Garden veggie ideas

10 Easiest Vegetables to Grow in the Home Garden

Which vegetables are easiest to grow from seed? Growing from seed is less expensive and offers much more variety. Our list includes vegetable seeds that can be sown directly into your garden soil, but some are also suitable for starting indoors and transplanting.

Should I Grow Vegetables from Seed or Transplants?

There’s nothing wrong with starting your garden from small plants which you purchase (known as “transplants”)—in fact, many people do! In fact, there are a handful of vegetables that can be challenging to grow from seed and are best purchased as young plants from a garden store/nursery (tomatoes, for example, can be finicky to start from seed). Transplants also allow you to get a head start on growing tender vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants, which require a long, warm growing season.

That said—unless you have a short growing season—many vegetables are easy enough to start from seed at home.

Here are a handful of the benefits of starting from seeds:

Seeds are much cheaper, especially in greater quantities. They often keep at least a couple years, and they can be shared with friends and neighbors, too.
Seeds offer much more variety than the often limited choice of transplants in a nursery. Just take a look at these seed catalogs and let the dreams begin!
Some vegetables do not survive being transplanted from one place to another.
Starting from seed means that you can sow seeds directly in the garden, which opens the door to growing crops such as corn, melons, squash, beans, and peas, which simply do not grow as well when transplanted from one place to another.
Starting plants from seed means you can ensure they are healthy and strong right from the start.

This is not a complete list by any means, but these are considered some of the easiest and most common vegetables that can be grown at home.

1. Lettuce

We’ve never known a garden that cannot grow lettuce.

Lettuce can be sown directly in your garden bed, or started indoors for transplanting. It’s one of the few crops that can be grown all year in our climate, but in hot weather it should be shaded and harvested at smaller sizes. Lettuce growth slows in shade; it is also slower to go to seed, or “bolt,” which means that it can be harvested for longer.

An endless assortment of leaf shapes and shades of green and red means you’ll never get tired of growing new lettuce varieties. Leaf lettuces can be cut as they grow, and you can enjoy several harvests from the same plant by just snipping off what you need each time.

If you want full heads of romaine and head lettuce to develop, thin them. Allow for 8 to 10 inches between plants. As you thin young plants, save the delicate small leaves for salads.

See our Growing Guide for Lettuce.

Pole beans require some sort of structure to climb! Photo by Smereka/Shutterstock.

2. Green Beans

Beans grow even in fairly poor soil, because they fix the nitrogen as they go! Bush varieties don’t require trellising, but pole varieties provide a more extended harvest. In cool areas, snap beans are the easiest. In hot areas, lima beans, southern peas, and asparagus beans are also very easy to grow. All bean plants are fast growers and thrive in warm, moist soil.

See our Growing Guide for Green Beans for more information on planting and growing beans!

Peas! Photo by DigiCake/Shutterstock.

3. Peas

Plant peas as soon as the soil can be worked—2 weeks before the average last spring frost for your region, if possible. To harvest a continuous supply of peas during the summer, simultaneously sow varieties with different maturity dates. Then sow more seeds about 2 weeks later. Continue this pattern, sowing no later than mid-June.

See our Growing Guide for Peas.

Radishes. Photo by Udra11/Shutterstock.

4. Radishes

Radishes can be harvested in as little as 24 days after planting, and can be inter-planted with slower-growing vegetables. You can plant radishes as soon as you can work the soil in the spring.

Sow each seed 2 inches apart or more, or thin them to this spacing after they sprout. Cover the seeds with about half an inch of compost or soil.

Here’s a tip: Radish seeds are natural companions to carrots. Mix radish seeds with carrot seeds before you sow, especially if your soil tends to develop a tough crust. The quick-to-sprout radishes will push up through the soil, breaking it up for the later-sprouting carrots. As you harvest the radishes, the carrots will fill in the row.

See our Growing Guide for Radishes.

