essentials.

USDA Growing Zone: Thrives in Zones 3 to 9.
Best Time To Sow: Early spring or late summer, depending on type.
Nutritional Benefits: Contains antioxidants and sulfur compounds for heart health.

Cure your harvested onions in a warm, dry, well-ventilated area, and they’ll reward you with nearly year-long storage.

8. Garlic

Dozens of garden garlic bulbs harvested and resting in wooden boxes.

Plant these pungent cloves in the fall, then nearly forget about them until they reward you with full bulbs the following summer. Beyond its incredible flavor, garlic offers profound medicinal benefits. Each bulb you harvest can provide seed stock for next year’s crop.

USDA Growing Zone: Grows best in Zones 3 to 8.
Best Time To Sow: Plant in fall for summer harvest.
Nutritional Benefits: Contains allicin, with antibacterial and antiviral properties.

Stop watering your garlic plants thoroughly once the lower leaves start to brown. Doing so helps to concentrate flavors and improve storage quality.

9. Celeriac (Celery Root)

Mounds of healthy celeriac root with celery stalks freshly harvested.

This gnarly, alien-looking root might win ugly contests, but it’s delicious, with a subtle celery flavor that shines in soups and gratins. Cold-hardy and long-storing, celeriac proves you shouldn’t judge a vegetable by its bumpy exterior.

USDA Growing Zone: Best in Zones 4 to 9.
Best Time To Sow: Early spring, indoors or directly after frost.
Nutritional Benefits: High in vitamin K and dietary fiber.

Chop your celeriac root to create a vibrant and crispy side dish that goes wonderfully with rice and complements a variety of meat dishes, including chicken, pork, beef, or fish.

10. Parsnip

Delicious and fresh parsnips with leaves harvested from the garden.

Patient gardeners get rich rewards when frost transforms these pale roots from starchy to sweet. The chilly temperatures concentrate sugars like nature’s own candy-making process. Their deep taproots help break up heavy soils while developing complex, nutty flavors perfect for roasting alongside winter meats.

USDA Growing Zone: Thrives in Zones 2 to 9.
Best Time To Sow: Early spring.
Nutritional Benefits: High in fiber, vitamin C, and folate.

I know it’s tempting to harvest parsnips in the summer or fall. But consider leaving them in the ground through winter frosts for the sweetest possible harvest in early spring!

11. Rutabaga

Colorful rutabagas harvested and resting on the backyard lawn.

Think of these as turnips’ bigger, sweeter cousins with staying power that lasts through the coldest months. Their yellow flesh becomes incredibly sweet and creamy when roasted, making them perfect for hearty winter comfort foods.

USDA Growing Zone: Grows in Zones 3 to 9.
Best Time To Sow: Mid to late summer for fall harvest.
Nutritional Benefits: Contains vitamin C, potassium, and fiber.

Mash your homegrown rutabagas with butter and cream to create a side dish that offers a richer, creamier, and more complex flavor profile than traditional mashed potatoes.

12. Horseradish

Freshly harvested horseradish root from the garden.

This perennial powerhouse grows like a weed once established, producing roots with enough sinus-clearing heat to wake the dead. Fresh horseradish makes store-bought versions seem like pale imitations, and the plant continues to grow year after year with minimal care.

USDA Growing Zone: Best in Zones 3 to 9.
Best Time To Sow: Early spring.
Nutritional Benefits: Contains glucosinolates with antibacterial effects.

Grate your fresh horseradish root with vinegar immediately after digging for maximum heat and the most authentic flavor.

13. Jerusalem Artichoke (Sunchoke)

Raw and delicious Jerusalem artichoke sunchokes ready to cook.

These knobby tubers and sunflower lookalikes thrive on neglect! They spread into productive colonies that yield crisp, nutty-flavored roots with minimal effort. They’re the ultimate lazy gardener’s crop – plant once, harvest for years, and enjoy their unique texture raw in salads or cooked like potatoes.

USDA Growing Zone: Grows in Zones 4 to 9.
Best Time To Sow: Early spring.
Nutritional Benefits: High in inulin, a prebiotic fiber.

Plant just a few Jerusalem artichoke tubers! Within two years, you’ll have enough to share with the entire neighborhood. These plants also create gorgeous blooms that bees love visiting.

14. Skirret

Gnarly looking skirret roots harvested from the garden.

It is an old-fashioned perennial that produces clusters of sweet, pencil-thin roots with a flavor reminiscent of carrots and parsnips combined. Once a medieval garden staple, skirret deserves a comeback for adventurous gardeners seeking unique flavors and low-maintenance crops.

USDA Growing Zone: Best in Zones 4 to 9.
Best Time To Sow: Early spring.
Nutritional Benefits: Offers some fiber and natural sugars.

Steam pencil-thin skirret roots whole and serve with butter to showcase their unique sweet, nutty flavor.

15. Arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia)

Arrowhead roots at a farmers market or supermarket.

This native wetland plant produces starchy tubers that sustained indigenous peoples for centuries. If you have a pond or boggy area, arrowhead transforms problem spots into productive food sources while providing beautiful arrow-shaped foliage and white flowers.

USDA Growing Zone: Native to Zones 3 to 10.
Best Time To Sow: Plant tubers in spring.
Nutritional Benefits: Rich in starch and minerals.

Boil or roast arrowhead tubers, similar to small potatoes, for a delicious side dish. They grow wildly in many areas. But it’s best to harvest those you cultivate yourself to ensure safety. Foraging for wild arrowhead can be risky, as some toxic plants, such as Syngonium podophyllum, resemble them.

