Beginners often think that growing their own vegetables could be too big a step for them, that they should start with something "simple" … without realizing that growing vegetables is actually often very easy! While there are some who need a little baby, the list of the easiest vegetables to grow is actually quite a long one. Our list just touches the surface of what you can master with ease!
When it comes to gardening, knowing good growing conditions in general is more important than knowing a single plant. People have grown their own food for thousands of years, and until recently they had no home gardening to help them. They were able to accomplish this feat by finding fertile, well-drained soil, waiting until after the last spring frost to grow certain crops, and growing a variety of crops including flowers, herbs, and tubers made from seeds traded with others for genetic diversity.
We've broken down some of the easier plants you can grow. We added some to the list, such as cherry tomatoes and basil, because many gardeners already buy these regularly at the local grocery store. Others, like green beans and lettuce, we've included because they're so fertile that you'll feel more than finished when you see their crops. We added radishes and pak choi because you can get a quick harvest in just a few weeks and see for yourself how easy it is to grow vegetables in your own garden.
We've broken our list into two sections: cool season plants that grow best when temperatures are below 70 degrees Fahrenheit, and warm season plants that grow best when temperatures are above 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Always pay attention to the temperature when planting!
Cool Season Harvesting
radish
Rainbow of radishes can be yours. Source: Dowbiggin
Radishes are the simplest of the easy plants and a super fast growing taste powerhouse. These tiny crunchy bunches can grow in just 30 days, with some strains taking a little longer to grow. This is a cool to mild time of the year that can sometimes be harvested as early as 3 weeks after sowing. They grow well in both spring and autumn, but are not frost tolerant. Beginner gardeners will find that this may very well be the first crop they will ever "sow" directly into the garden soil. If you're growing lettuce as well, add a row of radishes right between your rows of leafy salads.
There are a number of super interesting radish varieties to choose from. Some favorites are the beautiful watermelon radish or the large daikon radish. Both are great for pickling if you spot a bigger than expected harvest! Both the root and the leaves of this plant are edible.
Learn more: Radish or Daikon radish
Bok Choy
Bok Choy is a lovely green to grow on. Source: essgee51
Another cool season crop, bok choy is a great vegetable for stir-fries and soups, and is great for anyone looking for fiber. A wide variety of types are now available and easy to obtain. This is one of the first plants to be grown when the seasons change in late summer and gardeners are looking for a new round of plants to start with.
This plant will do well when sown directly, but for gardeners in climates with shorter planting windows, try starting this harvest indoors and planting out in cooler temperatures. Bok Choy enjoys moist soil and full sun in cooler temperatures or partial shade if planted in spring. This is a great crop for continuous sowing. Simply plant more pak choi seeds every 2-3 weeks for a continuous harvest.
Harvest this leafy green as soon as the leaves are large enough to pluck or cut off your plant and continue to harvest until it begins to bloom. Several tasty and interesting varieties include a purple variety, the delicate green Pak Choy, and a bold, white stemmed variety.
Learn more: Bok Choy
Onions
Once germinated, onions will practically grow by themselves. Source: rosefirerising
Although they start slowly with seeds, onions can easily be grown from so-called "sets". These are like miniature onions that were grown from seeds the previous season. They need to be put in the ground at the beginning of the cool season and grow for 3-5 months before harvest.
Depending on the variety and your climate, you can get a fairly large harvest of onions in a relatively short amount of time. This is a cool time of year that the snow cannot survive. In spring, be very aware of the type of onion needed for your growing zone. Onion varieties are grouped according to the number of hours of daylight your plants need to produce good bulbs. So find out the number of hours of sunshine in your region before buying.
Some great strains to look out for are Red Cabernet Onions for day-neutral growers. For short day growers, try the Vidalia equivalent called Yellow Granex. Longday growers should be on the lookout for the coveted Walla Walla or Rossa di Milano.
Learn more: Onions
peas
Peas are great climbers and taste good too. Source: ABBones
Peas are one of the easiest vegetables to grow, and especially sweet nuggets that are even sweeter when picked straight from the garden. Since the amount of sugar in the pea is broken down after picking, you will find that the peas straight from the garden are much sweeter than what you can find in the supermarket.
There are three different types of pea to choose from when planting. Shell peas and sugar peas both grow to maturity before consumption, while sugar peas are eaten while the inner pea is still unripe and only partially formed.
