12 Easiest Vegetables to Grow, According to Gardening Experts
Updated: May 14, 2024
If you're new to gardening, live in a harsh climate or are super busy, you can still grow your own veggies. Here are some of the easiest ones to try.
I love to garden, but I live at 7,500 feet where the growing season is short, the rains few and the winters brutally cold. I also travel a lot, which means I often neglect all of my leafy friends for periods of time. But through trial and error, I’ve honed in on just the right easy vegetables to grow that will survive both my outdoor environment and my occasional lack of care.
If you’re longing to crunch into your own fresh-picked vegetables but are worried you won’t succeed, fear no more. Regardless of whether your challenge comes from novice gardening skills, climate, schedule or lack of space, here are some easy-growing veggies worth a try.
Can I Grow Vegetables Where I Live?
Yes! But, if you want to grow them outside, you’ll need a minimum of six hours of sunlight. If you don’t have that, you can bring the garden inside.
“You simply need to create photosynthesis,” says Eran Messalem, New Product Development Leader for Keter North America. “That entails light, water, oxygen and a medium like soil. . . But that soil can be synthetic and the light can be artificial. There are so many more indoor options these days, like green growing cabinets that fit right into your kitchen.”
Conversely, you can grow vegetables in containers if you’re limited on outdoor space. “Many city dwellers raise fruits and vegetables on patios, decks or balconies in containers with excellent results,” says horticulturist Eva Monheim.
Tips For Growing Vegetables Successfully
Most vegetables are annual plants, which grow relatively quickly. “This guarantees success in a short period of time,” says Monheim. “You can start again fresh each year with a new mix of edibles.”
To prime your chances of success, focus on:
- Selection: Choose plants well-suited for your gardening zone, sunlight, soil and other growing conditions. “They’ll need less TLC and therefore less effort,” says Messalem.
- Water: “Consistent and sufficient watering is crucial for vegetable growth, so they can efficiently transport nutrients from the soil to the plant,” says Carrie Spoonemore, co-creator of From Seed to Spoon.
- Food: Fertilize and use compost to ensure robust foliage and yield.
- Sunlight: Plant veggies where they’ll get plenty of rays. “Think of sunlight as the nutrient enhancer to your edible crops,” says Monheim.
- Soil: Research your soil type and amend it as needed. For example, if you have heavy clay soils, raised beds or adding compost will help, says Monheim.
- Spacing: Leave sufficient space between plants so they have room to mature. Roots also need ample space to develop and expand.
- Seed starting: for many veggies, staring seeds indoors gives them a head start in places with short growing seasons and unpredictable weather. To up the easy factor, try an indoor seed-starting system like Bio Dome.
- Tech: Apps like From Seed to Spoon help sort out what grows well in your area, plus give tips on companion planting and more.
- Planters: It’s easier to control soil and elements in a planter box. DIY one for your deck or patio, or buy one like this one from Keter.
- Experiment: Research and don’t be afraid to try and fail.
“The more you grow the more you know,” says Monheim. “Don’t worry if a crop does not produce as much as you are expecting. Sometimes the weather conditions are not in the plants’ favor and the gardener has no control over it. Make notes of what works and what doesn’t.”
Lettuce
Lettuce grows fast and doesn’t need much space or attention, so it’s perfect for beginners. Keep the soil moist and harvest outer leaves when they reach 4 to 6 inches long to encourage continuous growth.
“Romaine lettuce is fun to grow in hanging baskets with trailing sweet potato vine,” says Monheim. “The heads grow straight up, and with the trailing sweet potato vine hanging down, they are beautiful.”
Spinach
Spinach is an easy cool-season alternative to lettuce. You can also jump on the micro-green trend, which requires less than six hours of light under grow lights.
“These are basically vegetables and herbs when they are in their tiny sprout form,” says Messalem. “Many people are growing these in their homes.”
Radishes
Fast-growing radishes are a real no-brainer when it comes to easy gardening. They do well in most climates, but especially in cool weather. With shallow roots, they’re also well-suited for small containers or garden beds. Plant in well-draining soil in early spring to late summer.
“They thrive in full sun, making them a low-maintenance plant,” says Spoonemore. “With consistent watering and minimal care, radishes should be ready to harvest in a few weeks.”
Green Beans
Green beans are low-maintenance vegetables that thrive in sunny spots with well-drained soil, says Spoonemore. Plant seeds or small plants outside once the ground is warm, and give them support with stakes or trellises. Keep the soil moist and harvest when they’re young and tender, about 4 to 7 inches in length.
