Lettuce is perfect for a garden with a shady spot because it can thrive in as little as 4 hours of full sun a day. While it doesn't take the heat well, some varieties are better at it than others. Speaking of types of lettuce, there's a lot to choose from when it comes to leaf lettuce, and all of them are easy to grow. If you can't decide, go with mesclun, which is a medley of lettuce varieties in the same seed packet.
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# 24 Easiest Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs to Grow for Beginners

Gardening is not without its challenges, but you may as well start with plants that give you the best chance of success.

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Erica Finamore is Real Simple's home director, sharing her knowledge on decorating, organizing, cleaning and DIYing. She has over 10 years' experience and favors statement sofas, gallery walls and organizing books in rainbow order.

Updated on March 19, 2024

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Growing your own food reaps a host of benefits—it's soothing, nutritional, and educational; it brings you closer to the earth; and it makes dinner taste a little better. But you don't need to plant half your backyard to realize them. Consider starting with just an herb plant or two, a packet of seeds, or a few seedlings of the easiest vegetables to grow.

All you need is a yard, patio, or access to a community garden. We compiled a list of the easiest vegetables, fruits, and herbs to grow. Starting a vegetable garden with these plants puts you on a straight path to success, and you can look forward to shopping for dinner right at home!

Nancy Awot-Traut is a horticultural expert at Burpee, America's oldest and most trusted supplier of vegetable and flower seeds and plants for over 140 years.

## Easy Vegetables To Grow

An important consideration when choosing vegetables for your garden is whether they're cool-season or warm-season ones:

- Cool-season types—asparagus, carrots, lettuce, garlic, onions, and radishes—can tolerate a bit of frost, so you can plant them earlier in the season and perhaps plant a second crop to harvest in the fall.
- Warm-season types cannot tolerate frost at all. Plant these vegetables after the last frost in spring and harvest them before the first frost in the fall.

To determine your area's estimated first and last frost dates, visit the Farmer's Almanac website and enter your zip code.

### Asparagus

Fresh asparagus.
rootedvalley.com

Asparagus is an odd duck of garden vegetables, but that doesn't mean it's hard to grow. For one thing, it's a perennial, meaning you plant it once, and it comes back for as many as 15 years. Another difference is you harvest it first thing in the spring but then continue to care for the plants through the rest of the growing season (so it comes back the next).

For a dedicated asparagus patch, start with crowns, which are one-year roots that are far easier than starting from seed. After planting, you'll have to wait 1 or 2 years before you can harvest, but it'll be so worth it. Any way you cook it, you'll love being able to snip fresh asparagus from just outside your door for a month or two every spring.

### Bell Peppers

Sweet-tasting bell peppers ripen into a variety of colors: green, yellow, orange, and red. On the nutrition front, they're high in potassium, great for your skin, and rich in vitamin C and vitamin A. Of course, they taste great in salads, stuffed, and even for snacking.

In the garden, warm-season bell peppers thrive in full sun and well-draining, moist soil. Plant them at least a week after the last frost. After harvesting, store bell peppers in the refrigerator in a plastic bag for up to 10 days or in the freezer for up to a year.

### Broccoli

"Broccoli is easy to grow, especially when compared to other vegetables," says horticultural expert Nancy Awot-Traut. They're a cool-season crop that can thrive in a variety of soil types. Best of all, they need minimal care and are packed with nutrients.

To keep your broccoli plants flourishing, keep their soil moist and allow a foot or more between them so they don't compete for resources. They'll reach picking status in a little under 2 months. Harvest the main head first, and then pick the side shoots.

### Carrots

Getty Images

Carrots grow in Zones 3 through 10, which just about covers the entire U.S. These cool-season root vegetables are best started by seed because their sensitive root systems don't take well to transplanting. They love to be planted in loosely packed, well-composted soil where they get full sun.

Carrots take about 70 days to mature, but it's worth waiting for optimal sweetness and bright color. Since carrots grow best in the ground or raised beds (as opposed to containers), ensure they're protected from roving deer, rabbits, and other wildlife that find carrot tops delicious.

### Cucumbers

TommL/Getty Images

Plant this warm-season crop several weeks after your last frost, and these fast-growing vegetables can be ready to pick as soon as 6 weeks later. When you trellis cucumbers (recommended), the plants climb, giving you more garden-bed space for other vegetables.

