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When I was first learning to garden I read many articles that all started with "Grow tomatoes they are super easy!" Well, then reading more I also learned that for tomatoes you have need support because they will fall over and the tomatoes will rot.
You need marigolds or prepare to fight off hoards of aphids. You need to watch out of the big dreaded green tomato hornworm. If you water too much, or inconsistent watering then the ripening tomatoes will split open.
Prune the suckers to encourage growth, wait don't prune them if they are indeterminate varieties. But do remove the lower leaves to increase airflow and prevent rotting. Don't forget about blossom end rot, failed pollination and also listen for frost warnings.
Cover the plants or remove green fruit before the first frost.
Gah, that is not an easy to grow vegetable!
Here is my list of easy to grow vegetables, and it doesn't include tomatoes!
7 Easy to Grow Vegetables
1. Bush Beans
They grow quickly, and can be planted earlier when there are few pests around. They don't require support or much space her plant. They will keep producing after the first harvest, although not as much. Mulch under them when they are 2" tall, thin the seedlings to give them 3-4" a piece and leave them be! In a few weeks you will have green beans!
3. Carrots
For the first planting, sow and forget. They do like consistent watering though. Once the season is in full swing, the carrots tops will shadow out their competitors so you won't have to weed as much. Mark your calendar for 10 weeks and harvest your bounty.
2. Shell Peas
Peas also grow quickly and don't have many pests when planted early in the season. They produce many pods per plant. Similar to the bush beans, thin them when 2" tall and mulch to prevent weeds and evaporation if desired. Then leave them be. They will do well without support, but support makes it easier to harvest.
4. Cooking greens
While they don't germinate in hot dry conditions. Mustard greens or other cooking greens like collard greens are also easy to grow. I sow seeds and mark my calendar 6 weeks later. These can be planted in succession for continual harvesting. Minor weeding might be required as they grow.
6. Lettuce/Spinach
If you eat salad greens, grow these quick leaves. The bonus is you don't have to wait for the plant to flower and fruit before the harvest. This means less chance something could happen, like you forget to water or bugs eat them. Sow the seeds, maybe thin them down and wait for harvest. Cut and regrow varieties are even easier!
7. Radishes
Like carrots, radishes are also easy root crops to grow. With harvest times in 4-5 weeks, there is little opportunity for things to go wrong. Especially when planting early in the season, when there is little weed competition, radishes will grow quickly. Radishes can be cooked into stews like potatoes as a lower calorie root crop.
What crops do you find easy to grow? What plants do you struggle with? Thanks for reading!
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5. Tomatillos
I know I said tomatoes weren't easy but my tomatillos are a snap! They don't need support like their red friends. Tomatillos form green paper-like laterns first and then the fruit fills out the husk. They can grow +4 ft tall with no additional support but sometimes grow shorter and stockier. I have not experienced any major pests with these!
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