If you want to grow your own food in a short time, these fast-growing vegetables are your best bets! Here are 12 different vegetables you can grow in just 60 days, or less.
Pay close attention to the variety suggestions for each veggie. After all, some carrots are ready for harvest in 48 days, while others take as long as 85 days! There can be a big difference in the time to maturity from one variety to another, so these quick-maturing varieties are like gold, when you're looking to grow food for the table in two months or less!
1. Asian Greens
Vegetables that fall under the "Asian Greens" umbrella, are robust and flavorful greens like Chinese Cabbage, and Pac Choi. These grow quickly, and are favorites in everything from stir fry, to kimchi, to braised baby greens. They're a real workhorse crop!
Suggested early varieties of Asian Greens: Tatsoi (45 days), Joi Choi (50 days), Shuko (45 days)
2. Green Beans
Green beans are one of the most important crops for many homesteading families. They're easy to grow, and almost unbelievably productive, making them a great way to grow a lot of food in a limited space. For a quick harvest, look for "bush bean" varieties, rather than "pole beans". Those are great too, but take longer to reach maturity than the shorter bush beans.
Favorite early bush bean varieties: Jade (56 days), Provider (50 days), Royal Burgundy (55 days), Gold Rush (54 days)
3. Beets
Beets are one of those wonderful vegetables that can be eaten entirely - both leaves and roots. Many people enjoy beet greens even more than spinach, and roasted beets are pure heaven. Pressure can them for a delicious taste of summer, all winter long!
Early beet varieties: Chioggia (55 days), Early Wonder (48 days), Kestrel (53 days)
4. Carrots
Contrary to popular opinion, carrots are actually really easy to grow. (These helpful tips will have you growing gorgeous carrots every year!)
They're also one of those vegetables that it seems almost impossible to grow too many of. This is especially true if you have kids who delight in pulling them from the ground, washing them off with the hose, and munching down right there in the garden! Try some of the varieties below, for a good late-season crop.
Fast-maturing carrot varieties: Coral (55 days), Mokum (48 days), Amsterdam #2 (55 days), Yaya (58 days)
5. Cucumbers
Cucumbers are a heat-loving vegetable, so you can't start them first thing in the spring, like you can with carrots or lettuce. But as soon as the weather warms, they'll grow quickly and give you a good harvest.
All of the early varieties below are great, but Ronda is a real favorite. It's productive, and good for just about any purpose, from salads to sandwiches to pickles.
Early cucumber varieties: Socrates (52 days), Ronda (50 days), Lagos (45 days)
6. Chard
Chard is another workhorse vegetable, that deserves a spot in almost any garden. The great thing about chard is that you can start it early, and the same plants will give a generous harvest continually until the ground freezes. It's not sensitive to heat like lettuce, and won't bolt when the weather turns hot, like spinach.
Probably the most universally beloved variety is Bright Lights, which features ultra-vivid colors of pink, yellow, salmon, orange, red, and white. It's an absolute delight to grow.
Early chard varieties: Bright Lights (56 days), Fordhook Giant (50 days)
7. Lettuce
Don't dismiss the humble lettuce, as a valuable fast-growing crop!
Nearly all varieties of lettuce will be ready for harvesting in less than 60 days - some much earlier than that. The varieties below are ones I grow and love, but almost any kind of lettuce will provide a wonderful harvest in a surprisingly short time.
Early Lettuce Varieties: Optima (52 days), Winter Marvel (52 days), Lollo Rosa (58 days), Jadeite (50 days)
8. Peas
Let's lump all types of peas together here, because there are varieties of each that are ready for harvest in 60 days or less. Snap peas, like Sugar Ann and Sugar Snap, are eaten pod and all, when the pod is just beginning to plump out.
Shell peas are the classic little green balls that are a staple of pot pies everywhere.
And snow peas are a productive favorite for salads and stir fry. The whole pod is eaten, while it's flat, rather than plumped-out like a snap pea. Whichever pea suits your fancy, there are fast-growing varieties that will get a crop on your table in no time. Don't forget to freeze the extras for an easy addition to winter meals!
Early shell pea varieties: Strike (52 days), Topps (56 days)
Early snap pea varieties: Sugar Ann (58 days)
Early snow pea varieties: Oregon giant (60 days)
9. Radishes
When you think of vegetables that are quick to grow, probably "Radish!" is the first thing that comes to mind. Famously fast-growing, these tasty little globes are wonderful in salads. They're also delightful when pickled, like this wonderful recipe for Korean Style Pink Radish Pickles.
Early radish varieties: Cherry Belle (25 days), French Breakfast (26 days), White Icicle (30 days)
10. Spinach
Spinach grows best in the cool shoulder seasons of spring and fall, which makes it a great second crop. Getting two crops out of one garden bed is such a wonderful way to double the productivity of your garden space. Try planting spinach in a bed where you've just finished growing snap peas, beets, or radishes.
Recommended early spinach varieties: Bloomsdale (42 days), Oceanside (45 days)
11. Summer Squash & Zucchini
If there were a prize for the one plant that yields the most amount of food in the shortest possible time, zucchini would be a strong candidate. All types of summer squash tend to grow quickly, and are almost notoriously productive. A few plants will be enough to supply you (and your neighbors!) in no time!
Favorite early summer squash: Saffron (42 days), Sunburst (52 days)
Favorite early Zucchini: Black zucchini (50 days), Green machine (45 days), Cocozelle (53 days)
12. Turnips
Like beets, turnips are prized not just for their roots, but also for their leafy green tops. Both parts are delicious, and the fact that you can eat (and store!) both parts of a turnip, makes them a wonderfully efficient addition to any small garden.
Favorite early turnip varieties: Gold Ball (45 days), Purple Top White Globe (50 days)
Anna Chesley is a freelance writer living a homestead lifestyle, with a special love for family travel, old books, vintage skills, and seaside living. In addition to founding Salt In My Coffee, she runs the website, New England Family Life, as well as The 1800's Housewife, a website devoted to re-creating authentic 1800's recipes.
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