Not all vegetables mature at the same time. Some need a longer period of time and some have a shorter period.
Today we will focus on those who need a shorter payback period. These vegetables by another name can be called fast-growing vegetables.
If you are in a place where it is not very convenient for growing vegetables then you do not need to worry. Today we are going to introduce you to some fast-growing vegetables that can be grown in places where there is a short growing season.
Below is our list of fast-growing vegetables you can plant. They are very healthy and delicious. Enjoy.
LETTUCE
Lettuce is one of our favorite garden vegetables because it is far superior—in both taste and vitamin A content—to the store-bought alternative! Plant in the spring, starting two weeks before frost. In fall, start sowing again eight weeks before the fall frost.
Lettuce is one of our favorite garden vegetables because it is far superior—in both taste and vitamin A content—to the store-bought alternative! Plant in the spring, starting two weeks before frost. In fall, start sowing again eight weeks before the fall frost. Read more!
Lettuce is cool-season crop that grows well in the spring and fall in most regions. Lettuce seedlings will even tolerate a light frost.
Sow any time soils are above 40°F. Seeds germinate best at 55 to 65°F and will emerge in only 7 to 10 days. Because lettuce grows quickly, plant a small amount at a time, staggering your plantings to a continued harvest!
SPINACH
Spinach is one of the most satisfying cool-weather crops to grow, producing large yields of vitamin-rich, dark green leaves that are excellent for salads and for cooking.
Spinach has similar growing conditions and requirements as lettuce, but it is more versatile in both its nutrition and its ability to be eaten raw or cooked. It is higher in iron, calcium, and vitamins than most cultivated greens, and one of the best sources of vitamins A, B, and C.
Cultivating or hand pulling weeds can harm spinach roots, it’s best to spread a light mulch of hay, straw, or grass clippings along the rows to suppress weeds instead. Water stress will encourage plants to bolt, so provide enough water to keep the soil moist but not soggy. Cover the crop with shade cloth if the temperature goes above 80 degrees.
Spinach is ready in as little as 4 to 6 weeks after planting.
CUCUMBER
Cucumber is an easy-care vegetable that loves sun and water, cucumbers grow quickly as long as they receive consistent watering and warmth. Most varieties will grow in any amount of space, thanks to the plant’s ability to climb. Of course, these prolific veggies are perfect for pickling.
WHEN TO PLANT
Cucumber plants should be seeded or transplanted outside in the ground no earlier than 2 weeks after the last frost date. Cucumbers are extremely susceptible to frost and cold damage; the soil must be at least 70ºF for germination. Do not plant outside too soon!
To get a head start, sow cucumber seeds indoors about 3 weeks before you transplant them in the ground. They like bottom heat of about 70ºF (21ºC). If you don’t have a heat mat, put the seeds flat on top of the refrigerator or perch a few on top of the water heater.
WHEN TO HARVEST
Cucumbers can be harvested about 50 to 70 days after planting.
RADISHES
Radishes take up little space, and they can be grown in the ground or in containers. They mature quickly — within one month of seeding — and are crisp, tender, and tasty, especially if grown during the cooler weather of spring or fall. Cool temperatures bring out the best in radishes, so now is the time to plant a quick crop before the end of the gardening season.
Radishes prefer full sun but grow well in part shade too and in hot climate will prefer full shade in the height of summer. Keep the soil moist and you’ll be rewarded with clusters of mildly peppery roots in next to no time.
But ready to enjoy in as little as four weeks and taking up minimal space, perhaps their best use is as a fill-in crop, either between or within rows of slow-to-germinate vegetables such as parsnip, or as a quick, in-and-out crop right at the start or end of the growing season.
One of the fastest growing vegetables are radishes. Most varieties will be ready for harvest in just 25 to 30 days after planting.
GREEN ONIONS
Green onions have an almost unlimited amount of uses and are very easy to grow. Green onions can be grown from seed or as sets. I love green onions in soups, salads, on top of a nice steak, used as a baked potato topping, and many other ways.
They are actually immature onions that are harvested before the bulb matures. The green onion features a dark green stem (also called scallions) and a white bulb with roots. Both parts of the onion are edible.
Plant onion seed as soon as the soil can be worked in the spring. Onion seeds germinate in a wide range of soil temperature, between 65° F and 86° F.
Sow and cover seed with ½” of soil and keep moist. Seeds can be started indoors 6-8 weeks prior to planting. They can be set in the garden about 1-1½” apart. To plant onions sets, simply press sets into the soil about 2″ apart.
While it can take 6 months for onion bulbs to mature, the green onion stalks can be harvested after just 3 or 4 weeks. You can also grow onion micro-greens and have baby onion greens in two to three weeks.
PEAS
Peas are one of the first crops we plant in the spring. The taste of garden-grown peas is nothing like what you find in grocery stores; they are nature’s candy off the vine. Plant seeds as soon as the ground can be worked—even if snow falls after you plant them.
Pea plants do have limited growing season, however. Furthermore, peas do not stay fresh long after harvest, so enjoy them while you can!
The key to growing peas is to plant them early enough in spring so they mature while the weather is still cool. This means planting in February, March, or April in most parts of the United States and Canada. They can even be grown as a fall or winter crop in warm areas of the U.S.
Snow peas take only about 10 days to germinate and are ready for harvest in about 60 days.