The Best Low-Maintenance Garden Crops for Beginners, Let’s Dig It!
If you’ve ever dreamed of fresh veggies and herbs from your own backyard but thought, “I don’t have the time” — good news: gardening doesn’t have to be high-maintenance! With the right plants, you can enjoy homegrown goodness without spending every weekend pulling weeds.
As a busy full-time working, sports mom, and caregiver, I’ve learned to choose crops that practically grow themselves. My garden is full of easy, productive plants — and most of them thrive with just a little attention (and a few tricks to keep the critters away — more on that in a second!).
Here’s what I’m growing this season: tomatoes, strawberries, beets, rosemary, thyme, lavender, sage, oregano, collard greens, red kuri squash, and radishes. And because the squirrels, birds, and bunnies think my garden is an all-you-can-eat buffet, I’ve placed a couple of realistic-looking fake snakes in the beds. They may not scare me, but they keep most of the uninvited guests from nibbling my produce.
-Maintenance Crops
Garlic
Plant in the fall, mulch, and harvest in late spring. Mulch well to minimize weeding.
Bush Beans
Fast, productive, and no staking required. Just sow seeds and enjoy fresh beans in about two months.
Cherry or Roma Tomatoes
More disease-resistant and easier to manage than larger varieties. Less staking, more snacking!
Zucchini & Summer Squash
These plants are the overachievers of the garden — just plant, water occasionally, and harvest often.
Leafy Greens
Lettuce, kale, spinach, arugula, Swiss chard, and collards grow well in average soil and can be harvested again and again.
Peppers
Once summer heats up, peppers mostly take care of themselves with occasional watering and light staking.
Herbs
Mint, oregano, sage, thyme, rosemary — hardy perennials that return year after year. Keep mint and oregano in containers so they don’t take over.
Asparagus & Rhubarb
Perennial powerhouses. Plant once, harvest for years.
Walking Onions
These self-planting onions are nearly indestructible and produce year-round.
Swiss Chard / Beets / Turnips
Versatile crops that thrive in a range of conditions. Chard and beets offer both greens and roots, while turnips grow quickly.
Blueberries
Once established, they produce delicious fruit for decades with minimal care.
🌿 Tips for Gardening Success
- Mulch: Keeps weeds down and moisture in, so you water less.
- Go Perennial: Choose crops that return every year to save time and effort.
- Pick Disease-Resistant Varieties: Less hassle, more harvest.
- Cut-and-Come-Again: Harvesting leafy greens continuously yields the biggest return.
- Container Gardening: Ideal for herbs and plants that spread easily.
- Critter Control: A couple of well-placed fake snakes can help keep birds, squirrels, and other snack-happy visitors out of your garden beds.
With these easy-to-grow crops and a few clever tricks, you can enjoy fresh produce all season long without feeling like your garden is a second job. Start small — maybe with a couple of herbs and a tomato plant — and expand each year. Before you know it, you’ll have a thriving garden that fits right into your busy life.
What do you like to plant and grow for low-maintenance gardening? Tell me in the comments below.