Many gardeners have recently asked us about plants growing above ground that are easy-to-grow.
We immediately asked our garden experts to find out. Some of the best plants include:
- Cucumbers
- Lettuce
- Tomatoes
Melanie Musson from ExpertInsuranceReviews.com
Asparagus
Once your asparagus is established, it will require very little care. You’ll just need to pick from it every other day in the early season to twice a day in the peak season to ensure a continuous harvest.
To get started, you’ll need to dig a 6 to 8-inch trench into your soil. Nutrient-rich soil should be dug 86 inches, and sandy soil should be dug 8 inches.
Plant 1-year asparagus crowns 12 inches apart in the trench and cover with 12 inches of soil. Continue to add more soil as the asparagus grows until you have a slight mound.
Beginning the third year, you can start harvesting. Limit the harvest to 4 weeks during year 3 and 8 weeks during year 4. After that, you can harvest as long as you wish.
Water your asparagus plants often during the first few years while its root system establishes. Thanks to its deep roots, you won’t have to water except during droughts once its roots have grown sufficiently.
Broccoli
You can sow broccoli seeds directly into the soil during the summer for a fall harvest. If you want an early harvest, you’ll need to start your seedlings indoors and transplant them outside after the risk of frost has passed.
Plants should be 1 to 2 feet apart. They prefer compost and rich soil and thrive in slightly acidic conditions. They need frequent watering.
After you harvest the main broccoli head, the plant will continue to produce smaller shoots of broccoli which can also be harvested. Just don’t let the heads bloom. If you do, you won’t be able to eat them.
Colin Barker from FilterSmart
Cucumbers
They grow in the form of veins, and support is required to develop ultimately and thrive in hot weather with moist soil.
All you need to do is make sure your soil is nutritious, sow the seeds, and water it so the soil remains at optimum temperature for its growth. You don’t require any expert guidance here.
Barbi from The Outdoor Apothecary
Eggplant
Growing eggplant is a must if you’re into summer grilling. They’re just so delicious! As far as growing eggplant, they’re very easy and versatile.
Not only do they grow well in traditional in-ground gardens, but they also do well in containers, in border plantings, and raised beds.
They love warm weather, full sun locations, and soil enriched with aged compost or other rich organic matter. Be sure to keep plants watered.
They enjoy an excellent, steady supply of moisture but not so much that the soil is soggy. Drip systems or a soaker hose are ideal, but if this is not possible, just be sure to water often during dry spells and super hot days.
Zucchini Squash
Zucchini is also very versatile and can be used in everything from savory dishes to desserts. It is also effortless to grow and can produce squash that can seemingly double in size overnight if left unchecked.
I’ve grown zucchini the size of clubs without meaning to by simply being neglectful of checking the garden for just a day. To grow plants 5 seeds in a large mound of well-drained enriched soil. Water frequently, and wait.
They will sprout quickly and start producing vegetables sooner than many other summer vegetables. Space each mound a few feet apart. You’d be surprised how large the plants on each mound will get.
Owen Mosser from The Golden
Tomato
The tomato is one of the most widely used plants. It’s also a great plant to have because they’re easy to grow, and they’re oh-so-yummy if planted at home!
The soil where you plant your tomatoes should be nutrient-rich and high-quality for them to thrive at their best. Tomatoes need full sun, and you should feed them regularly.
Lettuce
Lettuce is the most commonly consumed leafy vegetable. These plants can grow in containers, making them the perfect plant if you don’t have much space.
Lettuce requires exceptional care to thrive. It’s not very fond of the hot sun, so you should plant it in cool and moist soils and places. It can mature in 2 to 3 months! When harvesting, make sure to pick the outer leaves.
Heather Yan from Learn Planting
Pole Beans
Pole beans are an easy and space-efficient way to grow a lot of beans all at once. Having a few pole bean plants can give you pounds of beans to harvest at the end of their growing season.
Pole beans don’t transplant well. You should plant them directly into the garden bed or pot you want to use. Otherwise, you’ll slow their growth, and they may struggle to produce as well, even if they survive translating.
That’s one reason pol beans are often grown directly from seed, even for new gardeners.
Pole beans should be planted 6-8 inches apart in rows at least 24 inches apart from the next row. That’s pretty decent spacing, but since these plants are prolific, you won’t need too many plants to get a good harvest.
Come harvest. It’s a good idea to harvest every 3-5 days to prevent the beans from overripening and getting bitter.
Okra
Okra is a plant that can thrive in heat and hot climates and can handle the occasional dry spell. But that doesn’t mean that okra is a desert plant, it still needs at least 1 inch of water every week to give you a good harvest.
Okra needs to be planted about 10 inches away. The plants will spread slightly as they grow. The wider growth area also gives them room for the plants to get plenty of sunlight.
Aim for planting soil with a pH between 6.5-7 (near neutral) for the best results. Keeping your soil in this range will also result in better tasting okra.
This vegetable benefits from constant nutrient availability, which makes time-release fertilizer a perfect option for these plants. Composting or adding pH-neutral fertilizers partway through the season can also be helpful, as long as you’re careful not to burn the roots from over-fertilization.
Okra pods are best harvested when they are 2-4 inches long. If you accidentally miss a pod and it gets too long, go ahead and remove it anyway. Removing all the pods from the plant helps encourage additional fruiting and give you a larger harvest per plant.
Jenny Rydebrink from www.gardenize.com
Spinach
The absolute favorite veggie to grow early in the season is spinach. Fresh, homegrown spinach is a delicious alternative to lettuce. The dark green leaves are packed with healthy nutrition such as iron, calcium, and vitamin A.
Spinach is easy to grow and has no specific requirements regarding the soil. Pick the young leaves daily and serve in a salad or stir fry quickly with some garlic.
Spinach is sensitive to the number of hours it gets light during the day. That is why it grows best in spring and autumn. In the summer, when the days are long and hot, the plants start blooming and lose their fresh taste.
So, skip growing spinach during the summer period and save it for August and September.
Peas
You can grow your fresh peas during the whole summer, and you can harvest for a long period. They produce more if you harvest regularly.
Most pea plants need a stick or a net of some kind to hold on to when they grow. You don’t want them lying on the ground as they get wet and muddy.
The good thing with peas is that they strengthen your soil for the next season as the peas bind the nitrogen from the air into the soil. This way, it helps fertilize the soil for next season’s crops.
Diane Kuthy from How to Grow Everything
Kale
This popular leafy green vegetable comes in over 10 different heirloom varieties and is surprisingly easy to grow. Kale leaves can be curly, frilly, or straight and range from dark green to bright purple, depending on the type of kale planted.
Kale matures in 50-70 days and can be harvested continuously throughout the plant’s life cycle. It’s considered a “cut and come again” harvest where the plant grows as leaves are harvested.
Kale seeds should be started indoors roughly 4-6 weeks before the last spring frost and then transplanted outdoors shortly after the last spring frost.
Conclusion
Above are the plants that grow above ground suggested by gardening experts. Why don’t you choose a few suitable varieties to plant in your garden.
Hopefully they will make your garden more beautiful and diverse. See you in our next article!
