Are you a beginner gardener?
Yes?
Then you should start your gardening journey with easy-to-grow veggies. There are vegetables that can be grown in a few months with some basic care.
So, here I have listed the 10 Best Vegetables to Grow for Beginner Gardeners.
Let’s read about them one by one…
Leafy Greens
Leafy greens such as spinach and lettuce are low-maintenance veggies that grow in summer. These leafy greens are ideally used in salads.
There are many healthy recipes that you cook with spinach. Greens love cold temperatures and full sun in spring, they are the fall garden vegetables.
Photo source: Alabama Extension
These plants keep growing throughout the summer and produce healthy nutritious foliage. To have a great harvest of green foliage in the summer, sow their seeds before the first frost date.
The leafy greens are fragile and can be damaged so you have to handle them with care. Water your greens regularly, they need enough water to grow especially in summer when water evaporates rapidly.
You should provide enough water to grow them properly but don’t overwater the greens. Overwatering, plants cause root rot and stunt the growth of the plant.
If you see the foliage of a plant turning yellow, then you might overwater the plant or leafy greens. When you go to water they just observe the base soil of the water. If the soil is wet then it’s better for them another day.
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Tomatoes
Tomatoes are the most popular easy-to-grow vegetable grown by many beginner gardeners.
They are ideally used in cooking many dishes and salads, providing taste and nutrition to the food. This vegetable loves to warn and has lots of sunlight.
Photo source: Manjith Kainickara
Planting them in partial shade in the summer helps them in healthy growth. Tomatoes are vine plants that spread in all directions, you have to plant them at least 2 feet apart.
The plant produces tomatoes in the summer season, sowing the seeds 6-8 weeks before the last frost date lengthens the growing season and the number of tomatoes.
Water them every day as the plant consumes lots of heat. In the summer the water evaporates faster, to prevent this you can put a large flat stone beside the base. To limit the area covered by the plant you can place a cage for a couple of weeks.
Cucumbers
Cucumbers are produced in large quantities in the summer season and used in salads. The vine of the cucumber grows long and can take over your entire yard if you let them.
Growing them in trellis is a good option to limit their reach. The vegetables don’t like cold temperatures.
Photo source: Dorota (Dorothy)
You can plant seeds of the cucumber 3-4 weeks before the frost to extend their growing period.
The sprout of cucumbers grows quickly if you start planting them in a container. Then make your garden spot ready to transplant them. Water them regularly as they need high water. Plant your cucumbers in full sun and well-drained soil.
Onions
Growing onions is very beneficial as they are used ideally in every dish. They have a long growing season and are usually harvested in the fall.
Like other vegetables, onions also prefer loose, well-draining soil. You can start growing onions from seeds or a bulb set.
However, growing onions from bulb sets have a higher success rate. Adding compost between onions keeps the soil loose and moist around the bulb.
The onions are harvested in late summer or early winter as cold leads them to rot. They are ready to harvest when the tops of the onions are dried and fallen limp.
Gently, loose soil around the bulb heads and pull onions out from the ground.
Peas
Growing peas is a good choice for a beginner gardener as they are easy to grow. Peas are usually planted 4-6 weeks before the last frost directly in the garden.
For fall, harvest peas are planted 6-8 weeks before the first fall frost. Pea plants grow best in slightly drier soil.
Photo source: Ritesh Man Tamrakar
In your garden, if moisture collects in the spring then you can also grow them in a container. Water pea plants every day or when you notice the soil of the plant is dry.
Pea plants are fragile. Instead of pulling weeds with your hand, you should use a tiller or weeding device that may go too deep and cut the roots or use deep mulch.
Picking more pea pods will encourage the growth of new ones.
Beets
Like peas, Beets are also a cool-season crop with nutritious roots and leafy greens. Beets grow in loose, well-draining soil in a sunny spot.
They are sown in early spring and then again in late summer.
Photo source: liz west
Keep the soil moist by mulching around the plant. Do not pull the weed off the plant by hand as it might damage the tender roots of the plant.
After planting the beet plant, get ready to harvest after 50-70 days. While harvesting gently pulls the beetroots from the ground and shake them to remove loose soil. Read Best and worst companion plants for Beets.
Carrots
Carrots are best for beginner gardeners as they are easy to maintain. They also grow well in container gardening if the container is deep enough.
The seeds of carrots are small in size and sown directly in the garden for early spring and late fall harvests. Carrots love cool temperatures and loose and dense-nutrient soil.
photo source: Jeremy Keith
While planting carrots maintain a distance of 1 foot to give them enough space to grow. With more space, more weeds will also be required.
The weed around the carrot draws nutrients from the soil and crowds the tender roots. The roots of carrots need deep watering for proper growth.
You can use the soaking hose to give them direct water in their roots every 1-2 days. In 6-8 weeks your carrots should be ready to harvest.
You can check the size of the carrots by scraping little dirt from the base of the plant away to see the carrots’ width. Then gently dip up carrots and explore different sizes and shapes of them.
Peppers
Peppers are found in different shapes, sizes, and colors. They do not take much space to grow which makes them the perfect plant to grow in a container or bed.
Photo source: Ana Ulin
Some of the peppers varieties to grow in the garden are:
- Bell pepper
- Poblano pepper
- Cayenne
- Jalapeno
Peppers grow best in warmer temperatures so for earlier harvest it’s a good idea to plant them 1-2 weeks before the last frost.
You can plant peppers once the daytime temperature is warmer to mid-afternoon. Mulching around the base of the plant helps to keep the soil moist throughout the summer.
Grow your pepper plant in full sun and water 1-2 inches every week. After they get established, place a tomato cage over them to support the peppers once they begin to grow. Read Best and worst companion Plants for Peppers.
Zucchini and Summer Squash
Zucchini is a summer squash used in cooking stir fry, summer vegetable salads, and baked foods. Like cucumber, you can quickly grow more plants by just planting a couple of squash.
Photo source: csouza_79
Besides zucchini some common varieties of squash that grows in the garden are:
- Causa
- Crookneck
- Yellow Squash
- Pattypan
Zucchini and summer squash grows best in full sun and moist soil. Depending upon variety, they either grow vining or bushier.
The bushier varieties are perfect for small gardens or even growing in a container. Summer squash is planted before the last frost as they won’t be able to tolerate cool temperatures.
While sowing you should keep a 1-foot distance between them as they need space for their broad leaves. Summer Squash is often attracted by hungry pests known as squash bugs.
These squash pests lay eggs at the bottom of the squash leaves and before you know it, the eggs hatch, and the pests devour your squash. To avoid squash bugs you can prepare natural pesticides like Neel oil spray.
Pumpkins and Winter Squash
Pumpkins and winter squash are also good for beginner gardeners. They are vine their way in the garden, so provide them with large space to grow.
Photo source: Mary
Some common varieties of squash that grow easily in a garden are:
- Some of the varieties are
- Butternut squash
- Spaghetti squash
- Acorn squash
These winter squash are more popular in the fall than summer squash as they have a long growing season. Plant winter squash seed 2-4 weeks before the last frost. These squash nearly take 70-100 days to fully rip.
Conclusion
There are many vegetables that a beginner gardener can grow but I have found these vegetables simplest to grow. They provide lots of nutrients and are used in a variety of dishes.
Now I’d like to hear from you: which tip from today’s post are you going to try first?
Or maybe, I didn’t mention your favorite plant-growing tip. Either way, let me know by leaving a comment below right now.
Hey! I’m Madhuresh, a passionate content creator, and a Plant lover. I created Shiny Plant to explore and learn about new plants. The purpose is to provide simple and effective Gardening Tips. Hope you’ll find this informative.