9 Spring Vegetable Crops to Get Your Garden Growing Early!

Don’t tell me that you are waiting for days to get warm before you start growing crops in your garden. Spring is a great time to sow and plant vegetables! Just choose the right varieties, that like fresh weather conditions or that can simply begin their lives early, when it’s still cool, and that will ripen later on.

Indeed, spring is the planting and sowing season for most gardeners, and experts know it quite well. But how about if you are new to growing vegetables, or if you don’t know which to pick to start this season? Here are 9 fail-proof crops you can choose from!

1: Spring Onion (Allium fistulosum)

How can you cook without onions? You can start harvesting them in spring if you start really early and from sets (within 60 to 90 days). But I have a faster option for your vegetable garden, which won’t give you big bulbs, but a similar flavor, though lighter, and you can get them on your table as babies, or later on, and eat leaves and all: spring onions. From sowing to “grown-ups”, they take 50 to 60 days, and then they will last in your backyard for at least another month.

You can also stagger spring onions and buy seedlings to get a longer harvest season, as well as pick up the “babies”, which are really tender and they cook in minutes (you can also eat them raw), so, with little effort and space, you will get lots of “oniony leaves” in your vegetable garden.

• USDA hardiness: zones 3 to 9.
• Light conditions: full Sun to partial shade.
• Sowing depth: 0.5 inches (about 1.0 cm).
• Sowing distance: 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5.0 cm) apart.
• Transplanting distance: 6 to  8 inches (15 to 20 cm) apart in rows spaced 12 inches (30 cm) apart.

2: Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)

There’s no serious vegetable garden without lettuce, and picking it fresh in the morning is a totally different experience from buying it from a store or market. I suggest you choose different varieties to grow in spring, like some loose leaf ones, which you can easily sow directly in your garden, and butterhead and crisphead ones as well, which are better grown from seed indoors into seedlings, or transplanted directly as seedlings. This way they won’t all be ready at the same time.

I suggest you also stagger your lettuce sowing and planting to get a longer harvest season, because these leafy greens don’t preserve too well, as we all know.

• USDA hardiness: Zones 4 to 9.
• Light conditions: full Sun to partial shade (especially in warmer climates).
• Sowing depth: 0.25 inches (about 0.5 cm).
• Sowing distance: 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart, especially for loose leaf varieties, then thin them out to about 6 inches apart (15 cm).
• Transplanting distance: 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm) apart.

3: Swiss Chard (Beta vulgaris var. cicla)

I don’t understand why Swiss chard is not very popular in many countries – it’s just delicious!  With its thick and juicy ribs (whitish, green or orange and red, to add color to your dishes), and large, sweet leaves, it’s far better than many similar vegetables, like spinach. And it doesn’t have that “chalky” feel on your teeth. Once cooked, it all becomes soft and “buttery”. It’s a very child-friendly choice as well to grow as a crop in your garden, and spring is the best time to do it.

Why? Because Swiss chard likes the chilly weather of spring, which makes it sweeter. And you don’t even need to stagger it; just harvest it by cutting it back to the base and it will soon grow back…

• USDA hardiness: Zones 2 to 10.
• Light conditions: full Sun to partial shade.
• Sowing depth: 0.5 to 1.0 inch (about 1.0 to 2.5 cm).
• Sowing distance: 2 to 4 inches (5.0 to 10 cm) apart.
• Transplanting distance: 12 to 18 inches (30 to 45 cm) apart in rows 18 to 24 inches (45 to  60 cm) apart.

4: Peas (Pisum sativum)

Peas are another type of vegetable that children like – and adults too. They are also easy to freeze, so they preserve for long. And just look at them: you’ll know straight away that they like cool weather conditions. In fact, they keep the freshness and sweetness of spring days in their flavor, which you will soon taste if you plant them early – in about 50 to 60 days. But they will keep giving for long if you harvest them regularly. And you can start them as early as winter!

Of course, peas will need a trellis, or staking or some support, because they are climbers, and you should sow them directly into your garden starting in early spring (you can stagger them as well to have fresh ones for a long time). In fact, they don’t take well to transplanting at all. On the other hand, they are nitrogen fixing legumes, so they will make your vegetable garden more fertile as well!

• USDA hardiness: zones 3 to 9.
• Light conditions: full Sun.
• Sowing depth: 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5.0 cm).
• Sowing distance: 2 to 3 inches (5.0 to 7.5 cm) apart.
• Transplanting distance: do not transplant.

5: Wild Leek (Allium ampeloprasum)

You wouldn’t think that Allium ampeloprasum is a type of leek, nor that it is wild. It looks like a massive variety of garlic, with huge cloves (each about 3.0 to 3.5 inches across, or between 3.0 and 4.0 cm) and even bigger heads. It is a recently rediscovered vegetable, and its flavor is between these two veggies, lighter than actual garlic, and stronger than the Welsh symbol. And why am I proposing it?

You can plant garlic in fall, but it will take time for you to savor it, while you can start off wild leek in the middle of winter, 4 weeks before the last day of frost, and it will be a good, though milder substitute for its more popular cousin. But you need to start early to harvest it (at least in its full size) by May, as it takes 120 days to fatten up its humongous bulbs completely.

