If you’re new to gardening or have limited time to care for your garden, you might want to start with easy to grow and low maintenance fruits and veggies.
After all, gardening should be fun! It can be discouraging, especially in your first growing season ever, to spend all of your time weeding, watering, fertilizing, and stressing over your plants.
Instead, invest in some high-quality seeds of the following kinds of plants. No headaches required! After each item, you’ll find a trusted seed or seedling source.
1. Lettuce
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.
2. Cucumbers
Cucumbers are crisp, refreshing, and super easy to grow. You need to be careful about providing them with plenty of watering, as too little can cause your cucumbers to become bitter tasting.
3. Chard
Like lettuce and arugula, chard is another easy to grow vegetable. It can be grown both indoors and outside and even tolerates a light frost in case you forget to harvest it in time.
4. Kale
Grow them in containers or raised garden beds, but remember that too much heat can take a toll on their flavor. Evenly moist soil that’s rich in organic matter is best for kale, too.
5. Peppers
Warm temperatures are key for growing this tasty vegetable, which can enhance salads, pasta, meat dishes, and much more. Make sure you opt for well-drained soil that’s rich in organic matter as well.
6. Tomatoes
There’s a reason why cherry tomato plants can be found on just about everyone’s back patio – they are super easy to grow.
7. Zucchini
Zucchinis are known for being extremely easy to grow from seeds. For delicious zucchini, grow them in moist soil and full sun.
8. Basil
More than just a flavorful pizza addition, Basil is one of the fastest growing herbs. The average plant garners 1/2 cup of leaves a week.
9. Mint
Mint is widely considered the downright easiest plant to grow. In fact it grows so well, experts recommend potting it separately so that it doesn’t overrun higher-maintenance florals.
10. Asparagus
Asparagus is a popular perennial. It can grow for several decades in just about any climate. Plant it in well-draining soil and the spears will emerge before the last frost in the spring.
11. Rhubarb
This is a hardy vegetable, and does well in colder climates. It needs well-draining soil with part shade. The plant will come back each year, so be prepared as it can grow very wide.
12. Parsley
Parsley loves sun but cooler temps work perfectly fine since they don’t fare well with constant dry heat. Rich loamy soil is your best bet, and you can really tickle its fancy by supplementing it with fertilizer or organic compost. Parsley likes soil that’s moist, so keep on top of watering it.
13. Cilantro
Cilantro, also known as coriander or Mexican parsley, does not require a lot of water once sprouted and provides flavorful seasoning year round.
14. Potatoes
Potatoes are so easy to grow that many gardeners grow them in containers or even garbage bags! All you need is a few eyes to start your annual supply of potatoes. They keep well in cold storage, too, making them easy to harvest and keep.
15. Radishes
Whether you prefer them raw in salads or in soups, radishes are a versatile root vegetable. Like carrots, it’s best not to overcrowd the seeds, and try to aim for loose dirt.
16. Beets
Beets, which are high in fiber and rich in vitamins A and C, are easy to grow from seed and benefit from loose soil. Aim to plant them in spring and late summer, and note that they prefer loamy, acid soil.
17. Carrots
As long as your soil is loose and well-draining, you can grow carrots. The key to growing carrots that are low-maintenance is to thin them once seedlings emerge. That way, they won’t overcrowd each other.
18. Blueberries
Blueberries are ornamental, meaning they look beautiful all year round. As long as your soil is well-aerated, mosist, and somewhat acidic, you should not have any problem growing them.
19. Blackberries
Like blueberries, blackberries are quite easy to grow. All you need to do is pop the canes in the ground and prune every so often. You’ll enjoy a delicious harvest of succulent berries all summer long!
20. Garlic
Try to plant garlic in the fall for the next season. Plant clove root down, with plants being six to eight inches apart, depending on the size of your garden. Only water when the soil is dry.