Planting and maintaining an edible garden can be a time-consuming task. Vegetables like peppers, tomatoes, or cabbage take longer to mature, and their growing process sometimes frustrates gardeners eager to see and taste the final product. 

So, growing a vegetable garden from seeds requires patience, but it doesn’t always mean you’ll wait for months to see results. If you wish to skip a few steps and enjoy the fruits of your work, consider planting fast-growing vegetables.

Which Vegetables Are Fast-Growing and How to Select Them?

While some vegetables need over 75, even 100 days to mature, others can be ready for harvest in less than a month. These are usually plants you grow from seeds and sow early in the growing seasons, such as greens. Still, thanks to their fast growth, some sorts you can plant later in the spring and even during summer. 

If you are browsing the seed catalogue trying to find these plants, look for information on days of maturity. The number varies from one plant to the other. Sometimes, maturity time might be different even within the same category of plants. So, to speed up the growing process, choose varieties bred to mature quickly.

Fast-growing veggies also include plants edible in their “baby” stage, which take even less time to harvest. These are the plants you can harvest before they reach full maturity. 

Top 10 Fast-Growing Vegetables

Fast-growing vegetables are usually ones with edible leaves and roots, yet some are also known for speedy fruit production. To help you learn more about them, we have created a list of the top 10 vegetables that take the shortest time to get from the garden to your kitchen.

Radishes

When it comes to fast-maturing vegetables, radishes are always at the top of the list. They are ready for harvest within 4 to 5 weeks. For some varieties, even 3 weeks will be enough to reach maturity. 

Cultivating radishes is so easy you can plant them with your kids. They thrive in well-drained, preferably loamy soil and full sun. Sow seeds directly in the ground 1 cm deep and make the space between them 15 to 20 cm, and they will germinate in 5 to 10 days. Once the seedlings sprout, thin them to allow roots to develop without constraint. An advantage of their rapid growth is that you can sow them every few weeks and have a fresh supply from spring all through the end of the summer. Some varieties will grow even during fall. However, they usually mature slower. 

To check if they are ready for harvest, remove dirt from the top of the plant. They should be thicker than your thumb before you start pooling them out. While harvesting, avoid pulling radishes by the leaves because they tend to break easily. Grip for the root instead. Also, make sure to harvest them as soon as they mature. If they stay in the ground too long, roots start to crack and become spicy. Well-matured radishes have a mild flavour, which makes them a lovely, crunchy addition to salads and sandwiches.

Lettuce

Lettuce is one of the favourite salad greens for many reasons. Not only are they delicious and easy to cultivate, but they are also well-known as rapid growers. Although their maturity period can differ from one variety to the other, many of them are ready to harvest within 30 days. 

Similar to radishes, their growing process is straightforward. Sow 10 or 20 seeds directly in the ground 0.5 cm deep and 30 cm apart. When young plants become 5 cm tall, thin them out. Lettuce prefers rich, sandy soil and light, yet frequent watering. Avoid growing indoors because they do not transplant well. Most lettuce varieties grow from early spring until mid-summer, so you can start growing them as soon as the danger of frost passes. Since the growing period for this plant is pretty short, consider sowing every 10 to 14 days to ensure the supply throughout the season.

The best time to harvest lettuce is once they reach full size. You shouldn’t let them overmature because their leaves will become bitter. Also, as they start maturing, you can harvest outer leaves. Younger leaves are crispier and taste better.

Lettuce leaves are best consumed fresh. You can store them in the fridge as well, just make sure to wash them thoroughly and wrap them in plastic. That way, they can stay fresh for 7 to 10 days.

Spring Onions

Spring onions, also called green onions and scallions, are another popular spring vegetable. They can be grown both from seeds and bulbs and be ready to harvest within 8, sometimes even 5 to 6 weeks.

You can sow them as soon as the danger of frost passes, and the growing season usually lasts from March to September. In the greenhouse, the season can be prolonged from February to October. Spring onions do well in a free-draining, slightly acidic soil and prefer full sun. However, the planting site must be free of weeds. If you plant them from seeds, place them in small holes from 0.5 to 1 cm deep and about 15 cm apart. You can also try growing them in a container by sowing the seeds 1.5 cm deep in the soil and covering them with compost. 

Harvest spring onions as soon as they reach 20 cm. You can pull out the entire plant or reap the greens and leave roots to continue producing leaves. If you wish to have a fresh supply throughout the season, sow the seeds every two weeks. With their distinct flavour, spring onions are a welcome ingredient in salads, omelettes, and many other dishes.

Spinach

Spinach is a healthy, easy-to-grow, and versatile crop. You can grow it almost anywhere and harvest it as fast as 30 days after planting. 

