I don't know about you but patience is not one of our virtues. That's why when we plant a garden we look for the fastest growing vegetables we can find.
After a few years, we decided to compile a list of some the crops with the quickest turnaround time from planting to harvest. We split our list into timelines of 20 to 30 days and 30 to 60 days.
The fastest growing vegetables you can plant
20 to 30 Days until Harvest
These veggies have a super fast turnaround time. You can expect to eat these within a month of planting. ONE MONTH! That's crazy. You may as well install a drive-thru window directly into your garden.
Green onions
Green onions may truly be THE fastest of the fastest growing vegetables. They are great because they are quick to grow AND are so versatile. You can harvest after growing them in between 20 and 30 days of planting.
They have a variety of uses and go great on things like soup, roasts, salads, potatoes. You can also cook them or just eat them raw.
Radishes
Like, green onions, radishes are in the 20 to 30 day range from planting to harvest. You will want to plant Spring Radishes if you are looking for the quickest turnaround time.
You can usually have them fresh in your salad in 3 to 4 weeks. When growing radishes, they love a lot of sunlight and a lot of moisture.
30 to 60 Days until Harvest
This next group of vegetables take a little bit longer but are still pretty quick. You can expect a harvest time of about a month or two.
Kale
Growing kale is maybe one of the healthiest crops you can grow. You can expect a yield anywhere from 30 to 65 days with the White Russian variety. They have a sweet flavor which makes them perfect for salads and as a base for your smoothies.
You can directly sow them into your garden. They also prefer wet soil and partial sunlight.
Arugula
Another leafy type of veggie for your garden. Growing Arugula is different than other types of leafy crops. They have a more peppery flavor which makes them perfect for an extra oomph in your salad or on a sandwich. You can also eat their flowers as an extra snack.
They are ready to harvest in 35 - 50 days. Cool weather is not a problem for them. In fact, they will thrive without a lot of heat. Make sure the have access to partial sunlight and you're good to go.
Lettuce
You'll notice, many leafy variety plants are some of the fastest growing vegetables you can plant. Growing Romaine lettuce is probably one of our favorite types of lettuce. You can grow it in as little as 28 days, but no more than 58. It's sweet taste is what give Caesar salads their signature flavor.
Romaine lettuce is also super resistant to heat and some mildews that can harm your garden. They like partial sunlight but can handle full sun.
Cucumbers
If you love pickles, you have to try growing cucumbers. Watching them climb a trellis is really exciting. They will mature in about 56 days but will regenerate as you pick them throughout the season.
Again, they make great pickles but are also perfect for your salads and sandwiches. They are also resilient to mildew and appreciate full exposure to the sun.
Green Beans
We prefer blue lake bush beans when we grow green beans. You can plant them throughout the season and almost always have a full harvest basket when you go inside.
These bush beans also have a really fast maturity time. You can go from plant to harvest in just under 60 days.
Baby Carrots
So, the baby carrots that we are all used to seeing in the store don't typically grow in the way we see them. A lot of times they are just large carrots cut down to a smaller size. If you want to grow baby carrots, there a few different methods.
The first method, is to harvest full size carrots early; in the 50 to 60 day range. They will be small in size and will serve the purpose of baby carrot for your snacking needs.
The second method is to plant miniature varieties of carrots. Some of the more popular strains are mega mini carrots, broccoli carrots, little divas, and turnip carrots.
Yellow Squash
Here at the MrAnimal Farm we love growing yellow squash. In particular, the straightneck variety. They plants are big and lush. The blossoms are beautiful, in their own right. And you can harvest them as quickly as 42 to 56 days.
They are pretty sensitive to frost so you will plant them accordingly. But, they really like warm soil and you can grow a ton and you can freeze yellow squash that you don't use to eat in the off season. Interesting fact, that yellow squash are actually fruits.
Peas
We promise, these are fast growing peas and not a protest song from the 60's. Progress #9 peas will be on your table for dinner in 58 to 65 days. Sure 65 is technically over the 60 day criteria we set, but they are just too sweet to leave off.
Growing these peas will produce early and will give you high yield all through the season. They love sunlight so you don't have to worry about shade. And they will support themselves so you don't even have to stake them.
Beets
Skip your trip to Schrute Farms and grow your own beets in your own garden. Aside from their gorgeous deep red and violet color, these beets are high in folic acid.
The Bull's Blood variety of beets will mature in 35 to 60 days. Make sure they have full sunlight.
Zucchini
It is well documented that we can not get enough out of growing zucchini on our farm. We especially love the black beauty strain of zucchini. A full plant will grow and mature in 50 to 60 days.
Black beauty zucchini has a wide variety of uses. You can make zucchini bread, zucchini noodles, zucchini nachos, zucchini lasagna, and a whole host of other zucchini based recipes. You can even eat the blossoms from the male plants in your salad. And, if you grow too much, you can freeze zucchini for the off season.
Spinach
Wanna grow up strong like Popeye? While our childhood forearms never quite got to those proportions (in retrospect, that's a good thing) we do still love our spinach.
The verdil type of growing spinach will mature in 50 days. They are an excellent over winter or early sping crop. They are very hardy in cold weather and are resistant to bolt. Once you harvest you can use them in salads, steaming, or a number of other great dishes.
Turnips
Turnips seem to get a bad rep as being a bad tasting vegetable. We are not sure who is running the anti turnip agenda, but we want to put a stop to it.
Try out growing turnips yourself. They will mature in 45 to 65 days, so it isn't a huge time investment. The purple top variety is beautiful. They are purple above ground and white underground. You will produce a large turnip but it will also stay sweet and tender. Trust us, you will not be disappointed.
Turnips are easy to freeze so you can grow a crop that will last you for the whole year if you want even.
What are some of your favorite fastest growing vegetables? Let us know in the comments below.