5. Carrots

We’re including carrots only because they’re super easy to grow as long as they’re planted in loose, sandy soil during the cooler periods of the growing season—spring and fall (carrots can tolerate frost). Not all carrots are orange; varieties range in color from purple to white, and some are resistant to diseases and pests.

Many beginners find their carrots are short and deformed. This is typically due to poor, rocky soil, so it’s important to provide soft, loose soil that drains well. Mix in some sand and really loosen it up. Also, it is essential to THIN carrot seedlings to the proper spacing so that they’re not overcrowded. Be bold! Thin those seedlings if you want carrots to form properly.

Learn more in our Growing Guide for Carrots.

6. Cucumbers

Prepare in advance for cucumbers; amend the soil with a fertilizer high in nitrogen and potassium to support the plant’s large yields. If possible, plant cucumbers in the sun next to a fence. The fence will serve as support for climbing and act as a shelter. Or plant them near corn. The corn will trap the heat that cucumbers crave and also serve as a windbreak.

See our Growing Guide for Cucumbers.

7. Kale

Like it or not, super-nutritious kale is very hardy and can grow in a wide range of temperatures. It can be harvested at many different stages, and the buds and flowers are edible, too! Mustards and collards are closely related to kale and are also easy to grow.

Set out plants any time, from early spring to early summer, and kale will grow until it gets too hot. Plant again in the fall, especially if you live in the southern United States. Another nice thing about kale is that it only gets sweeter after being hit by a couple of frosts. Try kale baked, stir-fried, or steamed. Enjoy in salads, smoothies, omelets, casseroles, or wherever you’d use spinach.

See our Growing Guide for Kale.

8. Swiss Chard

Swiss chard—or simply “chard”—is a member of the beet family. It does well in both cool and warm weather. It is a nutritional superfood, high in vitamins A, C, and K, as well as minerals, phytonutrients, and fiber—plus, its rainbow of colors are beautiful!

See our Growing Guide for Swiss Chard.

Beets. Photo by Darasp Kran/Shutterstock.

9. Beets

You haven’t lived until you’ve tasted beets you’ve grown yourself. We mean it! Nothing compares to garden-fresh beets, boiled or roasted until tender.

The quirky seed capsules contain two or three beet seeds, so the seedlings will always need to be thinned. Sow the seed capsules about an inch deep, and 4 inches apart.

Harvest the roots at any time up until they’re the size of a tennis ball. While you’re waiting for them to plump up, why not try a few of the leaves? They can be used just like spinach, giving you two harvests from one plant.

See our Growing Guide to Beets.

10. Summer Squash (Zucchini)

Summer squash and zucchini like well-composted soil and need plenty of space (plant them 3 to 6 feet apart in warm soil and lots of sun.) Soon enough, you’ll have so many zucchinis you’ll be leaving them on neighbors’ doorsteps! Always water at the soil level—not the leaves—to avoid powdery mildew.

See our Growing Guide for Squash and Zucchini.

The above crops are some of the easiest vegetables you can grow, but there are many, many more veggies for you to try! Check out our complete library of Growing Guides for advice on planting all the popular vegetables, fruit, herbs, and flowers.

And now that you know which seeds are easiest to grow, see our Tips to Starting Seeds Indoors!

Free Online Gardening Guides

We’ve gathered all of our best beginner gardening guides into a step-by-step series designed to help you learn how to garden! Visit our complete Gardening for Everyone hub, where you’ll find a series of guides—all free! From selecting the right gardening spot to choosing the best vegetables to grow, our Almanac gardening experts are excited to teach gardening to everyone—whether it’s your 1st or 40th garden.

16 Backyard Vegetable Garden Ideas for Beginners | Architectural Digest

Follow the old adage of “what goes together well in the kitchen, grows together well in the garden,” Vallin Kostovick says. For example, plants like lettuce and tomato grow well next to each other because as the tomatoes grow taller, they provide necessary shade for the lettuce.

3. A slender garden

Get the most out of every square foot and use more vertical or horizontal space to create a slender garden along a fence, wall, or other tighter area of your backyard. These types of gardens are suited for climbing plants like cucumbers, zucchini, and squash.

