Quickest Growing Vegetables – From Seed To Table In Under 60 Days

ByRimon Chowdhury Updated on

Ever feel that surge of excitement when you plant a seed, followed by the slow, creeping impatience of waiting for it to grow? You’re not alone! We gardeners pour our hearts into the soil, and while patience is a virtue, sometimes you just want to see—and taste—the fruits of your labor without waiting all season.

What if I told you that you could have a delicious, homegrown harvest in just a few weeks? It’s not a dream. It’s the magic of planting the quickest growing vegetables.

In this complete guide, I promise to walk you through everything you need for a rapid harvest. We’ll explore the best speedy vegetables to plant, share pro tips to accelerate their growth, and even troubleshoot common issues. Get ready to transform your garden into a fast-track to fresh, delicious food.

Why Choose Fast-Growing Veggies? The Surprising Benefits

Beyond satisfying our need for speed, there are some incredible advantages to dedicating a patch of your garden to fast-maturing crops. Understanding the benefits of quickest growing vegetables can change the way you plan your entire gardening season.

Here’s why you should make room for them:

  • Instant Gratification for Beginners: There’s nothing more encouraging for a new gardener than a quick success story. A fast harvest builds confidence and keeps you motivated to continue your gardening journey.
  • Perfect for Small Spaces: Many rapid growers are compact, making them ideal for containers, raised beds, and balcony gardens. You don’t need a huge plot of land to enjoy a bountiful harvest.
  • Succession Planting Power: This is a game-changer! Once you harvest a quick crop, you can immediately plant another. This allows you to get two, three, or even four harvests from the same spot in a single season, maximizing your garden’s output.
  • Filling Garden Gaps: Have an empty spot where your early spring peas finished up? Plant some fast-growing radishes or arugula to fill the space before your main summer crops take over.
  • Great for Kids: Children have short attention spans. Planting vegetables that sprout and mature quickly keeps them engaged and excited about where their food comes from. Radishes are a classic for a reason!

Our Top 15 Quickest Growing Vegetables for Your Garden

Ready to get planting? This is the ultimate quickest growing vegetables guide to get you started. I’ve broken down my favorites by type, complete with their average time from seed to table. Remember, these times can vary slightly based on your climate and growing conditions!

Leafy Greens: The Speed Champions

These are the undisputed kings and queens of the fast-growing world. Most are cool-weather lovers, perfect for spring and fall planting.

  1. Arugula (20-40 days): With its peppery kick, arugula is fantastic in salads and on pizzas. You can start harvesting baby leaves in just three weeks!
  2. Spinach (30-45 days): A nutritional powerhouse. Choose a “bolt-resistant” variety for a longer harvest window. Like arugula, baby leaves are ready extra early.
  3. Lettuce – Loose-leaf varieties (30-50 days): Forget head lettuces like iceberg. Varieties like ‘Black Seed Simpson’ or ‘Oakleaf’ allow you to harvest outer leaves as they grow, so you have a continuous supply.
  4. Kale (30-60 days): While full-sized kale takes a bit longer, you can harvest tender “baby kale” leaves in just one month. They are perfect for smoothies and salads.

Root Vegetables: Surprisingly Swift

Growing food underground might seem like a slow process, but these root veggies defy expectations. The key is loose, well-draining soil.

  1. Radishes (21-30 days): The absolute speed demon of the garden! Varieties like ‘Cherry Belle’ or ‘French Breakfast’ can be ready in just three weeks. Don’t let them get too big, or they can become woody.
  2. Baby Carrots (50-60 days): While full-sized carrots take their time, smaller, round, or “baby” varieties like ‘Paris Market’ mature much faster. They are incredibly sweet and perfect for snacking.
  3. Turnips (40-60 days): Often overlooked, but varieties like ‘Purple Top White Globe’ grow quickly. Bonus: you can eat both the root and the delicious, nutrient-packed greens!
READ MORE  Best Height To Cut Grass To Prevent Weeds - Your Natural Lawn Defense

Fruiting Vegetables & Legumes: Quick Wins

Get ready for some of the most popular garden staples, ready in a flash.

  1. Bush Beans (45-60 days): Unlike their pole bean cousins that need trellising, bush beans grow in a compact form and produce a large crop all at once. Perfect for a big harvest dinner.
  2. Peas (50-65 days): Especially sugar snap and snow pea varieties. They love cool weather and give you a sweet, crunchy snack right off the vine.
  3. Summer Squash / Zucchini (40-60 days): Once these plants start producing, they don’t stop! Plant just one or two unless you plan on sharing with the entire neighborhood. Seriously.
  4. Cucumbers – Bush varieties (50-60 days): Look for “bush” or “patio” varieties. They produce slightly smaller fruits but do so quickly and in a compact space.

Herbs & Alliums: The Fastest Finishers

No meal is complete without them, and thankfully, they are incredibly fast and easy to grow.

  1. Green Onions / Scallions (20-30 days): You can grow these from seed or, for an even faster trick, plant the white root ends from store-bought scallions in soil or water!
  2. Cilantro (40-50 days): A must-have for salsa and tacos. Cilantro grows best in cooler weather, as it tends to “bolt” (go to flower) in the summer heat.
  3. Basil (50-60 days): The scent of summer! Pinch the tops frequently to encourage bushier growth and prevent it from flowering.
  4. Dill (40-55 days): Perfect for pickles, fish, and salads. Like cilantro, it prefers cooler temperatures for best leaf production.

