Are you ready to up your veggie game and start growing some of your own vegetables?
If so, we’ve got the perfect guide for you! We’re here to show you that gardening doesn’t have to be an intimidating task – with our list of 18 Easy Beginner-Friendly Vegetables to Grow, anyone from beginners to experienced green thumbs can get out there and start growing their own fresh and delicious veggies!
So let’s dive in, shall we? Here are the 18 Easy Beginner-Friendly Vegetables to Grow that you’ll be harvesting in no time.
Tips For Sucess
Anybody out there can give you a list of the easiest vegetables to grow but there are still some basics that need to cover before you can be successful. Here are a few tips to remember to get your green thumb shining.
Pick the right spot:
Make sure you pick a spot that gets plenty of sunlight and has good drainage for your vegetables to thrive.
It’s also best practice to allow some partial shade to creep over your garden to give your veggies a break from the summer heat.
Prepare the soil:
As any experienced gardener will attest, healthy soil is essential for healthy plants.
Be sure to use compost or fertilizer before planting to get your garden off on the right foot. Especially if you have sandy soil.
If you plan to start your garden in containers we recommend Happy Frog Potting garden soil, for more info check out our review here.
Start small:
It’s easy to get ambitious and jump into a large garden. For beginners, however, it’s best to start with smaller plots that can be easily managed.
Once you get the hang of it, then you can increase the size and variety of your garden.
Now that we’ve covered some basics, let’s take a look at some easy-to-grow vegetables.
Easy Fast-Growing Vegetables
Beginner growers, are you ready for a fast-growing vegetable garden to make your summer even more delicious? Then make sure the vegetables are on your list for this growing season.
Lettuce
Whether it’s crispy romaine or tender butter lettuce, there’s nothing quite like a fresh salad made with homegrown lettuce.
Depending on the variety it can take between 30-70 days until harvest.
Radishes
These crunchy little root veggies are perfect for container gardens and can be harvested in 22-60 days. Pro tip – like most root vegetables it is best to direct sow these seeds.
Spinach
This leafy green is an excellent source of vitamins A and K, plus it’s incredibly easy to grow and harvest in just a matter of weeks. Average 38-50 days to maturity.
Beets
These sweet root veggies can be harvested anywhere between 55-70 days and are perfect for roasting, steaming, or munching raw!
Yet another root vegetable, we recommend direct sowing to avoid issues with transplant shock.
Peas
Whether you choose snap peas or shelling varieties, you can look forward to harvesting your own sweet and juicy peas in as few as 60 days.
Sugar snap peas are one of our favorites because they are the perfect gardener’s snack.
The more you pick the more they will produce. They are also nitrogen-fixing meaning they help keep nitrogen locked into the soil.
Making them a perfect crop to plant before tomatoes.
Green Onions
With just a bit of patience, you can enjoy the sweet and mild flavor of homegrown green onions in about 50-60 days.
So if you’re ready to take your veggie game up a notch, these six fast-growing veggies are perfect for beginners!
Easy High Yeilding Vegtebles
These 6 Easy High Yielding Vegetables will have you harvesting a bounty of your own produce in no time!
Tomatoes
Nothing beats the flavor of homegrown tomatoes—plus they’re incredibly easy to grow and abundant producers.
Tomatoes are incredibly easy to grow and with over 10,000 varieties to grow, you will never get bored with what to try next.
Cherry tomatoes have to be one the easiest vegetable to grow as a beginner, they grow like a weed and produce like crazy.
Zucchini
These summer squash are great for adding to salads, grilling, or baking into tasty zucchini bread.
And do forget the flower is also edible and delicious.
Cucumbers
Enjoy these cool and crisp cucumbers straight out of the garden or pickle them up for an extra-tasty treat.
To increase yield try growing cucumber vertically on trellises.
Fun fact: Cucumbers are actually a fruit! While they’re commonly thought of as vegetables, cucumbers were originally classified as a type of melon. So technically, you can call them “veggie fruits”!
Bell Peppers
These sweet or spicy peppers are perfect for adding flavor to any dish.
Bell peppers are incredibly high-yielding plants and can produce up to 10-15 peppers per plant, depending on the variety.
With an average of 65 days until harvest, you won’t have to wait too long for your crop!
Eggplant
This versatile veggie can be grilled, roasted, or sautéed—the possibilities are endless!
Fun Fact: Eggplants do best when grown in the sunniest part of your garden. A single plant can produce up to 10-15 eggplants!
The more you pick, the more your plant will produce. So start harvesting and enjoy this tasty vegetable all season long!
Carrots
Sweet, crunchy carrots are an easy veggie to grow and can be harvested in as few as 8 weeks.
So if you’re looking for a bountiful harvest of fresh produce, these 6 Easy High Yielding Vegetables are a perfect choice!
Tips for growing carrots, carrots require loose, sandy soil and a consistent water regime.
Soak the soil thoroughly and deeply, then let the soil dry slightly before watering again.
Never allow the soil to become bone dry. Avoid shallow irrigation, which produces short, shallow carrots.
Hoe weeds when they’re tiny by scraping the surface of the soil. Don’t wait until they’re big because they will compete with the carrots for water and nutrition. When this happens, weeds always come out ahead.
Best Vegetables to Grow for Beginners
Are you ready to up your veggie game and start growing some of your own produce?If so, we’ve got the perfect guide for you!
Here is our list of a few plants that will have you harvesting your own fresh produce in no time.
Green Beans
Green beans are nutrient-packed veggies that are incredibly easy to grow.
Whether you choose bush beans that tend to grow more compact and do not need a trellis to take up to 55 days to mature.