Easy to grow garden ideas

“Most veggies need full sun to grow happy,” Angelov says. If you’re new to the plant and vegetable world, know that some crops—tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers, for instance—will grow easier than others.

According to Vallin Kostovick, some other beginner-friendly produce include beans, lettuce, peas, carrots, radish, herbs, summer squash, zucchini, and beets. Planting a garden with any of these vegetable plants can be a simple and stress-free way to start growing your own food.

Themed garden ideas

Vallin Kostovick suggests growing a garden with a specific theme, and it’s one of our favorite gardening tips. To get you started on some potential options, consider these veggie garden ideas:

1. A salad garden

Plant things like lettuce, peas, carrots, radish, cucumbers, and bush cherry tomato.

2. A culinary herb garden

Basil, oregano, thyme, sage, parsley, dill, and rosemary are all great choices for beginners, Vallin Kostovick says. Mint is another easy-to-grow herb, but it’s best to keep it in a separate container, like a window-sill box, since it can spread really easily.

3. A salsa garden

Salsa fans can plant hot peppers, bush tomatoes, cilantro, and onions. You’ll be churning out jars of homegrown salsa in no time.

4. A sauce garden

“Plant a sauce garden to take your pasta game to the next level,” Vallin Kostovick says. For a tasty sauce, grow a combination of bush tomatoes, basil, onions, and oregano.

5. Edible flower garden

Edible flowers like calendula, borage, violas, and nasturtium can be the perfect way to combine aesthetics with utility. Vallin Kostovick explains these plants can “add instant whimsy to anything from ice cubes to salads to baked goods.” Bonus: Flowering plants and herbs attract pollinators needed for a bountiful vegetable garden.

6. Companion planting garden

Companion planting is the idea that you grow garden plants next to each other that benefit one another in some way. Though there are plenty of combinations that could work, like non-competing radishes and carrots, consider picking your produce based on what will thrive together.

Alternative bed ideas

When you’re thinking about your garden design, don’t forget about alternative planting vessels. “I personally love using galvanized tubs,” Vallin Kostovick says. “Wooden crates and whiskey barrels are a great alternative as well. ” She mentions you could even grow your vegetable crops in an old wheelbarrow or sink.

In general, look for larger pots or vessels since small ones will dry out quickly. You’ll want to make sure there is good drainage, and you have to consider the depth of the container depending on the type of veggie you’re growing. For example, root vegetables like carrots will need cavernous pots, usually 12 to 14 inches deep, but something like lettuce only needs 6 to 12 inches.

1. Galvanized tubs

One of Vallin Kostovick’s favorite vessels, this farmhouse aesthetic backyard garden leans heavily on rustic roots.

2. Vertical garden

If you don’t have a lot of space, but still want a home garden, consider a vertical design. This herb garden uses hanging planter bags to maximize space.

Vegetables and flowers in the garden - how to make garden life flourish? Photo - Botanichka

There are two extremes among my gardening friends. One is a complete perfectionist with a classic idea of a garden and a kitchen garden. She has exceptionally even, always clean beds, the plants are arranged in order. Trees have ideally shaped trunk circles, also without a blade of grass. The decorative part is akin to the French front stalls. When you visit her site, you want to fasten all the buttons, pull in your stomach, straighten your shoulders, and even sort of march.

Vegetables and flowers in the garden - how to make garden life flourish?

Another is an organist with a very small area, so planted that only narrow grassy paths remain. Everything grows mixed, only she herself can find cabbage in these thickets, for example, or potato bushes. Moving around the site is like moving through a minefield: each time you need to carefully look where to put your foot. At the same time, everything grows well, the plot is raging with flowers all season, the harvest is more than worthy. I like this bright festive informal version more, but with some adjustments.

How I tried to make my garden life flourishing, at the same time useful for vegetables and convenient, will be discussed in the article.