How to Grow the Quickest Growing Vegetables: Best Practices for a Speedy Harvest

Just choosing the right seeds isn’t enough. To truly get the fastest results, you need to provide the perfect environment. This is how to quickest growing vegetables with confidence. Following these best practices will shave precious days off your harvest time.

Start with Great Soil

Think of soil as the engine for your plants. Fast-growing vegetables are heavy feeders; they need a lot of energy, fast! Before planting, amend your soil with 2-3 inches of high-quality compost. This provides essential nutrients and improves drainage, which is crucial for root vegetables like radishes.

Choose the Right Varieties

This is one of my favorite quickest growing vegetables tips. When you’re browsing seed packets, look for key descriptions like “early,” “fast-maturing,” or “days to harvest.” A ‘Early Wonder’ beet will be ready weeks before a standard ‘Detroit Dark Red’. This small detail makes a huge difference.

Give Them Plenty of Sun and Water

Most vegetables need at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day to thrive. Less sun means slower growth—it’s that simple. Consistent watering is also non-negotiable. Stressed plants grow slowly. Check the soil daily; if the top inch is dry, it’s time to water deeply at the base of the plant.

Succession Planting: The Secret to a Continuous Harvest

Don’t plant all your radish seeds at once! Instead, sow a small row every 1-2 weeks. Just as you’re finishing your first harvest, the next batch will be ready to pull. This simple technique ensures you have a steady supply all season long instead of a giant glut all at once.

Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Gardening for Fast Crops

Growing quickly doesn’t mean you have to compromise on your values. You can easily create a system for sustainable quickest growing vegetables that is good for you and the planet.

Embrace Composting

Composting is the heart of eco-friendly quickest growing vegetables. Instead of buying synthetic fertilizers, you can create your own “black gold” from kitchen scraps and yard waste. It enriches your soil, reduces landfill waste, and feeds your plants naturally.

Natural Pest Control

Avoid chemical pesticides. Instead, invite beneficial insects like ladybugs into your garden by planting flowers like marigolds and cosmos nearby. For pests like aphids on your leafy greens, a simple spray of soapy water is often all you need. A healthy garden is your best defense.

Water Wisely

Use a soaker hose or drip irrigation to deliver water directly to the plant’s roots. This minimizes evaporation and reduces the risk of fungal diseases on leaves. Watering deeply but less frequently encourages strong, deep root systems.

Troubleshooting: Common Problems with Quickest Growing Vegetables (and How to Fix Them!)

Even with speedy plants, you might run into a few bumps. Don’t worry! Here are some solutions to the most common problems with quickest growing vegetables.

READ MORE  Full Sun Purple Flowers - A Gardener'S Guide To Radiant, Resilient

Problem: Leggy Seedlings

The Issue: Your seedlings are long, pale, and floppy.

The Cause & Fix: This is almost always due to a lack of light. They are stretching to find the sun. If you’re starting seeds indoors, make sure your grow light is just a couple of inches above the seedlings. If they’re already outside, they may be shaded by another plant. Move them to a sunnier spot!

Problem: Pests on Leafy Greens

The Issue: You see tiny holes in your spinach or lettuce leaves.

The Cause & Fix: Flea beetles or slugs are likely culprits. For flea beetles, a lightweight row cover placed over the plants when they are young is the best prevention. For slugs, go out at dusk and hand-pick them off, or set beer traps (a shallow dish of beer) which they’ll crawl into.

Problem: Bolting (Going to Seed Too Early)

The Issue: Your spinach, lettuce, or cilantro suddenly sends up a tall flower stalk, and the leaves turn bitter.

The Cause & Fix: This is a stress response, usually caused by heat. Plant these cool-weather crops in early spring or fall. Provide afternoon shade during unexpected heat waves, and keep the soil consistently moist. Once a plant bolts, it’s best to pull it and replant.

Frequently Asked Questions About Quickest Growing Vegetables

What is the absolute fastest vegetable to grow from seed?

Hands down, it’s the radish. Certain varieties can go from seed to harvest in as little as 21-25 days under ideal conditions. They are the perfect crop for getting a quick and satisfying gardening win.

Can I grow these quick vegetables in containers?

Absolutely! Most of the vegetables on this list are fantastic for container gardening. Leafy greens, bush beans, radishes, and herbs are particularly well-suited. Just be sure to use a quality potting mix and a container with good drainage holes.

How do I know when to harvest for the best flavor?

For most fast-growing veggies, harvesting them young and tender is key. For leafy greens, you can use the “cut and come again” method by snipping outer leaves. For root vegetables like radishes, pull one up to check its size. If it looks good, the rest are likely ready too. Don’t let them get too large, as they can lose their flavor and texture.

Do I need to fertilize these fast-growing plants?

If you started with rich, compost-amended soil, you may not need any additional fertilizer. These plants have a short lifespan and get most of what they need from that initial boost. If your plants look pale or are growing slowly, a quick feed with a balanced liquid organic fertilizer, like fish emulsion, can give them the push they need.

Your Fast-Track Garden Awaits!

There you have it—your complete quickest growing vegetables care guide. From choosing the right seeds to harvesting your bounty in record time, you now have the knowledge to make it happen.

Gardening doesn’t have to be a slow-motion hobby. By incorporating these speedy crops, you can enjoy fresh, homegrown food almost immediately, boosting your confidence and keeping your garden productive all season long.

So pick a few favorites from the list, grab your seeds, and get planting. Your delicious, near-instant harvest is just a few weeks away. Happy gardening!

Rimon Chowdhury
Latest posts by Rimon Chowdhury (see all)

Similar Posts