11 Easy Vegetables for Your First Vegetable Garden (or Garden Box)

You can grow your own vegetables even in a small garden. For example, you can use the popular one-square-meter vegetable garden box, but you can also grow vegetables in regular planters or pots!

Are you starting your own vegetable garden (or garden bed) for the first time?

In that case, it’s best to choose vegetables that are easy to grow. These are varieties that don’t require any special preparation, don’t necessarily need to be started indoors, can be sown directly, and are not very susceptible to disease. You can also harvest many of these vegetables indoors in a relatively short time.

Of course, it’s also helpful if you actually like the vegetables you’re going to grow. Especially since you probably have limited space, choose only the varieties that make you happy. You can always experiment with new or unfamiliar vegetables later…

11 Easy Vegetables to Grow at Home

1. Leaf Lettuce

Leaf lettuce is a type of lettuce that doesn’t form a head but produces individual leaves. You pick these leaves (and keep picking them), preferably while they’re still young for the best flavor. After picking, the lettuce will produce new leaves from the center.

2. Arugula

Arugula has a slightly nutty and peppery flavor and is very easy to grow. With arugula, too, you should pick the outer leaves each time, so that the center remains intact. This encourages the plant to produce new leaves.

3. Green beans

There are short and tall varieties of green beans. The taller varieties need support, such as a bamboo stake. Don’t plant them out until after the last frost, because they can’t tolerate frost. After the (beautiful) blooms, pods will appear quickly, and you can harvest them once they’ve grown a bit larger. They grow fairly quickly, so you’ll be able to harvest them in no time.

4. String beans

Growing string beans also usually presents few problems. String beans grow fairly quickly, and you can harvest them in a relatively short time. Plus, beans take up very little space.

5. Tomatoes

Growing tomatoes is still very popular. If you provide them with a warm spot but don’t let the soil dry out, you can enjoy fresh tomatoes in no time with the easier varieties. However, for a larger harvest or more challenging varieties, more care is needed.

6. Zucchini

Zucchini is an easy vegetable to grow. Even a single plant can yield a nice harvest. Just be careful not to choose a variety that grows too large, because a single plant can easily take up a square meter of space. There are also climbing varieties, which take up less space.

7. Radishes

Radishes often have a slightly spicy flavor. They’re very easy to grow, and you can harvest them fairly quickly—usually in about 6 weeks. They also take up very little space.

8. Beets

You can sow beets outdoors starting in April. If you sow them early, you can harvest them starting in June or July. Keep in mind that beets need a little more depth to grow well.

9. Leeks

Summer leeks can be sown outdoors starting in April. It’s best to plant them a little deeper so that the white part of the leek grows larger. Leeks prefer soil that isn’t too heavy.

10. Spring onion

Plant spring onions around March. You can then harvest them starting in June or July. Spring onions aren't picky about soil type. They're also quite cold-tolerant, so that won't be a problem if it gets cold again in the spring.

11. Summer Carrots

Although it takes a little longer before you can harvest the carrots, they generally require very little care. Keep in mind that larger varieties need a bit more depth. Carrots do best in soil that isn't too heavy. You can sow them outdoors early on, since they tolerate cold well.