Depending on how you plan to eat your peas, you can grow different varieties for that productive and easy harvest that will fill your garden beds quickly. Try “Green Arrow” for peeling peas, “Cascadia Sugar Snap” for sweet peas and “Carouby de Maussane” for sweet peas.
Learn more: Peas or snow peas
potatoes
A home-grown potato is incomparably good. Source: JeepersMedia
Wherever you plant potatoes, you will have potatoes until the end of time! This plant is so easy to grow that you can't stop it. Potatoes thrive best in soft and loose soil with adequate drainage, and can even be grown from the older soft potatoes that you can find at the back of your closet.
To grow, simply place an "eye" or sprouted portion about 4 inches below the soil and cover it loosely with soil. Once they have germinated and reached a height of about six inches, "pound" your potatoes by adding soil around the base of the plant and covering the lower stem and leaves that leave the top few inches above the soil. Additional tubers grow along the stem, where they're buried for an even bigger harvest. A cool season harvest, depending on the length of your search for the pre, mid or post season varieties that will work best in your area. Potatoes struggle in hot weather so plan accordingly.
Learn more: potatoes
Lettuce
Both lettuce and lettuce are easy to open. Source: Unconventional Emma
A fast growing leafy green, lettuce is one of the easiest and best vegetables to grow from seeds. Given how cheap the seeds are for the number of seeds you get, it's actually quite easy to sprinkle the seeds in a part of your garden where you're already growing an onion plant like onions, beets, or garlic and such quickly grow a companion plant. growing nutritious plant. Fresh lettuce is a wonderful addition to the kitchen table, and lettuce leaves are always best when freshly plucked from a garden bed.
To make growing lettuce even easier, try growing varieties that will ripen after a different number of days for a continuous harvest over several weeks. Plant lettuce in rows 6 to 10 inches apart and 1/8 inch deep. Sometimes it is enough to lightly press the lettuce seeds into the soil and water them. Try the Bronze Beauty, Little Gem or Tom Thumb varieties.
Learn more: Lettuce
Kale
Fresh kale can always be on hand. Source: bklynphoto2020
From the cabbage family, kale is a productive and easy-growing plant. Whether started with seeds or planted out, kale can be harvested for months and years in some mild climates. Kale is rich in vitamins and nutrients and keeps making more leaves along a thick central stem.
If growing from seeds, plant them in starting trays 1/4 inch deep, and transplant when they reach about 10 cm in height. Place the plants at least 1 foot apart in rows 18 inches apart. They appear to be far apart, but these plants can be productive and produce very large leaves that range from the frizzy greenish-purple in Russian kale to the dark green leaflets of classic Lacinato kale. Kale does well in both raised beds and containers and takes up less space than other leafy vegetables.
Learn more: Kale
Beets
Both beets and their greens are edible and tasty. Source: robbplusjessie
An easy crop that grows better from seeds than transplanted, beets are essentially an enlarged taproot that, when roasted or pickled, turns out to be incredibly delicious! Beets are eaten for both their roots and their greenery. Grown from a fairly large seed, it's fairly easy to distribute those seeds evenly as you plant. Try no-till seeds about 4-6 inches apart, in rows about 8 inches apart and a little less than an inch deep.
Beets are very rich in vitamin C, folic acid, iron and potassium and are a wonderful addition to the vegetable garden. These fast growing root vegetables are easy to plant with lettuce, cabbage, and other surface crops and are wonderful. For a classic beetroot, try the Bulls Blood Beet or for a golden twist the beautiful golden beet.
It's not just lettuce that can be planted as a companion crop, as beets are another popular catch crop. As you grow vegetables, you will find that some of the easiest vegetables to grow can often be planted together, allowing for a harvest both below and above ground.
Learn more: Beets
Warm season harvest
Beans
There are hundreds of types of beans to choose from. Source: Skånska Matupplevelser
Beans are tender annuals that come back year after year. Beans are a fast growing plant and can be either fresh as green beans or as ripe dried beans. Depending on how you plan to use beans, you should look for different varieties.
Beans come in two main growing categories, bush types or pole types. Bush beans grow quickly and produce a large harvest over a short period of 2 weeks. Runner beans often grow to 8-10 feet in height when they can grow and produce from a single plant for an extended period of time, sometimes more than a month. There are also some super cool Asian varieties with beans that grow to almost three feet long! Children have great fun harvesting these beans throughout the growing season.
