Garden The 6 Most High-Yielding Fruits and Vegetables to Plant in Your Culinary Garden Get the most food out of your gardening space by growing these delicious and fruitful plants. By Madeline Buiano Madeline Buiano Madeline Buiano is an associate editor at MarthaStewart.com, sharing her knowledge on a range of topics—from gardening and cleaning to home and pets. She has five years of writing and editing experience in the digital publishing industry. Editorial Guidelines Published on August 23, 2022 In This Article View All In This Article Tomatoes Zucchini Pole Beans Cucumbers Carrots Lettuce Photo: Courtesy of Hinterhaus Productions / GETTY IMAGES While it can be a rewarding experience to grow a challenging vegetable like sweet corn or celery, sometimes you just want to plant something low-maintenance that produces a lot of food efficiently. Beyond being an idyllic hobby, growing produce in your own garden has a purpose—to fill your kitchen with homegrown ingredients. For that reason, you don't want all of your crops to be a huge task. If this rings true for you, there are plenty of high-yield vegetables to turn to when you want to grow something easy and fruitful. Although the following plants are high-yield, they don't take up an abundance of room in your garden—a win, win. "High-yield vegetables generate more produce from smaller patches, making the most of the growing space available," says Kelly Funk, president of Park Seed. "Once they get to the harvest stage, these high-yielding vegetables produce food for many weeks as they continue to grow new leaves and fruit throughout the season providing a continuous supply of nutrients from soil." AegeanBlue / GETTY IMAGES A Guide to Growing Kitchen Windowsill Herbs Tomatoes One of the most popular crops in America, tomatoes—specifically cherry tomatoes—are incredibly high yield. "Lots of bang for the buck here" says Renee Pottle, creator of Seed to Pantry. "One cherry tomato plant will produce plenty of tomatoes for a summer full of salads. Four or five cherry tomato plants will have you awash in the little fruit." Care Requirements According to Pottle, the seedlings should be planted in an area with full sun and moist, well-drained soil after the first frost has passed. Melinda Myers, gardening expert and host of the Great Courses How to Grow Anything DVD series notes that you should water newly planted seeds often enough to keep the roots well moist. "Gradually increase the time between water to encourage deep, more drought-tolerant roots," she says. Prune tomato plants regularly to encourage more growth. Growing zones 3 to 1070 day growing period Alex Ratson / GETTY IMAGES Zucchini All varieties of zucchini are apt to take over your garden, according to Pottle. The oblong, green vegetable is typically grown as an annual and started from seeds planted directly into the ground, says Meyers. Care Requirements Avoid planting zucchini seeds too early—Pottle says the soil should be warm at the time of planting. Additionally, Meyers says to add fertilizer to your soil before adding the seedlings to the ground (the soil should be moist and well-drained). Adding fertilizer or compost increases drainage in clay soil and water holding ability in sandy soil. Additionally, Meyers says to water newly planted zucchini often and then gradually decrease watering frequency. Pick ready zucchini often to encourage new growth. Growing zones 3 to 950 day growing period GETTY IMAGES Pole Beans Pole beans yield two-to-three times more food than bush beans when planted in the same gardening space. Plus, Funk says they're easier to harvest than the latter and some gardeners even say they have a better taste. Care Requirements Funk says to sow seeds in spring after the threat of frost has passed and then plant another crop in summer to harvest in fall. The vegetable prefers full sun and can tolerate clay, normal, loamy, and sandy soil, as long as it's moist and well-draining. "Pick them at 7 inches for best flavor and to encourage another fruit set," Funk says. Growing zones 2 to 1165 day growing period GETTY IMAGES Cucumbers A well-known low-maintenance vegetable, cucumbers tend to be easy to grow and will produce several fruits from just one plant. "These are grown as an annual and thrive in warm weather and are frost sensitive," Meyers says. Care Requirements Planted after the first frost when the soil is warm, cucumbers are usually grown in the garden from seeds, but some prefer to start them indoors for an earlier harvest—the choice is yours. Wherever you opt to grow the seedlings, the plant should be kept in an area with full sun and moist well-draining soil. Water generously when first planting, then scale back and stick to a watering schedule once established. Pottle says to continuously pick ready fruit to encourage new growth. Growing zones 4 to 1250 day growing period GETTY IMAGES Easy-to-Grow Vegetables for Garden Novices Carrots Don't let root vegetables intimidate you; Pottle says carrots are an easy crop to grow for precisely that reason—they can stay in the ground until you're ready to pull them. Care Requirements Plant carrot seedlings in a place that gets full sun. Additionally, the root vegetable prefers soil that is loose and well composted. Keep moist with about 1 inch of water per week. As the plant grows, Pottle says to mound the soil the carrots to prevent the sun from scalding the tops. Thin the plant once it's about 4 inches high. Growing zones 3 to 1080 day growing period Anna Mardo / GETTY IMAGES Lettuce A lot of lettuce can be grown in a small space, which makes it ideal for smaller gardens. Pottle notes that it's a good shoulder season crop—the period between entering and exiting winter dormancy. "Lettuce is prolific," she adds. Care Requirements Lettuce seeds should be planted when the weather is cool, like during spring or fall. Plant in an area that receives full sun. The easy-to-grow plant can thrive in a variety of soil conditions, as long as it's watered regularly (about twice a week). Additionally, Pottle says to plant the crop every two to three weeks for a continuous supply. Growing zones 2 to 1145 to 65 day growing period Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit