Planting a Vegetable Garden

The third step in our How to Plant a Vegetable Garden covers the choosing of plants and planting a vegetable garden. With our list of the easiest vegetable plants to grow in your backyard garden and the top varieties to ensure you have a huge harvest this summer.

Pin

Now that you have the perfect garden planned and the site and soil prepared, it is time to move to the fun stuff: picking out your plants and planting them.

There is just one more thing to decide, that being, should you plant a crop from seed, or should you use plugs (seedlings/ transplants)?

Pin

Should I Use Seeds or Transplants When Planting a Vegetable Garden?

There are a few factors to consider when deciding whether to plant from seed or plugs. The first, and probably most important, is the length of your growing season. If you’re in the US, you can determine the length of your growing season by checking this map from the USDA.

Once you have your zone, you can look up a handy planting guide here, at Urban Farmer. Just click your zone, and a graph will appear showing the optimal time to plant various crops.

The third factor to consider is the time it takes a particular crop to reach maturity. If you live in a short-season climate, and you want to grow a long-season crop, you will have to start from transplants.

Pin

Building Structures for Plantings

Before you buy your plants, build any structures that you have included in your garden plan. In our sample design, we have a teepee for our pole beans, a trellis for the cucumbers, and mounds for the zucchini.

So build everything the way you want it. It can be simple and functional or very decorative and functional; that is up to you.

Pin

Now, when you go to the garden center to buy all your plants and seeds, you will have a list of which seeds you need and which you need as transplants.

Buying Seedlings/ Transplants

When buying plants, make sure that the plants are healthy and bug-free. They should be vivid green, not dried out, spotted, or yellowing.

That may indicate the plants have not been well-maintained, and you may inadvertently introduce insects or diseases into your garden!

I do not recommend shopping at “Big Box Stores” for your plants. Go to a local, reputable garden center whose stock looks healthy and well-kept.

Pin

Starting Seeds at Home to Use for Planting a Vegetable Garden

Starting seeds at home is not difficult. An artificial grow light, a sunroom, or a very sunny window is the most important. You need to have enough space under the light as the plants grow.

They will need to be spread out so that the entire plant gets light. Water consistently, but allow to dry between waterings. Start seeds in seed starter trays, or Jiffy 7 pellets, to make it easy.

You can use various other containers and soil mixes. Here is an extensive article from American Meadows.

In the photo above, I have a small room with a large grow light. These plants were started from seed and have already been transplanted into cups.

That photo above was taken around April 7th. The photo below is the same plants, on April 26th. You can see the growth they have put on. I pruned them back twice (see the photo below) and fertilized them with a liquid fertilizer at every watering.

I usually start my seeds about 2 weeks before the recommendations on the seed packet. Only because I like to have big plants and get a jump on the growing season, but I have enough room to accommodate them.

If you do this, they will need to be transplanted into larger containers, once they outgrow the container they are in. They will also most likely need to be pruned back so they don’t get tall and leggy.

I have been recycling plastic cups (with a hole in the bottom for drainage) for many years, and they work well.

Pin

Plants should be “hardened off”, or acclimated to the wind, sun, and rain for at least 10 days, before planting in the ground.

Place small plants in a homemade hotbed (here are instructions from Modern Farmer), or take them in and out of the house, placing them in a protected area at first and then gradually getting them used to full sun and other weather conditions.

Pin

Planting Your Garden

Be sure to have your preparation work done. Set up drip irrigation or overhead irrigation systems prior to planting. Using a timer will make this job much easier to maintain throughout the growing season.

Be sure you have an effective way to control weeds.

Purchase fertilizers when you purchase your plants.

Set your garden up for success from insects and disease by using companion planting. Use annual flowers such as marigolds and nasturtiums to help control certain bugs.

After you have purchased all of your seeds and plants, you are finally ready to plant. Because you did all of the planning and preparation, you know exactly where each variety is going.

Planting Transplants

Most plants want to be planted at approximately the depth they are in the pot. Dig the hole about twice as big as the seedlings’ root ball.

Fill the hole back in with some of the loosened soil. Then place the root ball in the hole and carefully backfill around it. Pack the soil firmly around the sides of the root ball to reduce the chance of excessive settling as it is watered.

Don’t cover up much of the plants’ stems.

There is one exception to the above rule. Tomatoes. All tomatoes benefit from being planted deeply. I usually plant them all the way down to at least the first set of real leaves.

Up to 2/3 of the top growth of the plant can be buried, and the stem will transform into a root. There are several reasons to do this.

Tomato plants tend to be top-heavy and can break under the weight of ripening tomatoes. Planting them deep increases the number of roots to hold the plant up.

This is especially beneficial for arid climates & windy climates, but it is a good practice for every situation.

Here is an extensive article on tomato planting and care, from the Almanac.

Pin

Planting Seeds

It is crucially important to the success of your harvest to read the instructions on the seed packets carefully.

