Vegetable Garden 

BEGINNER VEGETABLE, FRUIT AND HERB: 22 EASIEST VEGETABLES, FRUITS, AND HERBS TO GROW.

Garden Fruit, Gardening For Beginners, Herb Garden, Vegetable November 12, 2014basil, beans, beetroot, carrot, chives, cilantro, corn, cucumber, easiest to grow, easy vegetable to grow, fruits, garlic, herbs, leeks, mint, onion, oregano, parsley, peas, pepper, potato, pumpkin, rashes, salad leaves, scallion, strawberries, summer squash, sunflower, tomato, zucchini.

When just starting a garden or generally looking for something easy to grow you may want to get some beginner vegetables and herbs. Here is a list of the 22 easiest vegetables and herbs to grow in your vegetable garden.

Some varieties of radish can grow up to 3 ft long and weigh 100 lbs (45kg).

1.     Radishes – Can be planted in the spring and the fall and only takes a few weeks for radishes to be ready for harvest (harvest radishes young, that is when they are the sweetest.) The best part of it all?  They will grow even if you do not have the greatest garden soil. You can start them in containers and keep them there or plant seeds directly into the garden


Vegetable Garden


      Do not cut or slice lettuce leaves in advance, damaged and cut lettuce leaves release an ascorbic acid oxidase, which destroys vitamin C and causes the cut edges to discolor.

Salad Leaves – Lettuce, Spinach, Swiss chard, and Arugula along with other salad greens can be grown year-round because they are cool weather plants. Plant during the spring and the fall and they can be harvested again and again. Sow them a week apart to space out your harvest and buy mix packets if you want a variety of different salad greens. If you don’t have space you can plant them in a container garden and you can have salad greens every season! In Nicaragua, newlyweds are given a bowl of beans for good luck.

3. Beans – After the last frost has passed you can plant Green beans, Broad beans, Runner beans, Bush beans, and Pole beans. You can plant a bigger crop of these guys because they can be used for so many different things from eating them fresh to freezing or pickling them. They only take a few weeks to harvest but some of them do need a support system like runner beans. If you are really short of space then you can plant a dwarf bean plant. Peas are best planted in the late spring and are a great source of Vitamin C and Fibre.

4. Peas – This is a cool weather plant that will grow all the way until August. Peas will require a support system for their stems. Snap peas and snow peas both grow incredibly fast but take about two months before harvest time. An average strawberry has about 200 seeds! And they are a member of the rose family.

5. Strawberries – Although strawberries are not a fruit it is delicious and you can definitely use it in cooking and baking! Buy bare-root plants and plant early spring. Find a sunny home for strawberries and make sure you weed them. Did you know zucchini blossoms are edible? Yep! Use it as a garnish or try deep-frying it.

6. Zucchini – Did you know zucchinis are squash? You only need a few plants to get a bumper crop and you do not need much room.  Try bush zucchinis if you do not have space. Cool as a cucumber, not only delicious it makes for a great facial because of its cool effect.

7. Cucumber – Easy to grow but cucumbers do need a good amount of space to spread their roots. If you do not have the room that is okay, you can grow smaller varieties, which is great for pickling. Summer squash is a good source of manganese. In one clinical trial, women who consumed high amounts of this mineral in their daily diet had fewer mood swings and cramps.

8. Summer Squash – Squash includes zucchini! These plants are high yielding needing only a few for a big harvest. Summer squashes, however, need protection from the wind and need a big garden space. Red peppers contain three times more Vitamin C than green bell peppers.

9. Pepper – Peppers of all sort will grow in your garden. Depending on the amount of time you let the peppers ripen, you will get ranges in color and flavor from each pepper plant! You can grow sweet or hot peppers because both are a great addition to any dish. Tomatoes are rich in lycopene, an antioxidant that is good for the heart.

10. Tomato – Just like zucchinis, it does not require much room. Tomatoes are fruits by the way! You can grow either determinate tomatoes which can be grown from hanging baskets or indeterminate tomatoes which will need a bigger garden space. Growing different types of tomatoes will give a longer harvesting period. All tomatoes need is lots of sun and lots of water. Try growing tomatillos; they are similar to tomatoes and are great for making salsa.

