Growing your own vegetables, and gardening in general, are really satisfying! If you’ve never grown any vegetables before and need some good ones to start with, here are 10 easy to grow vegetables (and flowers!) for first-time gardeners:

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I don’t have a large garden myself, so most of what I have grown over the last few years has been in small beds or containers and large pots. I order my seeds from Green Vegetable Seeds and Klaus, the owner, just emailed a really good list of 10 easy to grow vegetables for new gardeners to try.

These vegetables have been chosen for ease of growing and high yields from even a small space, making them ideal beginner vegetables for a small plot. Detailed growing instructions can be found on the Green Vegetable Seeds website.

Easy To Grow Vegetables For First Time Gardeners

#1. Spinach and/or Rainbow Chard

You’ll only need about 5 plants which will fill a square meter, and you’ll get a weekly harvest of fresh delicious spinach leaves for at least 6 months.

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#2. Kale

Kale is another crop that produces a lot of food from a small area. One square meter with 3-4 kale plants should be sufficient for a small family for at least 6 months.

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#3. Oriental Salad Mix

Again, one square meter should be sufficient to get fresh spicy salad leaves. Sow small quantities every 2-3 weeks. You can pick individual leaves as required or use the cut-and-come-again technique.

#4. Lettuce Surprise Mix

These comprise a mixture of lettuce varieties which can be harvested regularly over a two month period. Simply harvest leaves as required and leave the plants in the ground.

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#5. Radish

Radish seeds can be sown directly into the ground. Only sow small quantities every fortnight. They are ready to eat 5-6 weeks after sowing.

#6. Courgette

Courgettes are one of the most productive plants, with each plant producing about 3 courgettes per week over a period of 14 weeks. So you only need one or two good plants in your garden.

#7. Scallions

Regular sowings of scallions are necessary to give great crops of scallions for many months. Sow 10 seeds in each module and plant out the module without splitting up the seedlings. This way you can harvest a whole bunch of scallions. The best variety is Ishikura.

#8. Cucumbers

You will need a greenhouse or polytunnel to grow cucumbers, but if you have one this is the most productive crop of all, producing a cucumber fruit nearly every day over a few months. The best variety is Passandra F1.

#9. Tomatoes

In order to get a great yield you’ll need to grow tomatoes in a tunnel or greenhouse. Once you’ve got the taste of home-grown tomatoes you’ll find it difficult to go back to shop-bought tomatoes.

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#10. Flowers

Why not grow a bee and butterfly mix to attract our friends into the garden? And also calendula, nasturtium and borage which can be used as edible flowers.

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Over to you now. Have you tried any of these easy to grow veg? Or has this inspired you to start growing? Tell us in the comments below.