9 Easy to Grow Vegetables for the First Time Gardener

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Are you a first-time gardener and want to find the easy to grow vegetables for your first garden voyage? Check out these simple to grow favorites. Great information for beginning gardeners.

When you think of a vegetable garden, you probably think of tomatoes. I would say tomatoes are the number one most popular garden vegetable to grow in the home garden. I’m sure it’s because homegrown tomatoes are so vastly better than store-bought. But tomatoes can be finicky and difficult to grow. What are the easy to grow vegetable favorites for beginners?

If you are a first-time gardener, click here to find information on how to get started. Or if you’d like to view a video that gives all the basics you need to know, click here.

Tomatoes are a more difficult veggie to grow. Squash grows super-fast, but bugs often annihilate the plant before your eyes. Potatoes are a favorite for eating but can be hard to get a good yield from.

And check out my favorite family run seed company here!

Easy to grow vegetables

Obviously, your climate will make some difference in what grows well and what is difficult, but for the vast majority of gardeners, there are some vegetables that are easy to grow and some that you will struggle with.

The easiest thing we’ve ever grown at little sprouts is asparagus. Asparagus basically grows itself. We don’t fertilize it, we don’t water it. We just planted it (upside down at first) and it grew for us for years. It comes up first every year and gives us a steady supply of asparagus for 1-2 months every spring. We LOVE it too!

Another super easy vegetable to grow in the garden is garlic. Garlic is another plant that you don’t have to buy once you get your seed heads. You just break up the heads of garlic and plant the individual cloves. Each clove makes a new head. It’s really low maintenance and nothing bothers it. 

An easy vegetable to grow that also doesn’t take up a lot of space in a small garden is herbs. While they might not be a “vegetable” of sorts, herbs are drought and heat tolerant. They can take full sun or some shade.

They pack a flavor punch and are full of health benefits. In Oklahoma, they usually winter over as well. So, plant them once and have herbs for years. I like to use seedling starts from a grower for my herbs. Growing them from seed is a tougher skill to master.

Radishes are another space saver that are easy to grow in the garden. You just sprinkle the seeds on the ground, sprinkle a bit of soil on top, and make sure they are watered. Radishes are so hardy.

One year when I sent seed packets home with the kids, a child opened her radish seeds in the car. A month or so later, they had radishes growing all over their gravel driveway from where mom swept them out of the car onto the ground. They didn’t even need dirt!

Lettuce is an easy vegetable to grow for beginners. You can sprinkle your lettuce seeds on the ground. Mix the seeds in the top of the soil and water gently but well. You’ll have a cut and come again lettuce patch in just a few weeks. Super easy.

Sweet potatoes are one of the easiest things to grow. They take up a bit of space but are delicious, nutritious and nothing much bothers them when we grow them. Another perk of sweet potatoes is the greens are edible and they are gorgeous in the garden. 

First time gardener

Cucumbers need a trellis to grow on, but are some super easy vegetables to grow! Pop a few seeds in the ground and give them some water and a place to climb. We don’t have a ton of trouble with pests and we get cucumbers like mad. See what to do with the bumper crop once you get it.

Green beans are another easy to grow vegetable for beginners. We don’t have many pest problems with them, they leave nitrogen in the soil, the seeds are big and easy to handle, even for kids, they produce a lot once they get going and you can do bush beans, pole beans or runner beans.

Bush beans grow low to the ground and don’t need a trellis. Pole beans need something to climb on. Runner beans need something tall to grow on because they grow loooooooonnnnnnnng. All are delicious and good producers. Click here to see our world-famous green bean recipe at little sprouts. 

One more bonus vegetable that is easy to grow if you live in the south where it’s hot is okra. Okra has never had any pests that bother it in the 7 seasons we’ve grown it. It likes the heat and won’t grow in cooler climates, but it’s a hard producer and interesting to watch. The plant is gorgeous and fried up is delish. 

I hope you will get in the garden and enjoy some growing this spring. It’s such a rewarding experience and gives you the gift of good health. Check out this month by month garden planting guide too!