How do you garden? We dug up 10 easy plants to start growing
Gardening doesn't have to be a chore; these beginner-friendly vegetables and herbs are easy to plant in any home garden, regardless of your experience.
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Growing your first garden — or your first plant, for that matter — can feel intimidating. But it’s not as complicated as it seems. Curiosity and the habits you form early on, plus the plants you choose to start with, can have a lasting impact on establishing a green thumb and transform gardening into a fruitful hobby (literally).
“Whether your motivation comes from a desire to eat better, connect with nature or learn something new, nature will surprise you,” says Kaitlin Mitchell, a gardening expert and founder of Rutabaga Tools who specializes in plant education. “You will enjoy it more if you don’t expect perfection.”
Regardless of your garden location — you can grow crops like basil in a space as small as a windowsill or veggies like lettuce on a large plot of land — Mitchell says the magic of gardening is in the environment you curate and all of the little wins and learning opportunities along the way.
Tips for growing a beautiful vegetable garden
What are the easiest plants to start growing in a garden?
The easiest plants to start growing are ones with reliable yields, no-fuss care requirements and varieties that — in one way or another — have a mind of their own (we’re looking at you, vining plants). Grow your first garden with these beginner-friendly vegetables and herbs.
Shop the best beginner-friendly vegetables and herbs
1. Potatoes
These root vegetables might sound intimidating for beginners, but according to Mitchell, potatoes are some of the easiest plants to grow. “They grow throughout multiple seasons and are always fun to harvest,” she explains. Since these need some room underground, potatoes might make the most sense in garden beds and in-ground gardens. However, you can grow these veggies in Cavisoo Potato Grow Bags, which are specifically designed for underground harvesting. These bags are constructed from a thick, feltlike material designed to improve drainage and root circulation for ideal growing conditions. Plus, they feature a pocket window allowing you to inspect your crop and harvest easily.
2. Peas
Ensuring your plants get enough nutrients for a good crop is half the battle of growing your own vegetables at home. But Mitchell says you don’t have to worry too much about those specifics with peas, since they pull nitrogen, an essential plant nutrient, into the soil. These easy peasy plants also produce beautiful fragrant flowers, and they grow well in pots, so they’re great for container gardens and smaller patio spaces. Since they are a type of vining plant, make sure to add something they can climb, such as the WNJ 3-Pack Pea Trellis, which provides plenty of spiral space to grab onto (and it’s collapsible for easy storage in the off-season).
3. Lettuce
Lettuce is another easy plant to grow for beginners. Whether you have an in-ground or a potted windowsill garden, you can grow fresh lettuce and leafy greens that you can harvest all at once or cut as you go. “There are so many delicious varieties, and new leaves will grow from the center by harvesting the outer leaves,” says Mitchell. “You can make numerous tasty salads from one plant!” If you want some variety, add the Sereniseed Certified Organic Leafy Greens Lettuce Seeds Collection to your cart. This seed pack features 10 lettuce types, including classics like romaine and spinach, plus arugula and kale.
4. Tomatoes
Tomatoes are also beginner-friendly and do well in the ground and in pots. You can buy seeds or get a head start with a small tomato plant from a nursery or hardware store and grow all sorts of varieties. For a potted tomato plant with a high yield, try growing Bonnie Plants Husky Red Cherry Tomatoes. If you want something with more of a wow factor, an heirloom variety such as the Survival Garden Seeds Heirloom Rainbow Mix Tomato Seeds packs a punch with color and flavor. Regardless of tomato plant type, make sure to add a plant cage to your garden to provide support and stability.
5. Radishes
Mitchell recommends starting with radishes if you’re new to root vegetables and feel intimidated by the process. “Their quick seed-to-harvest turnaround time makes them a great crop for new gardeners,” she notes. Plus, there are so many fun varieties to choose from. When browsing the seed towers at a hardware store — or, conveniently, lowes.com — you can go with a classic like the Sparkler radish and Early Scarlet Globe radish, or switch things up with a unique variety such as the White Icicle radish or the Watermelon radish, which is named for its miniature watermelon look and has a slight pepper flavor.
