The Best Vegetables to Plant in Spring

The right vegetables in your spring garden can truly mean the difference between frustration and success. And we all want to get our gardens off to a good start in spring. As winter ends, many gardeners can't wait to dig in again and just plant everything in their enthusiasm. This can impact the growing season later on, so it's always best, if possible, to resist the urge to plant without planning.

The most successful gardeners plan well from the beginning, so the entire year is bountiful with fresh garden vegetables. Many spring vegetables can germinate when soil temperatures reach as low as 40°F, which makes them perfect for early planting. 

Plan Your Spring Vegetable Garden Layout

Before putting any seeds or starts in the ground, take time to plan your garden layout. This will improve your chances of success by a lot. A well-laid-out spring vegetable garden makes the best use of space, keeps pests away, and gives each plant everything it needs to grow strong.

Your spring vegetable garden's success starts with knowing the right time to plant. The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map remains the go-to guide to figuring out which plants will do well where you live. 

Finding your zone is easy - just type your zip code into online tools like the USDA website's quick search box. Your zone helps you figure out your last frost date, which varies widely across regions.

When thinking about what you want to grow, take into account plant heights. Tall plants should not block sunlight from shorter ones (unless the plants like some shade). Tall-growing vegetables like corn, sunflowers, and trellised crops should go on the northern side. Medium-height plants work best in the middle. And, shorter plants like lettuce and spinach belong on the southern side.

Succession planting is a gardening method used to plant throughout the growing season. You can stagger plantings or put new crops where you've harvested others. This method helps you get more food from the same garden space and gives you fresh vegetables all season long.

Different vegetables work best with different planting schedules. Quick-growing vegetables like radishes and lettuce can be planted every 7 days. Slower growers, like broccoli, do better with 14-day gaps. Summer plantings usually take longer to mature than spring ones because days get shorter and temperatures drop.

Companion planting - putting together plants that help each other - is another way to significantly improve your garden's output.

The benefits of companion planting include:

• Natural pest control - marigolds keep nematodes away, while basil protects tomatoes from thrips
• Better pollination - flowers bring helpful insects that boost pollination
• Better soil fertility - beans and other legumes add nitrogen to the soil, which helps nearby plants
• Natural supports - tall plants like corn or sunflowers let vines like beans and cucumbers climb

Planning your spring vegetable garden layout with these ideas in mind creates perfect growing conditions. Your plants will be healthier and produce more food throughout the season.

Fastest-Growing Spring Vegetables

These fast growers are perfect for beginner gardeners or old-timers. They like the cooler weather, grow well and quickly, and don't need much fuss.

Radishes
Radishes are the speed champions in the spring garden. These root vegetables can be ready to harvest just 25 days after planting (perfect for impatient gardeners).
Fresh radishes grow well throughout spring if you plant new seeds every 10 days while the weather stays cool. This approach will give you a steady supply all spring long. Radishes grow best in loose soil, planted about 1 inch apart in rows with 3-6 inches between them.

Radish varieties at Isla Seeds

Spinach
Spinach is great because you can pick leaves from baby greens to full-grown leaves whenever you want. Baby spinach leaves are ready for picking at 2-4 inches long, which is usually just 20-30 days after planting. The young, tender leaves taste great in salads and sandwiches.

Mature spinach leaves are ready for harvest 38-50 days from sowing, which is still pretty quickly. Spinach plants like cool temperatures between 45-65°F. The seeds can go directly into the soil as cool as 45°F. Plant new spinach seeds every week or two until temperatures hit 80°F consistently for a steady supply. After the summer temperatures really hit, most spinach varieties will bolt.

Spinach varieties at Isla Seeds

Lettuce
Lettuce is a reliable spring vegetable for continuous harvests. Loose-leaf varieties mature in 45-60 days but can give you tender baby greens much sooner. The lettuce supply will never run out if you sow new seeds every 10-14 days throughout spring.
Like with spinach, fresh lettuce will grow well in early spring until the summer heat arrives. You can experiment with different, more heat-tolerant types to extend the growing season, but they really do (and taste) best grown in spring.

