Easiest Vegetables to Grow Outdoors & Indoors

Growing your own vegetables is eco-friendly (smaller carbon footprint, no plastic packaging, organic) and saves you money. Whether you live in a house with a massive garden, just have a small balcony or even no outdoor space whatsoever you can still grow something. Apart from the environmental and financial benefits of growing your own vegetables, there’s nothing quite like eating something you grew yourself.

For beginner gardeners there are a few plants that are pretty easy to grow which won’t need quite as much attention as other plants. A bit of advice, think about what you and your family eat the most. There’s little point in planting lots of radishes if you never normally eat them.

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Easiest Vegetables to Grow

When growing outdoors there are certain plants you can grow near each other which will help to ward off any vegetable nibblers without needing to spray pesticides all over them. For more on this check out the vegetable growing cheat sheet from https://www.anglianhome.co.uk (infographic) at the end of this article.

Spinach

Packed full of goodness spinach is very easy to grow, you can also pick a few leaves from the plant and it will carry on growing, meaning you need less plants overall.

When to plant: Spring (for picking in summer) or Autumn (for picking in winter) – different varieties do better at different times of year.

Prepare the soil by removing the larger stones, weeds and adding some good compost.
Sow seeds 2.5cm apart, 1 cm deep, cover with soil and then water.
When the seedlings are around 2cm tall, thin them out to give the stronger ones space to grow. Spinach plants should have around 25cm between them.
You can normally start picking leaves within 12 weeks, pick often and new leaves will grow (take care not to damage the roots when cutting leaves from the outside of the plant.

From – growing spinach, spinach beet and chard.

Kale

I prefer kale to spinach as it’s a bit more substantial when cooked, although baby spinach leaves in a salad are delicious. Kale is also one of the best vegetables out there in terms of nutritional value. It’s a powerful antioxidant, plus one cup of kale provides 200% of your daily recommended amount of vitamin A, 134% of vitamin C and 700% of vitamin K. It’s also a source of fibre, omega-3, manganese, copper and potassium.

When to plant: Late Spring / early Summer

Soil should be well-drained but stay moist.
Sow in rows 15cm apart and about 1 cm deep, thin to around 8cm apart when they start to grow.
When the plants are 10-15cm tall place them around 40cm apart. The stems should be buried to just below the level of the lowest leaves.
Firmly press the soil down around the base of the plants from time to time as they grow.
You can normally start picking leaves when the plant is around 45cm high (or sooner if you want baby leaves for salad). Taking only a few leaves at a time means it should carry on growing.
Remove the head in late Autumn so new shoots start to grow.

From Growing Kale – a Great Alternative to Cabbage

Tomatoes are one of the easiest vegetables to grow

Tomatoes

Although growing tomatoes in a greenhouse is the easiest way to get a bumper crop (just ask my Mother who has been overrun with tomatoes this year), it’s still pretty easy to grow tomatoes without one. Tomatoes are one of the most versatile plants we have; great in salads, makes tasty soup and is a basic ingredient for many pasta sauces, lasagne, pizza, curries… I could go on.

When to plant: Early Summer.

It’s best to sow seeds indoor and keep them indoors for around 4-6 weeks before planting outside.
Plant in full sunlight in well-drained soil. Container pots are great for tomatoes.
Add compost around each tomato plant when planting, water regularly and fertilise monthly (use an eco-friendly tomato fertiliser).

From Growing Tomatoes

Peppers

You might think peppers are difficult to grow in the UK, but I’m a terrible gardener and managed it, so if I can do it, so can you! You will need very good sunlight for peppers, but if you’re able to grow tomatoes then peppers shouldn’t be a problem. being completely honest, it’s probably a lot easier to grow both tomatoes and peppers outdoors in the south of the UK. Peppers are great in salads, with dips, in pasta dishes, in vegetable chilli and on pizza.

When to plant: Early Summer

Much like tomatoes it’s best to sow the seeds and grow indoors, this time for 8-10 weeks.
Add compost to the site you’ll plant your peppers around a week in advance.
Make sure the last spring frost has passed before planting outdoors at least 45cm apart in well draining soil in full sunlight. Again container pots are ideal for peppers.
It’ll take at least 60 days before you’ll be able to pick a pepper.

From Growing Peppers

Carrots (and radishes)

Another very versatile plant that is great raw or cooked in a variety of different dishes is the carrot. I’m not a huge fan of radishes but they’re pretty much grown in exactly the same way as carrots.

When to plant: From early Spring right through to August

Weed the sowing site well and ensure the soil isn’t lumpy, it should be quite fine.
Water the ground and create rows 30cm apart that are around 1 cm deep.
Sow your seeds 5cm apart and lightly cover them before watering carefully. The soil needs to be kept moist until the seeds germinate.
Once the seedlings start to grow you can thin them out a bit. Water regularly but not too much. Consistency is key.
You can normally start harvesting your carrots and radishes after around 14-16 weeks.

From Growing Carrots

Broccoli

I love broccoli, not in a stew or curry (euch), but steamed alongside roast potatoes, carrots, kale or spinach and a nut roast. Not forgetting heaps of gravy of course. Yum! It’s surprisingly easy to grow, although it takes a long time. Broccoli is a good source of vitamin C and K, iron, B vitamins and fibre amongst others.

When to plant: April to June

1cm deep and 30cm apart.
Cover with soil and keep moist during germination.
Plant in early summer in a sheltered site.
Make sure the stems have earth around them to about 10cm to help protect them from the wind.
Planting in early summer means you’ll have a crop the following February to May.

From Growing Broccoli

French Beans

I love French beans, even though they squeak sometimes when you eat them. They’re great with loads of meals, and like everything on this list are one of the easiest vegetables to grow, especially in the UK.

When to plant: From May (or grow indoors from April)

Sow 1 bean per small pot 5cm deep. Leave the pots in a sheltered but warm location.
When the beans are around 8cm tall plant them.
Space your plants around 15cm apart in rows that are 45cm apart. Climbing French beans will need bamboo canes to grow up. As they grow loosely tie the bean to the cane.
Beans can be picked when they’re about 10cm long.

From French Beans

Easiest Vegetables to Grow Indoors

You will need a sunny windowsill for most of these, however you can also boost your crop by buying a grow light, which is especially helpful during winter. The best thing about growing some, or all, of your vegetables inside is that you should be able to grow your own food all year round.