Growing vegetables are difficult. They take a long time to grow before they are ready for harvest. And they need constant care to make sure they are growing properly. There is also the fact they need appropriate space and sunlight to be able to grow properly. So indeed, vegetables are difficult to grow. But, some vegetables can grow quickly.
So what are the easiest vegetables to grow? Well, it is a combination of different things that makes a vegetable easy to grow. You will have to think of the season in which it grows, the climate of the area where you are growing, what the weather is like, etc. There are so many different things that affect the growth of vegetables!
But worry not, I shall give you what vegetable grows the best in what season. Also, I’ll be answering what makes a vegetable easy to grow as well. Does that interest you? Great! Then let’s start our discussion on what are the easiest vegetables to grow.
Key Takeaways
- Certain conditions make vegetables grow easily. The easiest-to-grow vegetables are the ones that need loose soil.
- Spring, summer, fall, and winter all have different vegetables that are easy to grow.
- Learning 5 tips on how to grow vegetables as a beginner so you know what to expect.
What Makes a Vegetable Easy to Grow?
So let’s start with the question, what makes a vegetable easy to grow? When you think about it some points might come immediately like harvest time and temperature, but others like germination and spacing might have not crossed your mind. So let us take a closer look at each of these points. Also, the easiest-to-grow vegetables are the ones that are grown in loose soil so you don’t have to worry about how packed the soil has to be to grow them.
Harvest Conditions
You would want your vegetables to grow within a short time, that’s what makes them easier to grow, right? Now let’s think about garlic. They need 270 days to grow! That is a long time to wait for just garlic. But once the bulbs of garlic form, you don’t need to care for it much. Just need to water it periodically and check its condition from time to time. That is why some harvesting conditions may take a long time, but that’s the only thing you would have to worry about for some vegetables.
Ideal temperature
Some vegetables like the heat, and some like the cooler temperatures. That is why it is important to know which temperature is ideal for which vegetable. You can’t plant summer squash in the winter and expect it to grow right? That is why ideal temperature makes a plant grow easier, so they are more likely to survive.
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Spacing
Vegetables like lettuce can easily grow inside a medium-sized plant pot. But can you expect the same for a carrot? Carrots need deep soil to grow. That is why the amount of space vegetables determines how easy it is to grow. Remember, bigger is not better.
Germination rates
This is an easy concept. Germination determines if a seed is ready to grow. Therefore, a high germination rate means the more successful the seed will be. You don’t want to use seeds that are likely to fail, right? You would have to take out the seed and then replant it and wait again. That is why choose high germination rates for seeds to grow your vegetables easier. Remember this, this is seed dependent so always buy the best seeds from reputable shops.
Amount of sunlight
Here is the thing about vegetables. Some like tomatoes and peppers love sunlight and need more than 6 hours of sunlight a day. Others like cucumbers and beans require shade. So that would mean you would have to either shade it or let it grow in the open. The amount of shade a vegetable needs determines how easy it is to grow.
Use of protection
Vegetables also get attacked, by pests, predators, and diseases. And pesticides and herbicides are toxic for the vegetable so they are like to not grow properly. Different vegetables attract different types of danger, so that is also a determining factor in how easy some vegetable is to grow. Also, protection from the frost during late autumn and winter seasons.
Fertilizers
The easiest vegetables are those that need fertilizers only sparingly. The more fertilizer you need, the more careful you have to be. This is because over-fertilizing the soil can destroy the vegetables over time.
Easiest Vegetable to Grow for Each Season
Because of the way that the planet moves around the sun, we get different seasons. And different seasons bring in different types of weather. Each season has ideal conditions suited for different vegetables so let’s take a look at what is easiest to grow for each season. For your ease, I have included the list to reflect only a light spray of pesticide and fertilizer use after every month of planting the seed.
Spring
Spring is generally between the beginning of March and to end of May. This is right after the last of the winter frost disappears and is when you want to start growing your spring vegetables.
Here is a list of the easiest vegetables to grow in spring and why spring fits into them:
| Beets | Green Beans | Broccoli | Onion | Potato | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harvesting | 45 days | 55 to 65 days | 60 to 70 days | 90 to 100 days | 60 to 90 days |
| Ideal temperature | 60-70°F | 65-85°F | 40-70°F | 75°F | 59-68°F |
| Depth of soil | 2 inch deep | 2 inch deep | 12 inch deep | 3 inch deep | 3 inch deep |
| In one square foot | 9 | 9 to 10 | 1 | 5 to 10 | 1 |
| Amount of sunlight | 6 to 8 hours | Partial shade | 4 to 6 hours | 13 to 16 hours | 6 to 8 hours |
As you can see, all these vegetables are in the perfect temperature conditions to grow in the spring and are all harvestable before the end of the spring as well! Other than broccoli, the rest don’t need much depth and can be seeded by hand. Or you can germinate the seeds indoors with lightly watered soil and a warm pot which creates the perfect condition to sprout. And then you can transfer that into the soil again. As you can also see, these plants love the sun so you don’t need to create extra roofing for these vegetables. And in one square foot, you can grow a lot too!
