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There’s no doubt that planting a home garden is rewarding. Watching beautiful flowers bloom during the growing season and indulging in herbs, fruits and vegetables at harvest time are worth the efforts of cultivating plants. But even if you don't necessarily have a green thumb, gardening enthusiasts have a wide choice of plants across different categories that require minimal effort to grow.
Whether you are new to gardening or have a pro-level green thumb, easy-to-grow plants will make your endeavors that much more enjoyable. All you need to know to get started is which seeds and live plants to choose.
As you begin planning your garden, you’ll need to consider whether you prefer to plant seeds or live plants. Seeds take a bit more effort, as proper care and watering of the soil is vital to ensure that they germinate. What’s more, the growing period will be longer than when you start with plants, as germination takes place in varying lengths of time. On average, you can expect vegetable seeds and fruit seeds to sprout in 7 to 14 days, flower seeds in 4 to 7 days and herb seeds in 7 to 28 days.
When you work with live plants, they are already established and past the delicate seedling phase. Many young plants have been cultivated in rich soil that’s been fertilized, so they are off to a good start.
Both seeds and live plants are available online. However, the selection of live plants will vary depending on the season and location, and varieties may be limited.
While there is more to home gardening than simply putting seeds or plants in soil, some are more challenging than others to grow. Here’s a look at some common factors that make certain plants easy to cultivate.
There are four main categories of plants grown in home gardens: vegetables, fruits, flowers and herbs. While many other plants are easy to grow in a garden, here are some popular varieties that you can cultivate with confidence.
Organo Republic 20 Most Popular Veggies Premium Collection
This generous collection of seeds includes 20 varieties, including easy-to-grow tomatoes, zucchinis, beets and radishes. You’ll get more than 1,300 seeds per bundle for a versatile vegetable garden.
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Gurney’s Supersweet Onion Plants (Two Bunches)
In addition to producing large bulbs, these onions stand out for their pleasantly sweet flavor. They come in two bunches of live plants that are ready to place into the soil.
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Lettuce and Greens Heirloom Vegetable Seeds (Five Packets)
Plant these greens in the spring and you’ll have delicious salads by early summer. The collection includes kale, lettuce, arugula, buttercrunch and spinach seeds.
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Gurney’s Ozark Beauty Strawberry Plants (25-Pack)
You’ll be well on your way to starting a strawberry patch that comes back year after year with these 25 live plants. What’s more, Ozark Beauty Strawberries are known for being hardy and producing delicious fruit.
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Survival Garden Seeds Tri-Color Watermelon Collection
This collection includes three varieties of watermelon: yellow petite, crimson sweet and tendersweet. These heirloom watermelons are GMO-free.
Sow Right Seeds Large Flower Farm Seed Collection (24 Packets)
Sunflowers, zinnias, cosmos, snapdragons and more — this 24-packet bundle includes a large variety of seeds for a colorful flower garden you’ll love as much as the neighborhood bees, birds and butterflies. It also comes with both annuals and perennials.
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Bell Nursery Purple Pansy (Six-Pack)
Pansies thrive in chilly temperatures, which makes them a good choice for gardeners who live in cooler climates or like to start their flower gardens early. You’ll get six established bright purple pansy plants in this pack.
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Bonnie Plants Greek Oregano Herb (2-Pack)
Oregano is an herb that’s ideal to plant in early spring in most regions. This pair of established plants arrive ready to plant.
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Home Grown Herbs 15 Herbs Heirloom Seeds
If your gardening plans include an herb garden, you’ll be impressed with the 15 varieties in this comprehensive collection. Individual seed packets include rosemary, mint, basil and more for a total of more than 4,500 seeds.
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Bonnie Plants Sweet Mint Herb (2-Pack)
These are pleasant-smelling, easy-to-grow herbs that thrive in most types of soil and do a good job resisting harsh weather conditions. You’ll get two mint herbs that are established and ready to plant in your garden.
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Jennifer Manfrin writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
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