12+ of the Fastest Growing Crops for Your Vegetable Garden

Sometimes, there’s no time for patience. These fast growing vegetables are perfect additions to the garden when you’re afraid spring planting season has passed you by. Knowing the best plants to choose can mean the difference between having time to harvest before the season ends – and not.

Many of these vegetable plants that grow fast work well in container gardens, too!

heirloom tomatoes in a wooden box


 

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Maybe spring passed you by in a whirlwind and you find yourself gazing at a vegetable garden space that’s bereft of an actual garden. Or perhaps you had an unsuccessful gardening start due to poor weather or spotty germination. Don’t give up now – there’s still time to plant if you choose from this collection of  fast growing vegetables. 

Plenty of crops mature in a two-to-three month time frame, giving you a chance to plant and harvest vegetables before frost hits. Sowing vegetables that are quick to the finish is the solution to generating a harvest when life gets in the way.

If you have a longer growing season you’ll have even more leeway; in the past, I’ve planted tomatoes in early July and harvested a decent crop in September and October.

Vegetable Plants that Grow Fast

The crops listed here are some of the fastest growing vegetables you can plant in your garden. Here’s what to look for when determining if a particular vegetable will work with your time frame. 

Days to maturity: This information is listed on the back of most seed packets and allows you to see just how long it will take a plant to go from seed to harvest. This is usually listed as a range (nothing is set in stone when it comes to gardening!) and is an average. Conditions in your garden — such as temperature and moisture — will play a part in just how long it takes a crop to reach maturity.

Variety: There are numerous varieties within each vegetable crop. Tomatoes, for instance, come in an assortment of colors, they can be paste tomatoes, slicing tomatoes, or cherry tomatoes. (Spoiler: Cherry tomatoes will reach maturity faster than slicing tomatoes.)

Take a shortcut: Lots of crops can go from seed to harvest in about 60 days. If you really want to hurry the harvest, consider picking up seedlings at the local nursery. This will allow you to harvest some vegetables even sooner. 

arugula growing in a white planter, scissors nearby

Arugula

The narrow, spicy blades of arugula — also known as rocket — are another one of the fastest growing vegetables you can plant. Sow these leafy greens thickly in the ground or in a container and snip off what you need to add extra flavor to your salads. We like to add it to pizza hot out of the oven.

>>More on growing arugula<<

dark green basil leaves

Basil

While not technically a vegetable, this delicious herb grows quickly and you’ll be able to harvest fresh leaves in no time. Once basil plants reach 6-8″ high, you can start harvesting leaves for adding to soups, sandwiches, and Italian dishes. A half-dozen basil plants will net enough leaves to make and freeze pesto to keep you in green goodness throughout the winter.

Choosing the fastest growing vegetables for your garden means that even if you’re starting late, you can still harvest a crop this year!

>>More on growing basil<<

colorful beets: red, orange, and white

Beets

Plant beets now and you’ll be ready to make fermented beet kraut in just a couple of months. Bonus: thinning your row of beets after they sprout nets baby beet greens even sooner. Beets come in the familiar vivid red color, but there are also yellow and white varieties to consider.

>More on growing beets <<

Bok Choy plant in soil.Bok Choy

This Chinese cabbage has dark green leaves and big white ribs. It’s commonly used in kimchi, but great added to stir fries, too. Plant it now and you’ll be harvesting this fast growing vegetable in 30 days. You can begin harvesting the outer leaves as soon as  they mature. Bok choy is commonly used in kimchi, but great added to stir fries. It can even be used raw as an addition to salad greens.

>>More on growing bok choy <<

Cucumbers

Some cucumber varieties will start producing in just two months. Cucumbers are common to find in many backyard gardens across the country, and it’s easy to see why. Cucumbers are fairly easy to grow – all you need is a warm environment plenty of moisture, and lots of sunlight.

