The Best Seeds to Plant in Spring—Even for Beginners

Much of gardening is a waiting game, and even then, harvests are not always guaranteed.

But you can increase your chances of having productive plants by choosing varieties that are quick to mature and easy to grow in your vegetable garden.

These are my top picks for the best seeds to plant in spring for instant gratification—all from personal experience.

Lettuce

01.

Fast-growing lettuce is a springtime staple, as the leafy greens thrive in cool weather. Varieties include iceberg (the sturdiest and longest-keeping lettuce, but also the blandest), romaine, butterhead, and leaf lettuce.

02.

Brassicas

They include common bitter greens like kale and collards, as well as my personal favorites, tatsoi and bok choy, which have a milder flavor.

03.

Spring radishes

As one of my top picks for a foolproof beginner crop (and my favorite crop to interplant among slower-growing vegetables), spring radishes sprout within a couple of days and mature in as little as three weeks.

04.

Chard and beets

Chard and beet seeds germinate in less than a week and the plants mature in 50 to 65 days, though either can be picked early. To sow, make a trench in the soil about 1/2- to 1-inch deep and space the seeds 3 to 6 inches apart. Cover with soil.

05.

Legumes

This category of easy-grow beginner-friendly crops includes snap peas, snow peas, shelling peas, fava beans, bush beans, and pole beans, all of which are incredibly satisfying to plant because the large seeds are easy to handle.

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