 Marie Antoinette wore a potato blossom in her hair while in the French countryside making it very a fashionable accessory.

11. Potato – Potatoes are basically a staple food in every home and they are so easy to grow! They can be made in so many ways and are loved by the young and the old. Potatoes can be planted in February and in March and you can plant them in containers so no need for a lot of space. You can plant potatoes in anything from straw to laundry baskets. Carrots are about 87% water.

12. Carrot – Not needing a lot of space width-wise but need a deeper plot, or you can just use a deep pot, as this is a root vegetable. As a root vegetable, you want to see that there are no rocks in the soil as it will result in not very visually appealing carrots.

 Beets are probably one of the healthiest vegetables because it is rich in antioxidants, folic acid and a very good source of fiber, manganese, and potassium. Even the greens are rich in calcium, iron, and vitamins A and C.

13. Beetroot and Beet – Plant beetroot and beet plants directly into moist soil about five centimeters apart between March and July and they will be ready to harvest between May to September. On average, an ear of corn has 800 kernels in 16 rows. Corn will always have an even number of rows on each cob.

14. Corn – Although requiring a longer growing season and more garden space it is definitely a staple in many kitchens. You can grow popcorn, ornamental corn, or a smaller-earned variety if you have a smaller garden plot. Giant pumpkins are grown often for competitions, some weigh over 1000 pounds! (450 kilograms).

15. Pumpkin – Maybe growing big pumpkins might not be possible but you can definitely grow cute small edible pumpkins.       Pumpkins make great fall decorations and delicious drinks and food too. Onions, garlic, scallions, and leeks are all part of the Allium family. Onions can reduce the risk of tumors developing in the colon.

16. Onion and Scallion and Garlic and Leek – Just plant seeds or small plants straight into your garden in the summer or fall and they will grow, very simple and with virtually no maintenance required.  Another bonus is that you can replant the scraps into fresh plants. Onions, scallions, leeks, and garlic has similar characters and is all part of the same family, Allium. Basil in folk medicine is made into a tea to treat constipation, flatulence, stomach cramps, anxiety, and depression.

17. Basil – Most herbs are very easy to grow but basil made it onto the list is because it compliments tomatoes so well! Basil can be used in many different dishes and can be grown straight in your garden or in a window sill herb garden. You can also dry them for future use. Fresh cilantro/coriander leaves have a light citrus taste. The leaves should be added to warm/hot foods right before serving because heat diminishes their flavor.

18. Cilantro – Coriander is the seed form of cilantro leaves. Cilantro grows quickly so you need to cut quickly or it will blot and start to flower. You can repeat planting to grow new cilantro plants. Ancient Romans and Greeks used mint to flavor cordials and fruit compotes also for baths and perfumes.

19. Mint – As long as you have nice moist soil you can grow mint, mint will continue to grow until it runs out of room. To limit the spreading by planting mint in containers. Try planting spearmint which is great for teas and salads. Chives are believed to strengthen nails and teeth and have antibiotic properties. It is said that chives are an appetite stimulant, relieve high blood pressure, and are a natural insect repellent.

20. Chives – If you want to add a hint on onion flavor chives are perfect for that.   You can grow chives in an outdoor garden or an indoor container garden.

 

Oregano means “Joy of The Mountain in Ancient Greek.” When in bloom they have beautiful purple or pink flowers that are also edible.

21. Oregano – Great addition to any Italian dish and just as easy to plant like any other herb plant. Parsley is a natural breath freshener and is often added to shampoos.

22. Parsley – Not only does this herb have great flavor it is pretty too which is why it is often used as a garnish. Parsley plants need moist soil and clipping often to keep them from overgrowing.

 Sunflower heads consist of 1,000 to 2,000 individual flowers joined together by a receptacle base. The large petals around the edge of a sunflower head are individual ray flowers that do not develop into seeds. The head of the sunflower tracks the sun, such that the florets are always facing the sun. This process is called heliotropism.

Bonus: Sunflower – They are not a vegetable, not a fruit, and not a herd but they are so beautiful to grow and so fascinating to watch and they make delicious sunflower seeds!  All these beautiful flowers need is full sunlight and watering you can even get drawn versions if you do not have space to grow big sunflowers.

Happy Planting!