>> More on growing cucumbers <<

 

yellow, purple, and green beans on a plate

Green Beans

These legumes love the heat of summer and some varieties are ready in just 6 weeks. This means that you can sow seeds well into the summer months and still get a harvest. If you don’t have a trellis for climbing beans, plant bush beans. They stay compact and can even be grown in large containers.

>More on growing green beans <<

Green Onions

Mildly flavored green onions are not necessarily a particular variety of onion, but rather the result of when they’re harvested.

Any type of onion can be harvested when they’re young and used as green onions. Plant onions from seed or simply stick the cut off roots from your latest bunch of green onions in the ground. In a month or so you’ll be able to snip off what you need.

> More on growing green onions <<

buckwheat and kale growing in a garden

Kale planted with flowering buckwheat.

Kale

Kale is a member of the brassica family alongside other vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, and collard greens. There are numerous types of kale and many named varieties. Some have relatively flat leaves, others are very crinkled. The plants are handsome during their prime, making them a good addition to a front yard garden.

The plants grow quickly and individual leaves are often ready to harvest in a month or so.

>> More on growing kale <<

green lettuce with purple highlights, growing in a shade garden

Lettuce and Salad Greens

Opt for leaf lettuce varieties and you can start harvesting in about a month, and continue doing so for weeks. Grow it in containers filled with a good potting soil to keep the slugs at bay.

>> More on growing lettuce <<

red radishes with greens in a stack: one of the fastest growing vegetables you can put in your garden

Radishes

These spicy roots are one of the fastest growing vegetables and ready for the table in just 30 days. When it comes to a harvest-in-a-hurry, radishes win hands down. The edible roots come in a multitude of varieties, including some that are a brilliant pink inside. They’re a cool season crop, so perfect for fall planting, too.

>>More on growing radishes <<

curly leaved spinachSpinach

As soon as a spinach plant’s rosette has half-dozen leaves or so, you can begin harvesting. Use this technique to allow the spinach to keep growing so you can harvest continually.

>> More on growing spinach <<

zucchini squash plant

Summer squash

Yes, you still have time to send your neighbors into hiding with unending gifts of squash from your little vegetable garden. Crookneck, scallop, and these cute little Ronde De Nice squash all start producing in 50 days.

green swiss chard leaves in a wooden bowl

Swiss Chard

This is one of those great vegetable garden gifts that keeps on giving. Plant now and in 60 days you’ll have big stems that you can cut as you need them. Earlier than that, you’ll be able to snip off some of the green leaves.

>>More on growing Swiss chard<<

yellow, red, and green heirloom tomatoes

Tomatoes

Yes, tomatoes are even a possibility at this stage if you opt for cherry tomatoes. Some quick growing cherry tomatoes ripen in just more than two months time. With any luck, you’ll have a chance to taste some of those tangy sweet fruits before winter sets in.

And don’t discount larger varieties or Roma tomatoes, though it’s unlikely that you’ll harvest many ripe tomatoes in a short window of time. Even if you’re too late for a crop of lush, ripe tomatoes, green tomatoes are the basis for some good stuff, including my family’s favorite, chow chow.

green beans in a burlap sack with radishes growing in the ground.

Originally published in June 2016, this post has been updated.

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About the author: Kris Bordessa is an award-winning National Geographic author and a certified Master Food Preserver. Read more about Kris and how she got started with this site here. If you want to send Kris a quick message, you can get in touch here.

18 comments… add one
  • Laurie Jan 27, 2021 @ 9:06

    How do you know when to harvest Red Giant Mustard Cabbage? They grew very large leaves looking like a very large romaine. I didn’t think they would grow so well and now I don’t know how I should eat or cook them, any suggestions and advice? Also, when to harvest long purple eggplant and baby bok choy?
    Thank you

    • Kris Bordessa Mar 11, 2021 @ 8:23

      Greens can be harvested young without any ill effects. I imagine they’ll be more tender when they’re young?

  • Cynthia Jul 16, 2020 @ 15:13

    I loved your article! I just had a conversation with my sister yesterday and I was exclaiming over the Trail of tears black beans I finally cooked and ate from last year. So good! I was bemoaning that there was no way I planted enough of them this year, and my sister said, why not throw them in the ground now? I may get lucky and get a harvest! So, I will, figuring I will tuck them anywhere they have something to climb on. Thanks for the encouragement!