16. Egyptian Walking Onion

Egyptian walking onion plant also known as topsetting or walking onions.

The self-propagating wonder that walks across your garden by dropping bulblets from its flower heads. This perennial provides both green tops and small bulbs throughout the growing season, multiplying your harvest without any replanting effort from you.

USDA Growing Zone: Grows in Zones 3 to 10.
Best Time To Sow: Fall or early spring.
Nutritional Benefits: Provides vitamin C and sulfur compounds.

Harvest the green onion tops continuously throughout the season, allowing some bulblets to replant themselves.

17. Springbank Clover (Trifolium wormskioldii)

Lovely Springbank clovers growing in the summer garden.

Springbank clover is a lovely Pacific Northwest native that fixes nitrogen while producing edible roots. This dual-purpose plant enhances your soil while providing food, making it ideal for permaculture gardens that focus on native species.

USDA Growing Zone: Native to Zones 4 to 9.
Best Time To Sow: Sow in spring.
Nutritional Benefits: It fixes nitrogen and offers protein-rich roots.

Steam your Springbank clover roots briefly to make them digestible while preserving their traditional nutritional value.

18. Achira (Canna discolor)

Yummy homemade Ganyong flour made from achira canna roots.

Achira brings a tropical flair to warm-climate gardens. It’s beautiful enough for a flower border with edible rhizomes hidden below the ground. The striking purple-backed leaves and bright flowers make this an ornamental edible that serves double duty in landscape design.

USDA Growing Zone: Thrives in Zones 7 to 11.
Best Time To Sow: Plant rhizomes after the last frost.
Nutritional Benefits: Starchy and easy to digest.

Process the starchy achira rhizomes into flour for gluten-free baking with a unique tropical twist. (As seen in the image above!)

19. American Groundnut (Apios americana)

American groundnut also known as Apios Americana harvested from the garden.

This native climbing vine fixes nitrogen while producing protein-rich tubers that helped sustain early American homesteaders. The fragrant chocolate-scented flowers are beautiful, and the nutritious roots provide a sustainable protein source that improves rather than depletes your soil.

USDA Growing Zone: Best in Zones 3 to 8.
Best Time To Sow: Spring.
Nutritional Benefits: High in protein and complex carbs.

Slice and fry groundnut harvests like potato chips for a protein-rich snack with incredible crunch.

20. Chinese Artichoke (Stachys affinis)

Japanese or Chinese artichoke Stachys Affinis tubers from the garden.

These tiny, segmented tubers look like miniature white caterpillars but deliver a crisp, nutty crunch that’s addictive in stir-fries and pickle recipes. Their gourmet appeal offsets the small harvest size. And the novelty factor makes them conversation starters at dinner.

USDA Growing Zone: Thrives in Zones 5 to 9.
Best Time To Sow: Plant tubers in spring.
Nutritional Benefits: Offers iron, fiber, and inulin.

Quick-pickle your tiny Chinese artichoke tubers for an elegant garnish that adds crunch to any dish.

21. Common Camas (Camassia quamash)

Three common camas or Camassia Quamash bulbs from the garden.

These beautiful blue-flowered bulbs were a crucial food source for Pacific Northwest tribes. They produce sweet, nutritious bulbs after proper cooking and preparation. The stunning spring blooms make camas valuable as ornamentals, too, but proper identification is critical to avoid toxic lookalikes.

USDA Growing Zone: Native to Zones 4 to 8.
Best Time To Sow: Sow seeds in fall or plant bulbs in spring.
Nutritional Benefits: Provides sugars and carbs.

Only harvest camas with expert guidance to ensure proper identification and traditional preparation methods.

22. Oca (Oxalis tuberosa)

Bright orange or yellow and lovely oca oxalis tubers from the backyard root garden.

These rainbow-colored tubers from the Andes range from yellow to purple to red, each with a unique tangy flavor that’s part potato, part cranberry. These colorful gems store well and bring both nutrition and visual excitement to the dinner plate.

USDA Growing Zone: Best in Zones 7 to 10.
Best Time To Sow: Plant tubers in spring.
Nutritional Benefits: High in carbs, iron, and vitamin C.

Let your oca tubers sun-cure for a few days after harvest to reduce acidity and concentrate their unique tangy-sweet flavor.

23. Yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius)

A fresh yacon tuber harvest from the backyard raised garden beds.

The fruit-flavored tuber grows like a sunflower and tastes like a yummy cross between a pear and an apple. Yacon is also rich in healthy prebiotics that feed beneficial gut bacteria. It offers sweet, juicy roots that are perfect for eating fresh or transforming into syrup, making it a healthier alternative to refined sugar.

USDA Growing Zone: Ideal for Zones 7 to 11.
Best Time To Sow: Plant rhizomes in spring after frost.
Nutritional Benefits: Rich in prebiotic FOS and low in calories.

Eat yacon fresh and raw like fruit, or juice them for a naturally sweet, prebiotic-rich drink.

Conclusion

Lovely root crops like carrots parsley roots onions turnips and garlic.

The best root vegetable crops prove that some of gardening’s most significant rewards happen beneath the surface! Start with a few familiar favorites, then gradually experiment with more adventurous varieties – your taste buds, your health, and your garden will thank you for diving deep into the wonderful world of root crops.

What about you?

Are you going to grow an epic root crop garden this year?
Which root crops will you try growing first?
Are there any other rare or little-known root crops that you grow?

Thanks for reading.

Have a great day!