As for the pole beans they tend to be much more productive growing vertically.
They can reach up to 15 ft tall and take anywhere from 55-65 days to reach harvest maturity.
Potatoes
Delicious and versatile, potatoes are a great veggie to add to any garden for an easy harvest.
Fun Fact: You can grow potatoes from scraps! Simply cut an existing potato into several pieces, making sure each piece has at least one eye.
Plant them and in about 10-12 weeks you’ll have new potatoes ready for harvest. Enjoy the bounty!
Kale
This nutrient-rich leafy green is perfect for adding to salads or smoothies—plus it’s incredibly easy to grow!
With approximately 60 days until harvest kale is a great choice for beginner gardeners.
Fun Fact: Kale is packed full of nutrients, including Vitamins A, C, and K. It’s also an excellent source of calcium, magnesium, and iron!
Broccoli
This delicious and crunchy veggie is high in fiber and vitamins, plus it’s a great choice for beginners since it’s harder than other veggies.
Pro tip: Beware of cabbage worms, they love broccoli and will quickly devour your plants if they go unnoticed.
If you notice an off-white butterfly-looking aviator in your garden, beware. We have the most success when treating brassicas with neem oil.
Swiss Chard
This leafy green is packed with nutrients and flavor—plus it’s incredibly easy to grow and harvest in just a few weeks.
The best way to grow swiss chard is in full sun. Plant swiss chard in moderately fertile, well-draining soil with a soil pH between 6.0 and 7.0 (slightly acidic to neutral).
Before planting, mix aged manure and/or compost into the soil to boost soil fertility.
Most Squash Varieties
Whether you choose spaghetti squash, butternut squash, or yellow squash, these varieties are great choices for beginners and can produce an abundant harvest in as little as 60 days.
Just be sure to pick a spot that gets plenty of sunshine and well-draining soil for the best yields!
Where and When to Plant
As we covered above, even the easiest of vegetables to grow you still want to cover the fundamentals of gardening.
And possibly the most crucial first step of a successful garden is where and when to start.
Let’s dive into the basics.
Where?
Quite possibly the toughest decision for most. Is there enough sun? Is there too much sun?
As a beginner, these are the questions you might ask yourself. If you decide to plant in containers or raised beds, to start out you will have much more flexibility as the season goes on.
But, if you have a small yard and are limited on space then choosing the right spot can be tricky.
You will have to make do with what you have. Try to take note of how many hours of direct sun your area gets. Try and aim for a minimum of 6 hours.
Worst case scenario your vegetables that don’t get enough sun will just take longer to reach maturity.
When?
When to start, is the other big factor in having a successful vegetable garden.
If you live in a colder climate, then starting early indoors is almost essential to have a good harvest. Most vegetables will need to be started indoors if you’re looking to get an early start.
However, some vegetables can handle cooler temperatures like broccoli and kale.
When to start your garden revolves around the average first frost date and average last frost date. This is where experience and experimenting can go hand in hand.
Most seed packets tell you when to sow your seeds or when to transplant, if you know when your frost dates are then try to align them as close as possible.
If you get nervous about losing plants due to frost we recommend succession sowing indoors.
For example. If my average last spring frost date is March 15th. And my tomato seed packet says I should plant seeds 6-8 weeks before my last frost date.
So I might start some at the end of January, and then a few more near the beginning of February about a week or two apart. This gives a bit of wiggle room for error.
Easy vegetable gardening ideas
Now that we have covered the basics here are some easy vegetable gardening ideas you can put into action.
Hanging Baskets
Consider hanging baskets to grow your favorite herbs. Suitable for areas with limited space, hanging baskets are perfect for balconies and decks.
Vertical Gardening
If you have a small garden, but still want to grow some vegetables try vertical gardening. Utilize trellises, stakes, and poles to maximize the growth potential in your yard.
Grow bags
Grow bags are a great way to optimize your gardening space. Instead of investing in large planters, you can invest in these reusable grow bags and save money in the long run.
Succession Sowing
We mentioned succession sowing above, this is the process of planting small batches throughout the season for continual harvest. This is a great way to extend the season for vegetables like lettuce and beans.
Make it easy
Try and plan your garden to be someplace that is convenient for you to get to.
Plant it close to your home, and if you can, close to your kitchen, this way you can make watering and harvesting easier.
Before planting any vegetables, make sure to research the best soil and climate conditions for your chosen crop.
Final Thoughts
Growing vegetables doesn’t have to be intimidating!
Starting a vegetable garden with some of the easiest veggies out there is a great way to ensure success.
From broccoli and squash to chard and kale, these beginner vegetables are all packed with vitamins, minerals, and flavor—plus they’re easy to grow in almost any climate.
With a little know-how, patience, and lots of love for your garden—you’ll soon be reaping the rewards of fresh vegetables from your very own backyard!
FAQs
The best vegetables to grow in a small space are beets, carrots, salad greens (such as arugula and lettuce), radishes, herbs, green onions,
For container gardening, the best vegetables include beets, carrots, lettuce, peppers, potatoes, spinach, radishes, and tomatoes.
Vegetables that do well in shade are, arugula, spinach, lettuce, collard greens, mint, chives, cilantro, oregano, and parsley to name a few.
These vegetables love warm weather, hot peppers, sunflowers, eggplant, okra, sweet potatoes, and summer squash.
Some great cool-season vegetables include collards, kale, spinach, carrots, radishes, chives, cabbage, peas, and green beans.
Herbs such as basil, oregano, and chives, leafy greens like spinach and kale, peppers, tomatoes, and microgreens.
