The 10 Easiest Vegetables to Grow

I've not had good luck with growing carrots or radishes. But we usually do well with green beans, tomatoes, zucchini, squash, cucumbers, green peppers. But there are good years & bad years for all produce -- last year we didn't get anything because of the drought. Some years we have a bumper crop of some things, you just never know. We just plowed up the garden plot tonight -- first one at our new place - gonna plant cucumber, tomatoes, green beans, squash, zucchini, several kinds of peppers. I love making my own salsa and canning green beans. - 5/15/2013 11:29:23 PM

Did you ever hear of "bale gardening"? It is wonderful and can be done on small lots without any soil being turned over. - 5/15/2013 10:30:23 PM

By the way.. don't think you need a lot of yard space to grow anything! We're in a 2nd floor apartment with a little balcony, and we've finally collected all the materials to put together our Container Garden for tomatoes, zucchini, some type of lettuce, and some herbs. There are tons of resources about container and vertical gardening available to help you grow your own food even in small spaces. - 5/14/2013 12:22:04 PM

Romaine! The leaves are huge and tender, making it ideal for wraps. Give it a fertile spot and plenty of water, and jump back.
For late summer and fall gardens, try Minowase radishes and Hakurei turnips. The Minowases are huge and have no heat, which means you can eat them out of hand, marinate them, or shred them for fake pasta. The Hakurei turnips taste more like a pear or a jicama than a turnip. Eat them fresh for best flavor, or wipe them off-don't wash-wrap them in plastic wrap, and store them all winter in the crisper drawer. Storage turnips are ideal for making rice or pasta substitutes. They make superb fresh dill pickles. - 5/14/2013 10:06:16 AM

Several years ago my husband and I bought a house with a backyard that looked like a trash dump. we cleaned it up, hardscaped walkways , put in a pretty fountain and began to plant flowers. every year we have wild basil and mint come up. they are both wonderful. I wish now we had planned more space for tomatoes, lettuces and such. we love our garden but food would be more rewarding to harvest than flowers. - 5/14/2013 6:22:10 AM

I have a bed in my local community garden, and this last year I visited it just once or twice a week on my lunch hour. I planted three prolific Sweet 100 cherry tomato plants, which gave me hundreds to eat and to share; one tomatillo plant (not so successful, here on the coast); one artichoke plant, which gave me several good little chokes; dill; fennel; broccolini; and best of all, a winter squash plant to climbed all around the edge of my little bed along the fence to keep the squirrels out, and gave me two BIG squashes, delicious!

I'm going to replant soon, which cold weather greens: kale, mustard greens, and lettuces. - 1/3/2013 5:55:57 PM

Thank you so much for this information. I have trained farmers in the Farming God's Way model in Mwinilunga, Zambia who now harvest 3x more than in their entire history. However, this model only provides at this time for maize and legumes. Thank you for the above info. - 10/25/2012 8:52:47 AM

I think I have a black thumb fortunately my daughter and wife enjoy gardening. - 9/19/2012 9:08:17 PM

I started my first garden this year with plants from the local seed and feed store. Such a great feeling to do something that I have wanted to do and never had the time. Thanks for the article it is my hope that growing my own veggies will keep me encouraged to try other things that I have only dreamed of accomplishing. - 5/27/2012 7:00:46 PM

I've had great luck with tomatoes and basil; I bought starter plants (about 6 inches tall) from my local nursery, and one of them has already grown 3 feet, and has dozens of flowers on it! (It's a cherry tomato.) I also bought a big boy plant for large tomatoes. I grew a bumper crop of basil last year, and made bacon, basil and tomato sandwiches... this year, I'm going to grow the tomatoes, too!

I'm thrilled and excited! - 4/23/2012 8:15:40 PM

okay, I just must have a brown thumb because at least 6 of those "easy" things to grow, I've managed to mutilate in my garden. ahahahaha - 4/23/2012 4:40:07 PM

I've had good luck with blue lake bush beans. I tried the climbing kind once and it turns out that if you put your rows in the wrong direction the first row will block the sun from the rest of the garden. Then of course if you lose interest because it's hot and you go on vacation those beans will climb up the fence, up a tree, into the power lines, and achieve consciousness.

ok maybe not that last part but I'm sticking with the bush kind - 4/4/2012 1:06:01 PM

Hi Shovelman~Good for you! I hope I'll be able to garden when I'm 77. - 1/27/2012 5:17:05 PM

Rather then just growing the larger tomatoes - we have several plants of cherry tomatoes in assorted colors, my favorite is orange. These are great for salads and such, but the reality is that they seldom make it to the house - and it encourages everyone to get out to the garden and harvest a TREAT. - 3/24/2011 5:08:13 PM

wonderful! Thank you-I plan to get a garden growing and this helps! I was wondering if I made a good pick with lettuce and spinach! - 10/11/2009 12:38:51 PM