The first quarter of the year is always an interesting time of year for me. I am usually still recovering from the hustle and bustle of the month of December and I feel the need to start planning e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g for the coming year. From summer camps, vacations, kids’ activities, budgets, new workout regime, meal planning, and the list goes on but one of my favorite things to plan is my small kitchen garden.
Just a little backstory on my garden, I have four 4’x4’ raised bed gardens made of Corten steel. Last year was my first year of having a kitchen garden and I loved every minute of it. From trying to deter rabbits and squirrels from snacking in my garden to vine borers cutting off my cucumbers will to live, I enjoyed going out every morning and seeing how much plants had grown. Prior to my raised beds, I was a container and cedar raised bed gardener. While I feel like every year I get slightly better at gardening, I have sooooo much more to learn. I think gardening will be a lifelong hobby for me.
So after much deliberation and research, I finished my seed selection for this year and I am patiently awaiting the shipment of seeds. If you are looking for a quick list of easy to grow vegetables for a small garden look no further! I’ve narrowed down my list and would love to share my choices to perhaps, make your seed selection easier this year.
Planning it out
When planning my garden, one of the first things I like to do is make a list of the fruits and vegetables my family eats the most throughout the year. These include:
- Lettuce
- Spinach
- Cucumbers
- Zucchini
- Carrots
- Green Beans
- Peas
- Broccoli
- Peppers (hot & sweet)
- Tomatoes
Most of the vegetables above can be sown directly into the garden and produce within the same summer season. These are the vegetables/fruit I focus my attention on when seed selecting.
In Zone 5B, peppers and tomatoes seeds need to be started indoors in late Winter and I am not currently up for seed starting these plants. Luckily, I live near a family owned greenhouse that sells many types of tomato and pepper seedlings in late Spring for a very fair price. I will be using them this year again for those plants. Sorry if you were looking for seed suggestions for these but I will share with you my plans on the type of seedlings I intend on purchasing at the end of this article.
Selecting the right type of each vegetable/fruit for your garden takes time and effort but it can help you visualize and realize the garden you are after. I am going to go through the vegetables/fruit that I intend on growing in my garden with the reasons why I chose that plant whether it’s due to size constraints, maturity, taste or another given quality of the vegetable/fruit.
Vegetable/Fruit Seed Selections
(* Indicates my main reason for the selection)
Lettuce – Little Gem
This is a new type of lettuce for me this year. I want something small that I can sow under a cucumber trellis. This is a popular type among gardeners so fingers crossed for my garden!
- Compact
- 75 Day Maturity
- Butter/Romaine Cross
Spinach – Olympia
I grew this last year and it thrived well in the container I had it in. I intend on putting it in one of my raised bed gardens by snap peas and pole beans. It’s not a fancy spinach and I appreciate it.
- Basic Spinach that does it all (cooked/fresh eating)*
- 45 Day Maturity
- Slow to Bolt
Cucumber – Poniente
These cucumbers did so well in my garden last year! They are much like the greenhouse cucumbers you get at the grocery store but taste so much better! Unfortunately, vine borers got to my plants last year and I lost the plants prematurely but I got plenty off of the plants before the dreaded wilt.
- Tastes Great – not bitter. My kids love them.*
- 50 Day Maturity
- Uniform size and are so pretty (they make me feel like a pro gardener)
Zucchini – Noche
I am not going to lie – zucchini’s come to my garden to die from vine borer but I am fighting back this year! I’ve read that if you place aluminum foil at the bottom of the stem the vine borer will avoid the plant. 🤞This will be a newbie to my garden this year.
- Uniform size: 7-8”
- 45 Day Maturity (early for zucchinis – hopefully I can beat the vine borers)*
- Long lasting after harvest
Carrot – Napoli
Carrots are one of the most satisfying plants to harvest. Last year, my son and I planted purple sun and short carrots. The purple sun did well but the taste wasn’t to our liking. The short carrots were fun but the amount of time and effort it takes to clean up the carrot is hardly worth the small size. I opted for a medium sized carrot this year.
- 7-8” size*
- 55 Day Maturity (early for carrots)
- Easy to Harvest (stems are strong)
Pole Beans – Emerite or Fortex
It was a rough start for my pole beans last year. Our teepee trellis was delayed in shipment (for weeks) then a critter started snacking on the seedlings. After I was able to deter the critter, the beans grew like crazy and lasted into early fall. Last year I grew Fortex but I will be trying Emerite this year (they have similar characteristics).
- 55 Day Maturity (earlier than others)
- Sweet taste
- Stringless Filet type green bean*
Peas – Super Sugar Snap
As a child, eating peas fresh out of the garden is one of my favorite memories of growing up. My parents would always plant a row and my siblings and I would scour the plants for ripe pods. Yum! I grew this type last year and they were delicious. Hoping for the same this year!
- Thick, stringless pods
- 58 Day Maturity
- High yields*
Broccoli – Emerald Crown
We eat a lot of broccoli in this house. My kids actually like it. I tried growing broccoli last year however, I think I was growing it under poor conditions and the yield was lack luster. This year, broccoli will have a designated spot for optimal growth.
- Compact plant *
- 60-70 Day Maturity
- Popular/Great Tasting
Spring has (almost) sprung!
I am so ready for spring! I am already seeing the tell tale signs of daffodils and tulips poking out of the ground while I walk our dog around the neighborhood. It definitely gets me excited for the next few months to see the gray of the trees, grass, plants turn into bright greens! Including those greens in your own garden! You can start planting cool weather tolerant plants in March and April (or now if you are in a warmer climate). I will plan on planting our lettuce, spinach, peas, and carrots within the next month! The rest of the plants will follow in late May after the threat of frost has passed.
As promised, here are my picks for buying tomato and pepper seedlings:
- Paste Tomato: San Marzano
- Cherry Tomato: Pink Champagne
- Slicing Tomato: Hillbilly
I grew these last year and had bumper crops – almost too much to be honest. But I was able to process them for sauce and diced tomatoes for use later. I threw them in the freezer to use for spaghetti sauce, chili, and other recipes.
Last year, I placed my peppers by my cucumbers and lettuce. They did pretty well. I may try a yellow or red snacking pepper this year. My son loves eating them straight from the garden! My selection for peppers are pretty straightforward:
- Green Bell Pepper
- Snacking Pepper
- Jalapeno Pepper
Your Garden
I really hope I was able to help narrow down your seed selections this year! I know I spent far too much time toiling over what seeds to buy. We’ve included a handy selection guide above! Share your thoughts below on your favorite varieties. Happy Seed Shopping and Good Luck! – Kara
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