The depth at which the seed is planted is essential for the plant to emerge from the soil. It is also a determining factor in the plant’s ultimate health.

Seeds planted deeper than the specifications suggest risk not emerging from the soil at all.

Seeds planted too shallow may not develop an extensive enough root system to support the plant, or they may dry out and die from lack of moisture.

If the seed packet suggests thinning small plants, do so. If you don’t, individual plants may not have room to grow and reach the optimal size for good fruit/vegetable production.

Easiest Vegetable Crops to Grow in Home Gardens

When planting a vegetable garden, choose varieties best suited to your climate and needs. These are some of my personal favorite varieties. They perform well in my climate and soil type.

My hardiness zone is 6b, and my soil type is silty clay, for reference.

It is best to try a few different varieties, especially when you are finding varieties that work best in your conditions. It also assists some crops with pollination.

Pin

Warm-season and cool-season crops

• Tomatoes
  • Super Sweet 100 Cherry Tomato– indeterminate (plant continues to grow all season, so they can become very tall), Produces until first frost. Huge clusters of fruit. Super sweet. Bacterial disease resistant. Great for snacking, sauces, freezing, and canning. 65 days.
  • Yellow Pear Heirloom Cherry Tomato– indeterminate, produces until first frost. Ultra sweet, prolific bloomer, large crops. Heat-tolerant. Has a tendency to split if not picked just shy of fully ripe, but for me, the flavor made up for this flaw. Great for snacking, salads, sauces, freezing, and canning. 74 days.
  • Black Cherry Tomato– indeterminate, produces until first frost. Ultra sweet. Prolific bloomer. Does best in hot, dry years. Great for snacking, freezing, salads, sauces, and canning. 64 days.
  • Celebrity– determinate (Plants stop growing at a certain height, usually around 4′), but still produces until first frost. Highly resistant to many pests. Early producer. Medium-sized, meaty, great-tasting tomatoes. Large yields. Perfect for slicing, sauces, freezing, and canning. 65 days.
  • Early Girl – indeterminate, produces until first frost. Earliest producer. Disease-resistant. Nice meaty tomato, great flavor. Amazingly heavy producer. Great for slicing, salads, sauces, freezing, and canning. 50 days.
• Sweet Peppers
  • California Wonder – green to red. Heirloom variety. 75 days to harvest. Freezes well.
  • Sweet Banana Pepper – yellow to orange to bright red. Heirloom variety. 72 days to harvest. Great for pickling.
  • Bull Nosed – green to yellow to red. Heirloom variety. Large fruit. 70 days to harvest. Thick-walled, perfect for grilling and stuffing.
  • Gypsy – yellow to orange to red. Perfect for frying, or eating raw.

    Pin

• Hot Peppers, Chilies NOTE*: All hot pepper varieties will be hotter in a hot, dry year/climate than in wetter years.
  • Jalapeño – hot. green to red. 65-80 days to maturity. Very productive. Great for pickling, canning, smoking, and raw.
  • Hungarian Wax – medium heat. yellow to orange to red. 60-85 days to maturity. Great for pickling, canning, and raw.
  • Red Hot Cherry – medium heat. green to red. Huge producer! 80 days to maturity. Great for pickling, canning, and raw.
  • Serrano – very hot. green to red. 75-90 days to maturity. Great for pickling, drying, and raw.
  • Habanero – super hot. yellow to orange. Best in warmer climates. Great for freezing, pickling, canning, and drying.
• Cucumbers – grow on trellises so that they climb
  • Marketmore 76 – slicing, 60 days to harvest.
  • Marketmore 80 – slicing, 70 days to harvest.
  • Salad Bush – slicing, dwarf, bush type, great for containers, 57 days to harvest.
  • Regal – pickling, 52 days to harvest.

    Pin

• Beans
  • Pole Beans
    • Stardust– easy, vigorous growth, 80 days to maturity
    • Kentucky Wonder– heirloom variety, heavy yield, 65 days to maturity.
  • Bush Beans
    • Blue Lake– early producer, most popular. 60 days to maturity.
    • Tenderette– small, tender. 58 days to maturity.
    • Cherokee Wax– yellow bean, tender, small, great flavor. 51 days to maturity.

