5 Essential Crops Every Gardener Should Grow

Published: July 13, 2024
Written by: Benedict Vanheems

When it comes to gardening, choosing the best crops to grow can feel as daunting as naming your favorite song—or even your favorite child! After much deliberation, I’ve crafted a shortlist of five essential crops that blend abundance, effort-value ratio, and versatility in the kitchen. Let’s dive in!


1. Beautiful Beans

Beans are a staple for every gardener, offering varieties for both winter and summer. Fava beans, for example, can be sown in late autumn to overwinter and provide the season’s earliest harvest. Start them in plug trays or pots to protect them from cold snaps and pests, then plant them out in late winter. Add string supports in spring, and you’re set for a low-maintenance crop.

Come late spring, warm-season pole beans and bush beans steal the show. Sow them directly in the ground or start in trays for transplanting. Ensure consistent watering, provide sturdy supports, and harvest regularly to encourage continuous production. If beans drop prematurely, it’s likely due to insufficient watering, so soak the soil thoroughly and apply organic mulch to retain moisture.

Bush beans, sown until midsummer, are perfect for filling gaps left by early crops like carrots or salads. They’re fast-growing and require minimal support, making them ideal for time-strapped gardeners.


2. Super Simple Potatoes

Potatoes are incredibly easy to grow and reward you with unmatched flavor. Start by sprouting seed potatoes, then plant them in rich soil from early spring. Early varieties, like salad potatoes, deliver buttery, flavorful results perfect for summer meals.

Protect young shoots from frost and water consistently to swell tubers. For storage, harvest on a dry day to let potatoes cure in the air. Potatoes also thrive in large containers, an excellent option for small gardens. The taste of homegrown potatoes makes them a must-have despite their affordability at stores.


3. Essential Onions

Few recipes begin without onions, making them indispensable. Onions store well, resist pests like slugs, and offer effortless growth. Grow them from autumn-planted sets for an earlier harvest or from multi-sown seeds for cost efficiency.

Scatter onion seeds in plug trays during winter, thinning seedlings to clusters of 4–6 before transplanting. Water consistently in early summer for optimal bulb growth. Cure harvested onions in a warm, dry space before storing.

Salad onions (green onions) are another versatile option. For a sustainable twist, replant the bottoms of bulb onions to grow new shoots, giving you a bonus harvest from kitchen scraps.


4. Charming Chard

Chard, with its vibrant stems and hardy nature, is a gardener’s delight. Sow seeds in spring or summer for quick growth and an extended harvest season. Each seed is a capsule that may produce multiple seedlings; separate them or grow them together—it’s your choice.

Plant chard in well-drained, compost-enriched soil, spacing seedlings about a foot apart. Regular watering ensures steady leaf production. Chard thrives into winter and rebounds in early spring, providing a near year-round harvest. For severe winters, use protective covers to shield the plants.


5. Zesty Zucchini

Taking the top spot is zucchini, thanks to its prolific nature and culinary versatility. Zucchini grows quickly, maturing in as little as two months, making it a go-to crop even late in the season.

Sow seeds in pots of potting mix, planting them out once roots fill the pots. Zucchini thrives in nutrient-rich soil, so use plenty of compost or manure. Keep plants well-watered to support their rapid growth. Harvest fruits while small for the best flavor and to avoid overwhelming yields.

Experiment with varieties, from golden-yellow zucchinis to ribbed, striped ones that add visual flair to dishes. Even zucchini flowers are a treat, perfect for stuffing and frying.


These five crops offer a mix of reliability, ease of growth, and exceptional flavors that make gardening rewarding. Which crops top your list? Share your favorites in the comments below!

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