13+ Easy To Grow Veggies & Fruits for Absolute Beginning Gardeners

If you’re ready to start your very first veggie garden you don’t want to miss this list of 13+ easy to grow veggies for total beginners!  Our list of easy to grow veggies will make you look like a gardening genius even if you’ve never grown a thing in your life.

If you’ve spent anymore than a few minutes perusing acountrygirlslife.com you can probably tell that I absolutely love to garden!  It’s my zen, my inner peace…my little slice of heaven.  But, I wasn’t born this way.

As an adult, I learned through trial and error what worked best and what didn’t.  What was easy to grow and what wasn’t.  What I had the patience and fortitude to see through to harvest and what I didn’t.  Over time, I was able to assemble a list of easy to grow, prolific fruit and vegetable plants even a beginner can grow.

I often get asked how does one even get started with veggie gardening….especially if you weren’t born with a green thumb.  The best answer I have is to start small and start with fruits and vegetables that are easy to grow.  This is where my post will be of great value to you beginning gardeners!

Oh, any if you have specific questions about easy to grow veggies or gardening in general you too can join our FREE Gardening for Beginners Facebook Group.  Everyday we’re posting gardening ideas and inspiration, gardening knowledge articles, free gardening printables and answering all your burning questions with expert answers!

The good news is that there is an EXTENSIVE list of easy to grow fruits and vegetables that’ll get you excited to try your hand at gardening this spring!  These veggies are so easy to grow that you’ll put fresh food on your table all summer long!  You’ll be able to make jams!  You’ll even be able to grow vegetables that you can store for use well into the winter!

Before you leave here today be sure check out my detailed, step by step article on How to Build out Your First Successful Vegetable Garden which gives you insider knowledge on building a garden you’ll be able to thrive in.

I also recommend that you check out one more article that will help you plan & manage your garden from seed to harvest: How to Make A DIY Gardening Planner That Actually WORKS! It’s my number one garden hack for planning a small garden space & keeping on top of all the important garden related tasks from spring to fall.

Below you’ll find my list of super easy to grow fruits and veggies. I’ve found some really great deals on seeds and starts which I’ve linked to in this post for your convenience!

Why Start a Vegetable Garden THIS Year?

1. Control How Your Food is Grown & Managed

Unfortunately, we live in an age of genetically modified seeds (GMO), chemically managed farming & food born illnesses.  The most obvious reason to start a fruit and vegetable garden is to have control over one of your food sources and how that food source is managed.  By starting a vegetable garden at home you can grow fruits and vegetables that are organic, pesticide free and GMO free.  You can feel confident that the food your are feeding your family is safe.

2. Learn a Transferable Skill

As if organic gardening wasn’t reason enough to start a vegetable garden…..I can promise that you will feel a huge sense of accomplishment by growing your own food.  Self-sufficiency and self-reliance is becoming a lost art.  In addition, the skills that you acquire can be passed on to your children.  Planning and growing a garden is a great family building exercise!

3. Emergency Preparedness

Not to be an alarmist, but have you thought about an emergency that could cause food insecurity?  What if there was a natural disaster or a terrorist attack that compromised the U.S. food system?  Would you have the skills to survive?  In any apocalyptic nightmare, having the knowledge and skills to save seeds and grow your own food would be an invaluable asset.

 

Should I buy Vegetable Starts or Seeds?

Thankfully, everything on my beginners list is super easy to start from seed with the exception of tomatoes.  Even as an experienced gardener I find it challenging to grow tomatoes from seed and successfully transition them to the outdoors.  In fact, I don’t even fuss with trying to grow tomatoes from seed…I just buy tomato starts that are well established & hardened off to the cold.

It’s fairly easy to buy vegetable starts further into the spring and start your gardening journey the easy way.  However, there are some downsides to consider.  Each plant can run $4-6 Each (depending on if it is organic or not).  This can add up quickly and you just won’t find a huge variety to choose from at your local market or hardware store.

