Green Beans
Green beans are easy to grow in your garden, and they aren’t just a side dish. These veggies are worth the effort to grow — you can throw them in salads or go for a green bean casserole as the main course.
To get your Pinterest-worthy green bean garden started, you’ll have to choose vine or bush varieties before you plant your garden. Bush beans are easiest because you don’t have to set up poles or trellises to guide the vines, but the vine varieties keep producing longer. If you have limited space inside or don’t want to set up a bunch of bean infrastructure, try your hand at growing bush beans first. Cupidon or Jade are two popular green beans to start.
Cucumbers
Cucumbers are the perfect summer vegetable, and they’re also great natural eye-masks for an at-home spa day. They’re also one of the easiest veggies to grow; once they get started, there’s not much work to do.
You can also try canning them and voila — in weeks, you have your artisan, homegrown pickles. Just keep in mind that cucumbers prefer hotter weather. If you want sweet, crisp cucumbers, keep them well-watered, especially just before harvest.
Garlic
Want to eat something great for your health and ward off vampires all at once? Garlic is for you. Garlic is easy to grow because once you plant it, you don’t have to worry about it much. You’ll need some patience, though — they do take the longest to grow of any veggie on this list.
Plant them in the middle of the fall and plan to harvest your garlic the next summer. When the plant leaves yellow, you can harvest. Just hang them up for about a week to cure the bulbs, enjoy the peasant-chic look, and the best homemade pesto of your life.
Carrots
Carrots prefer cooler weather and sandy soil. Plant seeds about half an inch in depth in rows to grow these veggies, till up the ground to loosen it and keep the weeds down.
If you’re still nervous about your green thumb, try a hardy variety like the “Short ‘n Sweet” carrot. The root is shorter than a typical carrot but packed full of flavor and vitamins. It’s easy to grow indoors since you won’t need huge containers.
Tomatoes
We’ve got a secret to tell you. Ready for it?
Tomatoes are fruits, not vegetables, but everyone just calls them veggies anyway. The other secret is that tomatoes are easy to grow, but there’s one crucial tip — start from seedlings.
There are two types of tomatoes in this world, Determinate and Indeterminate varieties. The Determinate varieties will stop growing at a certain height, and the Indeterminate type will keep getting taller and taller. So, if you are pressed for space, pick a Determinate variety like San Marzano (perfect for pizza sauce) or Marglobe (a tasty beginner heirloom variety).
