Easy Vegetables to Grow in a Home Garden

The freshest vegetables come from home gardens. Whether growing vegetables in a container on the deck or patio, or in a plot in the back yard, vegetable gardening offers many rewards.

There are many vegetables to choose from, but those in the list below are easy to grow and generally productive, so even if you fill only a small space with them, you should be able to gather in a good harvest of produce.

Loose Leaf Lettuce in a Window Box

Of course it doesn’t really have to be grown in a window box, but it can be. Because of its growing habit leaf lettuce will do well when seeds are planted in a long narrow container.

If planted in a garden plot, make sure the soil is well tilled and free from weeds and grass that could overtake germinating plants. Plant lettuce in a sunny spot, as it prefers full sun. But plant early in the season. Lettuce can’t take extreme heat. It’s an early crop that produces quickly. When it’s done, consider planting another crop in its place.

Growing Radishes

Radishes can be planted outdoors up to six weeks before the last frost is expected. Planted in a sunny spot, they will grow quickly. Pull them as soon as they are big enough to eat. Large radishes don’t taste good, so don’t leave them in the ground too long. You can always plant more when the first crop is finished.

Raising Cherry Tomato Plants

Although they can be raised from seeds, cherry tomato plants are easiest to work with when purchased as an established seedling. Although these plants take much more time to reach maturity than lettuce and radishes, cherry tomato plants will produce abundantly until frost.

Tomatoes need lots of space to develop roots, so plant deeply in the soil and draw additional dirt into a mound around the base of the plant. Tomato plants do best when staked and tied as they grow tall. This will help them support the heavy crop they produce. It also keeps tomatoes off the ground so that they ripen evenly without damage.

Making Space for Cucumber Vines

Cucumber plants are very tender and must be handled gently throughout their life span. Still, if handled with care they are well worth planting as they grow easily and quickly and produce abundantly.

Because typical cucumber plants produce long vines before setting fruit, cucumbers need a lot of space to grow. If space is limited by the size of the container or plot, plant them against a stake or a trellis so that they can vine upward, instead of outward.

Seeds should be planted in warm soil according to the directions on the package. (It is also possible to buy cucumbers as seedlings.) Note whether the variety planted is a pickling or salad cucumber. Both taste fine in salads and on sandwiches, but pickling cucumbers need to be harvested when they are much smaller in size. Keep in mind that because of their tender nature, it is best to harvest cucumbers in the evening, rather than during the hottest part of the day.

Productive Zucchini

Zucchini can be purchased as a plant or raised easily from seed. Plants grow large, taking up a lot of space, but one or two well cared for plants can produce enough zucchini for several households. Once young zucchini appear on the plant, watch its growth carefully. Zucchini can grow several inches in a day, but they are best when young, small, and still relatively slim. If produce exceeds demand, chop or grate zucchini and freeze for future use in vegetable soup, pasta sauces, cakes and cookies.

By raising vegetables at home, growers can save money, have access to the freshest premium quality produce and enjoy the feeling that comes with knowing they raised their food themselves.