20 Easiest Vegetables That Grow Well in Raised Beds

20 Easiest Vegetables To Grow In Raised Beds

Below we have listed the 20 Easiest Vegetables to Grow in Raised Beds and containers and give you tips and tricks to get the most out of your space.

Here are 20 of the Easiest Vegetables you may want to grow in your own raised beds.

2. Carrots

Carrots are simple to grow in a raised bed and are easy to plant. A raised bed’s loose, aerated soil allows them to grow freely, which is especially crucial for root vegetables like carrots.

Raised beds make the perfect spot for growing carrots. The best part about carrots is that they can be planted year-round and can grow in almost any type of soil. They’re a low-maintenance vegetable and require very little attention. 

Carrots are one of the most popular vegetables that are eaten raw, grated into salads, or cooked as part of other dishes. Growing carrots from seed are relatively straightforward, but you should start with seedlings to avoid wasting money on transplants.

2. Tomatoes

Tomatoes are easy to grow and are available in many varieties. The choice of variety depends on the size of your raised bed. Smaller varieties like cherry tomatoes will take up less space, while larger varieties require more room.

Tomatoes are one of the easiest vegetables to grow. In fact, they are almost always easy to grow. You can grow tomatoes in raised beds, containers, bags, or even in your own pots.

You can start from seed or you can also buy tomato plants from a nursery and start them indoors. Space them two feet apart to give them enough growing room. Then once tall enough you can transplant them to your raised bed or container outside

3. Kale

Kale is the ultimate leafy vegetable to grow in your raised beds. When planting, make sure you allow enough room between each plant. Kale also prefers cool weather so you might want to plant your kale in areas where it will get some afternoon shade.

For example, if you want to grow a mix of tomatoes and kale in a raised bed, you could plant the tomatoes closer to the fence than the kale.

This will shield the kale from the sun in the morning hours and the tomatoes will keep the kale from shading out during the afternoon.

If you decide to grow kale from seed, plant the seedlings at least a foot away from each other. Kale is a hearty vegetable that will grow fast and be ready for harvest within 4 to 5 weeks.

If you’re transplanting kale plants use a trowel to dig out the soil and plant them roughly one foot apart from each other

4. Cucumbers

Cucumbers are available in two varieties, bush and vining. Vines are better suited for small spaces as they grow upwards instead of outwards. If you’re growing the vining variety and are growing them in a small space, you’ll probably want to use a trellis.

by using using a trellis, you will have control over the direction your cucumbers grow. Making it easier and more enjoyable to pick off the cucumbers.

5. Spinach

Spinach is easy to grow in any garden, but it does best in cooler weather. In warmer weather, it is susceptible to wilting and fading, so if you want a steady supply of this leafy green, you may want to plant spinach in the spring or fall.

When it is harvested, you can use that space for another crop, such as radishes, and then plant more spinach again in late summer or early fall when the weather begins to cool off again.

Spinach is also an excellent plant that does well being planted near other crops, such as radishes and lettuce.

6. Radishes

Raised beds are great for growing radishes. You can plant radish seeds alongside other garden vegetables or herbs, such as lettuce, spinach, parsley, or broccoli. The radishes will be ready to harvest within 35 to 60 days, while the other plants might take much longer.

Radishes are easy to grow and can be grown in almost any space with a little bit of care. Simply dig a shallow hole where you want the radishes to grow and then sow the seeds. Keep them watered and watch for signs of sprouting.

7. Cucamelons

If you love cucumbers but have a small garden and are short of space, cucamelons could be a great addition to your garden. These little veggies look like watermelons, but they taste like a very sweet, lemony cucumber.

These deliciously tiny veggies grow quickly on small vines, so you’ll want to have a trellis for them to grow on.

Cucamelons don’t require a lot of space to grow, so it’s easy to start them indoors. Starting cucamelons indoors about 6 weeks before your last frost date is a great idea if you plan on moving them outside in containers or raised beds.

This will reduce transplant shock and give them a chance to get big and lush before they’re planted out. If you’re planning on going this route, make sure to use compostable pots!

8. Summer Squash

For those who have a limited garden space, but still want to grow their own vegetables, summer squashes are a great option. Squashes can vary in shape, size, and color. Bush varieties, like bush zucchini, yellow squash, and pattypan, are good choices for small spaces where you want to maximize your harvest.

When planting doesn’t plant them closer together, space between plants will allow for air circulation and help squash grow into healthy, productive plants.

If you have a large raised bed with extra room in your garden then you may try and grow a vining variety using a trellis.

Trellis gardening is an old-fashioned approach to growing vegetables that gives them the best chance to produce large crops with little effort. Squash is easy to grow in raised beds and trellises, but it’s hard to get a large crop out of a pumpkin.

So if you have an extra room, consider trellising squash instead.

9. Lettuce

Lettuce is a cool-weather crop and one of the first vegetables that people think of when they think of a garden. It grows quickly and is easy to maintain. You can plant it close to your other plants and have it produce for you all season long.

Lettuce needs cool weather to grow well. If you have a warm area in your garden, it may not do well.

However, if you have a cool spot in your garden, it can do well. You can also plant lettuce in the middle of other crops as long as you give it some extra care.

To grow lettuce from seed, sprinkle the seeds in a thin line or small block and gently cover them over with soil. When the seedlings have developed and are starting to grow, you can harvest the leaves from every other plant so that you are thinning out the lettuce as it grows.

10. Peas

Peas are a wonderful addition to raised beds because they can start producing in as little as 45 days. Dwarf varieties work best in this situation, as well as allowing the pea vines to trail over the sides of the raised bed.