How my views changed

In my parents' house, I got used to the ideal order in the garden beds, where, it seems to me, even vegetables of the same height grew in orderly rows. There was not a single extra blade of grass in the beds and between them (hasn’t it just been washed, the neighbors said). Therefore, I tried to achieve the same effect in a new place. To be clean - nothing more. To exactly - on the string. Thank you for the patience of my mother-in-law, she did not radically interfere with my innovations, she only slowly tried to save daisies and evening flowers from my stormy uprooting activity, transplanting them to secluded places.

At the same time, I began to struggle with the fenced beds, but quickly realized that in the Far Eastern climate, with its winds and typhoon showers, raised beds are salvation. However, relatives showed some obstinacy in this matter. We found a compromise by making the beds a little narrower, and the aisles between them wider, so that it was convenient to cut the grass with a trimmer.

The turning point in the growth of foreign objects in the beds came when all the available space on the site was planted, only paths, passages and a couple of tiny grassy lawns remained. And I still wanted to plant, especially flowers, but nowhere!

It was around this period that I met the organist friend described above. Her methods and ways of growing everything mixed up confused me at first. A kind of gardening stupor. Cabbage growing (in huge heads, by the way) between dahlias, tomatoes hanging over peonies, potato bushes among spicy greens and autumn asters somehow did not fit into my ideas about gardening. But the result is obvious!

It was not so easy to change one's views, but there was a lack of space. And the settlement began.

Vegetables and flowers in the garden

See also our article Mixed plantings - which crops are best to grow together?

Variants of cohabitation with annuals - successful and not so good

At first - be careful and only annuals. At the corners of the fenced beds, I attached nasturtiums . Mostly compact, growing "caps". The option turned out to be unusually successful for eggplants, peppers, tall tomatoes. Especially good is my favorite variety "Alaska" with variegated leaves. He is beautiful with or without flowers. "Hat" hides the corners of the fenced garden, with its variegated foliage brightens the dark greens of nightshade.

I liked the idea and instead of mulching it was decided to plant the space between the eggplants and nasturtium peppers. Moreover, as an experiment, long-leafed nasturtium was planted at different times: in one area immediately with the planting of seedlings, in the other two weeks later.

The experiment failed with eggplants: in the first case, nasturtium overtook eggplants and did not allow them to develop normally, in the second, eggplants went around nasturtium in a circle, burst open and did not allow it to grow.

But with peppers, when planting nasturtium two weeks later, it turned out great: peppers developed normally, nasturtium spread its whips in free places, bloomed beautifully all summer, and by autumn protected the fruits with its greenery on cold nights.

Further, more. Experiments began with Tagetes , the color and general appearance of which I really like. The smallest (15 cm) fit perfectly into the beds with garden strawberries. Both when planting along the contour, and in the variant of placement between the bushes. Not only does the garden bed look elegant, but also the Tagetes scare away any weevils. At the same time, they fight against diseases caused by fungi. Before winter, cut bushes of the same strawberries were warmed from above.

Tall tagetes, those that are 80 cm or more, bloomed cabbage patches. The main thing here is that the flowers in growth should overtake the cabbage a little, otherwise it will strangle them with its lop-sided leaves. The same goes for zucchini and pumpkins.

“Tagetes” of different height, color, terryness were “crammed” wherever possible: with “borders” over potatoes, beet beds, and tomatoes. I just didn’t plant it with carrots, it always grows together with onions.

Amaranth maroon color, "fox tail", always lived on the site, wandering from place to place, depending on where the seeds spread. Subsequently, weeding out all the excess, she left it only where this healthy (up to 1.5 m tall) plant did not interfere and looked organic - in flower beds, potatoes, zucchini and pumpkins, near cucumbers and corn. From the end of August, these monumental plants with burgundy leaves and thick crimson "tails" among pumpkins and squash make an indelible impression.

I tried to combine the pepper with the Polovtsian Dances variety of amaranth, it turned out very beautiful and bright, but the pepper did not like it: the amaranth shaded it.

