If you don’t have a green thumb, have limited time, or are new to gardening, taking care of plants—let alone fruits and vegetables—can seem overwhelming. Plants that require plenty of attention and care also require more gardening knowledge and time. Still, you should always try! Gardening can be relaxing and rewarding when done right. Start your garden off with these beginner-level, low-maintenance fruit and vegetables! With a bit of TLC, organization, and patience, you’ll be a pro in no time.
Lettuce
One of the best plants for new gardeners to start their gardens with is lettuce. This plant requires minimal maintenance and grows quickly. You’ll have a harvest within six to eight weeks, which will boost your confidence in gardening! It’s important to note that lettuce grows fastest in full sun and needs daily watering with a mist bottle.
Bell Peppers
Who doesn’t love a good bell pepper? With good soil and controlled temperatures, growing bell peppers is effortless. There are a variety of bell peppers you can grow, from purple to orange to chocolate brown. Bell peppers require sunlight for at least six hours daily with well-drained fertile soil. It takes bell peppers about 60 to days to be ready for harvest.
Garlic
Garlic is the key to many recipes, so why buy it when you can grow it yourself? You should plant garlic during the fall months and harvest it in the spring. You can grow garlic from an individual clove that’s broken off from a whole blub. However, it would be best to remember each clove multiplies when growing—forming five to ten cloves in a new bulb.
Tomatoes
Every new gardener grows tomatoes because they’re super easy to grow! Tomatoes grow best in tropical temperatures and can grow in veggie pots or containers. They require six to eight hours of sun for the juiciest flavors and take about 60 to 100 days to harvest fully.
Strawberries
Strawberries are another popular low-maintenance fruit to grow in your garden. Strawberries can be planted in containers, raised beds, or in-ground gardens and need eight hours of sunlight. The best time to plant your strawberries is in March or April, and you can harvest them within four to six weeks after blossoming.
You can grow these fruits and vegetables in containers, pots, or garden beds. As your garden grows in fruit and numbers of plants, you will find new methods and techniques to make gardening easier. If you have backyard space, you should begin to invest in creating a garden space or a garden shed to house your herbs and smaller plants. However, if you do decide to have a garden shed or garden space, you should strive to keep your space neat and organized to prevent pests, mold, or stunted growth.