For green bean plants, look for yard-long beans, Kentucky Wonder, or the Dragon Tongue Bush Bean. If you're growing beans for dry beans, try the Jacob & # 39; s Cattle Bush Bean or Cave Bean.
Learn more: Beans, runner beans, fava beans, mung beans, or soybeans
Summer squash
Summer pumpkins of all kinds practically grow by themselves. Source: Fonticulus
Looking for a productive addition to the vegetable garden? Look no further than the delicious summer squash family. This is home to a very wide variety of summer squash, which includes zucchini, crooked neck squash, and even the many varieties of pattypan squash.
This pumpkin variety is best planted from seeds in early spring in warm, moist soil. With a large seed it is easy to direct the sowing into the garden. Read the package to see how tall your pumpkin plants will get as it can easily take up entire garden beds in search of enough space. Summer pumpkins produce both male and female flowers. You can expect a fast-growing summer squash to appear in the weeks that follow. Throughout the growing season, you can expect a large harvest of fresh vegetables from every pumpkin plant in your garden.
For standard zucchini, try the Zucchini Black Ball. For more interesting varieties, experiment with Lemon Squash, Crookneck Early Golden Squash, or New Zealand Kamo Kamo Squash.
Learn more: Summer squash
Cherry tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes are a staple in a simple garden. Source: Relocated Librarian
There are thousands of varieties of cherry tomatoes around the world. These tomatoes are wonderfully easy to grow as their stems are rich and often snake their way through your yard before you can even stop them. Dozens of small cherry tomatoes form along the stems, which are self-pollinating (a problem that can sometimes occur with larger tomatoes) and they can produce for a few months.
Cherry tomatoes need to be planted in full sun, preferably with some sort of garden support like a tomato cage. They need lots of water and space for their roots to take off. Cherry tomatoes are a great option for the container garden and are the most resilient tomato plants, likely because they are the original tomato plant as larger steak-style tomatoes were only crossed a few hundred years ago. The fruit will begin to develop after around 80-100 days, resulting in a quick harvest.
As for taste, it's hard to beat the classic and golden Sun Gold tomato or the Supersweet 100. For a dark red cherry tomato that contains anthoniacin, try the indigo cherry tomato. Brad's Atomic Grape is wildly colored by anthoniacin too if you're looking for something interesting!
Learn more: Cherry tomatoes
basil
Basil isn't technically a vegetable, but it's easy to grow. Source: Nostepinne
Basil is not a vegetable, but close enough in our books, a divine gift from heaven destined for your taste buds. Basil is a fast growing leafy green that enjoys the heat of summer and all-day sun. Basil is easy to grow and plant from seeds in seed starter containers. It's a pretty hearty grower who can grow in window boxes, loose dirt, rocky soil, or even large pots. While most vegetables have high growing conditions, basil only needs direct sunlight, some water, and well-drained soil to stand out.
Plant the seeds about 1/8 "to 1/4" deep in mid-June, or whenever you have several months of warm weather on the horizon. Plant a few rows 18 inches apart if growing in soil, or 1-2 plants per 12 inch container if sowing straight into pots. Basil is a great option for small rooms or limited space and is easy to start indoors. Basil is an all-round trooper. Although there is a large selection of basil, we recommend the classic, always reliable Genovese.
Learn more: basil
pepper
Hundreds of hot and sweet peppers await you. Source: Zeetz Jones
While not everyone thinks pepper plants are easy to grow, we think they are! Under the right conditions, with well-rotted manure or compost incorporated into your garden soil, peppers decline in warm weather with full sun (think about at least 8 hours a day). Make sure to keep your soil moist and you will have your own vegetables in no time. You can either sow the seeds directly into the soil and lightly cover them or transplant them. We recommend planting sweet peppers that can be found in seed catalogs over sweet peppers that can be found in larger garden centers. Many of the grafts available in gardening stores do not taste the same as heirloom varieties. For some hearty and delicious peppers, try growing the King of the North pepper, Ajvarski pepper, or Manganji pepper.
Learn more: Bell peppers or jalapeno peppers
frequently asked Questions
Q: What vegetables can grow in 30 days?
A: Radishes and many leafy vegetables can grow in as little as 30 days.
Q: What are the easiest and most nutritious vegetables to grow?
A: Salad and stir fry vegetables are the easiest, most nutritious vegetables to grow. Everything from lettuce to pak choi to kale grows easily and packs in nutritional value at the same time!
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