Reading Time: 5 minutes 🍃
Visiting a nursery, it can be easy to become overwhelmed at the number of vegetables there are to grow. But, if you are a beginner, you should try to filter out some of these options. You don’t want something that requires an expert to cultivate.
The good news is that there are plenty of easy vegetables for you to grow. Keep reading to learn about the seven best options to explore.
Peas
There are plenty of reasons why this vegetable is so beloved. They can be grown at several times of the year. Though they won’t do well during the warmer summer weather. You can start planting in April.
They will be able to cope with a range of soil conditions, so it shouldn’t be too hard to get them to grow. But you will need to provide a trellis. This will give the vines something to climb up.
Plus, it won’t be too long before you start to reap the benefits of your hard work. You can start harvesting the pods after nine weeks of planting
. If you pick these frequently, the plant will be able to dedicate more resources to growing new pods in the future.
Lettuce
Another popular option is lettuce. This has proven to be one of the most popular plants for beginners because of how easy it is to cultivate. It will be able to grow in almost any type of soil condition. Furthermore, it can survive a wide range of climatic conditions. It will struggle the most during the summer. The heat can slow growth.
Most lettuce will do well if they are left in full sunlight. Though many species will be able to survive if left in the shade. They just won’t seed as quickly. This can turn into a big benefit, as it means that the lettuce will survive for longer, giving you more time to harvest it.
Another huge benefit is that there are plenty of varieties for you to choose from. This will allow you to pick one that will be best suited to your garden conditions.
Carrots
Another great option to explore to carrots. How easy it will be to grow can depend on the type of conditions you have in your garden. You will need to look for the following things:
- Sandy soil. This will ensure that there will be plenty of drainage, so water can get to the roots
- Cooler weather conditions. Unlike many other types of vegetables, carrots will be able to tolerate frost. This means that they will be well-suited to a wide range of climatic conditions.
- Not too much nitrogen. While this can be a common ingredient in fertilizer, it might not be the best choice when growing carrots. Too much and the carrots will begin to develop forks.
While it won’t take a lot of work to grow your carrots, you will need to temper your expectations a little. It’s unrealistic to expect that you will be able to produce the perfectly straight carrots that you see in the shops. But you’ll still get the satisfaction of knowing that they came from your garden.
Cucumbers
If you are looking for something that doesn’t take a lot of time and effort, you should consider growing a cucumber. They are a warmer crop, so you will need to plant them during the spring months. If you have a colder climate, you can start growing them indoors, before transferring them to your garden. You’ll need to make sure that they are getting plenty of sunlight.
One of the things that make the cucumbers so appealing is that there are plenty of varieties for you to choose from. The most common is the one that will go into the garden. If space is limited, though, you can get species that are designed to grow in a container.
Like peas, they are a vine plant. Because of this, you will need to connect them to a trellis, to support their growth.
Bell Peppers
When it comes to Bell Peppers, all you need to do is find the right time to put them into the ground. They prefer the warmer months. So, you will need to wait for a few weeks after the last frost of the year. If time is limited, you will be able to get them started inside.
Once planted, though, caring for them will be very easy. You will just need to water them occasionally and give them fertilizer once a month. If you do this, they will be ready to eat in a few months.
Tomatoes
These are another popular vegetable variety. They are super simple to grow. There are a few simple tips you can use to make sure that they grow stronger in your garden. These include:
- Having well-drained soil. This will help ensure that the water and nutrients are getting to the roots.
- Give them full sunlight. This will be true for most variations, though there will be some who prefer to stay in the shade.
- Use stakes. This will give them something for the vines to climb up.
- Examine the leaves. One of the most common problems that you will face is that they aren’t getting enough nitrogen. If this is the case, it will become apparent by looking at their leaves. They will start to turn yellow. This is an easy problem to solve, you just need to add a little extra fertilizer.
- Start growing in the early summer. Tomatoes won’t do well in cold weather. Because of this, you want to be sure that there is no chance that you will get a frost.
- Get the right variety. Because tomatoes are so popular, there are plenty of varieties for you to choose from. This will allow you to choose one that is suited to your climatic conditions.
What is the Easiest Vegetable to Grow?
So far, we’ve looked at plenty of contenders for this title. But there is one vegetable that any gardener will be able to grow, parsley. You will be able to grow them in a wide range of containers. This includes a small pot that you keep in the kitchen. As long as it gets some sunlight and water, it should be able to grow.
The only thing to bear in mind is that they might get pot-bound. This means that you’ll need to remove and re-plant them every few months. However, if you are putting it into the ground, you don’t need to worry about this.
You won’t need to wait long before you start harvesting this herb. Often, you’ll just need to give it a few weeks to get settled into its new home. Because of this, it can be a great option for children.
How do you Start a Vegetable Garden for Beginners?
The nitty-gritty of starting a vegetable garden is immense. Whole books have been dedicated to the topic. But, as long as you bear a few things in mind, you shouldn’t have too many problems. These include:
- Choose the right species. There are hundreds of plants for you to choose from. You need to pick something that will suit your garden. Think about the climate conditions and the amount of sunlight your garden gets.
- Prepare the soil. Make sure you are giving your plants plenty of nutrients, so they can develop strong roots.
- Water regularly. How often you will need to water will depend on the species you select.
- Be patient. This is the most important tip. When you are gardening it can be months between planting and harvesting. But if you get everything set up properly, you should be able to reap the rewards.
Final Thoughts
Vegetable gardens don’t need to be complex and time-consuming. If you get a hardy species, they won’t be hard to cultivate and will forgive a lot of minor mistakes. Hopefully, these tips will allow you to establish a low-maintenance, high-yield vegetable garden.