One seed packet can produce 10+ plants in most cases for $2-3 a packet.  There is a HUGE variety of seeds sold online and in stores.  Also, almost all seed will be good for two growing seasons.  Vegetable starts are so expensive that it may not be cost effective to fill your entire garden with them.  Tomato starts are about the only variety I purchase.  Everything else in my garden starts from seed.

You’ll want to grow seeds that are appropriate for your growing zone.  You can find out what your climate zone is HERE.  Each seed packet will have zone information, details on when to plant and where to plant (start early indoors vs start outside after last frost).  You’ll also get important information about seed planting depth.  Read each packet carefully before planting.

Generally speaking, if you go into your local hardware or big box store you will find seeds that are already selected to grow well in your zone.  If you order seeds online like I do, you’ll have to check climate zone information and make sure that your seeds are well suited to your zone.

{Linked Supply List}

• Mini Green House Seed Starting Kit
• Plant Mister
• Grow Light Bulb (for northern climates or low sunlight situations)

If you are starting seeds indoors for the first time I highly recommend using an off the shelf mini greenhouse.  These budget friendly products are great for first time gardeners because everything you need (with the exception of seeds) are provided in these kits.

Kits include the greenhouse itself, seedling pots & dirt. The greenhouse creates the ideal warm & moist environment for new seedlings to thrive.  No guesswork needed on behalf of a beginning gardener.

I personally like the Burpee Self Watering Seed Starting Mini-Greenhouse. If you’re not perfect at watering your seeds on schedule this package takes some of the burden off your shoulders by keeping your seedlings moist for longer.

This budget friendly package contains everything that you need to start 72 plants including soil.  The clear cover creates a perfect mini-greenhouse environment to keep moisture and heat close to your seedlings.  When your seeds sprout you’ll want to use a plant mister to mist the seedlings.  Pouring water from a watering can or glass could permanently damage or destroy delicate seedlings.

Place your mini-greenhouse in a sunny south facing window to maximize sunlight.  If you don’t have a south facing window or you live in a climate with minimal winter/spring sunlight (such as AK, WA, ID, MT, ND, SD, MN, MI or ME) it is absolutely essential to supplement with a grow light bulb.  A grow light will provide a UV light similar to that of the sun (in fact you don’t need any sun at all with a light like this).

If you want to start even smaller you could use the Jiffy 25 Plant Mini Greenhouse.  It’s doesn’t have the self watering capability of the Burpee Self Watering Seed Starting Mini-Greenhouse but it’s a great starter package for a smaller garden.

How to Start Seeds Directly in the Garden

If you’re getting a late start on your garden this year don’t worry!  You don’t HAVE to start all your seeds indoors.  You can start them directly in your garden once the danger of frost has past.  Realistically, you won’t see seeds sprouting until you reach temps around 60 degrees and above.  Some veggies need even hotter temps to get going strong (bell peppers, jalapenos and basil come to mind).

After you check out all these easy to grow veggies be sure to check out my step by step guide on starting your first garden outdoors.  In this detailed guide I show you how to build and maintain your first successful veggie garden.  We cover every topic from soil selection to fertilizer in this guide.  Head on over there if you are starting your seeds outdoor this year.

The Ultimate List of Easy to Grow Veggies & Fruits for Beginners

|Zucchini Squash|

Zucchini Squash is one of the most prolific garden vegetables out there and it’s an easy to grow veggie.  It doesn’t take much effort to end your growing season with more zucchini than you could possibly eat (which is probably what prompted this meme):

 

 

|Simpson Lettuce|

Simpson lettuce is an absolutely delicious, hardy, heirloom variety lettuce that is slow to bolt (bolt means “go to seed” which affects tenderness & flavor negatively).  The heads grow to a size of 10-14″ when fully mature.  Simpson lettuce is PROLIFIC!  One planting will yield an enormous harvest!

