7 Easiest Vegetables to Grow for a quick Harvest
Discover the 7 easiest vegetables to grow from seed in your garden, in pots, in containers, or raised beds. Perfect for beginners!
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my Disclaimer for more information.
You can grow all these vegetables in pots, containers, or raised beds. Fast-growing vegetables are perfect for beginner gardeners too!
In this post, you will learn when to grow, how fast these vegetables grow, growing tips, and some fast from varieties of each vegetable.
With so many vegetables to grow, finding the best types of vegetables to grow is key. Ideally, growing plants that have a quick turn-around time are popular amongst other gardeners.
Growing food in intervals and planting vegetables that take a short time to harvest will help you get as much food as possible fast.
Even if you tried to grow before and didn’t succeed, go ahead and try again by sowing these 7 vegetables.
1. Loose-Leaf Lettuce
Growing salad is super simple and fast!
You can create your salad blend by mixing up different varieties, grow lettuce that comes right back after you harvest, and enjoy the taste of fresh homegrown greens for many quick salads for dinner or lunch.
Get a full beginner’s guide on how to grow lettuce in any location HERE.
When to plant & Timeline
You can direct seed in the ground or containers. The ideal time to plant is at least 4 to 6 weeks before your last frost date, late summer, or when the weather gets cooler.
Planting in summer can be possible if you give your lettuce lots of shade and cool soil. Lettuce germinates in about 2 weeks, can harvest early as 4 weeks, and full maturity can take up to 60 days.
Easy Vegetable Growing Tips
-The more lettuce leaves you harvest the more it will keep growing.
-Harvest in the early morning for better lettuce texture and crispness.
-Lettuce needs full sun for at least 8 hours & shade.
Fastest growing vegetables: Lettuce Varieties
2. Tomatoes
Tomatoes are fruit, but we do treat them as a vegetable so it is a must easy & fast-growing vegetable to have in your garden. Nonetheless, this crop can be harvested throughout the summer and easy to grow for a beginner gardener.
When to plant & Timeline
Start from seed indoors by early March and April, depending on your last frost date. Tomatoes can take a little over a week to germinate and you can harvest certain varieties within 45-50 days.
Easy Vegetable Growing Tips
-Keep soil warm for successful growth
-Place a trellis to help them grow and give some air circulation.
-Use twine string, cages, or ladders to help support tomatoes to grow upright.
-Try to avoid over-watering the tomatoes and hitting leave leaves to prevent disease.
-A Drip irrigation Kit is a great way to start watering!
Fastest growing vegetables: Tomato Varieties
Bloody butcher
4th of July
3. Bok Choy
Also known as the Chinese Cabbage, this beautiful-looking vegetable is not the first thing beginner gardeners seek to grow in the beginning. I love growing Bok Choy, it looks great in the garden and it tastes great in soups or placed in a stir fry!
After all, this cool-season crop can be grown in the heat as well but needs some shade and get at least 5 hours of sun a day.
When to plant & Timeline
Early spring or late summer is a good time to start Bok Choy by seed. Time to harvest for fast-growing varieties can take up to 30 days to harvest. After planting this crop it can take up to only 45 days to mature, but you can harvest as early as the month.
Easy Vegetable Growing Tips
-Start harvesting at soon as the plant is 6 inches high.
-In some varieties, you can pull the whole plant out or just the leaves to get multiple harvests.
-Lettuce, Mustard, Kale, dill, are great companion plants.
-Try to plant seeds every 2 weeks to extend your growing time with Bok Choy, mulch around Bok Choy to keep weeds down and soil moist.
-Your Bok Choy does need nitrogen-rich soil.
Fastest growing vegetables: Bok Choy Varieties
Longevity
Golden Yellow
4. Peas
Tell me if I’m wrong, but I know you will love growing all types of peas every year in your garden. So easy to grow and snack on!
Peas are a fan favorite amongst a lot of gardeners. Notably, this cool-weather crop can be grown directly in the ground and provide you multiple harvests.
