What To Grow (Including Easy Veggies To Grow)
If this is your first time growing vegetables, it’s perfectly fine to start small. Avoid overwhelming yourself with too many options. Your first growing season will involve some trial and error, and it’s okay if everything isn’t perfect. Here are a few key factors to consider when deciding what to grow:
Garden Size: Select vegetables that match the space you have available. For small gardens, opt for compact or bush varieties. You might want to avoid plants like squash that get really big and sprawl far. If you have lots of space squash and zucchini are a wonderful addition to the garden. We love growing zucchini because it is always producing (sometimes enough to feed all the neighbours too).
Vertical Gardening
If space is limited, think about growing vegetables in containers or vertical gardens. Most vegetables grow well in containers but some will do better with a bit more space. We always grow tomatoes in containers, but depending on the variety they can get huge! Make sure you choose tomatoes that won’t take over the whole space.
Vertical gardening is a good way to maximize your space. You can build your own gardening wall or purchase a vertical planter. Lettuce is a great vegetable to grow in a vertical garden because it doesn't take up too much space and can grow well in containers. Another form of vertical gardening is having your plants climb a trellis. It is easy to grow climbing beans, peas, or cucumbers up a trellis. This can make your limited space feel slightly bigger. If you are interested in all the different types of trellises you can read more here The Garden Trellis.
Personal Preference: Grow vegetables that you and your family love to eat. There’s nothing more satisfying than harvesting fresh produce that excites you! Consider your cooking habits and the types of dishes you frequently prepare. If you have children and want to teach them to eat what they grow there are some fun vegetables to get them excited about, like purple runner beans, who magically turn green when they touch boiling water! A magic show or a fun chemistry lesson, if you like one. Try planting their favourite colour, you may find watermelon tastes better if it’s yellow, because that’s their favourite colour. We also found that children who plant and care for their own garden are more likely to try new things, so keep that in mind when planning your own garden.
Easy to Grow Varieties: If you're new to gardening, Your best bet for success is to start with “beginner” vegetables that can be easier to grow. This will vary based on the climate where you live and your access to healthy soil. Keep in mind that some plants might be easy for most people to grow but could be very difficult for others. If you don’t have success with the “easy” vegetables it doesn't mean you are a bad gardener! Stick with it and keep trying. Gardening is a lot of trial and error and every season is a learning opportunity. When selecting varieties make sure you are choosing plants that can grow well in the conditions you have. Most vegetables require a lot of sun and water. If you can’t supply enough light or water you should look for plants that can survive in these conditions. We have compiled a list of plants that can be considered easy to grow based on their needs and growing habits.
This is a good place to start:
Lettuce
Radishes
Beans
Peas
Zucchini
Beets
Swiss Chard
Herbs (e.g. basil or parsley) - Be aware that herbs of the mint family should always be planted in pots, as they spread easy through runners and take over your entire garden! Once established, it’s really difficult to remove.
Strawberries - Be aware, like mint, Strawberries spread through runners and can take over a space if not managed correctly. Either grow them in pots, or regularly trim the runners.
Try Something New: Don’t be afraid to experiment with a few new or exotic vegetables. This can add variety to your garden and your meals. Think about fun meals you might have had in the past at restaurants, on vacation, at a friends house. Maybe these meals were cooked with ingredients you don’t normally buy from the grocery store or maybe they don’t sell them at your local grocer. Expanding your tastebuds with something homegrown can be very rewarding. We made a list of vegetables that you might not think about when planning your garden. Some of these will definitely be conversation starters. We have grown a lot of these and really enjoyed them. You can do a search online to find even more, but here is a good place to start:
Interesting Peppers - Sweet peppers that look like hot peppers, or an interesting looking hot pepper good for drying.
Different Tomatoes - Colourful purple tomatoes or an extremely large tomato variety. The opportunities are endless!
Okra - Known in some English speaking countries as “lady’s fingers” is one of the oldest vegetables around. It was cultivated by the ancient Egyptians and an important ingredient in African and Mediterranean cuisine.
Lemon Cucumber - Yellow and shaped like a lemon, but tastes like a tarter cucumber. Wonderful addition to a cocktail!
Lambs Lettuce - Native to Southern Europe a lovely late fall, early spring salad green with a nutty tangy flavour.
Colourful Beets - Some varieties can be used for both their baby leaves and the root.
Purslane - A tasty weed that’s loaded with nutrients.
Groundcherries - Native to South America where it can be found growing wild makes a yummy preserve.
Purple Carrots - Get some interesting looking colours on your Thanksgiving table!
Luffa Gourd - Not for eating but for using as a luffa!
Snake Beans - Chinese Python Snake Bean is really something! The beans themselves can grow up to 5 feet long. Try growing them on a garden arbour and let them hang down.
Broccolini Hybrid - A tasty mix of broccoli and Chinese broccoli Gai lan. It will keep producing after harvest unlike broccoli.
Cucamelons - These tiny fruits look like miniature watermelons and taste like a mix of cucumber and lime.
Rat Tail Radishes - Are you a fan of wasabi? Do you like your food to hurt a little? Welcome to your new garden snack!
Harvest Time: For those who love seeing quick results, start with vegetables that have a shorter growing season like radishes and lettuce. And if you’re aiming for a continuous harvest, stagger your planting with early, mid, and late-season veggies. This is called succession planting and you can find out more here. This approach keeps your garden in an ongoing state of production, delivering fresh produce from spring through fall. You can find more information on harvesting your food here Harvesting Food
Crop Rotation: Rotate your crops each year to prevent soil-borne diseases and pests. This will also help maintain soil fertility since vegetables have different nutrient requirements. Some vegetables add nutrients back into the soil that others take out. We go into more detail about crop rotation here Veggie Bed Rotation.