Fast growing vegetables are perfect for people who want to harvest food quickly, no matter the reason. Find out which vegetables you can start today and harvest in as little as 25 days!
The world seems to be getting more and more uncertain with every passing day, so taking control of your food supply is a wonderful remedy for the chaos.
If you are looking to start your own garden, this post will be a great resource for you and will help you start harvesting home-grown food within just a few weeks!
Starting Your Garden Beds
Before you can plant your garden, you need to prep the area.
If you have space to start a garden in the ground, you can start by setting up the back to eden gardening method, which builds on top of your existing soil.
This means that even if your soil is terrible, you'll be able to have a fabulous harvest of food!
It's also a no-weeding, no-watering method of growing vegetables (and fruits), so it's very low maintenance and easy to do for beginners.
Or you can build some simple DIY raised garden beds and save your back-strength!
These beds took us about 30 minutes each to build and are a great option for those who rent or live in the city where they can't dig up the entire yard!
NOTE: If you're not in the right season to grow directly in the ground, try setting up a cold frame to get started earlier!
Yes, you can even start gardening with snow on the ground! Get tips for how to successfully garden under a cold frame!
Fast Growing Vegetables for Rapid Food Harvest
This list of fast growing vegetables will help you get food on the table quickly, some in as few as 30 days!
All can be harvested in less than 60 days for a lot of options to help feed your family rapidly!
Leafy Greens: 30-45 Days
Whether you are growing lettuce, kale, Asian greens, or spinach - leafy greens are a great fast growing options!
They prefer cooler weather, so they aren't a summer vegetable.
LETTUCE:
If you want to grow lettuce during the summer you can grow it in a pot in the windowsill indoors.
Also, if you have a lettuce core you will be able to plant that instead of seeds and harvest even faster!
"Cut and come again" lettuce can be picked again and again, instead of harvested in one head, leaving nothing for later.
TIP: Make sure to only harvest up to 30% of the plant (outer leaves) so that the plant will keep growing for more and more lettuce to harvest!
Get Our Favorite "Cut and Come Again" Lettuce Variety Now!
KALE:
Though fully mature kale can take about 60 days to be ready to harvest, baby kale leaves can be picked after about 30 days.
Grow kale from seeds easily and have a very nutrient dense food in just a month!
Get kale seeds and start today!
SPINACH:
Fully mature in just 30-40 days, spinach is a great option for a dark leafy green with a mild taste that the whole family can enjoy!
Get fast growing spinach seeds here.
Garlic Sauteed Spinach is one of our favorite side dishes, served alongside mashed potatoes!
Radishes: 25 Days
Many people don't love the taste of radishes, but at just 25 days to full maturity, radishes are an unbelievably fast growing vegetable!
If you love red radishes, you can grab cherry belle radish seeds and get to planting!
However, if you want a milder flavor, these white radishes might do well for you and your family. Get the white hailstone radish seeds today!
Try this Garlic Roasted Radish recipe for dinner!
Bok Choy: 25-50 Days
From the cabbage family, these fast growing cruciferous vegetable is ready to harvest baby leaves in just 25 days!
You can use it just like "traditional" cabbage in your favorite recipes, or saute young leaves like spinach.
We love using mature bok choy in this Egg Roll Bowl recipe and serving in lettuce leaf bowls!
Grab bok choy seeds and start planting asap!
Small Carrots
Ready to harvest young carrots in just 50-60 days, carrots are a great snacking option and will pair well with the lettuce and bok choy you're already growing!
You can also use the carrot leaves for tea and pesto!
Additionally, unlike some of the other foods on this list, carrots can be canned for later!
Get the small, sweet, fast growing carrot seeds here.
Plant Fruits and Vegetables for the long-term
While you have your fast growing vegetables planted, you also want to plan ahead for the vegetables that take a little bit longer to reach maturity.
These summer and fall produce options will yield product until the first frost! Which in my area is generally after Thanksgiving!
Here are a few vegetables and fruits to consider starting once you have your fast growing vegetables in the ground!
RELATED: Tips for Surviving Your First Large Garden Harvest
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