Fast Growing Vegetables for an Instant Garden
Fastest Growing Vegetables
Starting a Vegetable Garden | Container Vegetable Gardening | Early Spring Vegetables | Fall Vegetable Gardening | Vegetable Gardening in Warm Climates | Vegetables A to Z
When spring rolls in after a long weary winter, gardeners crave some immediate green. Many vegetables require the heat of summer or a long, leisurely growing season to ripen and reward us, but there are a handful that virtually pop out of the ground and are ready to harvest within weeks.
Jump start your growing season with these 6 fast growing vegetables.
Bush Beans - For a Continual Harvest
You'll have to wait until the soil warms a bit in late spring, but once your bean seeds are in the ground, stand back. Pole beans need time to climb and grow tall, but bush beans start setting flowers and pods within weeks of poking out of the ground. Succession plant for an even longer harvest and you'll have a steady supply of beans throughout the season. Days to harvest: 50-70.
Green Onions - Ready in No Time
Bulb onions take weeks to plump up, but you can start harvesting the greens within a month and the plants will continue to fill in and produce more. Or you can pull the whole plant to use as a scallion and succession plant more. Days to harvest: 20-30
Peas - An Early Spring Treat
Peas are the easiest plants to please, but if the spring weather will oblige us with some cool, rainy days, we can celebrate with snap, sugarpod or shelling peas in only about 50 days. As with beans, the shorter varieties start producing earliest, since they don't have to put all their energy into growing tall. Whatever variety you grow, you can get an even earlier treat by indulging in some pea shoots and tendrils.
Days to harvest: 50-70
Radishes - Quick and Easy to Grow
Radishes need to grow quickly, or they will turn hard or pithy. But give them the conditions that promote rapid growth, succession plant every other week and you'll be enjoying some tang with all those salad greens you're harvesting. Days to harvest: 20-30.
By salad greens, I mean lettuce and so much more. These are the perfect crops to start your season, since many of them can withstand a little frost as seedlings and if you plan on starting from seed, you can get started before your last frost date. Most are ready to pick within 2 months. If you are truly impatient (and I am) plant at least a few starts and/or grow a super quick maturing green, like arugula.
You'll be harvesting baby greens within 3 weeks. Days to harvest: 21-55.
And when the weather gets to be too hot for cool season greens, cooking greens will be almost as speedy.
For a double-duty fast grower, sow some turnips seeds. While the bulbs are growing fat, we can harvest some of the leaves to eat fresh or toss in a side dish. We can even munch on the plants we thin out, to make space for the bulbs to fill out. And once again, you can succession plant for a continual supply of speedy plants. Days to harvest: 40 – 60
Starting a Vegetable Garden | Container Vegetable Gardening | Early Spring Vegetables | Fall Vegetable Gardening | Vegetable Gardening in Warm Climates | Vegetables A to Z
When spring rolls in after a long weary winter, gardeners crave some immediate green. Many vegetables require the heat of summer or a long, leisurely growing season to ripen and reward us, but there are a handful that virtually pop out of the ground and are ready to harvest within weeks.
Jump start your growing season with these 6 fast growing vegetables.
Bush Beans - For a Continual Harvest
You'll have to wait until the soil warms a bit in late spring, but once your bean seeds are in the ground, stand back. Pole beans need time to climb and grow tall, but bush beans start setting flowers and pods within weeks of poking out of the ground. Succession plant for an even longer harvest and you'll have a steady supply of beans throughout the season. Days to harvest: 50-70.
Green Onions - Ready in No Time
Bulb onions take weeks to plump up, but you can start harvesting the greens within a month and the plants will continue to fill in and produce more. Or you can pull the whole plant to use as a scallion and succession plant more. Days to harvest: 20-30
Peas - An Early Spring Treat
Peas are the easiest plants to please, but if the spring weather will oblige us with some cool, rainy days, we can celebrate with snap, sugarpod or shelling peas in only about 50 days. As with beans, the shorter varieties start producing earliest, since they don't have to put all their energy into growing tall. Whatever variety you grow, you can get an even earlier treat by indulging in some pea shoots and tendrils.
Days to harvest: 50-70
Radishes - Quick and Easy to Grow
Radishes need to grow quickly, or they will turn hard or pithy. But give them the conditions that promote rapid growth, succession plant every other week and you'll be enjoying some tang with all those salad greens you're harvesting. Days to harvest: 20-30.
By salad greens, I mean lettuce and so much more. These are the perfect crops to start your season, since many of them can withstand a little frost as seedlings and if you plan on starting from seed, you can get started before your last frost date. Most are ready to pick within 2 months. If you are truly impatient (and I am) plant at least a few starts and/or grow a super quick maturing green, like arugula.
You'll be harvesting baby greens within 3 weeks. Days to harvest: 21-55.
And when the weather gets to be too hot for cool season greens, cooking greens will be almost as speedy.
- Tips for Growing: Arugula | Asian Greens | Corn Salad | Lettuce | Spinach
For a double-duty fast grower, sow some turnips seeds. While the bulbs are growing fat, we can harvest some of the leaves to eat fresh or toss in a side dish. We can even munch on the plants we thin out, to make space for the bulbs to fill out. And once again, you can succession plant for a continual supply of speedy plants. Days to harvest: 40 – 60
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