It’s suitable for all climate zones and is one of the first veggies ready for harvest in early spring.  The best part is that you can snip of a little at a time while the rest of the plant continues to grow.  Typical harvest time is 45-50 days.  Simpson lettuce can be started indoors or outdoors after danger of frost has subsided.

|Mesclun Lettuce Mix|

Mesclun mix is another fantastic, easy to grow mixture of lettuces that has all the same qualities of simpson lettuce mentioned above.  Slow to bolt, hardy and a relatively short harvest time at 50 days.  It’s suitable for all climate zones and is one of the first veggies ready for harvest in early spring.  Can be started indoors or outdoors after danger of frost has subsided.

|Italian Large Leaf Basil|

Basil is such an easy to grow and versatile herb.  It’s an essential ingredient in pretty much every Italian dish.  One seed packet will grow enough basil to fill several jars of pesto.   It can also be easily dried for later use.  Italian basil is prolific, hardy and an aromatic addition to your garden space.  Basil loves the warmer temperatures of mid-summer and matures to harvest around 80-85 days.  Basil can be started indoors or outdoors after danger of frost has subsided.  Basil and many other common herbs are easy to grow veggies that you can place in any corner of your garden.

|Grape Tomatoes|

Earlier in this article I mentioned that I buy my tomatoes from starts.  It’s really the ONLY starts that I purchase and I suggest the same for you too as a beginning gardener.  Tomatoes from seed have to be started extremely early (in early February here for example), they require larger/longer greenhouse space and they are difficult to harden off for cold temperatures.

I’ve specifically suggested cherry tomatoes as being beginner friendly because the time to harvest is much less than that of larger tomatoes.  They are sweet enough for snacking, salads & I’ve even thrown them into homemade salsa.  They are easy to grow veggies for beginners and you will not be disappointed with a cherry tomato or two in your first garden!

|”Ever Bearing” Strawberries|

Strawberries are perennial plants that come back year after year.  Yes, you will have to purchase starts but you’ll only have to do it once (and they’re pretty inexpensive usually less than .50 c per plant).  Strawberries are prolific reproducers and once you have a few plants, they will produce a life time supply of even more plants! 

You can spread the plants around the garden or share with friends.  When purchasing, be sure to look for “ever bearing” strawberry plants.  They will produce fruit all summer long (in contrast with “June” berries that only fruit once).  Strawberries will produce a prolific amount of fruit even in the first year which makes it exciting for any beginning gardener!

|Raspberries|

Raspberries are also perennial plants that will come back year after year.  They produce new plants more slowly than strawberries but are still worth planting for that sweet, delicious taste of summer.  Raspberries may only produce a moderate amount of berries in the first 1-2 years.  By the third year you will have more raspberries than you can possibly eat!  You’ll want to plant these in the fall or very early spring.  When purchasing look for “ever bearing” raspberry plants.  They will produce fruit all summer long.

Both Raspberries and Strawberries are moisture sensitive.  In addition to good soil and sunlight you’ll need to keep up with regular watering to ensure moist and plump berries.

|Sugar Snap Peas|

Sugar snap peas are super easy to grow veggies for any beginning gardener!  With a harvest time of about 60 days you won’t have to wait long to snap into these sweet, crisp little beauties!  You’ll need a garden trellis for peas to climb (otherwise they will not thrive).  Consider using this compact fold up model.  When not in use you can easily store this garden trellis.  sugar snap peas are moderately moisture sensitive so keep them well watered!  Start the peas directly out in the garden after danger of frost has passed.

|Pole Beans|

Of all the beginning vegetable garden varieties we’ve listed here I’d have to say that pole beans are by far the easiest to grow and extremely prolific!  There are so many exciting varieties and colors which make for some unique gourmet dishes.  Just check out the yard long noodle bean or the rattlesnake pole bean!  Like sugar snap peas, pole beans need a garden trellis in order to thrive.  Sow pole bean seeds directly in your garden after danger of frost has passed.  Harvest time is 60 days.

|Garlic|

Garlic is purchased in bulb form and each clove is separated and planted to grow a whole new clove of garlic.  A clove can be planted in the fall 4-6 weeks before the first possible frost or in the spring (after last frost) for a summer harvest.  I purchase these California Soft Neck bulb starts.  They are grown in the U.S. to U.S. standards and I’ve had great success with them.  Garlic is a super easy to grow veggie for beginners.

