Gardening can be a slow, patient process. It’s usually best not to hurry it along.
For those of us who can get a little impatient at times, there are some vegetables that grow quickly. These veggies are great for children, who tend to have lower attention spans than the rest of us – but if you’re an impatient gardener (like me), then these will be great for you to add to your garden as well.
Here are six great vegetables to plant if you want to harvest from your garden quickly:
Arugula
21 days for baby greens
Arugula is a salad classic and one of the most popular salad greens grown in gardens across the country. It has a very distinct, aromatic flavor that adds a punch to any salad or dish.
Also known by the names rocket or roquette, it grows fast and easy from seed and can be planted in just about any environment – window planters, containers, a raised garden bed, or straight in the soil outdoors.
If you want to speed up the process even more, pick up some starts from your local garden center.
- Learn how to grow arugula
- Purchase arugula seeds
Radish ‘Cherry Belle
22 days for 1″ round red roots
Radishes are one of the fastest-growing root plants and are used in beginner gardens all of the time because of their rapid time to harvest.
Cherry Belle radishes are the most common type – the round, red radishes you see at your local grocery – because of their speed to harvest.
If you have a little more patience, choose one of the varieties that thrives in a wintery climate and has a longer time to harvest.
- Learn how to grow radishes
‘Black Seeded Simpson’ Lettuce
28 days from seed to table
Lettuce comes in two main types – loose-leaf and headed. Headed varieties include iceberg and romaine, while loose-leaf lettuce like ‘Salad Bowl’ or ‘Black Seeded Simpson’ grow as a clump of leaves and are much easier to grow.
They’re also faster, so if you want a quick win from your garden, go with a loose-leaf variety.
- Learn how to grow lettuce
- Buy Black Seeded Simpson seeds
Spinach
35-40 days for baby greens
Spinach is a wonderful green that makes a great addition to smoothies, salads, juices, or as a side to a nice piece of protein.
It has the unique advantage of growing well even in shaded areas, so if you are growing in poor sun or a shaded area, spinach is your go-to green. It can grow fairly well in just 3 hours of sunlight per day.
- Learn how to grow spinach
‘Contender’ Bush Beans
49 days for 6-8″ long beans
Beans are a staple in most gardens (and if they’re not, they should be). Extremely versatile in the kitchen, these easy to grow vegetables almost make gardening effortless.
Give snap or string beans a try if you want a bean that’s quick to grow, with minimal complications. Pick them before seeds inside the pods mature.
- Learn how to grow beans
- Buy ‘Contender’ Bush Beans
‘Sugar Ann’ Snap Peas
56 days for sweet, tasty 2.5″ peas
Snap peas are perfect for Spring! Once you plant your own pea seeds you’ll eagerly await the first harvest, when you can pop the first pod into your mouth and taste that crunchy sweetness that makes these veggies so popular.
Snap peas are also popular due to being one of the first veggies that you can harvest in the year – so give them a try!
- Learn how to grow peas
- Buy snap pea seeds
