Top 10 Easy Crops for Beginners

Besides being easy to grow, these plants offer a large variety and endless possibilities for cooking options. Some are easiest growing by seed, while others are easier as starts. Of course all can be grown from seed, but sometimes the starts reduce valuable time from planting to harvest

Radishes:
One of the quickest crops to harvest, usually ready in about three weeks. Radishes will grow in nearly all soil conditions and can be planted in spring or fall.  Growing by seed is best

Green Beans:
Two options – pole or bush varieties, easy to grow and very prolific. By using the pole varieties, you can harvest more with less space requirements. Easy to freeze for later use, or can be pickled for a tasty “dilly bean” treat.  Use seeds after last frost of spring

Onions:
With many varieties to choose from, pick your favorites. Try these as seedlings, as you can usually get 12-20 starts in a single container. If they do well you will have lost of bulb onions to harvest, if they don’t do so well, you still have the greens for salads, stir fry, etc.

Strawberries:
Nothing beats fresh fully ripened strawberries, plus the plants are extremely hardy. Purchase as plants with each container having 3-4 starts. Make sure to keep two feet spacing between rows and plant in a sunny location. Runners can be transplanted for additional plants.

Peppers:
Bell and/or hot peppers are easy to grow. Some northern locations may need to use hoop green house techniques for growing. Start with plants to reduce harvest time and allowing some peppers to vine ripen for a variety of colors and flavors.

Bush Zucchini:
Using the bush variety requires less space for growth in your garden, with plants being very prolific. You only need one or two plants at most, unless you have lots of neighbors. Purchase as starts since you only need a couple to get going.

Basil:
A great staple to any kitchen and a perfect match with tomatoes. Can be grown from seed or starts

Tomatoes:
Fresh off the vine tomatoes can’t be beat. You can’t go wrong if you start with plants. Be sure to use cages and some northern locations might need hoop green houses. If you have a large crop, use the extras for canning or freezing for later use.

 Potatoes:
A great kitchen staple with many uses that are easy to grow and store well when kept cool. Use “starts”, a potato that has several “eyes” for planting. If you start is a larger sized, you can cut it in half as long as you have 3-4 eyes for each piece.

Salad Greens:
Lettuce, spinach, arugula, and many other varieties are easy to plant from seed and easy to harvest. Plant in the spring or fall and you can pick salads almost year round. Use hoop green house techniques in the fall to extend the harvest season.