I tested variants with nemophila and thread-bearing veronica on a garlic bed, growing as part of the sod between the beds. A beautiful blue rug turned out in both cases, but with nemophila, the garlic grew larger.

Amaranth infringes on pepper.

Cohabitation with biennials and perennials is also different

It turned out that you can only start to combine vegetables with flowers, it is impossible to finish: appetites are growing and there are a lot of options. Perennials also came into play.

Matrona Vespers (biennial) has always lived on the site, growing in many places both in expected and unexpected places. At first, I ruthlessly pulled it out in cultivated areas, but gradually I got warm feelings for it (it is very good in bulk and has an amazing smell in the evenings), left it first in flower beds, and then allowed it to grow freely near fruit trees and shrubs. Even along the border of the potato and pumpkin areas, its presence is quite appropriate.

Lilies and daylilies are firmly established along the contour of the pumpkin patch, daylilies are also diluted with peonies, covering peony stumps with lush greenery after flowering. Oriental lily hybrids have taken root in a non-renewable bed of garden strawberries.

The experiment on the joint planting of tulips and tomatoes turned out to be very interesting. In the autumn, tulips were planted in groups of 5-7 pieces in a checkerboard pattern on the prepared bed. In May, when the tulips were in bloom, seedlings of determinant tomato varieties were placed between them. By the time the leaves of the tulips were drying, the bed with tomatoes was mulched with mowed grass, covering this disgrace. In the fall, more grass was added to the garden bed, and so it went into winter. I don’t dig up tulips every year: when the summer is hot, the earth warms up well and they lay flower buds quite normally.

The following year, early cabbage grew in the garden according to the same principle. But the "cabbage" summer turned out to be cold and wet, the tulips had to be dug up to warm up and dry. It is good that the cabbage was early and was eaten in July, there were no injuries to plants when digging tulips. In the future, the variant with tulips was tested on sweet pepper - it also turned out well.

On one side of the potato patch is a border of chrysanthemums. The penetration of the roots into the area was prevented by digging 15 cm deep into the corrugated board scraps.

agastahe "Golden Jubilee" took root in a bed with perennial onions. I didn’t manage to use it as a spice, it has a very powerful spicy-anise smell. But as an ornamental plant, it impresses everyone. And in early spring with orange-yellow-green tones of foliage, and in summer, when the lime-colored bush is decorated with blue-violet candles. Agastakhe gives abundant self-seeding, and her children can be seated in the spring.

Read also our article Dangerous neighborhood for horticultural crops.

On the advantages of cohabitation of vegetables and flowers

Not all flowers are suitable for vegetables. The same evening party, for example, cannot be planted with cabbage: they are from the same family, they have common diseases and pests. Therefore, it is better to combine plants from botanically distant families.

Tagetes are from the Asteraceae family. In the aster garden, only artichokes are found, and even then very rarely. So they can be added to most vegetables, especially since the characteristic pungent smell of greens and flowers repels many pests, and root secretions destroy soil nematodes. Dried marigold petals are Imeretian saffron (real saffron is the stigma of the crocus seed), a spice that Georgian cuisine cannot do without. In preservation, by the way, it contributes to the elasticity of vegetables.

Nasturtium is a rather distant relative of cabbage, about the seventh water on jelly, so you can plant it on cabbage, radish, turnip, and it will scare away the smell of pests everywhere. By the way, if you collect and pickle nasturtium seeds, you get an analogue of capers.

Amaranth, not related to anyone in the garden, except for its wonderful decorative, fodder and nutritional qualities, with its deeply penetrating powerful roots, raises useful substances to the surface, making them available to vegetables.

Chrysanthemums are also good in repelling pests, and not only "tops", but also "roots" - the roots secrete substances that are unbearable for most types of wireworms. In addition, chrysanthemum, like calendula and many petunias, are unusually attractive to aphids - they will all gather on these plants, where it is easier to destroy them.

Petunias, pyrethrum, sage, calendula and pelargonium also have noticeable insecticidal properties. By the way, I planted pelargonium with rooted cuttings. Varieties with burgundy leaves and fiery red flowers look amazing as a border on cucumbers.

