As summer progresses, gaps will inevitably start to appear in your garden as plants are harvested. It’s a bad idea to leave those gaps as the bare ground will attract weeds and be prone to erosion during summer storms.
But you don’t need to leave gaps at all, even if you have plans for fall crops later on. With plenty of heat and long days in summer, some plants require very little time to go from sowing to harvest time.
What do ‘Quick Growing’ Vegetables really mean?
Days to Maturity
While the time frame is open to interpretation, let’s assume you’re looking for foods that will be ready to eat in 60 days or less. You can find the average ‘days to maturity’ on seed packets and in catalogs. This is the time from when you sow seeds to the first harvest. Often you will see this as a range e.g. 45-60 days.
Vegetable Varieties
The vegetable variety you choose will play a part in how quickly they grow. So, for example, a small round baby carrot heirloom variety like ‘Paris Market’ that only grows to 4cm in diameter, will be on your table much quicker than one with a long root, like ‘Nantes’. Similarly, climbers will take longer to grow than bush or dwarf varieties. Makes sense right?
Seasonal Timing
It’s also worth remembering that plants tend to grow faster in warmer seasons and mature more slowly in cooler months.
Other Plant Growth Factors
As there is so much variation in climate conditions, soil types, sunlight, moisture and seasons around the world, these suggestions are a guide only. Here in subtropical Queensland, Australia, I can grow year-round with only a relatively mild winter. Your climate may be different. Make sure you give your plants the sunlight hours they do best in if possible as this will speed up or slow down growth accordingly.
If your soil is poor or very dry, try improving or making your own potting mix or seed raising mix and compost to grow in. Plants will respond best in good quality moist soil.
Radishes
Radishes are one of the fastest vegetables, taking just three to four weeks to reach harvest time. They’re also exceptionally easy to grow.
Seeds can be sown into prepared ground or pots of potting soil. Sow the plump seeds very thinly, spacing them about one inch apart. Sowing small batches every few weeks until the very end of summer will give you a continuous crop of the peppery roots.
The seedlings will pop up within three to five days. If necessary, thin the seedlings so the roots have enough room to expand. Keep the ground free of weeds, and water in dry weather. Harvest the roots before they get too large, when they can turn woody in texture and become overpoweringly hot.
Carrots
Carrots are not the most obvious speedy vegetable, but choose a quick-growing finger-sized variety and you can expect sweet, crunchy roots in just six weeks.
Sow into pots of potting soil, spreading the seed thinly over the surface, then cover with a thin sieved layer of potting soil. Or sow the seed into drills spaced about 6in (15cm) apart, cover back over, and water.
In some parts of the world, the larvae of the carrot fly can prove a nuisance, burrowing into the roots and spoiling the crop. A row cover will keep the flies from laying their eggs. Once the seedlings have appeared, thin them on a rainy day when there will be fewer carrot flies about, or on a still, cloudy day to about an inch apart. Water afterwards to settle soil back around the roots.
Pull up the tender carrots while they are still young, if necessary using a border fork to first loosen the soil.
Bush beans
The quickest pods in town, bush beans, can be sown immediately after a previous crop to give a speedy picking before the end of the current growing season. Taking just two months from sowing to pod production, these trouble-free beans are a must – and kids love them!
In summer the beans can be sown directly into the ground or into pots of potting soil. Poke the seeds into the soil so they are 10-16in (25-40cm) apart. Sow a batch once a month until the end of summer. The short, bushy plants will soon come into flower.
Pick the pods every few days, as they appear, so that you are always enjoying them while they are still smaller and more tender. Regular picking encourages plants to continue forming pods. Savor the beans lightly steamed with a curl of butter and a grind of the peppermill.
Bok Choy
Bok Choy is a fun plant. It looks fun, and it is even fun to say its name.
But it is also a great plant to grow because it can produce a mature harvest in around 30 days. If that isn’t a super-fast plant, I’m not sure what is.
If you are looking for something different to grow that will produce a fast harvest, then you should definitely consider Bok Choy.
Bok Choy grows well in zones 4-7 and individual leaves can be harvested after 21 days, or the whole head 45-60 days after planting.
Kale
With its ever-growing popularity, kale is becoming a staple vegetable grown in many gardens and even windowsills. Baby greens are ready to pick when they are about 2 inches tall; avoid harvesting the central growing point of the plant to maintain continuous growth throughout the growing season.
Lettuce
Lettuce is such a versatile plant. There are so many different varieties to choose from that you can have a different flavor and crunch with each one.
But the great thing about lettuce is that it is hearty so it can grow in colder temperatures, and it also doesn’t take very long to produce a mature harvest.
If you want something healthy, green, and fast, then you should definitely consider planting lettuce.
Depending on the Lettuce variety, harvest can be about 30-60 days after planting, ideally in zones 4-9.
Spinach
Green leafy vegetables rank high on the list of quick growers, providing harvestable produce in a short amount of time with little effort. Sow seeds directly into well-amended garden soil or high-quality soil if using containers; harvest when leaves reach the desired size. Avoid growing spinach in the hottest part of summer because it will bolt and go to seed.