• USDA hardiness: zones 5 to 9 (though grown as an annual in cooler zones).
• Light conditions: full Sun.
• Sowing depth: 0.5 inches (about 1.0 cm).
• Sowing distance: 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart.
• Transplanting distance: 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 cm) apart in rows spaced 12 inches (30 cm) apart.

6: Sorrel (Rumex acetosa)

Why do we always forget sorrel? This leafy green is a close relative of rhubarb, as you can tell from its often reddish ribs and veins. But you wouldn’t tell from the flavor you get, which is lemony and a bit acidic. However, this adds an extra fresh and rejuvenating touch to your spring meals, and you can eat it raw or cooked. In both cases, it will also add lots of vitamin C to your diet. And guess what, if you plant it in your garden early in the season, you’ll have plenty by the end of it, because it takes 60 days to be ready to harvest if you sow it, even less if you transplant seedlings.

Having said this, I suggest you take it easy, sow it early in your spring garden and thin it out as it grows; this way, you will start with baby leaves and you won’t have to wait till sorrel is mature to taste it.

• USDA hardiness: zones 3 to 9.
• Light conditions: full Sun to partial shade.
• Sowing depth: 0.25 to 0.5 inches (about 0.5 to 1.0 cm).
• Sowing distance: 2 to 3 inches (5.0 to 7.5 cm) apart.
• Transplanting distance: 12 to 18 inches (30 to 45 cm) apart.

7: Napa Cabbage (Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis)

Coming from Asia, Napa cabbage is indeed a brassica, but we use it more like chard, spinach, and it looks like a big ribbed lettuce head. Its very delicate flavor too does not make you think of kale or cauliflower, but it has similar nutritional and health properties. And the great news is that you can plant it when it’s still cold, and this leafy green will thank you for it, becoming sweeter and more tender. You can literally start harvesting the “baby” version after about 30 days, and from 60 days from transplanting, or 70 from sowing, you can eat the adults too!

Whichever way you prefer to grow Napa cabbage, from seed or seedling, you will not be disappointed; it is highly productive and easy to grow, so, spare some space for it in your spring garden!

• USDA hardiness: zones 4 to 7.
• Light conditions: full Sun to partial shade.
• Sowing depth: 0.25 to 0.5 inches (about 0.5 to 1.0 cm).
• Sowing distance: 2 to 4 inches (5.0 to 10 cm) apart.
• Transplanting or thinning distance: 12 to 18 inches (30 to 45 cm) apart in rows spaced 18 to 24 inches (45 to 60 cm) apart.

8: Watercress (Nasturtium officinale)

Yes, as you guessed from its scientific name, watercress is a close relative of decorative nasturtium, but from its common one, you may be deceived. True, it grows best with a small level of water, but it’s not fussy about soil, and as long as you keep it well irrigated at all times, it will grow perfectly well – and fast! In fact, it will be ready to harvest in 20 to 30 days, adding that amazing slightly spicy flavor to your salads and a lot of nutrients to your diet. Some people regard it as a superfood; maybe it is. For sure it’s a great leafy veggie to grow in your garden in spring.

Be careful when you harvest watercress though. You may easily uproot it. Instead, make sure you trim the top (half or so) of the shoot, and it will grow back very soon, extending this crop’s season with no need for staggering it.

• USDA hardiness: zones 6 to 9.
• Light conditions: full Sun to partial shade.
• Sowing depth: Surface plant by lightly pressing the seeds into the soil.
• Sowing distance: 2 to 3 inches (5.0 to 7.5 cm) apart.
• Transplanting d stance: 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 cm) apart.

9: Turnip (Brassica rapa subsp. rapa)

How about a nice, round root vegetable to grow in your garden in spring? What about turnips then? You won’t harvest the adult ones very soon, but the “babies” are ready as early as 30 days from sowing! They will warm up your chilly days in this season, while oddly enough they like cold weather. Despite their humble reputation, they are really packed with nutrients and flavor, and don’t forget to eat the leaves as well. The whole plant is edible and easy to cook and adapt to different dishes!

So, how can you start two crops in your veggie garden in spring? Sow your turnips directly in your beds, as they do not like being transplanted at all. Then start thinning them out while they grow; this way you will have the babies first, while you wait for the adults to fatten up for later on in the season.

• USDA hardiness: zones 2 to 9.
• Light conditions: full Sun, partial shade tolerant.
• Sowing depth: 0.5 inches (about 1.0 cm).
• Sowing distance: 2 to 4 inches (5.0 to10 cm) apart in rows spaced 12–18 inches (30–45 cm) apart.
• Transplanting distance: do not transplant, thin the turnips out to 4 to 6 inches apart (10 to 15 cm) as you harvest the baby vegetables.

Start Your Spring Vegetable Garden Early, Get Crops Soon, and Make the Best of the Space You Have

Of course, there are many other vegetables you can plant in spring, some slow and some fast growing, like spinach, carrots, leeks, radishes, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Pak Choi, cabbages, and even tomatoes will need to go into your beds soon.

But don’t wait and don’t waste the soil you have; start growing spring vegetables soon, so you will have crops by the end of the season (and even earlier). Do keep some space for slower growing summer vegetables too, of course. Or, in any case, you can still harvest these all (even if they are not fully ripe – they are still all good to eat) to clear space for peppers, eggplant and zucchini later on – you’ll still get fresh greens to your table!