Help a Beginner!

[namedparadise]

I'm brand new to gardening, but would love to start growing my own vegetables. What are the easiest ones to start with?
I've heard that tomatoes are usually a good place to start, is that true?


Thank you!

 

[granjera]

I would think you'd do well with tomatoes. You could probably do well with lots of veggies, assuming you're not in the way, way, way north. Lots of veggies are pretty easy to grow. You just have to ward off bugs, deer, rabbits, disease etc. That's the challenge.

 

[marlingardener]

Please let us know what part of Canada you are in--like Texas, Canada is very large, and has several growing zones.
Start with green beans, leaf lettuce, radishes, cherry tomatoes (much easier than the larger slicing types), and squash. These are the "almost no-fail vegetables."
When we know where you are, we may be able to recommend varieties for your garden.

 

[remnant]

I recommend that you start with the pumpkin family. These thrive across agro-ecological zones. The vegetable of choice in my case is butternut squash. They are easy to grow, require less inputs and even attention. They also grow fast and you can harvest after only 3 months.

 

[Corzhens]

I just posted in another thread about sweet potatoes but I guess you don't have that there since it's a tropical vegetable. Maybe you can settle for ginger. It is a sturdy plant that grows slow and can be a decoration (when you plant in a pot). I am not comfortable with tomatoes because we plant tomatoes once in a while. The main enemy are the aphids, the small white insects that inhabit the underneath of the leaves.

 

[rosiecotton19]

I second summer squash, especially zucchini. You will feel like a champ!

Also, make it easy on yourself and just buy plants your first year. You can get into seed starting next year (and since you live in Canada, you will absolutely have to start most things indoors if you want to get anything to fruit before winter comes).