"Homegrown cucumbers are incredibly fresh and flavorful compared to the store-bought ones," says Awot-Traut. "You pick them at their peak ripeness, resulting in superior taste and texture." Once your cucumbers start to produce, you'll likely get enough to pickle, so you can savor their home-grown goodness well beyond the season.

### Garlic

alicjane / Getty Images

If you're looking to start growing one of the easiest edible plants, look no further than your grocery store! A head of garlic has many cloves, and each of them can be planted. Simply bury a garlic clove, skin-on, in a shallow bed (about 1 inch deep) with its pointy tip facing the sky.

With water and a few days, a green shoot surfaces, climbing at a surprising rate. In time, that underground clove grows into a new head of garlic for use in the kitchen. Don't forget to save some of those homegrown cloves for next season's planting.

### Green Beans

Gentl & Hyers

Green beans are a satisfying plant for a beginner gardener because they germinate quickly (in 7 to 10 days) and grow profusely (but not out of control). Keep these warm-season vegetables frost-free in full sun, and you'll have beans to pick less than 2 months after planting.

Before you pick up a seed packet for green beans, note whether it's for bush beans or pole beans. The difference (as you can probably guess) is that bush beans grow compactly, closer to the ground, while pole beans grow vertically and need some kind of structure (like a trellis or fence) to climb up. Bush beans are the way to go for a container garden, while pole beans take up less garden real estate because they grow up instead of out.

### Leaf Lettuce

Fresh Leaf Lettuce.Frances Twitty/ Getty Images

Leaf lettuce is a wonderful beginner's garden crop: It can tolerate a light frost so you can plant it early in the season, it's ready for harvest in as little as a month after sowing, and after harvesting, it keeps growing for a second, third, and maybe fourth cutting.

Lettuce is perfect for a garden with a shady spot because it can thrive in as little as 4 hours of full sun a day. While it doesn't take the heat well, some varieties are better at it than others. Speaking of types of lettuce, there's a lot to choose from when it comes to leaf lettuce, and all of them are easy to grow. If you can't decide, go with mesclun, which is a medley of lettuce varieties in the same seed packet.

### Onions

Cultura RM Exclusive/Zero Creatives/Getty Images

A cousin of garlic, which is also in the allium family, onions are also easy to grow and have a slew of health benefits. You can plant onion seeds, but it's much easier (and faster) to start them from sets, which are little onion bulbs sold in clumps of 50 or so that you can find at garden centers or farm stores.

If you think harvesting 50 onions at one time is too many, think again. They store easily, can be dehydrated to make onion flakes or powder, and are used in so many dishes and nearly every cuisine. It's crying time!

### Peas

More peas, please! Whether you choose sugar snap, snow, or sweet, peas are pretty easy to grow. This cool-season crop can withstand frost if you catch some in early spring, and you can plant a second round come fall. The pods don't stay in prime condition on the vine for long and need picking as soon as they're ready.

Growing your own vegetables brings a host of health benefits, but peas, specifically, are really good for you because they're filled with fiber, potassium, and vitamin A. If you've harvested more than you can eat at one time, storing peas in the refrigerator or freezer is as easy as growing them.

### Potatoes

Fries anyone? Potatoes are a good beginner crop because they're easy to sow, quick to grow, and fun to dig out. You can start with seeds, but it's easier to opt for "seed potatoes," which are pieces of a potato or whole small ones. Make sure to buy certified seed potatoes at your local nursery or garden center (as opposed to grabbing some at the grocery store) and plant them in a sunny spot about 6 inches deep in loose soil in early spring.

With many types of potatoes to choose from, Awot-Traut recommends German butterballs and Yukon golds. "These are easy to grow and produce a good yield," explains Awot-Traut. Plus, they're chameleons in the kitchen because they can be boiled, baked, mashed, fried, scalloped, and hasselbacked. Need we go on?

### Radishes

Many Radishes.Maximilian Stock Ltd./Getty Images

Gardening rarely exacts immediate gratification, but for those with less patience than most, radishes are an excellent choice. This cool-season, nutritious root vegetable takes only a month from planting a seed to harvest. It doesn't need exceptionally deep soil or lots of space, and can even tolerate a bit of shade.

