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Some plants are easier to grow than others and when you're starting out there is nothing that is going to kill your dreams then a plant that just wont grow.
I've put together my list of vegetables that I find the easiest to grow in our sub-tropical climate.
Lettuce
Lettuce would be my second thing that I would recommend people growing (after herbs). Quick harvest times if you opt for types that you can just harvest the leaves as you need them and they don't need to form a heart/core, you're onto some winners. If they get too much sun in the summer months they will jump right to seed.
Sweet Potatoes
Often when it's too hot I just let my sweet potatoes take over my summer gardens and I harvest when I am ready to start planting out my autumn garden. We have this year started growing them in a container, and we're getting a good crop from them as well. You can also eat the leaves like you would a spinach.
Spring Onions
Growing onions in a sub-tropical climate is wrought with issues do to our humidity. The alternative is Spring onions, and they are ever present and a staple in our garden. We love the bunching variety if you can find them, as they reproduce new plants, but the regular ones are just as good (you can cut them low and they will grow back).
Snake Beans
Regular old green beans are on my moderate list of things to grow, we grow them but we need to plant a lot of plants to keep up with the amount we eat. We planted snake beans last year and we were astounded with the difference of how much we could harvest on just two plants. Picked early, you wouldn't tell the difference from your regular green bean, they do get a bit woody as they grow longer. They are climbers so will need a trellis, but perfect alternative if you're low on space and living in a sub-tropical environment.
Cherry Tomatoes
If you love tomatoes but are totally new to growing, opt for a cherry tomato variety (my favourite is a Mini Roma). Cherry tomatoes can take over, but they will definitely reward you with a bountiful crop. Whilst the idea of growing heirloom varieties can enticing, they are trickier to grow. Get your basics sorted and move up to the fancier varieties.
Eggplant
We grow our eggplants in pots and they are relatively carefree in our sub-tropical environment. We don't have issues with fruit fly attacking the fruit over summer and the only bug that really has a go is the 28 spotted ladybird (the bad one) which if you're onto it you can keep it in check pretty easily. The downside for us right now is that our toddler is allergic to them (comes out in hives if she eats them), but we're crossing our fingers and toes that she grows out of it.
I think it's super important that you only grow what you will eat. No point growing any of these things if you're not going to eat them. If you've had any issues trying to grow any of these plants especially if you live in a sub-tropical climate, check your soil! A successful vegetable garden will always start with your dirt.
Is there anything you find super easy to grow? Leave a comment below!
