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Perfect for impatient gardeners who want results quickly.
Looking for easy vegetables to grow? If you're dreaming of harvesting your own homegrown produce but want super-quick results, we've rounded up seven fast-growing vegetables which produce impressive results in no time.
For example, cress can take as little as five days from sowing, and radishes in as little as three weeks. Best of all, these vegetables don't require much ongoing maintenance, so they're perfect for the impatient gardener, and for beginners who are starting a vegetable garden.
The best thing about growing your own veg is that it will save you lots of money in the long run, and you get a great sense of joy and self-satisfaction at eating your own homegrown produce. If you need any advice on sowing seeds, take a look at our quick and simple guide here.
On that note, here's our pick of seven fast-growing vegetables for your garden...
One of the fastest-growing vegetables you can grow is cress. To grow your own, sprinkle cress seeds over the surface of a pot or sow in the ground quite close together (for example in a tight-knit row). Place on a kitchen windowsill or outside for the best results.
Sowing to harvest: 5-7 days
Lettuce takes around 21 days to grow, so you'll have a fresh green bunch of leaves in no time at all. Chris Bonnett from Gardening Express explains: 'For the quickest results, sow the seeds very thinly spaced around 15-25cm apart. Cover the seeds over gently and pat the surface of the soil down. Water along the rows then keep the soil moist and weed-free as the seedlings grow.'
Sowing to harvest: 21 days
Looking to grow your own radishes? These will take around three to four weeks and can be grown either in small pots on your kitchen windowsill or in your garden. When placing the seeds in soil, make sure you sow them very thinly, spacing them about 2.5cm apart.
Sowing to harvest: 25 days
READ MORE: 7 vegetables you can easily regrow indoors using kitchen scraps
To grow your own spinach at home, sow into rows about 30cm apart and set the seeds 2.5cm apart.
Top tip: ensure you grow spinach in light shade during the heat of summer to avoid the leaves turning bitter.
Sowing to harvest: 30 days
One of the UK's favourite vegetables, growing your own carrots will save you plenty of money in the long-run. While these generally take slightly longer to grow than others, you can still expect sweet, crunchy crops in just six weeks.
Chris says: 'Sow into pots of potting soil, spreading the seed thinly over the surface, then cover with a thin sieved layer of compost'.
Sowing to harvest: 50 days
Kids will love slipping on their gardening gloves and helping to plant tasty green beans. During the summer months, beans can be sown directly into the ground or into pots of potting soil (which is great if you have a balcony). Poke the seeds into the soil so they are 25-40cm apart. Water well and enjoy!
Sowing to harvest: 60 days
READ MORE: Gardening for beginners: 10 easy tasks to get started
Peas are a dinnertime staple and take almost no gardening experience to plant at home. They are a cool seasonal crop that flourish best in temperatures of around 13–18C. To grow your own, sow peas in two parallel lines in soil. Make sure your space them around 10cm apart. Then, cover with soil and water well.
Chris suggests: 'Remember to provide supports for your pea plants to cling to, and cover trenches with chicken wire or netting after sowing, as birds love to steal pea seed.'
Sowing to harvest: 60-70 days
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