“Plant a new row every other week to have beans through the fall season,” says Monheim. “If you have a bumper crop of beans, they can be blanched and frozen for the winter. Pickling beans is great too!”
Herbs
“Herbs are incredibly easy to grow, even for beginners, and can be grown in containers or garden beds,” says Spoonemore. Some of the easiest varieties include basil and rosemary, but there’s no reason to stop there. Plant in a sunny spot in well-draining soil and pinch back the stems regularly to encourage bushier growth.
“Harvest fresh herbs as needed to add flavor to your favorite dishes and drinks,” she says. “With herbs, you’ll always have a burst of flavor right at your fingertips.” For extra convenience, use a planter near your kitchen door so you can grab handfuls as needed.
Garlic
Plant garlic cloves in the fall and then forget about them until spring. Make sure to put them in an accessible place so that when the green leaves come up early on, you can use them for cooking and salads. When they start to yellow, usually around June, it’s time to harvest the garlic heads (cloves). Hang them in a cool, dark place to dry.
“Garlic is a fun crop to grow and it’s a satisfying feeling having garlic on hand,” says Monheim.
Peanuts
“Peanuts are a crop most people would never think of planting, but they are a great plant for children to watch,” says Monheim. Plant in long rows, then when the plants emerge and start to grow tall, mound up the soil around them to encourage more roots to develop on the stems that have been covered (similar to potatoes).
“In the late summer or early fall the peanuts can be harvested by the basket-full. Easy peezy,” she says. “You can roast them in the oven or boil them. They also have pretty school bus yellow flowers.”
Potatoes
You don’t even have to go through the hassle of buying potato seeds or plants. If you’re like me, you probably have a few in your cupboard right now that are ripe for planting. Use ones with visible eyes, and cut them in pieces if they’re large. Let dry overnight, then plant 6 to 8 apart. As they grow, mound the soil like you do for peanuts.
“They provide a wonderful harvest in fall and into the winter,” says Monheim. “Once the potatoes set flower, you can harvest ‘new’ potatoes, which will be smaller, or you can wait until the tops die back and harvest the lot.”
Onions
The most difficult part of growing onions is, well, nothing. Plant in rows or groupings in spring. You can even put them in with your flower beds. Just place them far enough apart so the bulbs have room to swell as they grow — or not. If you plant them close together you can pull them out as young scallions (green onions) for cooking and toppings.
“These are great because they will grow through spring, summer and into the fall season,” says Messalem.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are great for containers and garden beds. “They require only sunlight, water and a stake or trellis for their vines to climb,” says Spoonemore.
For better fruit production, prune the plants after the first flowers open, and keep soil consistently moist.
“Cherry tomatoes are especially convenient as they grow and ripen faster than larger tomato varieties, meaning there’s less time for anything to go wrong or for pests to find them,” she says. For a special treat, you can also try heirloom varieties.
Cucumber
If you have ample warm weather and full sunlight, cucumbers bring an easy summer-long snack or pickling fun. They’re a slight bit more of a hassle than other veggies on the list, just because they grow on vines. So, “make sure you add proper support along the way as the plant will stretch,” says Messalem. “Be sure to keep enough space because it will also attach itself to surroundings.”
Water regularly and plant in nutrient-rich soil. Harvest when they’re young and tender for the best flavor and texture. A similar, easy vine edible to grow is squash. “These just need space and they grow quickly, so be sure to keep an eye out for when to harvest them,” says Messalem.
Peppers
Especially if you live somewhere warm, peppers are an easy, low-maintenance choice. They’re also nice because they tend to produce ripe fruit for weeks or months at the same pace that you want to pick and eat them. Regardless of whether you’ve chosen green, hot or other varieties, plant in a sunny place with nutrient-rich, well-drained soil. Keep it moist and harvest them when they reach a color and size you like.
“Just be sure to mark the plants if you are buying hot peppers,” says Messalem.
About the Experts
- Eva Monheim is a horticulturist, certified arborist, master floral designer, podcaster and artist. Her long list of accomplishments includes: co-creator of Verdant Earth Educators (VEE), instructor at Longwood Gardens, faculty member at St. Joseph University and author of Shrubs & Hedges: Discover, Grow, and Care for the World’s Most Popular Plants.
- Eran Messalem is the New Product Development Leader for Keter North America and an avid gardener who has pioneered some of the company’s most innovative programs.
- Carrie Spoonemore is co-creator of Park Seed‘s From Seed to Spoon app, which helps people successful choose and grow plants suited to their area, find recipes and more. She lives in Oklahoma, where she grows food with her husband and kids, and makes YouTube videos demonstrating gardening techniques from their five-acre homestead.
Originally Published: May 09, 2024
