I remember when I was a beginner gardener wanting to start a garden but not knowing exactly what plants I should try to grow. In this blog I am listing the vegetables that I have found most easy to grow. I will add more to the list as I experience new successes in growing other vegetables.
1. Radishes 
I grow radishes during three different seasons of the year. I start in spring and plant them in the ground just before the last average frost date. This is usually around April 5 for me in Northwest Arkansas, Zone 6b.
Then two weeks later, I will plant more, and again two weeks after that, and so on. With succession planting, I can continue to grow radishes throughout the Spring, Summer and Fall. This will continue until a heavy frost in late Fall.
Radishes germinate quickly and most varieties are ready to start harvesting in approximately 30 days. I grow several different varieties including French Breakfast, White Globe, Watermelon, Hailstone, Cherry Bell, and Sparkler White Tip.
Try roasting radishes. I cut them into quarters, sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper, then roast them in a 350 degree oven for around 20 minutes. Sometimes I’ll stick them under the broiler for another 5 minutes and let them lightly char.
2. Spinach 
I have found spinach to grow best for me in the Spring and in the Fall. The temperature in my area during the summer is just too hot and Spinach doesn’t like the heat. I plant it directly in the ground around the time of the last average frost.
Once the plants are large enough (2-4″ leaves), I begin to harvest the outer leaves. Only harvest one or two from each plant at a time so the plant can easily grow more. I continue to harvest until the temperature hits 80 degrees or higher every day.
Then I pull out all the spinach plants, eat what is still edible, and plant something that likes warmer weather in its place.
3. Tomatoes 
Tomatoes are easy if you remember one thing. They require consistent watering. If they get too much water, the fruits will often crack and split.
I have grown tomatoes in the ground and in 5 gallon buckets. I have had more success growing them in buckets. Spend a few minutes watching YouTube videos on growing tomatoes. This will help you to quickly gain knowledge in this area.
The varieties that I have had the most success with are yellow pear, Amish Paste, Rio Grande, and Amana. One of the things I enjoy most about tomatoes is snacking on the yellow pear tomatoes while working in the garden.
4. Peppers 
I love cooking with peppers and adding them to salads and on pizza. I grow a combination of hot and sweet peppers which include Serrano, Jalapeño, Cayenne, Poblano, Yolo Wonder Bell, and a small orange sweet pepper that I grew from seeds saved from a package of mixed color peppers that I bought at a grocery store.
Peppers like and require warm temperatures to thrive. I receive an abundant harvest of peppers in August, September and early October. I saved five plants this past Fall and am over-wintering them in a south facing window in my house. You can read more about this experiment and check its success by clicking here.
5. Okra 
Okra is predominately a southern crop because it loves hot weather. I have grown two different varieties, Clemson Spineless and Texas Hill Country. I liked the Clemson Spineless the best but was more successful with the Texas Hill Country.
During August I have to pick the okra pods daily or they will grow too large and become tough and woody. As a result, I have several bags of chopped okra currently residing in my freezer.
My favorite way to eat okra is breaded and fried but I also add it to vegetable soup in the winter. Click here and read about the surprising nutritional value of okra.
6. Kale 
I grow Kale mainly in the Fall. The temperature in my area can get very warm as early as May. This causes the Kale to bolt and go to seed. If we have a mild winter, Kale will grow through the Fall and Winter and into the Spring.
I continue to harvest the larger leaves until it bolts and then let the seed pods dry on the plant and I save them for the following year. This past winter, we had too many days of temps under 20 degrees and my Kale was killed. I use Kale in salads, soups, and use it as an addition or replacement to spinach in an egg bake dish.
7. Turnips 
Turnips are another crop that I grow in the Fall and Winter. As with Kale, if it is a mild winter, I can have turnip greens all winter. The turnips however, need to be harvested before growing too large, otherwise they will become pithy and bitter.
When the turnips reach the size of a golf ball I begin picking them and will continue until they become larger than a baseball. At that point you’ll have to cut them open to see if they are pithy. You can continue to pick and eat the leaves.
Do not let the leaves get larger than 4-6 inches long, or they become tough. At this point you can still sometimes cook them down in water but they are not good in salads. The seeds are very tiny. My grandfather taught me to mix the seeds with sand and then sow the seeds by scattering, or “broadcasting” handfuls at a time across the area where you want them planted.
Summary
I have found these seven vegetables to be easy to grow: radishes, spinach, tomatoes, peppers, okra, kale and turnips. There are several other vegetables that I grow every year sometimes with success, sometimes not so much. These seven however, I have had continual success in growing. The contents of my freezer contain the proof.
In future growing seasons I will add other vegetables that I deem successful to this list. I do want to point out that I feed these plants with a liquid fertilizer every 10-14 days. I like a product called Tiger Bloom that I pick up at a local garden center.
Do you have vegetables that you have found successful and can recommend for beginner gardeners to grow? If so, please tell us in the comment box below so we can give them a try.
If you have any questions about the vegetables I have recommended above, please ask in the comment section below. I try to answer all questions.