You'll be surprised at the varieties of radishes you find on the seed stands. Choose from peppery or mild flavors, round or carrot shapes, and shades of white, yellow, pink, red, or purple. And radishes aren't just for adding to salads: Try them roasted!

### Tomatoes

Even a few tomato-bearing plants can offset what you need to purchase at the store.ChiccoDodiFC/Shutterstock

Simply put, tomatoes are unrivaled when bursting ripe right off the garden vine. The next best part of growing your own tomatoes is access to a wide range of heirloom varieties that many grocery stores just don't offer. Most tomato plants, especially cherry tomatoes, are great for container gardening on patios and other small spaces, provided they get enough sun.

Tomato plants require regular watering and stakes or cages, which can be a hassle, but given ample sunlight (at least 8 hours per day), heat, and water, tomatoes are relatively easy to grow. The hard part is deciding which kind of tomato to grow: cherries for salads, Romas for sauces, or beefsteak for slicing. If you're feeling a little nervous, start small. "Cherry and small tomatoes are the easiest to grow," Awot-Traut says.

### Zucchini

The Spruce / Heidi Kolsky

For this warm-season vegetable, you have to hold off planting until temperatures are consistently in the 70s, but it's worth the wait. When it's finally time to plant, allow zucchini plenty of elbow room—at least 3 feet per plant—as they tend to sprawl. Zucchini grows well when planted adjacent to other easy-to-grow plants like garlic, mint, and tomatoes.

As they mature, be sure to water and fertilize regularly because zucchini plants are notoriously heavy feeders. They can grow to hilariously big sizes, but for them, bigger isn't better. Pick them when small- or medium-sized for better-tasting ones.

Take time to select plants carefully. "When selecting specific varieties of a plant, beginners should look for hybrids as they tend to be more disease-resistant, have better production, and tend to be more reliable than heirlooms," explains Awot-Traut.

## Easiest Fruits to Grow

We consider these fruits easy to grow, and as a bonus, they come back year after year without replanting. While gardening expertise is not needed, patience is because these fruits (and most others) take a season or two for the plants to come into their own and flourish before you can harvest them.

### Blackberries

Getty Images

Blackberries are a sweet treat with a host of health benefits and serve as the main ingredient for pies, jams, cobblers, and smoothies. They also freeze well, so you can stretch a bountiful harvest to use throughout the year.

With many blackberry varieties, each preferring different growing conditions, check with your local garden center for a selection that grows best in your area. Blackberry shrubs come in erect or trailing categories, and the trailing types require a trellis or other support. Look for thornless varieties, which make picking much more enjoyable.

### Blueberries

If you're looking for a good place to start growing fruit, think blueberries. "They're a well-behaved, low-maintenance shrub that fits easily into the home landscape," Awol-Traut says. Plus, they look gorgeous and produce little flowers in spring and vibrant red leaves in fall.

There are more reasons to consider blueberries: They're good for you, and blueberry desserts are just plain delicious. Is there anything better than a fresh blueberry pie in the summer? We didn't think so.

### Figs

Ideally, figs need a sunny spot that gets at least 6 hours of light a day, but other than that, they aren't picky. Fig plants are heat- and drought-tolerant and grow into beautiful trees that look magical in a yard.

In most U.S. regions, the best time to plant figs is early spring or early fall. If you're a small space dweller, consider a dwarf variety like " Fignomenal" that is well-suited to growing in a container.

### Strawberries

Geri Lavrov/Getty Images

Strawberries are a versatile plant you can grow in pots, hanging baskets, or in the ground, as long as they get at least 6 hours of sun. They're also versatile in the kitchen, nutritious, delicious, and store easily.

Wherever you plant them, make sure each plant's roots have plenty of room to spread out. Many strawberry varieties produce runners, which are tips that spread out and root themselves nearby to become new plants. You can snip these runners so the plant's energy focuses on bigger fruit or leave them to procreate more plants with smaller fruit.

Once your strawberry seeds or seedlings are planted, they need only sunlight, water, time, and a little weed control. Awot-Traut recommends using a natural weed killer like Preen's.

## Easy Herbs To Grow

Next time your recipe calls for a sprig of mint as a garnish, a stem of rosemary, or fresh basil leaves, imagine walking outside with a pair of snippers instead of driving to the grocery store. It doesn't get fresher than that!

