At times, the idea of gardening can be daunting for those of us with less than stellar gardening skills. These 6 fast growing vegetables are sure to give you the jump start you need to build your gardening confidence.
1: Arugula:
21 days for baby leaves – Easy to grow and quick to harvest, arugula adds a distinctive, nutty, aromatic note to salads. Also called salad rocket or roquette, arugula grows easily from seed and may be planted in window boxes or containers as well as in a garden bed.
2: ‘Cherry Belle’ radish:
22 days for 3⁄4- to 1-inch-round red roots – For your first radish experience, plant ‘cherry belle’—they’re a snap to grow.
3: ‘Black Seeded Simpson’ lettuce:
28 days from seed to salad – This is a leaf lettuce, as opposed to a head lettuce. That is, it grows as a clump of leaves rather than a head in which the central leaves gather together to form compact heads. If you’re new to gardening, grow leaf lettuce.
4: Spinach:
35-40 days for baby leaves – Unlike many other vegetables, spinach will grow in partial shade (an area that receives direct sunlight for 3 to 6 hours a day, or lightly dappled sunlight all day) as well as in full sun. And it will grow in a range of soil types, making it a good choice for beginning gardeners.
5: ‘Contender’ bush beans:
49 days for stringless, 6- to 8-inch pods – Bush beans mature more quickly than tall, vining pole beans, which need to climb a trellis, tepee, or other vertical support.
6: ‘Sugar Ann’ snap peas:
56 days to sweet, edible 21⁄2-inch pods – Peas are among the earliest vegetables ready for picking each year.
7: MicroGreens:
20 days for incredibly nutritious Microgreens – All you need to do is sow your vegetable seeds (regular seeds, or microgreen seeds) in a sunny, outdoor spot. The soil temperature should be in the 50- to 65-degree range. If you prefer, plant your greens indoors in a tray with potting soil. Sprouts should appear in three to six days. After a few more days, trim the microgreens and eat their nutrient-rich goodness.
Source: RodaleNews