 

|Jalepenos|

Jalapenos are surprisingly easy to grow veggies even if you don’t have a super hot climate.  I find them much easier to grow than bell peppers which can be very tough for a beginning gardener.  Jalapenos are a great addition for a salsa/spicy food lovers. 

I start my jalapenos indoors and transfer outdoors when overnight temperatures are above 50 degrees.  One plant can yield anywhere from 5-10 fruit depending on your climate.  If you are in a cooler climate it can take awhile for them to take off.  Like bell peppers they like hotter temps to thrive (80’s and above)  Time to harvest is 80-85 days.

|Potatoes|

Potatoes are probably the easiest veggie to grow on our list.  It seems like potatoes can grow in just about any kind of soil and thrive in even low moisture environments.  One seed potato can yield 7-10 potatoes.  Potatoes can be grown quite successfully in potato grow bags by layering in soil and seed potatoes. 

I personally use potato grow bags  because it allows for this efficient use of limited growing space.  Harvesting the potatoes when you need them is super easy with the removable flap…in a pot or any other set up you’d have to dig up the entire plant.

There are a huge variety of potatoes that can be planted just about anywhere.  Seed potatoes can be placed in a sunny window until eyes sprout.  After danger of frost simply plant your sprouted potatoes in the garden or grow bag!  Potatoes store for an unbelievably long time in your refrigerator or cool dark places.

|Pumpkins|

Pumpkins are easy to grow veggies and such a crowd favorite with the young ones!  Pumpkins require the most amount of space on our list and you have to have at least 2….better yet 3 plants in order to have proper pollination opportunities. 

Pumpkins are moisture sensitive and need good soil to thrive.  The space requirements alone may be enough for a beginning gardener to turn down but if you do grow pumpkins you’ll have a stunning array of decor pieces for fall. 

As an added bonus, you can easily harvest the seeds for next year (assuming you haven’t planted a hybrid- hybrids are sterile).  The variety of pumpkins are absolutely jaw dropping….just check out the Jarrahdale Blue Pumpkins or the Atlantic Giant to name a few!

I start my pumpkins indoors because there is such a long harvest time and we have such a short growing season here in Washington state.  If you are further south you could start outdoors after danger of frost has passed.

|Giant Sunflowers|

I’ve been growing Grey Stripe Mammoth Giant Sunflowers in my vegetable garden for many years.  They are an absolute delight to watch them grow anywhere from 8-12 feet tall and produce nothing short of GIANT flowers.  They are super easy for even a beginner to grow as long as you keep them watered and in a sunny location.

I like to dry the seeds for eating and save the seeds for the next planting year.  I also take some of the flower heads and use them in my fall decorating.  Check out my article on how to make a table centerpiece using dried sunflower heads.  If you’re not the crafty type you can also leave them intact and watch the birds slowly pick away at them.

I wrote a detailed, step by step article with tons of photos on how to dry large sunflowers for all of the aforementioned uses (including how to turn them into a wreath if you’re feeling crafty).  Be sure to check that out here before you leave today!

The Grey Stripe Mammoth Giant Sunflowers are really great but keep in mind there is a HUGE variety of tall, large or small sunflowers in a variety of colors.  Check out the color and variety of this sunflower seed value multi-pack which I ordered this year (example of sunflowers included in the picture below).  If you were to buy all these sunflower seed varieties in individual packs it would be three times the price.  If you’re interested in ordering the same value pack you can check it out HERE.

I hope that you’ve found a few easy to grow veggies that you can try out this year as a new beginning vegetable gardener.  I know you’ll find everything on this list easy to grow.  I can’t wait for you to see how gratifying it is to grow your own food and learn a valuable skill that can be passed on to the next generation.

If you have specific questions about easy to grow veggies or gardening in general you can join our FREE Gardening for Beginners Facebook Group.  Everyday we’re posting gardening ideas and inspiration, gardening knowledge articles, free gardening printables and answering your questions with expert answers!

Did I miss anything on my list?  Don’t forget to check out my step by step beginners guide to building out your first successful vegetable garden before you go!

 

 

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