Do you live in a short growing season, or find yourself starting a garden later in the season than you planned? Don’t worry! There are lots of vegetables you can still grow in a short amount of time.
In this post, I’ll give you a list with pictures of the best vegetable seeds to grow for fresh vegetables as fast as possible.
Want some beautiful blooms? Check out this post for fast-blooming cut flowers for short-season gardeners!
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase something, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can read more about it in my privacy policy. Thanks for supporting Shifting Roots!
Quick-Growing Crops for Zone 3
Arugula: 35-50 Days
Arugula is a quick-growing crop that is most delicious in salads, on pizza, eggs, or lightly fried in butter.
Beets: 40-70 Days
Different beet varieties have different lengths of maturity. Thin out your row and eat the baby beets while you’re waiting for the longer-growing varieties to mature. The leaves are also delicious in this casserole!
If you’re not a fan of the typical beet taste, plant the sweeter and milder varieties of golden beets. My favourites are Boldor (golden) and Bull’s Blood (purple). I also personally prefer the cylindrical beets, as I find they’re easier to harvest.
Bok Choy: 30-50 Days
Grow Chinese greens, like bok choy or pak choi, to eat delicious and healthy greens in a hurry! Harvest them at the baby stage, or wait until they’re full-grown. Either way, they’re delicious!
Bush Beans: 50-60 Days
Once bush beans start producing, they usually come fast and furious. Plant a new crop every three weeks for a constant supply in the summer.
Endive: 30-50 Days
I tried endives for the first time on a trip to Luxembourg, and they were delicious! When you think endive, you probably think salad, but they are extremely delicious roasted with butter or cream sauce.
Green Onions: 30 Days
While onions grown from seed take a long time to mature, you can always use them as green onions in as little as 30 days. You can also clip off some of the greens while the plant is growing. It provides two benefits: you get to eat the greens now, and it helps send more energy to develop the bulb.
Kale: 50 Days
Kale is a cool-weather-loving vegetable that gets sweeter in the first cool days of fall. Some varieties will survive down to -10 degrees Celsius, and any variety I’ve grown can handle down to -5 degrees Celsius.
This cooked dish is my favourite way to eat kale!
Kohlrabi: 30-50 Days
Kohlrabi is a very versatile vegetable. It can be eaten raw or cooked, and the leaves are edible too!
Lettuce: 50 Days
I love growing lettuce because there are so many different varieties in a rainbow of colours. Some favourites are Drunken Woman, Freckles, and Deer Tongue.
Related: Take a Bite Out of Your Grocery Shopping Budget with these Lettuce Growing Strategies
Peas: 50-70 Days
I love peas, but personally have the worst time growing them. Make sure you provide peas with a trellis, and pick them every second day once they start to mature.
My favourite variety for fresh eating and storing is Green Arrow.
Radishes: 30-45 Days
Sow radishes as soon as the ground is workable for best results. Plant only a small amount (16-32 seeds) and sow every two weeks for a continuous supply in the spring and fall. Radishes will bolt in the heat, so avoid planting in summer, or try a shade cloth if you must.
Spinach: 30 Days
Spinach is a quick-growing, cool-weather-loving crop. Try planting seeds as soon as the ground is workable after the snow is melted. There are many varieties of spinach you can grow, but I have had the best success with Bloomsdale.
Sprouts: 2-7 Days
If you need greens in a hurry, sprouting is your answer! Depending on the type of seeds you choose, your sprouts can be ready in as little as two days and up to seven. The other great thing about sprouting is that you don’t need natural light in your house. Sprouts actually prefer a darker spot to grow!
Related: Two Easy Tricks to Prevent Mould in Homegrown Sprouts
Swiss Chard: 40-60 Days
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you’ll know that growing Swiss Chard used to be a constant struggle for me. It’s one of my favourite vegetables, but when I lived in the city, the neighbourhood birds also decided it was their favourite too. We were in a constant battle of who gets it first… Spoiler alert: the birds usually won.
Use Swiss Chard cooked in omelettes, in a quiche, or fried in butter with other vegetables. My favourite variety is Bright Lights, but I’ve had the most success growing Fordhook Giant.
Related: 10 Easy Vegetables for Beginners to Grow in Their Garden
Turnips: 40-60 Days
Turnips are one of the quickest root vegetables you can grow, and possibly one of the prettiest. I like the Purple Top White Globe variety that’s pictured. Eat them roasted or mashed.
Some Exceptions to the List
When you’re out seed shopping, you might be able to find some varieties of vegetables not on this list that have dates to maturity around 60 days or less. For example, there are some varieties of tomatoes that are ready around the 50-60 day mark, like Early Girl or Arctic. You can also find cucumbers like the Russian variety that are mature around 55 days.
However, because these vegetables like the heat, they might not produce as well if you’re trying to grow them at the end of the growing season. If you’re planting them at the beginning of the season hoping to have a harvest sooner than usual, then they will be fine.
Long Season Vegetables That Won’t Work When You’re Short on Time
On the flip side, if you’re a new gardener, you might not know which vegetables are a no-go when you’re short on time. Here’s a quick list of vegetables that would be difficult-to-impossible to grow in a time period of two months or less:
- Artichoke
- Brussel Sprouts
- Cabbage
- Peppers
- Pumpkins
- Squash
- Tomatoes
Related: Vegetable Seed Starting Schedule
If you liked this blog post, find me on Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram for more cold-climate vegetable gardening tips, delicious recipes, and cut flower goodness! I also make weekly videos over on my YouTube channel. I hope to see you there!
NEED MORE HELP IN THE GARDEN?
Green thumbs aren’t just given out at birth. They’re a combination of learning about gardening and trial and error. If you wish you knew more about gardening and had more confidence in your abilities, you need The Growing Roots Gardening Guide. Everything you need to go from complete garden newb to confident gardener in one growing season. Get all the details of what’s inside here!
Mandy