All these options have been tested in the continental climate, in Komsomolsk-on-Amur. The growing season there is not so long, so the short summer is so eager to bloom with bright colors. When the garden is elegant and festive, it is much more pleasant to work. And vegetables seem to be tastier...

Secrets of planning a vegetable garden for planting vegetables - My Ideas For Dacha and Garden

Getting big yields from your beds is probably the most cherished dream of every gardener. There are many options on how to help the land to give the most qualitative and quantitative indicators. I have collected the best practices of agricultural technology in today's publication and I am ready to share them with you. How to correctly calculate the number of crops planted in the country, correctly plan and place the beds.

Particular attention should be paid to the planning of the garden for planting vegetables, do not think that this stage is not important, that you can just plant a seed or seedling and the earth will give birth by itself. In our latitudes, this, alas, is not so...

Separately, it is worth noting that even vegetable beds can be like flower beds, no worse, and sometimes even better. In this case, your garden will become your flower garden at the same time, care will pay off handsomely, you will see that even vegetables are able to respond to care and care, like flowers. Therefore, bringing love to the site will undoubtedly affect the harvest!

What vegetable beds should look like when planning a garden

The first and most important rule is that the beds should be well lit, even and dry! That is, the sun should always fall on your bed, the bed should be raised, and, of course, even.

Next, I will give an example of planning a garden for vegetable planting, you can also see the presence of strawberry ridges in the sample, in this example we will assume that these are also vegetables.

Planting garden plan example

Please note that this diagram is provided as an example, primarily as an idea from which to build. I recommend paying attention to the optimization of space - the structure of the beds is made taking into account the convenience of placing vegetable crops.

The optimal layout of the garden in the country

The most common vegetables of the Middle Strip

In the list, I presented the most popular crops among our gardeners. Of course, it does not make sense to plant everything, it is better to choose some of them.

Root vegetables — radish, radish, parsley, carrot, beet, celery.
Fruit - eggplant, pepper, cucumber, tomatoes, corn, peas, beans, pumpkin.
Tubers - potatoes .
Cabbage - cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, Savoy, kohlrabi.
Onion - onion, garlic, leek.
Perennials - horseradish, rhubarb, asparagus.
Spicy flavors — watercress, sage, marjoram, cumin, dill, thyme.

An example of planning a small garden

The diagram suggests the optimal combination of vegetables, this bed can be used as the basis for a future garden.

The original layout of the garden

A fairly ergonomic example of the organization of beds, you can reach all the plants and make the necessary care.

Classic raised beds - islands

Also a fairly common version of the beds, which has a number of advantages over simple bulk beds without sides. Please note that in any case, it is recommended to mount a fine mesh at the bottom of each box so that the moles do not damage the crop.

Vegetable yield per square meter

I also consider it necessary to voice the concept of vegetable yield per square meter - this indicator is important for calculating the necessary planting names. The numbers reflect the ideal value of the hypothetical yield.

For example, subject to all agrotechnical rules, on one square meter you can grow 30 kg of cucumbers, 5 kg of tomatoes, 6 kg of potatoes, 4 kg of root crops (carrots, beets, etc. ), 2 kg of radishes, radishes and onions, 2.5 kg of pepper, eggplant, pumpkin, zucchini, 2-3 kg of peas and beans, 1.5 kg of lettuce and dill. The figures, I repeat, are approximate, close to ideal, but we need them to plan the size of the acreage.

Divide the entire garden into parts

Divide the space into several parts, up to 5. Depending on the desired number and type of cultivated items. Change the planting site of a particular vegetable annually, observe crop rotation. Consider the recommendations for what is better to plant. More details in the table:

There are vegetables that need and do not need organic matter, some fill the soil with nitrogen themselves, while others take nitrogen from the soil. Plant vegetables in the same place every 4 years.

Table of distances between plants

Also note the need to observe the distance between vegetables when planting. This is an important criterion for the full development of the plant and its future harvest.