Herbs are easy to grow, don't require much space, and add freshness and flavor to your kitchen creations. If feasible, plant herbs near the kitchen for easy access, or consider growing some indoors. Start your herb garden with these easy-to-grow and culinarily versatile plants.

### Basil

Basil.Photo courtesy of Untrained Housewife

A staple in Mediterranean cuisine and a mainstay of pesto, basil is a great herb to have in your backyard. Growing your own gives you access to a host of different varieties—like cinnamon, lemon, licorice, and lime basil—and colors that range from bright green to shades of pink, red, and purple.

Basil plants improve the flavor of other plants nearby, and since they thrive under the same growing conditions as tomato plants, the pair makes especially good growing companions. Whether planting seeds or transplanting seedlings from the garden center, wait until your area is frost-free and make sure each plant gets at least 6 hours of sun.

### Chives

Juj Winn/Getty Images

While sometimes thought of as vegetables, chives are actually low-maintenance perennial herbs that are super easy to grow. Chives are often confused with green onions for their similar taste and appearance, yet they're different plants within the same allium family.

Chives can be started from seed or seedlings, and they do especially well in containers. In cold climates, you can overwinter pots of chives indoors and continue to snip them or leave them outside to die back and re-emerge in the spring. Chives have a mild onion taste and are a delicious addition to eggs, baked potatoes, and salads. Their cuisine opportunities are fairly limitless.

### Cilantro/Coriander

Istetiana/Getty Images

Cilantro and coriander come from the same plant, so you can harvest an herb and a spice from just one pot:

- Cilantro is the leafy green herby part that's used in many Asian and Latin American dishes as a garnish or to add flavor to sauces and salads.
- Coriander is the seed used to grow this herb, but it's also a spice—used ground or whole—in pickling brines and in many Mediterranean and Indian dishes.

You can use whole coriander seeds right from your spice rack to start growing cilantro. They do as well in pots as in the ground, but the plants are quite sensitive to hot and cold temperatures. Start them indoors or plant them outside after the threat of frost in a nice sunny spot. When the stems are 4 to 6 inches tall, start snipping the fresh new stems and leaves to use in the kitchen. (The older, ferny-type leaves taste bitter.)

Eventually, the plant stops producing fresh, new shoots with edible leaves, and a flower develops. At this point, you have options. You can:

- Cut off the flowers to encourage the plant to produce more leaves.
- Allow the plant to flower and, as it dries, collect the coriander seeds to use in cooking or to plant next season.
- Do nothing! The seeds will naturally fall to the ground and reseed, and you'll have new cilantro plants growing there next year.

### Mint

Mint - Growing Mint in the Herb Garden.Photo courtesy Daniel Battiston / stock.xchng

Mint is so easy to grow, it can become a bit of a problem. Its prolific nature drives it to take over the beds of neighboring plants. To prevent mint from spreading into unwanted areas, confine your plantings to a pot or other isolated area.

You only need one or two plants to start. In time, they'll likely spread through the pot from rim to rim, flavoring breezes with their scent. Take advantage of their aroma and bug-repelling prowess with plantings near seating areas or walkways.

### Parsley

Parsley is a great finishing touch to your homemade dishes and your herb garden. It's easy to grow and can thrive in small pots and planters, which makes it a favorite of apartment dwellers everywhere.

Whether you plant it from a seed or seedling, just be a little patient: Parsley takes about 6 weeks to get growing. It prefers full sun but tolerates a bit of shade, and is a great indoor plant as long as it has a sunny window.

Once you've harvested, take time to clean, chop, and store it properly. You'll love combining newly harvested parsley with other fresh vegetables and herbs for a delicious yard-to-table meal.

### Rosemary

Kirill Rudenko/Getty Images

If you have a hot, dry, sunny place where you can't get anything else to grow, try rosemary because that's just how this plant likes it. Actually an evergreen shrub, this fragrant herb comes back year after year (although it may need to overwinter indoors in colder climates) and can grow up to 6 feet tall.

Growing rosemary from seed is challenging, so start with just a seedling or two from the garden center. Like mint, it grows readily, spreads quickly, and smells divine, so planted near seating or as an aromatic hedge is ideal. Grab a few sprigs whenever you want to create a delicious dish like garlic and rosemary focaccia.

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