Ways to use this list
- First garden: spin from Vegetables, grow that one crop well, and add a second next season once you know your soil and sun.
- Children's growing patch: press For kids. Cress sprouts in days and sunflowers race upwards, which keeps young gardeners interested.
- Balcony or windowsill: Pots and balconies keeps to plants that do well in containers, from cherry tomatoes to mint.
- School garden club: each group spins a plant, looks up its sowing time and spacing for your area, then plants it and measures it weekly.
- Plant as a present: spin a houseplant for someone who has never kept one, and copy its one-line care tip from the list onto the label.
Press Spin the wheel, tap the game or press the Space bar. Change the list in the box as you
like: add your own, delete what doesn't suit you, or write *2 after an entry to give it double the
chance. The game buttons switch the same list to a duck race, hat, claw machine and more.
The full list (50 entries)
- Radishes – ready in about four weeks
- Lettuce – pick the outer leaves and it keeps growing
- Spinach – likes cool weather
- Peas – sow in cool weather, give them something to climb
- Green beans – sow after the last frost
- Courgettes (zucchini) – one plant gives plenty
- Cherry tomatoes – need sun and warmth
- Potatoes – grow well in a deep bag or sack
- Carrots – sow straight into loose soil
- Beetroot – the leaves can be eaten too
- Spring onions – quick, and fit into small spaces
- Kale – keeps cropping in cold weather
- Garlic – cloves are often planted in autumn
- Pumpkins – need lots of space and a long warm season
- Swiss chard – colourful stems, very forgiving
- Rocket (arugula) – fast, peppery leaves
- Chilli peppers – like heat and a sunny windowsill
- Strawberries – good in pots and hanging baskets
- Cress – grows on damp kitchen paper in about a week
- Basil – loves warmth and sun
- Mint – spreads fast, so keep it in a pot
- Parsley – slow to sprout, then easy
- Chives – come back every year
- Coriander (cilantro) – sow small batches often
- Thyme – likes a dry, sunny spot
- Rosemary – likes sun and soil that drains well
- Oregano – comes back each year in mild areas
- Dill – sow it where it will grow
- Sunflowers – sow after the last frost, then watch them shoot up
- Marigolds – bright, easy and flower for months
- Nasturtiums – happy in poor soil, with edible flowers
- Sweet peas – scented climbers; pick often for more flowers
- Cosmos – easy from seed, flowers into autumn
- Zinnias – love heat
- Lavender – likes sun and dry soil; bees love it
- Pansies – flower in cool weather
- Daffodils – plant bulbs in autumn for spring flowers
- Tulips – plant bulbs in autumn
- Cornflowers – easy from seed and loved by bees
- Calendula – easy from seed, with edible petals
- Snapdragons – squeeze a flower and it "talks"
- Spider plant – easy, and makes baby plants
- Snake plant – copes with low light and little water
- Pothos – trailing and easy; keep away from pets
- Peace lily – droops when thirsty; keep away from pets
- Aloe vera – needs bright light and little water
- Jade plant – a succulent, so water sparingly
- ZZ plant – copes with neglect; keep away from pets
- Cactus – lots of light, very little water
- Rubber plant – likes bright, indirect light
Questions people ask
What should I plant in my garden now?
It depends on where you live, so look up your area's usual last and first frost dates (in the US, your plant hardiness zone). Cool-season crops such as peas, lettuce, spinach and radishes like mild spring or autumn weather; tomatoes, beans, courgettes and basil need warm soil after the last frost. In hot climates, the cooler months are often the main growing season.
What is the easiest vegetable to grow for beginners?
Radishes are a favourite answer: they go from seed to plate in about four weeks. Lettuce, peas, courgettes, chard and cherry tomatoes are also forgiving, and herbs like mint and chives are hard to fail with.
What can I grow on a windowsill or balcony?
Herbs such as basil, chives, parsley and mint, salad leaves, cherry tomatoes, chilli peppers and strawberries all grow well in pots. Give them as much sun as you can and check the soil often, because pots dry out faster than beds.
Are any of these plants harmful to pets or children?
Some are if chewed or eaten. Pothos, peace lilies, ZZ plants, aloe vera, daffodils and tulips can all make cats and dogs ill, and daffodil bulbs are harmful to people too. Keep them out of reach, and check any new plant before letting pets or toddlers near it.