There are quite a few varieties of spinach, and while for some of them growing season lasts from March to May, others can be sown from August to September and even survive winter. Whichever you choose, know that cultivating this species doesn’t take a lot of effort. All you need is to plant previously soaked seeds 1 cm deep and 5 to 10 cm apart in a sunny place. However, make sure that the soil is good at retaining moisture during dry spells. If you wish to reduce its need for water, you can also mulch it. The leaves will be ready for harvesting once they get 7 to 8 cm tall.      

Spinach is a great source of Vitamin C and Vitamin A, as well as calcium and iron. You can use baby leaves fresh in salad, or saute full-grown leaves to prepare a delicious side dish.

Courgette

Known for its high productivity, courgette is a plant that will keep you supplied all summer. Although they might take a bit more time to mature, they are still pretty fast-growing — some varieties of courgettes will produce fruits within 48 days.

Another advantage of this plant is that it is easy to maintain. It is usually grown from seeds anytime from March to June. The seeds germinate in moist soil within 7 to 10 days. Still, bear in mind that this plant takes a lot of space, and plant them from 50 to 90 cm apart. One plant can produce up to 20 fruits.

Harvesting time differs from one variety to the other. For instance, you can pick the All Green Bush courgette as soon as the fruit is 10 cm long. You can consume this plant in a salad, grilled, or fried.  

Carrots

Carrots are a type of vegetable every edible garden should include. Aside from being extremely healthy, delicious, and highly productive, they are good to harvest within 70 days after planting. Nonetheless, baby carrots will be ready for picking in 30 to 40 days.

You can start sowing them in the early spring, and the growing season will last until late summer. The germination period can last from 7 days to 3 weeks, depending on the variety. Sow the seeds in holes from 0.5 to 1cm deep at least 8 cm apart. They prefer sandy, soft soil and consistent moisture.

To harvest delicious baby carrots, check if the roots have reached 0.5 cm in diameter. If that is the case, you can start pulling them from the ground. Same as with radishes, avoid pulling them by the leaves. 

Rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin K, and calcium, carrots are best consumed fresh, yet they make a wonderful addition to soups and other cooked meals.

Peas

Peas don’t require much care, yet reward you with healthy and tasteful crops. The maturing period for this vegetable is 60 days after planting.

The sowing period is from March to June, and germination takes no longer than 10 days. You can plant the seeds directly in the ground 3 cm deep and at least 6 cm apart. Peas prefer slightly acidic and alkaline soil. They should be grown in rows that are at least 30 cm apart. They will need support in the form of twigs or netting as they start growing. Also, regular watering during the blooming season will improve the crops. This is also a good time for mulching.

Harvest them as soon as the crops are mature, preferably in the morning. You can consume them right after harvesting or freeze them for winter. Peas are lovely ingredients in soups and different side dishes. Always cook them before consuming them. 

Kale

If you wish to grow a highly nutritious vegetable that matures fast, there is no better choice than kale. Its leaves are considered to be a superfood, and they are ready to harvest only 50 days after planting.

The best time for sowing kale is early spring through mid-summer, but the great thing about it is that you can plant it any time, both indoors and outdoors. To grow it outside, start by sowing seeds 0.5 cm deep and 30 cm apart. When the plant forms the first 4 leaves, thin out to 20 cm. Kale prefers light spots, organic soil, and light watering. The planting site should be weed-free. 

Another advantage of growing kale is that you can start picking it before it reaches maturity. So, harvest it as soon as it shows baby leaves, but make sure to leave at least two of them on each plant.

You can use it to make savoury salads and soups or saute it with garlic and serve it as a side dish to roasted meat or fish.

Rocket

A weed-like plant, the rocket is praised for its unique flavour and speedy growth. Its mildly spicy leaves are usually ready to eat within 30 days after planting. 

Rocket seeds should be sown from March to September, and the planting process is pretty straightforward. Sow the seeds 1 cm deep and 5 or 10 cm apart, and cover them with a thin layer of dirt. To ensure you have a constant supply of this appetising plant, sow new seeds every 14 days.

Leaves will be ready for harvesting once they get 5 to 8 cm tall. You can either pick individual leaves or the entire plant. It makes a lovely salad with a pinch of salt and a few drops of lemon juice, but you can also consume it sprinkled over freshly baked pizza or bruschetta.

Turnip

Turnip is a rapidly growing vegetable that will provide you with tasty yields from the beginning of summer until early winter. It takes around 6 weeks to mature after germination.

You can start sowing turnip seeds from late March to late June. Just place the seeds in a vegetable bed in holes 1 cm deep and 10 to 15 cm apart. Seed germination takes 7 to 14 days, and you should keep the soil weed-free.

Both turnip leaves and roots are edible. The leaves will be ready when they get 15 cm tall, and you can start pulling out the roots in about two months after the germination period. Turnip leaves are a great addition to salads, while roots can be consumed fresh and cooked.

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