Lettuce varieties at Isla's Seeds

Cold-Tolerant Spring Vegetables

Cold-hardy vegetables are a great way to get your garden started while temperatures stay chilly. These tough plants can handle cool conditions and taste even better than those grown in warmer weather.

Peas
Peas are among the first vegetables you can plant in spring. They love cool weather and start growing in soil as cool as 40°F. You'll want to sow pea seeds right after your soil becomes workable post-winter. Both snap peas and shelling peas do their best in chilly spring conditions. A trellis or support system lets the vines climb and helps air flow better, which cuts down on disease.

Pea varieties at Isla's Seeds

Broccoli
Broccoli is a hardy vegetable that grows best between 65°F and 80°F. The plants keep growing through light fall frosts if temperatures stay mild. Plant broccoli early enough to harvest in cool weather since it doesn't do well in the summer heat. The plant's leaves taste great, too—you can cook them just like kale or collards and get extra nutrients.

Broccoli varieties at Isla's Seeds

Kale
Kale grows quickly and can be harvested when the leaves are a few inches tall. Harvest the leaves individually throughout the growing season. During the heat of summer, growth may slow down, but don't pull up the plants! Let them continue growing, and they'll hang on into fall and even winter.

Kale varieties at Isla's Seeds

Beets
Beets give you two harvests at once—healthy greens and tasty roots—which makes them perfect for early spring gardens. These adaptable vegetables love cool weather and can take some frost. You can pick beet greens anytime after thinning seedlings, and the roots keep growing below. Spring beets often have better color and flavor than summer ones. Pick the roots at golf ball size—about 1-3 inches across—for the best taste.

Beet varieties at Isla's Seeds

Swiss chard
Swiss chard fits nicely in any spring garden without taking up much space. It tastes like its cousin spinach but handles heat better, so you can grow it longer into the season. The bright stems look stunning in garden beds. Unlike other greens that bolt quickly, chard stays strong. Swiss chard's best feature might be how it keeps producing—just leave three main leaves, and it grows back from the middle until fall frost arrives.

Swiss chard varieties at Isla's Seeds

Carrots
Carrots can be finicky, but they are great as transitional crops because they can germinate in the soil at a temperature as cool as 45°F. You can plant carrot seeds right in the garden once the soil becomes workable. Place them in rows 12 inches apart with just ¼ inch of soil cover.

The carrots are ready to harvest before the summer heat kicks in, usually 50-70 days after planting. This timing frees up valuable garden space that's ready for warm-season crops like beans.

Carrot varieties at Isla's Seeds

Smart Tips for a Productive Spring Garden

Your spring vegetable garden needs more than just the right plants to reach its full potential.

Mulch
A layer of organic mulch such as straw, shredded leaves, or compost shields the ground from hot rays and keeps soil moisture from evaporating. Research shows gardens with proper mulching yield up to 30% more produce.

Row covers
Spring brings unpredictable weather and late frosts that can harm newly planted vegetables. Keep old sheets, blankets, or professional row covers handy for freezing nights. Stakes, PVC pipes, or other supports work great to lift coverings off the foliage. The next morning, remove these covers as temperatures rise above freezing to prevent plants from overheating. These protective layers trap heat from the ground and stop frost from forming on leaves. This method works until temperatures drop below 28°F.

Morning Watering

Morning watering lets plants drink up moisture before the day heats up. Plants' foliage dries completely before nightfall, which reduces the risks of fungal diseases that thrive in wet, overnight conditions.

Fertilize
Plants need light fertilizer application as spring growth begins. Mix fertilizer into the garden soil before planting edible crops, or carefully add granular fertilizer around existing plants. Each plant type needs different amounts - leafy greens want more nitrogen than beans and peas.