Most vegetables are not hard to grow, but some are definitely easier than others. They grow quickly from seed, handle temperature fluctuations well, and require minimal maintenance.
Homegrown NH host Emma Erler, lead horticulturist at Kirkwood Gardens, weighs in on which vegetables she would put in that category in an impromptu quiz.
“I think lettuce might be the easiest,” she says. “You're going to get a good harvest and then you can sow it again later in the season for a fall harvest, too.”
Easiest veggies to grow
Green beans
Planting can be staggered for a prolonged harvest. Sow seeds directly in the ground every two weeks from mid-May to late June for a continual harvest from late July to September.
Pros: If you can keep the pests off, they're very easy, particularly the bush type that doesn't need any sort of trellising. The plants will remain productive for several weeks if harvested frequently.
Cons: A lot of animals like to eat green beans and it can be hard to defend the plants against them.
Potatoes
Potatoes are grown from cut up sections of potato tubers or from small potatoes. They can be harvested when young for new potatoes, or after the foliage turns brown and dies later in the summer.
Pros: Does well as long as you have well-drained soil and full sun.
Cons: The variety that thrives in a New Hampshire climate is not the big potato you see in the grocery store, but a smaller variety similar to fingerling potatoes.
Zucchini
Easily grown from seed.
Pros: Even just one or two healthy zucchini plants can be incredibly productive. Harvest every couple of days.
Cons: You must have male and female flowers present at the same time to get fruit.
Leaf lettuce
Lettuce is a cool weather crop that is frost-tolerant and can be planted as soon as the soil is workable in the spring.
Pros: Can be grown from seed or transplants. Erler recommends red-leafed varieties as they are a bit more heat tolerant. Grow successive sowings for spring and early summer harvest and again in the fall.
Cons: Practically none, they are very easy to sow and harvest.
Radishes
A cool season crop that can be directly sown in spring or fall. Space plants 2-4 inches apart depending on variety and harvest when roots start to swell and before plants start to bolt.
Pros: Replant every two to three weeks for continuous harvest.
Cons: Plants grown too close together will not develop.
Honorable Mentions
Basil
Pros: Erler says she finds it grows prolifically beginning in early June, before it gets too hot, and then again in late August and early September.
Cons: You may have better luck with growing this crop in a container. Basil doesn't like the heat of midsummer and tends to bolt.
Cucumbers
Pros: Cucumbers tend to fruit quite readily with little intervention.
Cons: They do have some pest issues that can be problematic and these can be hard to manage, especially in a home garden.
Celery
Pros: Celery does not take up very much space so it is easy to grow in a home garden. It is also a cut-and-come-again crop, allowing you to harvest outer stalks individually while the center continues to grow.
Cons: Celery likes really moist, rich soil, which is not something most New Hampshire gardeners have. Home-grown celery often has a very strong flavor versus celery from the grocery store, which is very mild.
Tomatoes
Pros: Easy to grow as long as you have warm weather, good soil, plenty of nutrients, and, of course, sunlight.
Cons: They can have fungal disease issues.
Most difficult veggies to grow?
Erler says people expect peppers to be easy to grow but often have some trouble with them. “Peppers are slow to develop,” she says. “Melons, too, have very long growing times and there just isn’t enough summer for them in New Hampshire.”
Things to keep in mind:
Erler notes that all vegetables prefer full sun and well-drained soils. Most vegetables perform best when receiving at least 1 inch of rainfall or irrigation a week. Regular weeding is a requirement to prevent competition from weeds for light, water, and nutrients.
See you in the garden!
If you have a gardening question for Homegrown NH, email or send a voice memo to HomegrownNH@NHPR.org.
Homegrown New Hampshire is a collaboration between Squam Lakes Natural Science Center and NHPR.
