5 vegetables that are easy to grow for the beginner

Radishes:

Radishes are one of the easy to grow crops that you can plant in your garden, and one of the easiest plants for beginners. You can plant radish seeds directly into your raised garden bed or in a large pot for a container garden. Depending on your hardiness zone, they can be grown most months throughout the year.

When we say fastest, we mean fastest. Depending on the season and length of day, radishes can reach full maturity in as little as a month.  

Combine the square-foot gardening method with succession planting, and you can grow as many radishes as you need all season long. Radishes grow well in small spaces, so you can use them to fill the bare spots around your garden. 

Radishes are frost-tolerant, so you can plant them in your garden several weeks before your last frost date in spring. They like cool weather and can quickly go to seed (bolt) in warm, dry weather. 

There are many varieties of radishes, not just the round red radishes you find in the grocery store. Even if you have never been fond of the familiar round red radishes in the store, you could try planting a few different varieties. There are black, white, purple, pink, yellow, and even green radishes, all of which have unique flavors, some spicy, some mild.

With all the available varieties, they have many more uses than adding them to a tossed salad. Some varieties are great in soup, fermented, pickled, roasted, or stir-fried.

Other easy to grow vegetables include:

• Carrots: Grow slower than radishes, but if you’re patient, the payoff will be better carrots than those found at the store.
• Lettuce: Many varieties are easy to grow and mature quickly.
• Spinach: Quick growth, plus multiple harvests in a single season.
• Bush Beans: A good choice for beginners

Tips for Success:

• Start small: Start with a few easy vegetables to grow. Better to be happy with a small garden than disappointed because you started too big. You can expand your garden as you gain experience. 
• Think about climate: If you live in zone 5 as I do, you may want to start plants indoors or consider cold-hardy varieties for early-season planting. 
• Succession planting: If you plan, you can plant seeds at different times throughout the season and extend your harvest. 
• Choose vegetables you eat: Plant easy to grow vegetables that you and your family will eat. There is little point in planting and growing rhubarb if no one in your house will eat it.

Learn More About:

Lettuce:

Many varieties are easy vegetables to grow and mature quickly, but loose-leaf lettuce is probably the easiest. It is known for its fast growth, various colors and flavors, and cold weather tolerance.

Iceberg lettuce types that form crispheads are commonly found in grocery stores, but are more challenging to grow at home because they take a long time to create a head. A better choice would be Butterhead lettuce varieties, which produce loosely formed heads, or Romaine varieties, which make a tighter head and take less space than Icebergs. Loose-leaf types are easy to grow and, as the name implies, do not form a tight head.  

Carrots:

Carrots thrive in loose soil and are relatively easy to grow. Choose a sunny location and keep the soil evenly moist, and in around sixty days, you can start to harvest carrots. 

Most are cool-weather crops, making them easy vegetables to grow for spring and fall gardens.

Spinach:

Spinach is another cool-weather crop that is relatively carefree and can be grown in spring and fall. Choose a location with adequate sunlight and loose, well-draining soil and water regularly.

Bush Beans:

Legumes (Beans) are a good choice for the garden, and bush bean varieties are great for both beginning and experienced gardeners. 

Consider easy-to-grow fruits and berries:

Of course, there are more than just easy vegetables to grow; you can also discover a world of easy fruits and berries.

• Raspberries and Blackberries are easy to grow, but the berries will not appear for a season or two.
• Strawberries: Easy to grow, and like raspberries and blackberries, they can come back year after year.