Thinking of starting your own vegetable garden? While not everyone has a green thumb, even the most basic beginners can have a lush garden full of the easiest vegetables to grow. Pick your favourites and you’ll be eating homegrown and healthy vegetables in no time.
Easy Vegetable Garden Plants
1. Lettuce & Salad Greens
You’ll find lettuce and salad greens at the top of most lists of easy vegetables to plant, and there’s a good reason for that. Not only is lettuce easy to harvest, it also grows quickly, meaning you’ll have fresh salad sooner than you think. Lettuce can easily grow in containers so this is a great option for condo or apartment gardeners. Ideally, most plans need about 6 hours of sunlight a day, but lettuce is one that will be just fine if your garden is a little shady.
2. Carrots
Speaking of plants that do well in shade, carrots are another veggie that will grow even in gardens that get a little sunlight. The real trick to growing great carrots is the quality of soil you’re using. Deep, well-drained soil is ideal for perfect carrots, even better if you can plant them in a raised bed. If having picture perfect carrots isn’t a concern, they’ll do fine in any soil your backyard has.
3. Peas
If you’re ready to get started early on in spring, peas are a great option to add to your vegetable garden, just make sure your soil is moist before you start. You can also add a sprinkling of wood ashes to the soil before planting to ensure you’re peas get all they can from the soil.
4. Tomatoes
Who doesn’t love a fresh tomato right from the garden? Tomatoes are a great addition to your vegetable garden as they’ll grow almost anywhere as long as it’s sunny and come in many varieties. Think about getting creative with your vegetable garden design and grow your tomatoes in hanging baskets or containers. This makes tomatoes another great vegetable option for those in condos or apartments with balconies.
5. Cucumbers
Cucumbers are another easy to grow vegetable that does well in containers. As long as it’s sunny and warm, your cucumbers should have no trouble growing tall, just make sure there’s support as the stalks like to climb. Skip cucumbers if you’re prone to forgetting to water your plants as they require regular watering. If remembering to water isn’t an issue, your garden will be overflowing with cucumbers soon enough!
6. Radishes
Whether you love or hate the taste, they’re a great addition to any beginner vegetable garden. Radishes are one of the fastest growing vegetables out there, taking only take 20 days to reach full size. Try adding them to your vegetable garden and if you decide you still don’t like them, give them to your neighbours or feed them to your kids.
7. Green Beans
Green beans are a classic summertime vegetable. Whether snap or string or anything else in between, beans are an ideal addition to your first vegetable garden. Beans are easy to grow from seeds and require full sun exposure and well-drained soil. Be sure to investigate a little further to find out if the beans you’re planting will grow as a bush or vine and plan accordingly.
8. Zucchinis
Zucchinis are a great choice for those who want to get into the vegetable garden game later in the season as they need moist and warm soil. They also grow like weeds and thrive equally in the ground or in containers. Zucchinis grow easily from seeds, so pick some up and plant them later in this summer and you’ll be eating them well into the fall!
9. Onions
These last two vegetables require a little bit more effort, but more experienced gardeners will be impressed you attempted them in your first vegetable garden. Before you start planting, ensure your garden is well prepared. Onions do best in well-drained soil with lots of compost. They also take longer than other vegetables when grown from seeds, so many gardeners plant bulbs or sets to cut back on growing time. The benefit to adding onions to your vegetable garden is that the green shoots can be used only a few weeks after planting.
10. Peppers
Peppers require a bit more prep work and a longer growing season than the rest of the veggies on this list, but if you’re willing to put in the time it will be worth it in the end. Like onions, growing peppers from seeds takes a long time. You can instead plant young seedlings which will give them enough time to grow before the ground is too cold. Peppers need warm soil and fertilizer with low or no nitrogen.
If you’re looking for someone to properly prepare your garden before you start planting, think about hiring a landscaper to get things ready. Once your garden is ready you can start planting and you’ll be enjoying fresh homegrown veggies before you know it. Enjoy!