• Squash
  • Black Magic Zucchini – huge yields, small seed cavity. 50 days.
  • Gold Rush Hybrid Yellow Squash – compact growth, prolific bloomer, huge yields. 45 days.
  • Waltham Butternut – huge yields, sweet and tender 95 days.
  • Honey Bear Acorn – small fruits, disease resistant. 100 days.
• Pumpkins/ Gourds
  • Jack Be Little – small, pumpkin shaped, prolific. 100 days.
  • Calabasa – early sugar or pie, 110 days.
  • Jack O Lantern – bright orange, smooth skin. Perfect for carving, pies, freezing. 110 days.
  • Large and small Mixed Gourds – lovely mixture of gourds for the fall. 80-100 days.
• Peas – cool season
  • Daybreak – freezes well. 54 days
  • Wando – mid season. Withstands some heat. 70 days.
• Spinach – cool season
  • Space – resistant to some species of downy mildew. 45 days
  • Red Cardinal– Red leaf veins and stems. Pretty in mixed green salads. 25-35 days
• Potatoes– cool season
  • Kennebec – heavy producer. Some resistance to diseases and viruses. 80 days
  • Yukon Gold – yellow, early potato. 65 days
  • Red Pontiac – drought-resistant. 80 days
• Kale -cool season
  • Siberian Dwarf – cold and part shade tolerant. Small, perfect for eating raw. 50-65 days
  • Premiere – cold-tolerant. slow to bolt, high yielding. 60 days
• Radishes – cool season
  • Champion – deep scarlet, crunchy, 25 days.
  • Cherry Belle – great crunch, mild flavor, stores well. 21 days.
• Lettuce -cool season
  • Leaf lettuces
    • Black Seeded Simpson – tender, sweet. heirloom variety. 48 days.
    • Green Ice Leaf – tender, ruffled heads. heirloom variety. 45 days.
    • Red Mist – tender, crisp, green with burgundy ruffles. Doesn’t get bitter, even in heat. 40 days.
  • Head lettuces
    • Buttercrunch – heat-tolerant, crunchy. Great for containers. 65 days.
    • Romaine – piquant flavor, compact heads. 70 days.
• Carrots – cool season
  • Imperator 58 Heirloom – old variety that is still a favorite. Straight, orange. 58 days.
  • Kaleidoscope – a mixture of 5 different varieties. Red, orange, yellow, purple and white. 75-80 days
• Mustard
• Swiss Chard
• Beets
• Onions

A few vegetables that I do not recommend to new gardeners are the brassicas, namely, cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower. Although these are some of my personal favorites, they are highly susceptible to various insect and disease pests that can spread to other crops.

It’s best to buy them at your local farm stand.

Perennials to Grow When Planting a Vegetable Garden

Perennial vegetables come up year after year and are best placed in a separate part of the garden that will not be plowed/ rototilled.

• Mary Washington Asparagus- sold in dormant root sections. Harvest after 3-4 years. Require a large space.
• Rhubarb- also planted from root sections, harvestable after the first year.
• Strawberries, suitable for containers. Protect containers over the winter.

Pin

Annuals / Biennial Herbs to Grow in Home Gardens

• Parsley is technically biennial (comes up for 2 years). Best to replant every year.
• Basil, it’s best to grow in pots away from the main garden areas. Seeds profusely and will take over a garden space in a short amount of time, with ample water.
• Dill, again, seeds readily, but not nearly as invasive as basil. Large plants 3′ tall.
• Coriander/ Cilantro, best to sow a supply of seed from April to October (with the exception of late June through early September) to maintain healthy leaf growth. Likes partial shade in the afternoon. About 2′ tall.
• Garlic, easy to grow. Needs good drainage. Plant in August to harvest the following July (in the Northeast US).

Perennial Herbs to Grow In Home Gardens

Grow these in a separate area of the garden that will not be tilled.

• Chives are easy to grow in sun/ partial shade. Readily seeds, but not terribly invasive. Small, compact growth.
• Sage, 18″ to 3′ tall. Place in the back of the herb garden.
• Thyme, species. There are many varieties available. Low-growing/ creeping plants. Grow in front of the garden, with ample room to spread.
• Oregano, there’s a wide selection of varieties available. 12-18″ height. Allow ample room to spread.
• Mint, Best to grow in pots away from main garden areas. Spreads and will take over a garden space in a short amount of time.
• Rosemary – hardy in zones 7-10. Occasionally reported to overwinter in zone 6. Grows well in a sunny window indoors in the winter.

Pin

Delicious Recipes to Make with Your Garden Vegetables on Binky’s Culinary Carnival

• Chipotle Salsa
• How to Can Homemade Salsa
• Strawberry Salsa
• Strawberry jam
• Grilled Brie with Balsamic Strawberries

Summary

Once you plan your garden and prepare the site, it is time for the fun stuff. It’s time to plant your vegetable garden. Determine whether you will start your crops from seeds or from transplants. Build any structures required for growing your crops.

Research which crops will perform best in your area. Plant your garden according to directions on seed packets or plant tags. Choose high-quality plants with no visible signs of stress. Buy good-quality seed.

Tools I Use for Planting A Vegetable Garden

Contains affiliate links; for full disclosure, see FTC Disclosure, here.

• shovel
• hand tools
• wheelbarrow
• tomato cages
• stakes

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I get a small commission if you click the link and purchase something, at no additional cost to you. See FTC Disclosure, here.

Originally published February 20, 2020. Updated August 16, 2026.