Summer
The time of heat, blazing sun, and vegetables will make you feel fresh on hot summer days! So now, let’s look at what vegetables will not only revitalize during the summer but are also sun-loving and easy to grow.
| Tomato | Bell Pepper | Summer Squash | Eggplant | Cucumber | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harvesting | 60 to 100 days | 60 to 80 days | 48 to 65 days | 65 to 80 days | 48 to 65 days |
| Ideal temperature | 70-85°F | 70-80°F | 70-90°F | 70-85°F | 70-85°F |
| Depth of soil | 12 inch deep | 18-24 inches deep* | ½-inch deep | 24 inch deep* | 6-8 inches deep |
| In one square foot | 10 to 11 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Amount of sunlight | 6 to 8 hours | 6 to 8 hours | Partial shade | 6 to 8 hours | 6 to 8 hours |
From this list of easy-to-grow summer vegetables, you can definitely see that most of them love the sun and need plenty of it to grow. And the perfect summer temperatures between 70-90°F allow these vegetables to grow in their ideal temperatures. What you might be concerned about is the 24 inches-deep soil for bell peppers and eggplants and the relatively low vegetables per square foot. So let me set your mind at ease.
The reason eggplants and bell peppers need such deep soil is that they have large roots. What you will be surprised, the germination for these vegetables needs to be done indoors in a quarter to half an inch of soil. These are the ideal conditions for germination to take place and then you can transplant them to a sunny area so they can grow properly.
Also, one plant yields many vegetables so you don’t need to be too worried about how many can grow per square foot.
Fall
| Lettuce | Cabbage | Bok Choy | Spinach | Cauliflower | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harvesting | 30 to 70 days | 80 to 180 days | 50 to 70 days | 42 to 70 days | 50 to 100 days |
| Ideal temperature | 60 to 65°F | 60 to 65°F | 55 to 75°F | 50 to 60°F | 60 to 65°F |
| Depth of soil | ¼ to ½ inch deep | 1 to 2 inches deep | ¼ inch deep | ½ inch deep | ¼ to ½ inch deep |
| In one square foot | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| Amount of sunlight | Partial shade | 6 to 8 hours | 3 to 5 hours | Partial shade | 6 hours |
Fall creates the perfect range of temperatures between 60 to 75°F for these vegetables to grow. And the fun part is that leafy vegetables don’t need to be planted deep into the soil either. The fall weather gives lettuce, spinach, and cabbage that crunchy texture as well.
Winter
With winter comes frost. And frost is deadly to vegetables as it will destroy them. That is why vegetables that are able to withstand frost damage and benefit from the cold are needed. Here are the easiest-to-grow vegetables in the winter.
| Arugula | Swiss Chard | Shallot | Collard Greens | Carrot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harvesting | 20 to 50 days | 28 to 42 days | 100 to 120 days | 60 to 75 days | 75 to 120 days |
| Ideal temperature | 45 to 65°F | 15 to 75°F | 35 to 90°F | 45 to 85°F | 40 to 80°F |
| Depth of soil | ¼ inch deep | ¼ to ½ inch deep | 2 inches deep | ⅛ to ¼ inch deep | 12 to 18 inches |
| In one square foot | 4 | 2 | 16 | 4 | 18 |
| Amount of sunlight | Partial shade | 6 hours | 6 hours | 4 to 6 hours | 6 to 10 hours |
Other than carrots, all these vegetables need only up to inches of soil to grow properly. They are also tolerant of low temperatures of winter and can survive frost as well. And they grow best when loads are planted in a square foot so you are bound to get an abundance of harvest! The only problem is that Swiss chards, shallots, collard greens, and carrots need a lot of sunlight to bring out their full flavor. However, they also grow well in partial shade so these are really good to grow in partial shade. And the winter frost help gives a sweet flavor to these vegetables!
5 Vegetable Growing Tips for Beginners
I want to share a few tips from my own experience. As a beginner, you can follow that to grow your vegetable easily.
- You can use a pot or container for vegetables with shallow roots, such as beans, tomatoes, and potatoes.
- Zucchini, radish, peas, lettuce, beans, and cucumber can quickly grow plants from the seed.
- Excessive fertilizing can be harmful to your vegetable growth. Fertilize as much as your plants need.
- Try to be careful while choosing your vegetable garden area. It should not be congested.
- Choose the best soil from the store, or use compost with your backyard soil. Water your plants regularly.
FAQs
The best vegetables to grow for beginners are- beetroots, potatoes, peas, radishes, etc. You can plant these directly from the seeds.
The best vegetables to grow in containers are- onions, spinach, tomatoes, lettuce, sweet peppers, and chili peppers.
Growing vegetable is an effective way to reduce your purchasing cost. But it depends upon your preference.
Final Thoughts
So overall, I have included 20 vegetables divided by the seasons that they are best and easiest to grow. Some might take longer than others but they require little maintenance and basically grow by themselves! Growing vegetables are fun but knowing which are easy to grow can help you gain experience and be confident for a more difficult and lengthy growing process. I hope this read gave you a better understanding on what are the easiest vegetables to grow. So go out there and start growing!
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