Top 5 Easiest Vegetables to Grow from Seeds
What vegetables are easy to grow from seed?
Here are our top 5 picks for vegetable seeds that are easy to grow for home gardeners. These vegetables are all popular with families and cold weather tolerant so they’re well suited for growing during autumn and winter.
#1 Peas.
Once planted peas require very little attention other than light watering, and harvesting them regularly will encourage more production. Garden peas are sweet but need to be shelled from their tough outer pod before eating, whereas snow peas are eaten whole including their outer pod while the peas are still small and immature inside. Pea seeds can be sown direct in the garden or transplanted from trays.
#2 Spinach.
Spinach is rich in nutrients and vitamins. Pick and enjoy spinach leaves from your plants when they reach the length you like, with the smaller leaves being the most tender. Its easy and fast growing but somewhat short lived. Sow seeds for successive crops every month or so for a never ending supply of fresh spinach leaves. Spinach seeds can be sown direct in the garden or transplanted from trays.
#3 Lettuce.
There are many beautiful varieties of lettuce to choose from, each with their own specific appearance and slightly different flavor. Consider planting several different types of lettuce so you can easily pick and make salads with gourmet color and texture. Pick and enjoy fresh lettuce by the leaf or harvest whole plants if you prefer. Lettuce seeds can be sown direct in the garden or transplanted from trays.
#4 Carrots.
Carrots are popular with home gardeners for their unbeatable fresh taste. They're highly satisfying to pull fresh from the garden. Carrots grow well when their small seeds are sown in full sun in soil that is free draining and not heavily compacted, and doesn’t have any rocks, roots or debris that would impede growth. Carrots typically come with lots and lots of seeds in a packet. Carrot seeds are typically sown direct into the garden to prevent them forming twisted roots.
#5 Beetroot.
Beetroot likes to grow in full sun with free draining soil. It’s one of the fastest vegetables you can grow and its typically ready in about 2 months from sowing. Water regularly and keep the soil moist. Beetroot seeds can be sown direct in the garden or transplanted from trays.
Other popular vegetables that you can easily grow in your garden over the colder months include: Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Chives, Kale, Kohlrabi, Leek, Mizuna, Onions, Parsley, Pak Choi, Radicchio, Radish and Rocket.
Growing your own vegetables is a fun project for the entire family, and its great for kids to learn about where food comes from and how they can save some money - especially with the cost of living currently.
Starting a small vegetable garden doesn’t have to be expensive. We encourage new gardeners to start small and keep it manageable (e.g. 2m2 - 8m2) and keep expanding from there as you wish. The taste of fresh homegrown vegetables is unrivalled and nothing feels better than being able to say “I grew that!”
Remember that preparing your garden bed/s with organic matter like sheep pellets, aged compost and/or mulch will ensure you get the most back from your vegetable garden. Looking after your vegetable plants by occasionally revitalising their soil will mean your garden produces much more yum nutritious food for you.
Grow your own vegetables, herbs and fruit this year and do it as a family hobby. It’s so rewarding and nothing tastes better!