When to plant & Timeline
Plant by early spring and 1-2 months before your last frost date for your area. Peas germinate within at least 10 days and you can harvest peas in 51-58 days.
Easy Vegetable Growing Tips
-Peas don’t transplant well, so if your direct sowing in soil place at least 1-1/2 inch apart.
-Warm soil can help it grow fast as does grow light if growing indoors.
-Place sugar snap peas on a trellis with to help them grow upwards.
-Harvest peas when the pods are large.
-Pick peas pods when ready to keep up your growing production.
Here is a video of a great tip on how to grow peas!
Fastest growing vegetables: Pea Varieties
Snow Pea Seeds
Big Pea
5. Spinach
It can’t get any easier than growing spinach in the garden. Directing sowing spinach in the ground is simple and easy to do too. I love growing spinach! When I was just starting growing my garden this was the easiest crop I harvested from.
When to plant & Timeline
Best to start to sow seeds starting outdoors at least 6 weeks before the last frost. Additionally, plant every 2 weeks for multiple harvests.
Harvest spinach at least after 6 weeks of cool weather or when you have at leaves at least 5 leaves that are 4 inches in length. Spinach can be harvest within 30-45 days (4-6 weeks).
Easy Vegetable Growing Tips
-Pick spinach leaves that are at least 4 inches high.
-Harvest leaves starting from the outside first leaving the inner leaves.
-Spinach is a cut and comes again crop, as it keeps giving you multiple harvests.
-Plants that create shade over the spinach are get companion plants.
Fastest growing vegetables: Spinach Varieties
Red Kitten
Carmel Spinach
Kookaburra Spinach
6. Squash
Regardless if you have any planting experience or not, squash is by far one of the easiest vegetables to grow. Granted that you can harvest at least over 20 squash with only 2 plants!
It is possible to have multiple harvests during its peak season. Get ready to come up with a lot of squash recipes!
When to plant & Timeline
The time to plant will depend on if you are growing winter or summer squash. Sow squash seeds at least 4 weeks before the last spring frost date.
Plant by mid-summer for winter squash or when the frost has passed or at least when your soil is warmer. Should germinate within 10-12 days. Some varieties can be harvested within 45-50 days from seed.
Easy Vegetable Growing Tips
-Plant in full sun and well-drained soil
-To prevent powdery mildew make sure your squash has good air circulation and you avoid watering on top of leaves
-You can grow squash in raised beds, in the ground directly, or on a trellis.
-Cut off any dead leaves to keep your squash healthy.
Fastest growing vegetables: Squash Varieties
Here is a quick video show casing the Crookneck squash!
7. Beans
Last but not least, beans are another easy and fast-growing vegetable, especially for beginners. These plants need full sun and need warm weather to grow with the soil temperature at 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
When to plant & Timeline
Beans can take up to 10 days to germinate and should be planted when the frost has passed depending on your location ( late as April or June). Under ideal growing conditions, and depending on the type of bean you can harvest beans within 50 days.
Easy Vegetable Growing Tips
-Every 2 weeks plant bush beans to have multiple harvests
-Better to directly grow in the ground, some beans can grow very well in containers and can grow on a bean trellis
-Mulch the ground with your bean plants to keep the soil cool and moist.
Check out this DIY Teepee for Climbing Beans
Fastest growing Varieties: Bean Varieties
BushTennessee Green Pod
Earli-Serve
Goldcrop
Start your kitchen garden with easy and the fastest-growing vegetables. Quick results will motivate you to grow more and save money by growing your vegetables.
I want to know what kind of easy and fastest-growing vegetables growing in your garden! Let me know in the comments below!
For more gardening information, be sure to check out these awesome articles:
- How to Start a Vegetable Garden: For Beginners
- 12 Must-know tips: How to choose the right seeds for your garden
- Amazing Seed storage and organization ideas!
Don’t forget to spread the Love❤️ Share this post!
