Vegetables. A necessity on every night’s dinner plate. The added crunch you love in your BLT. The greens you forcefully blend into your fruit smoothies. Whether you love ’em or hate ’em, it’s important to eat vegetables daily to help maintain a healthy diet. But, why are you still spending so much money on your weekly grocery run when you can buy vegetable seeds and grow them right at home?
My roommate Mallory is always screaming, “Vegetables are free! Why do we keep buying them?” Initially, I thought she was having a manic break until she started growing her favorite veggies right on our countertop with vegetable seeds she got from work. It’s funny because ultimately, she’s right. Vegetables are sort of free and they’re actually fun to watch grow.
Growing your own vegetables at home isn’t as hard as one might think. Yeah, it takes patience and some classic TLC, but it’s kind of effortless to grow veggies at home on a smaller scale. Sure, you won’t be able to grow all of your favorite veggies. Space-related issues, time of year and where you live will all determine how well your vegetable seeds will grow at home.
For example, sweet potatoes require long, hot growing seasons. If you’re in New York City, it’s likely not going to happen unless you’ve got a greenhouse on your roof. Or you’re a wizard. Either or.
There are lots of futuristic gardening techniques nowadays that will help you effortlessly grow some greens inside, like the best indoor herb gardens. While these indoor gardeners won’t grow long, deep-grown carrots, they will grow your favorite herbs like basil, mint, cilantro and more.
Related Stories
If you’re looking to get some at-home gardening done in or outside, you’re going to need to start off with some vegetable seeds. Below, you can find some of the easiest vegetables to grow at home. No, we’re not talking avocados or anything too fancy, more or less the basics that are almost impossible to mess up. You’re welcome.
1. Lettuce
Lettuce makes for some of the easiest vegetables to grow at home, whether it be in your garden or your indoor planter. Lettuce crops are annual, so you’ll only get one single crop per year. But, man, it is worth it. This lettuce lovers variety pack contains eight popular lettuce varieties that are easy to grow right at home. Varieties include iceberg, red romaine, Parris Island cos, ruby red, oakleaf, prizehead, black seeded Simpson and lollo rosso. The common harvest time is between 40 to 60 days. Time to get your green on.
2. Carrots
Carrots will grow in the spring or fall and make for a great, crunchy additive to salads, juices and dinner plates. You really won’t be able to grow carrots indoors because they need an ample amount of space to grow underground, so keep that in mind when purchasing. This variety pack will grow large carrots in the form of four popular types: rainbow, Scarlet Nantes, Imperator 58 and Kuroda. Shapes and sizes will vary depending on a number of reasons including gardening techniques, location and soil. Nonetheless, these are pretty effortless to grow and worth it in the long run.
3. Cucumbers
Time to get your cuc on. Cucumbers are great on sandwiches, in salads, turned into pickles or solo with a little salt, pepper and lemon juice. These non-GMO cucumbers don’t even need to be peeled because their skins are sweet and ready to eat. Cucumbers make some of the easiest veggies to grow. You can let them come to live whether you’re gardening outdoors or indoors, too.
4. Basil
There is nothing better than fresh-picked basil. For both outdoor and indoor growing, basil is one of the most effortless plants to maintain. If you find yourself cooking lots of Italian foods and don’t grow your own basil, this plant will change the way you cook forever. Trust us. Germination time is only five to ten days and the plants will need at least six hours of sunlight a day. Pasta will never taste better.
5. Tomatoes
While tomatoes aren’t technically vegetables (yeah, they’re fruits), tomatoes are some of the easiest and most rewarding “vegetables” you can grow. They’re easy to grow both indoors and out and add a great, fresh taste to salads, sauces, stews, sandwiches — you name it. Tomatoes deserve a spot. This variety pack from Amazon will grow eight different varieties of tomatoes, including San Marzano, Roma VF, large cherry, Ace 55 VF, yellow pear, tomatillo, Brandywine pink and golden jubilee.
6. Radishes
Radishes are great for juicing and salads. They don’t take up much room at all in the garden and can grow right near carrots, beets and turnips without causing any issues. They grow underground, so you’re going to have an issue growing them inside, so we suggest you don’t even bother. Outdoors only, folks. This variety pack contains around 780 seeds in total, allowing for tons of mistakes if needed. Seeds include varieties of radishes including German Giant, watermelon, Black Spanish, Easter egg, French breakfast and purple plum.
7. Green Beans
Charred green beans on a dinner plate have secured their spot next to steak and mashed. Yup, green beans are some of the most delicious greens you can serve at dinner time. Why not grow them yourself? These organic, non-GMO seeds make growing green beans at home effortless. Follow the directions on the packet and you’ll have a crunchy green side in no time. Homegrown, baby.
8. Black Duck 50 Packs Assorted Heirloom Vegetable Seeds
Now that we’ve shown you the easiest vegetables to grow in our experience, check out this 50-piece variety pack for growing just about anything you want. Because these seeds are available in a 50-pack, some will be growing at different times of the year, meaning different watering techniques, varying levels of care, a number of harvest times and more. Keep these in a safe space for the right time of year for each to get growing. These are great for gardeners who love keeping their thumb green all year round.