6. Peppers
Peppers are also worth adding to your garden, especially if you live in a warm and sunny climate. Jalapeño plants are particularly easy for beginners and grow well both in the ground and in a container garden. But, if you love a pepper medley, you can also buy an Indoor Pepper Growing Kit, which comes with everything you need to grow a pepper garden inside your home. This is a fun way to spice up a kitchen or windowsill herb garden. The best part is that these plants are technically perennials, so they can yield veggies year after year, especially indoors.
7. Basil
You hardly need a green thumb to grow popular cooking herbs, especially basil. Whether you pick up a plant from your grocery store or start a mini kitchen herb garden with this fun Back to the Roots kit, achieving an edible garden is simple when you start with basil. Whether potted outdoors or on your windowsill, there are a few easy tips to remember when planting basil. First, ensure your plant is potted in a container with a drain hole, and place it in a sunny spot to ensure well-drained, nutrient-rich soil. For a bushier plant, harvest leaves by pinching or cutting above a leaf node.
8. Cucumbers
Cucumbers are also a good starter plant for beginners. If you’re growing in-ground, plant cucumbers next to a trellis so that they have something to climb. Cucumbers are vining plants and love to weave in and out of trellis poles. If you don’t have a lot of space, you can still grow some cucumber varieties (like the adorable cucamelons) in pots and containers. To make it even easier, opt for an all-in-one system like the Vego Self-Watering Planter, which is self-watering and comes with a trellis to help your vining plants thrive. If you’re gardening indoors, you can also add a grow light stake to the planter to mimic sunlight.
9. Strawberries
Strawberries are another fun starter plant for your garden as they're a little more versatile for those with container gardens. You can add a pack of four Bonnie Strawberry Plants to your Amazon cart and add them to a hanging basket, a specially designed strawberry planter or a vertical wall planter. Some varieties, like wild strawberries, are also good ground cover and produce beautiful white flowers (before transforming into red berries) that'll add a whimsical touch to your landscaping. If you have space concerns, you can also purchase hanging planters with planting holes designed specifically for growing and harvesting strawberries in a vertical space.
10. Mint
Mint is a functional kitchen herb that virtually anyone can grow and use as dessert and cocktail garnishes. You can also pour hot water over a fresh sprig of mint for homemade tea or add some leaves to a pesto or sauce for a punch of flavor. Pick up a Mint Seed Packet Collection and grow several varieties, or propagate a sprig of grocery store mint by adding it to a vase with water and waiting for roots to appear. Once roots form, place the mint plant in a pot with soil and watch it thrive. If you want to add mint to your garden, keep it contained in a pot or planter — mint is invasive and grows like a weed.
Expert tips for starting your own garden
Gardening doesn’t start with plants — it begins with soil. And, according to Mitchell, investing in good, organic soil can transform an empty garden bed into a luscious green wonderland. “It will cost more upfront, but it will help you have more garden success, and you can feel good about feeding yourself or your loved ones with the fruits of your labor,” she notes.
Choose a high-quality organic soil, such as Back to the Roots Organic Garden Soil or Back to the Roots Organic Raised Bed Soil, which you can buy in bulk online at Home Depot for large gardens. Back to the Roots also makes an Organic Potting Soil mix that you can find on Amazon in smaller quantities for smaller gardens or container gardens.
Mitchell also recommends keeping your plants somewhere that keeps them top of mind, rather than far from where you live or work. “The more you naturally interact with the plants, the better you’ll understand what they need to thrive,” she notes. If you’re starting small with a potted herb garden, keep it in your kitchen, on a nearby windowsill or on your patio so you can sip your morning coffee while tending to your garden. For larger backyard gardens, get in the habit of going for a daily stroll around the area to inspect plant needs.
In addition to environment and location, plants need fertilizer to thrive. “Fertilizing can depend on the plant and its stage of life,” says Mitchell. To cover all of the bases and make things a little less complicated, she recommends adding worm castings or compost to the base of plants every two weeks. “These fertilizing agents contain the spectrum of needed plant macro and micronutrients,” she notes. If that feels too intimidating, you can also opt for a premade plant fertilizer, such as the Smart Grower Organic Plant Food blend.
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