10 Simple Edible Things to Grow in the Garden in Spring

There’s no better time than springtime to rekindle your green fingers and get your garden into shape. You can start growing a wide variety of vegetables and herbs anytime from April, which will be ready to eat in just a few months.

New to it all?

Getting started is easy – you’ve just got to pick your veggies, herbs and plants wisely to have a high success rate.

Not sure what to pick?

Any cold-hardy plants are fair game in spring because they can resist frosts, but below, I’ll shed some light (photosynthesis, anyone?) on 10 simple edible things you can grow in your garden in spring.

So, get your garden patch ready and your shovel and fork to hand -- it’s time to get down and dirty and kickstart your garden.

1. Rhubarb

Rhubarb is one of the first food plants to harvest in mid to late spring. You’ll want to plant your rhubarb a year before you harvest to let it grow and develop. The stems can be picked a year later in spring and cooked up. Delicious in a pie!

2. Beets

Beets are perfect for early spring. They thrive in cold weather and grow and grow. Pick them before the weather heats up or they’ll go to waste. You can plant beets from seed. They grow to around the size of a tennis ball 90 days after sowing.

3. Potatoes

Potatoes can be harvested all-year round. All you need is some seed potatoes (old potatoes with a sprout are perfect). New potatoes take around 100-days to grow and thrive in a cold or warm climate. Plant them in late January for an April harvest.

4. Radishes

Radishes grow from seed to bulb in a matter of weeks! Plant them in March and you’ll have a glorious bunch in April. It’s easy to grow and harvest. Because it’s above ground, it’s easy to keep an eye on too. Grow it indoors or outdoors.

5. Carrots

Carrots are perfect to start in spring. The cooler weather packs them with vitamins and minerals, more so than warmer weather. Plant them from seed early March and you’ll have a glorious batch to harvest in June. Lovely stuff.

6. Broccoli

Broccoli flowers are easy to grow and require very little maintenance. The flower thrives as the weather warms up, so are ready to go in May if planted in February. The flower is perfect for smaller gardens because it remains tight rosette.

7. Tomatoes

You can grow big, juicy red or green tomatoes at home easily. Tomato plants take around 100 days to grow and become harvestable. After six to eight weeks, you’ll start to develop the plantable seedlings you need.

8. Mint

You can harvest one mint plant two to three times during the growing season. Mint plants take around 90 days to grow to full height from seeding to maturity. Once the plant reaches maturity, you can cut it down to 1-inch above the soil. It’ll grow back in around a month.

9. Parsley

Start the germination process indoors for 4-weeks before moving your seeds to the outdoors. Parsley’s a slow starter so needs a little help and warmth. Plant the seeds 10 to 12 weeks before the last frost and starting picking after 3 months.

10. Strawberries

May 1^st marks the official start to the British berry season. Strawberries are one of the nation’s favourite. You can keep the plant in a greenhouse or in the open. Strawberries are best harvested after the first year.

More herbs you can grow in spring:

• Chives
• Basil
• Tarragon
• Dill
• Sage
• Coriander

More fruits you can grow in spring:

• Blueberries
• Raspberries
• Melons (greenhouse)

More vegetables you can grow in spring:

• Parsnips
• Lettuce
• Cabbage
• Turnips
• Cilantro
• Celeriac
• Spinach

Please remember that all plants are different. Some can make do with a regular, nutrient rich soil while others need a special compost to flourish.

Root vegetables are the easiest to get started with because you literally leave them to do their thing.

Whichever things you choose to grow, take every experience as a lesson and it won’t be long before you’re going outside to get harvest ingredients for your dinner.