Easy Crops for Beginners

Start here — 26 low-maintenance, fast-harvest crops for your first garden · 35 crops

When you start a garden for the first time, the bigger worry isn't what to plant but what won't die on you. Beginning with crops that germinate reliably, shrug off pests and disease, and reach harvest quickly takes the fear out of failure and gives you the momentum to plant again. The crops gathered here are all undemanding and happy in a balcony pot or a small bed, making them ideal for getting a feel for managing soil and water. Simply carrying one growing season through to harvest becomes the greatest asset for the garden that follows.

Potato Solanum tuberosum Mustard Greens Brassica juncea Kidney Bean / Common Bean Phaseolus vulgaris Sweet Potato Ipomoea batatas Cilantro / Coriander Coriandrum sativum Chard / Swiss Chard Beta vulgaris Shishito Pepper Capsicum annuum Shepherd's Purse Capsella bursa-pastoris Wild Chive Allium monanthum Welsh Onion Allium fistulosum Perilla Perilla frutescens Arugula / Rocket Eruca vesicaria Garlic Allium sativum Butterbur Petasites japonicus Korean Radish Raphanus sativus Water Dropwort / Korean Minari Oenanthe javanica Mint Basil Ocimum basilicum Cherry Tomato Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme Korean Chive Allium tuberosum Beetroot Beta vulgaris Lettuce Lactuca sativa Turnip Brassica rapa Spinach Spinacia oleracea Crown Daisy / Garland Chrysanthemum Glebionis coronaria Curled Mallow Malva verticillata Korean Zucchini Cucurbita moschata Corn / Maize Zea mays Pea Pisum sativum Pole Bean Phaseolus vulgaris Jjokpa / Korean Bunching Onion Bok Choy / Pak Choi Brassica rapa Kale Brassica oleracea Kohlrabi Brassica oleracea Pumpkin / Squash

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Crops to Plant in Spring Crops to Plant in Autumn Leafy Greens Root Vegetables Fruiting Vegetables Herbs Crops for Immune Support Antioxidant-Rich Crops Crops for Gut Health Crops for Weight Loss