Growing vegetables is one of the most rewarding things.
The satisfaction of cooking your crop is second to none, knowing it is organic, economic, and carbon-neutral. The delightful addition is that your food is 100% fresh and tastes so much better than anything store-bought.
When it comes to vegetables, there are hundreds of possibilities, and choosing those you’re most likely to eat is the best option. It is also good to consider which crops will give a lot back for your hard work.
Here are the top 12 vegetables that give the most generous yield.
1. Radishes
There are many radish varieties, but the most common has a spicy, fresh, and zingy taste that complements salads perfectly.
The reason radishes will give you such a generous crop is because they are easy to grow and mature exceptionally quickly.
If you plant radishes from seed, you’ll have them on your plate in just 25 days. You can maintain a continuous supply by sowing every few weeks through the summer season until fall.
2. Rhubarb
Although rhubarb is often treated as a fruit, it is a vegetable. It grows on the ground with its striking long red stems extending towards the sun.
When these stems surpass 7 inches, and their leaves have fully opened, you’ll be ready to harvest. A healthy and happy rhubarb plant will flourish for around 10 years if you look after it!
3. Potatoes
Potatoes are a vegetable that is just desperate to procreate. The great thing about potatoes is that they are perfectly content in a large pot or grow sack filled with compost. Even when you buy a bag of spuds from the grocery store, it doesn’t take them long to start sprouting.
Depending on your conditions and the care you take of them, one potato plant could give you as many as ten new potatoes. Consider planting early, mid and late-season varieties if you want spuds all season.
4. Beans
The bean family tends to be one of the most prolific producers of vegetables. Some varieties often reach enormous heights that exceed 6 feet and produce plenty of flowers that, when pollinated, become the all-important crop.
Beans are easy to care for, but be sure to harvest the pods regularly to encourage even more vegetables. Whether you choose green, broad, or runner, as long as you have selected the right bean for your climate and conditions, they’ll keep going from the last frost to the first.
5. Tomatoes
Although not technically a vegetable, tomatoes are so popular, high-yielding, and can be cooked like a vegetable; they had to be included. Depending on the size and variety, you could be looking at yields of up to 90 tomatoes per plant.
Tomatoes tend to be slightly particular about their growing conditions and require a little more tender loving care; however, you’ll know about it if you get it right.
Make sure to keep their temperature and water consistent, and you’re on to a winner.
6. Peas
The sweet delight of peas plucked fresh from a pod is a treat like no other. The trick to an abundant pea crop is to plant them earlier in the season to avoid high temperatures, which they don’t like.
Pea plants mature in around 65 days, with the pods ready to eat about a week after the flowers have blossomed.
Being the gift that keeps on giving, the more peas you pick, the more peas will grow, and the more you can enjoy.
7. Broccoli
Rich in vitamins and full of antioxidants, broccoli is a vegetable worth growing just to nourish your body. It is a hardy little number, preferring slightly cooler temperatures, rich soil, and plenty of space.
Broccoli is a low-lying plant with huge green leaves, and although it may take a little longer to mature, it will continue to flourish throughout the season.
Harvest broccoli just before the main head flowers; this will be when your broccoli tastes the most delicious, and then watch as the side shoots continue to grow.
8. Jalapeno Peppers
Despite their hot and exotic taste, Jalapeno Peppers do not require such conditions to thrive. Make sure to provide them with full sunshine and well-drained soil, and they’ll keep going all season.
Happy in warmer or cooler climates, in pots, or in the ground, Jalapenos will give you an excellent yield of about 30 peppers per individual plant.
9. Cut-And-Come-Again Lettuce
Fast-growing and quick to recover, cut-and-come-again lettuce varieties will feed you and your family for a significant portion of the summer.
Ready from seed in a matter of weeks, each plant can regrow 3-4 times; just make sure to leave at least an inch of stem above the top of the soil. For a non-stop, guaranteed yield, sow seeds periodically through the season.
10. Spring Onions
Spring onions are a great little crop and will give you a high yield because they don’t require much space to grow. You can squeeze a lot into a tiny patch.
Spring onions will be ready for you to enjoy after around 8 weeks. At this time, you can either loosen the soil and take out the bulb or cut them close to the base and watch as they regrow.
Spring onions can do this around 4 times before you’d need to plant another seed.
11. Okra
Although it’s technically classified as a fruit, okra is prepared and used in similar ways to a vegetable.
Okra does need a little more care to grow, requiring much warmer temperatures, full sun, and very well-fertilized soil. It is, however, worth the effort.
An okra plant will mature in around 60 days in its unusual way, with fruit growing vertically from the top of the stem. Once it begins flowering, the okra will emerge rapidly, with the okra pods being ready to pick in 3-4 days.
The trick to an excellent crop is to harvest every few days. This way, your plant will continue to yield fruit, and if you don’t, the quality will diminish.
12. Turnips
Baked, stewed, stir-fried, or even grated over a salad, the turnip is a great vegetable to consider growing in your yard. These little beauties are incredibly quick-growing and are ready to harvest in as little as 8 weeks.
Easy to grow throughout the year, as long as temperatures don’t dip much below 40 degrees, the turnip just requires cool weather, well-drained soil, and full sun.
If you’d like a constant supply of turnips, continue to plant seeds every two-three weeks.
However, turnips can regrow if you keep the leafy top after cutting. Simply place it in an inch of water in full sun and wait for roots to appear before replanting in soil.