Direct sow your seeds in the fall or winter while it is still cool. Peas will be one of the first plants you can put in your garden and one of the first to start producing.

You can plant them close together. Harvesting them often will help them produce more peas.

11. Beans

You can grow two different kinds of beans in your raised beds: bush beans and pole beans. When grown as bush beans, they don’t require any trellises, poles, or wires to support their growth.

This is the preferred growing technique for those who want to grow beans as quickly as possible, as it allows the beans to mature and ripen at the same time.

For the best harvest, you’ll want to succession plant your bush beans every two weeks or so throughout the summer. Pole beans, however, do require some kind of support.

Pole beans are typically spaced around one to two feet. They grow best in well-drained soil with plenty of sunshine and can grow up a stake and twine support.

12. Mint

Mint is a great choice for raised beds because it can grow quickly, needs little water, and provides lots of flowers and leaves for the plants you want to grow. Mint has become a popular choice for any outdoor raised bed.

When growing mint at home, make sure to dig out a square foot of dirt, or ideally a bigger area. This will allow you to get a good root system going before planting.

Mint needs a lot of sunlight to grow, so make sure your plants are located near a window. Water mint thoroughly keeps it healthy.

13. Onions

If you want to add some healthy vegetables to your raised bed garden, onions are a great option. Planting them together with your peas and beans will allow you to harvest both at once.

However, onions should not be planted in the same area as your peas and beans due to the fact they may cross-pollinate each other. You can also buy sets of small seedlings to get an early start on the season.

Onions are one of the best natural pest deterrents for some vegetables, so you may want to squeeze them around your kales, broccoli, cabbage, tomatoes, lettuce, and peppers. Since they take up so little space, you can fit more in the spaces between your larger plants.

14. Celery

Celery has long been considered an easy plant to grow in home gardeners’ gardens and is perfect for raised beds. Celery grows best in cool weather, and can be started indoors from seed or transplanted outdoors after all danger of frost has passed.

The only thing you need to make sure you do is to harden off your seedlings before they go outside.

Celery requires plenty of water and compost to grow. To grow a good crop of celery you will need to be able to provide a steady supply of nutrients and water. 

However, It’s important that the Celery roots do not o become soft and soggy. If you do this, your celery plant will eventually die.

15. Peppers

Peppers like warm weather and can be grown together with tomatoes in your raised bed. They’re easy to grow, don’t require much attention, and can be started indoors to grow ahead of the frost.

The only challenge they present is that they can take a while to get going, but once you do they’re worth the wait.

The average pepper plant should be planted 12 to 18 inches apart. If you plan to harvest your pepper crop at a young age, you may want to stake your plants to give them a little extra support.

As your peppers get heavier and heavier, you’ll need to ensure that your pepper plants have plenty of space. You may want to pinch off the flowers as they appear.

16. Beets

Beetroot is another perfect vegetable for growing in raised beds if you have little space.

They are a fast-maturing vegetable and can be ready to eat in as little as 60 days.

Beets should be harvested when they are still small, for a sweeter taste. Beets need to be well watered, without sitting in soggy soil. For a sweeter taste, harvest them when they are still slightly smaller than golf balls.

17. Potatoes

In order to grow your own potatoes, you’ll first need to plant your seed potatoes. Potato plants should yield anywhere from three to five pounds of potatoes, though you may find that your yields are better in areas with warmer climates.

You’ll want to start with your potato bed half full, and plant your seed potatoes three inches deep and one foot apart. You need to add soil or mulch to your raised bed as the potato plants grow.

Potatoes don’t do well alongside cucumbers, squash, turnips, and brassicas. One reason is that they tend to compete with each other for nutrients and water. If you’ve got room for only one raised bed, put your potatoes in their own raised bed.

18. Arugala

Arugula is a leafy green that grows well in a variety of conditions. Arugula likes cool temperatures and is best grown in a raised bed. It is easy to grow and starts easily from seed.

Arugala seeds are small and lightweight, which makes them easy to lose in the planting process. If you plan a small block of space to plant your arugula, make sure the soil is nice and smooth, then sprinkle the seeds evenly across the top of the soil. You should use your hand to gently pat them in, then water very lightly.

If you harvest a bunch of arugula before it has matured, you’ll get a sweeter-tasting green. But if you harvest the same plant after it’s been through its growing season, you might have a bit more of a spicy flavor.

That’s just part of the reason why harvesting arugula can be tricky. The problem is that it’s difficult to know exactly how mature your arugula is until it’s actually been harvested.

19. Swiss Chard

Swiss Chard, like kale, can be started as early as the end of February. You can grow it in containers and raised beds, and even in window boxes. It can tolerate both cold and heat and does best in fertile soil.

It can be harvested at any time from the size of the leaf until it starts to yellow.

20. Zucchini

Zucchini is a warm-season crop, meaning that you can direct seed in the spring and expect a harvest in the summer. You’ll want to plant the seeds a little deeper than usual so they don’t dry out before they germinate. 

Mix lots of aged compost into the soil to keep it aerated and loose. Make sure to plant the seeds about half an inch deep and three to four inches apart. Once your plants are established, you may need to thin them to at least six inches apart.

Ensure your plants are evenly watered to prevent blossom end rot.

If you grow bush varieties in your raised bed garden, you’ll have room to grow more vegetables. Vining varieties can grow up the sides of your bed, making more room for other vegetables.

Vining varieties can also help make a more interesting design in your garden. For example, you can plant cucumbers, melons, and peppers among the tomato vines, or you can plant carrots alongside your herbs.