Easy vegetables to grow are my favorite – but they also have to taste good too! If you’re looking for the best tasting, easiest vegetables to grow in your vegetable garden, here are my top nine favorites!

Top List of Easy to Grow Vegetables

I grow a large, varied garden filled with flowers, herbs, fruit, and vegetables. I like to experiment in my garden, so you’ll always find something new in it. But there are a few tried and true vegetables that I can’t live without. 

My favorite easy to grow vegetables include: 

1. Peas
2. Corn
3. Garlic 
4. Radishes
5. Lettuce 
6. Potatoes 
7. Cucumbers
8. Green beans
9. Tomatoes

What Makes Vegetables Easy to Grow

Notice I did not include bell peppers or summer squash on my list of easy to grow vegetables. I find bell peppers to be pretty finicky and I have a hard time defending summer squash from the bugs – that makes them not easy vegetables to grow in my opinion. 

Not all vegetables are created equal. Some require constant care, while others thrive with little attention. Here’s what makes a vegetable easy to grow:

• Tolerates different temperatures – ideal for both cool-season crops and warm-season crops.
• Thrives in a variety of conditions – adaptable to full sun, partial shade, and different soil types, including sandy soil and well-drained soil.
• Can be directly sown – no need to start with baby plants indoors.
• Resistant to pests – fewer worries about constant maintenance.
• Grows quickly – ensuring a continuous harvest throughout the growing season.

Tips for Growing Easy Vegetables

A few growing tips work for all vegetables. Here are some of the most important tips to keep in mind as you choose which of the easiest vegetables to grow in your garden!

• Check your last frost date – Plant cool-season crops in early spring and warm-season crops after the last frost date.
• Choose the right soil – Fertile soil with plenty of organic matter helps plants thrive.
• Use a raised bed or container garden – Ideal for small spaces and better soil moisture control.
• Visit your local nursery – Get advice on the best seeds and plants for your area.
• Harvest regularly – Picking young leaves, whole plants, or new growth ensures a bountiful harvest.
• Consider your pest control issues – if you know you will fight a particular pest, get a plan together to beat it.

9 Best Tasting Easy Vegetables to Grow in Home Gardens

1. Peas

One of the best cool-season vegetables, peas grow quickly in early spring and can tolerate cool weather. Plant them directly in garden beds, a raised bed, or even a container garden for easy access. Snow peas and snap peas produce a continuous harvest and thrive in well-drained soil.

Have you ever tasted a fresh pea, straight from the garden? If not, you’re missing out. Not only are they super delicious, but they’re pretty darn easy to grow. Plant seeds directly in the garden bed in early spring and watch them grow! Provide peas with some type of support.

Besides being tasty and an easy to grow vegetable with few pests, my kids love to eat peas from the garden as well. Peas also have very pretty flowers. That’s a win-win in my gardening book!

There is a wide range of peas. My favorite pea varieties include: Green Arrow, Mammoth Melting Sugar Peas, and Snap Peas.

Related Post: How to Grow Peas in Your Garden

2. Sweet Corn

Nothing beats fresh sweet corn from your home garden. Corn grows best in full sun and fertile soil with plenty of organic matter.

The only really tricky thing about growing corn is raccoons have a secret sixth sense about when it’s ready. They will beat you to the harvest if you have a raccoon problem. Otherwise, corn is easy to plant, harvest, and grow.

My favorite types of sweet corn are Peaches and Cream and Buttergold Sweet.

Related Post: How to Grow Corn in Your Backyard Garden

3. Garlic

A low-maintenance root vegetable, garlic is one of the easiest plants to grow. Plant cloves in late fall, and you’ll enjoy a harvest by late summer. Garlic thrives in loose soil and is perfect for beginner gardeners.ing. 

I love it because home grown garlic tastes amazing, is easy to store, and has lots of great health properties. It’s also a very pretty plant, in my opinion.

My favorite types of garlic to grow include Elephant Garlic, Siberian Red, and Music.

Related Post: Beginner’s Guide to Growing Garlic

4. Radishes

Radishes are one of the quickest-growing cool-season crops. Radish seeds germinate in just a few days, and you can harvest mature plants in as little as 22 days! They’re a great companion plant and work well in an in-ground garden or small garden.

Radishes are perfect for little kids to plant because hey grow SO FAST!! How many other vegetables can you harvest after only 22 days?

My favorite radishes to grow include: Easter Egg, Watermelon, and Cherry Bell!

Related Post: Companion Plants You Must Have in Your Garden

5. Lettuce is the Best Easy to Grow Vegetable

Lettuce is one of the easiest vegetables to grow in early spring and late spring. Leaf lettuce like Black Seeded Simpson and head lettuce varieties like Romaine thrive in cooler weather. You can plant them in a raised bed, large container, or even a small space.

My favorite lettuce varieties to grow include Rouge de Hiver and Black Seeded Simpson.

Related Post: Growing Lettuce From Seed 

6. Potatoes

Potatoes are one of the easiest root vegetables to grow. Prepare your seed potatoes, use the no-dig potato growing method, and you will get a nice harvest of delicious, fresh potatoes that are easy to plant and harvest! 

My favorite type of potatoes to grow are Yukon Gold, but I also really enjoy growing German Butterball and a purple variety called Adirondack Blue. Potato plants are very pretty with a lovely flower that comes out just as the plant starts to set potatoes.

7. Cucumbers

Perfect for container gardens, cucumbers thrive in warm weather. Choose bush types for small spaces, or grow pole beans alongside them for a vertical garden.

Cucumbers are a must in my garden because I love canning them using my grandma’s dill pickle recipe. I honestly struggle a bit with cucumbers because of the dreaded cucumber beetle, but I manage to get more than enough to can each year with a little bit of effort. 

Boston Pickling Cucumbers are my favorite variety to grow.

8. Green Beans

Green beans are one of the best warm-season crops and come in both bush bean and pole bean varieties. Bush beans grow well in garden soil, while pole beans can be trained to grow upward, saving a lot of space in small gardens.

I generally prefer bush varieties over pole beans, but an easy way to grow pole beans is the Three Sisters Garden. Use corn (another one of my favorite easy vegetables) as a trellis. I also grow some pole bean types as they are great at fixing nitrogen in the soil. 

My favorite bush bean is the Calima Bush and Blue Lake Bush. I love all varieties of pole beans – the prettier the better. 

9. Tomatoes

Tomato plants are a staple in any home garden. Cherry tomatoes ( my favorites are Riesentraube Cherry Tomatoes, and Purple Bumble Bee!) are easier to grow than big tomatoes.

However, nothing beats the taste of fresh tomatoes straight from the garden so I grow some bigger varities too. I have taken to using huge, homemade tomato cages for my plants, so I don’t have to stake and prune. There’s lots of argument about the best way to grow tomatoes, but this method works for me! 

Each year, we can or freeze quite a lot of crushed tomatoes, roasted tomato sauce, salsa, and pizza sauce. This year, I’d like to also can whole tomatoes, something I haven’t done often.

My favorite types of tomatoes include San Marzano, Brandywine,

More Vegetable Growing Tips:

• Starting Seeds Indoors
• 7 Ways to Keep Your Garden Weed Free
• Where to Find Free Mulch
• How to Get Rid of Japanese Beetles 
• 20 cute and easy diy garden markers

Growing your own vegetables is a great idea for fresh, healthy food at home. Whether you have a small garden or a large container, these easy vegetables will thrive with minimal effort. Happy gardening!