Want to bite into a crisp salad that you grew yourself? Craving some tender steamed broccoli without a trip to the grocery store? Fortunately, these are some of the easiest vegetables to grow at home and can provide a bountiful harvest that you can enjoy, knowing that your own hard work and know-how went into helping the plants thrive.

You don’t have to have a green thumb to grow delicious vegetables in your home garden. From stoops to fields, people are growing their own produce to bring delicious nutrition to their table. Gardening can also be a peaceful and relaxing hobby to enjoy outdoors. It doesn’t take a lot of experience to get started, just the willingness to get your hands into the dirt.

If you’re new to gardening, here are the top vegetables to add to your plan.

Bell Peppers

These peppers are easy to eat and versatile in a lot of recipes.

1. Planting - Bell peppers like plenty of sun and lots of drainage to keep the roots from getting waterlogged. Plant them around 18 to 24 inches apart for the best results. They don’t like the cold, so wait until you’re sure the last frost has passed before planting. Bell peppers make excellent companion crops with other plants, especially herbs. You can also plant multiple varieties of peppers alongside each other to get different amounts of heat.
2. Harvest - If you want green bell peppers, harvest the veggies when they are large enough but before they start to ripen too much. Let them continue to grow to develop more sweetness and a richer color. Depending on the variety, they can be yellow, red, purple, or deep burgundy. If you see signs of insect or sun damage, you can harvest the peppers to avoid further contamination in the garden.

Tomatoes

You can grow tomatoes in everything from small containers to large garden plots.

1. Planting - Even though it is technically classified as a fruit, tomatoes are used as a vegetable in culinary application. It seems like there is an endless variety of tomatoes, from small grape and cherry varieties to large beefsteak tomatoes. The best planting style will depend on how large you can expect the plant to get as well as the required amount of space. Tomatoes like sun and grow upright, so give them a cage or other support to keep them standing tall and strong.
2. Harvest - A rich, red exterior is a sure sign that your tomato is ready to harvest. It should be firm but still have a slight amount of give. You can also rely on your nose to tell when the tomato is ready to eat, since it gives off a nice, subtle fragrance when it is ripe. To harvest tomatoes, twist them gently off the stem. If you have to pull, it likely needs a bit more time to ripen up.

Cucumbers

This vegetable will bring plenty of crunch to your plate.

1. Planting - Many gardeners enjoy watching cucumbers grow because they mature quickly and add a bright spot of color to the garden from their yellow flowers. Cucumbers grow on vines, so they’ll need a trellis or something to climb as they grow. Sturdy sunflowers make an excellent companion plant, but you can also install other support structures to help the cukes. Plant seeds around 18 inches apart and leave space between the cucumbers and other plants. This allows the vines to mature and flourish, creating space for the cucumbers.
2. Harvest - When cucumbers are vibrant green and firm, they are ready to harvest. Cut them with sharp pruning shears just above the stem. As you pick ripe cucumbers, more will be encouraged to grow on the vine. Don’t leave cucumbers too long or they will start to become bitter. You can also harvest the seeds from within the cuke to plant the following year for more plants.

Asparagus

They may look odd growing, but asparagus are a great crop to add to the garden.

1. Planting - Start by digging a trench, which is the best way to grow asparagus, and preparing the soil with fertilizer or compost, if needed. Growing from root crowns is an easy way to get asparagus going in your garden, but once they’re planted, these vegetables return every year. Asparagus like sun but hate standing water, so make sure that the soil is able to drain thoroughly. They also have deep roots, so container gardening is generally avoided for this veggie.
2. Harvest - You’ll need to wait a couple of years to get your first mature asparagus crop, so this is a vegetable that requires a little bit more patience. But once the shoots begin to appear and mature, you can trim them with garden shears. Once you harvest the spears, let the leaves continue to grow. This stores up energy that the plant will use to grow new spears the following year.

Lettuce

Add some leafy greens to your garden plot.

1. Planting - This is a fantastic crop to grow from seeds because it matures quickly and doesn’t take a ton of space. There are plenty of varieties that come in different colors and shapes, but most like partial to full sun and moist soil. You can grow them in containers or a garden bed, depending on the amount of space that you have. Try different types of lettuce to experiment with varying flavors on your plate.
2. Harvest - As it grows, harvest mature lettuce leaves from the outside of the plant. Watch for pests, however, and get rid of any that show signs of nibbling from insects. Most lettuce continues to grow even after you harvest some of the leaves as long as you leave the base of the plant in the soil. But some varieties, such as iceberg lettuce, grow very densely and are best to harvest all at once.

Broccoli

Plant this cruciferous vegetable in your garden and enjoy it with your dinner.

1. Planting - Broccoli is a good cold weather crop, since it likes lower temperatures. Plant seeds or seedlings around 18 inches apart. Broccoli likes plenty of sun, so make sure that it’s in an area that gets at least 6 hours of full sunlight each day. The plants grow upward and can provide shade for lower plants that need it, although they take a lot of calcium out of the soil. You may need to add nutrients to get the largest and most tender heads of broccoli possible. 
2. Harvest - When the head of broccoli is full and green, it’s time to harvest. Cut at the base of the stem, but leave part of the stem and the entire root ball intact in the ground. This will encourage side stalks to grow, resulting in another possible harvest. Generally, the first harvest is the biggest but you can get more broccoli if you leave the plants to continue growing. Make sure to cut before the crown turns yellow, since this is a sign that they are getting overripe and can attract insects.

Carrots

You’ll have a chance to get your hands in the dirt when you grow these delicious veggies.

1. Planting - You don’t need a lot of space to get a carrot crop and these make great introductory plants for growing under soil. Plant seeds just a few inches apart in a neat row. They grow down, so make sure that your growing space is deep enough to provide space for the entire carrot. They like full sun and need plenty of water to germinate and mature.‍
2. Harvest - Carrots grow underground, so it can be tricky to tell exactly when they are ready to harvest. The leaves are visible above ground and once the top part of the orange carrot is visible, they are ready to pull up. Loosen the soil, if needed, to free the carrot. Once you see the top of the vegetable, pull it up within a week to prevent it from getting too ripe. This can lead to splitting and bitter tasting veggies.

Green Beans

These beans are fun to watch grow and tasty to eat.

1. Planting - Beans grow upward on vines, so making sure that you space them correctly is key. You can plant beans from seeds, but they should be a few inches apart to allow for growth. Make sure that they have a trellis or other structure to climb. Not only does this keep the plant off the ground to prevent rot, it also gives the beans more room to mature. They like sun and warmth so wait until well after the last frost to plant seeds.‍
2. Harvest - Harvest green beans when they are at full size and easy to pluck off the stems. Listen for a snap as they come off that lets you know they are ready to eat. Younger beans will be a bit more tender than those left to grow a bit longer. The beans will mature at different times as they appear and grow on the vine. So you can harvest one batch of beans as the rest come in, getting multiple crops out of the same plant.

Planting and growing a garden can be a fun pastime and result in tasty vegetables to add to your plate. Even if you’re new to gardening, these easy-to-grow plants will help you find your green thumb in no time. Happy harvesting!