7 Easy Vegetables to Grow
Are you looking for easy vegetables to grow? This is the right place to start!! Not all vegetables should be grown from seed, and some are a waste of money to buy pre-started. I’ll give you my 7 favorite vegetables to kick off your garden!
(Here are 7 tips for starting a garden with your children!)
Spinach or Lettuce
This is the one I usually start with the earliest! It’s super easy to grow from seed! Check the back of the package for your zone and plant any of the range of months listed. Say it is March-June, you could even plant one set in March eat it all, and have a second batch in June!! The nice this is if you cut your lettuces rather than pulling them you can get several cuttings/harvests from the same plants because they will regrow like grass!!
Tomatoes
I’ve never had success growing a tomato from seed! These do best if you buy a started plant from your local garden center!! I have found that tomatoes do best if you put them out in May. This removes the chance of freezing! Watering them consistently, but not spraying the leaves with water produces the best tomatoes.
Basil
We love combining basil and tomatoes so we can make fresh margarita pizzas all summer long. Basil like Tomatoes is best if you buy them as a pre-started plant!! It’s very straight forward as long as you’re watering it very few bugs eat basil, so you should end up with more than you can eat!
Green Pepper
Green pepper and Jalapenos are also good starter plants because they are easy vegetables to grow. Because of the spice, they don’t have a lot of pests. I always buy these as pre-started plants. I plant them in May with my tomatoes and basil and water them all 3 times per week if there isn’t rain. Watering is always best done in the evening or early morning before it’s very hot. If you water with the heat of the day it will fry the leaves of your plant as it evaporates.
Green Onion
These do very well from seed and I love to plant these and leeks at the same time. Plant sparingly though because it’s easy to get more than you can eat at a time. Leeks I’ve never planted to eat. They create a big fluffy blossom that is decorative and fun for the garden. Though at some point I should try to plant some to harvest.
Carrots
Carrots also do well from seed. You can start them early in the year with your lettuces and they will establish quickly. If you plant them too late the dry dirt doesn’t allow them to grow properly and you’ll end up with hard tiny carrots.
Peas
I’ve saved the best for last!! Sweet peas are our hands-down favorite thing to plant. The boys LOVE going out and picking them off the vine to eat as they play. I never get to see our full harvest because two little ones steal them before I get the chance.
Peas are good to grow from seed and do best when they have something to climb. If they lay on the ground it’s hard to pick the peas without ruining the rest of the plant by overhandling it!!
Final Words
The most important thing to remember is to have fun with it. Even if you’re working with easy vegetables to grow, it may not be perfect, especially if you’re planting with children! Some of my favorite memories include digging in the garden with my parents! Keep a little paper somewhere where you write your notes to yourself as you learn. Even if the first year is rough, try again!! Every year will get a little better!
(While you’re outside try this scavenger hunt or work your way through our seasonal bucket lists!)