    • Kris Bordessa Jul 18, 2020 @ 14:16

      I hope you get a bonus harvest!

  • Lynda Johnson Jul 16, 2020 @ 3:56

    Last summer I bought 2-24″x24″ plastic pots on a closeout without any idea what I would use them for. I live in central WA state in the high desert. I love my salad garden in early spring, but no luck in the hot, dry summer, so this year I planted it in the big planters. A Tiny Tom grape tomato in the center (and like spokes on a wheel) 4 kinds of leaf lettuce, pak choi, and spinach, in one, arugala, Greek and Genovese Basil in the other. They sit under my patio cover so they catch the early morning sun and are shaded for the rest of the day. Fresh Salad everyday.

  • Abram dodo Jul 16, 2020 @ 3:01

    I’m Starting a new Garden Please Assist with the layout and tips to make it successful

  • Carol Jun 2, 2020 @ 15:45

    I am so excited for all the veggies to be ready. I may add radishes now that I know they grow fast, I thought it was too late. Thanks for the tip

  • Laurene cook Jun 2, 2017 @ 3:30

    This information is very nice, but I live in Florida and our growing seasons are different. It would be nice if you could put info in there for us in the south

  • merr Jul 12, 2013 @ 4:41

    Like Sheryl, I, too, did not realize you could actually plant later and still have a nice yield.

  • Laura Jul 11, 2013 @ 4:13

    You’re giving me hope. This year’s garden has been a wash so far. Seedlings carried away by weeks of heavy rain, plants eaten by deer and rabbits, some rows have only one surviving vegetable plant. A lone broccoli looks mighty sad. I’ll keep replanting, although last night’s tornado watch and flash flood warnings were pretty discouraging…

  • Donna Hull Jul 10, 2013 @ 16:39

    I don’t have a garden but just up the road a farmer from me, a farmer has an unmanned produce stand. The veggies are in coolers with prices already marked. I put the money in the slot of the money box and take the veggies I paid for. Tonight we had a salad of fresh from-the-farm swiss chard, kale and lettuce that tasted so much better than grocery store greens.

  • Vera Marie Badertscher Jul 10, 2013 @ 12:06

    Love your pictures, but I can only dream of planting these things in southern Arizona right now. Our farmer’s market carries totally different produce than more temperate climes. However, you can envy us in the winter when we can grow lettuce and tomatoes outside all winter.

  • Alexandra Jul 10, 2013 @ 10:31

    I bought what I thought was climbing beans at the market, put up the metal climbing structure and waited. They don’t climb! So, encouraged by your post, I will now plant seeds in between the non-climbing variety.

    • Kris Bordessa Jul 11, 2013 @ 8:55

      That’s they way – outsmart the garden. 😉

  • Sheryl Jul 10, 2013 @ 8:12

    I had no idea things could sprout up and grow so fast! I so wish I had my own vegetable garden. My dad grew one when I was growing up and it was always so special to be able to pick our salads and other veggies right from the garden.

    • Kris Bordessa Jul 11, 2013 @ 8:55

      Do you have room for a simple container garden, Sheryl? Even a pot on a balcony will net salad for a couple of months!

  • Sonia (foodiesleuth) Jul 9, 2013 @ 7:48

    We planted and are enjoying French Breakfast radishes and bumper crop of tomatoes from just one ‘super tomato plant’! The ‘currant’ tomatoes are just beginning to show up – not sure why they took so long to start producing…The spinach and lettuce did great and its over with for now…letting some bolt to get our own seeds. We have eggplant almost ready to harvest and the green beans are just beginning to show up…I love our garden!

    • Kris Bordessa Jul 11, 2013 @ 8:54

      Sonia, is “Super Tomato Plant” the variety? I’d be curious to know what you’re growing to get a bumper crop!

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