What to Plant
What to plant (and what not to plant), seed spacing and harvesting tips to get the most out of your square foot vegetable garden
What to Plant
(and what not to plant)
The days of folks having acres and acres of land to farm on are long gone. Most of us only have our back yards with limited space to grow vegetables. Because space is at a premium in a well stocked vegetable garden, we advocate using square foot gardening. Square foot gardening allows you to plant a wide variety of vegetables intensively, so you can harvest the maximum amount of produce possible in a small space. Most vegetables work well in square foot gardens, but not all. See below for the types of vegetables we recommend planting, ones you should plant with reservations, and ones to stay away from.
Overall we use three guiding principles when deciding what vegetables to plant each year:
Grow what you like to eat. Vegetable gardening is a labor of love and if you don’t love to eat what you grow, it won’t be worth it.
Grow a wide variety of produce. A successful back yard vegetable garden keeps giving throughout the seasons. By growing a variety of vegetables, you can eat seasonally all spring, summer, and fall long as different vegetables mature over the course of the growing season.
Grow vegetables that make a difference. Go heavy on vegetables like tomatoes or lettuces that taste much better when they are picked fresh from the garden, or vegetables like herbs where their steep prices at the grocery store make them very cost effective to have in a garden.
Perfect Fits
Tomatoes
Why We Like Them: Tomatoes are easy to grow, high producers, and the taste of homegrown tomatoes is incomparable to store-bought.
Planting Strategy: Tomatoes take 2 - 3 months to grow, so seeds should be started indoors 6 weeks before last frost, or bought as transplants to plant outdoors.
Plants per Square Foot: 1
Varieties We Like: Black Sea Man, Moneymaker, Large Red Cherry, Sunray
How to Harvest: Harvest tomatoes once they ripen on the vine.
Beets
Why We Like Them: You can cram a lot of beets into a square foot garden and because they can be eaten at many sizes, they can be harvested throughout the summer.
Planting Strategy: Sow seeds outdoors 4 weeks before last frost.
Plants per Square Foot: 9
Varieties We Like: Bulls Blood, Chiogga
How to Harvest: Harvest beets throughout the summer as soon as they start peeping up out of the ground. They can be harvested when small and tender, or when larger and tougher late in the season. The longer the beet is in the ground, the more time it takes to cook!
Lettuce
Why We Like Them: Lettuce takes well to intensive gardening. They are some of the first vegetables ready to harvest in the spring and can be re-sowed in mid to late summer for a fall harvest.
Planting Strategy: Sow seeds outdoors 4 weeks before last frost.
Plants per Square Foot: 4
Varieties We Like: Buttercrunch, Mesclun Mix, Ruby Red Leaf, Tom Thumb Lettuce
How to Harvest: Harvest larger leaves from the outside of each plant while allowing leaves to continue to grow from the inside.
Chives
Why We Like Them: Chives are perennials, so if you plant once, they’ll come back every year in abundance. They have a perfect mild onion flavor that will enhance dishes all summer long.
Planting Strategy: Start seeds indoors 6 weeks before last frost. Alternatively, chives are a good candidate for buying as transplants and planting after the last frost.
Plants per Square Foot: 9
Varieties We Like: Garlic Chives, Common Chives
How to Harvest: Snip off chives as needed from the base of the plant. Don’t forget to use those chive blossoms for colorful and flavorful garnishes!
Spinach
Why We Like Them: Easy to grow in a square foot garden, spinach is prolific and a perfect addition to salads in the spring and fall.
Planting Strategy: Sow seeds outdoors 4 weeks before last frost.
Plants per Square Foot: 9
Varieties We Like: Giant Nobel Spinach, Avon Spinach
How to Harvest: Harvest larger leaves from the outside of each plant while allowing leaves to continue to grow from the inside.
Kale
Why We Like Them: While only one kale plant is planted per square foot, it can be harvested many times by picking the bottom leaves and letting the plant continue to grow.
Planting Strategy: Start seeds indoors 6 weeks before the last frost, or sow seeds outdoors 4 weeks before the last frost.
Plants per Square Foot: 1
Varieties We Like: Scarlet Kale
How to Harvest: Harvest larger leaves from the bottom of the kale plant while allowing the smaller leaves at the top to continue to grow.
Oregano
Why We Like Them: Oregano is a perennial, and will grow all summer long each summer after planting.
Planting Strategy: Sow oregano seeds outdoors around the last frost.
Plants per Square Foot: 1
Varieties We Like: Greek Oregano
How to Harvest: Harvest by cutting at the bottom of the stems.
Beans
Why We Like Them: Beans are prolific, easy to grow, and because pole varieties grow up trellises, you can get a ton of output in a small space.
Planting Strategy: For an earlier start, start seeds indoors 6 weeks before the last frost . Or, sow seeds directly into garden around the last frost.
Plants per Square Foot: 8 for pole beans, 9 for bush beans
Varieties We Like: Contender Bean, Royal Burgundy, Top Crop Yellow, Blue Lake
How to Harvest: Harvest beans when they reach the preferred size by cutting off at the stem just above the bean.
Peppers
Why We Like Them: Peppers are easy to grow and provide some nice variety to the standard vegetable garden fare. We like growing standard peppers used in traditional ways, and also medium-heat sweet peppers that are hard to find in the grocery store and make a nice addition to salads.
Planting Strategy: Start seeds indoors 6 weeks before last frost.
Plants per Square Foot: 1
Varieties We Like: Poblano Peppers, Hot Cherry Peppers, Pimento Peppers, Jalapeno Peppers
How to Harvest: Harvest peppers in the late summer by cutting them off by the stem when they are the size and color preferred. Many types of peppers will turn red and become sweeter if left on the plant longer.
Parsley
Why We Like Them: Parsley is easy to grow and is a versatile herb that can be used in a wide variety of dishes.
Planting Strategy: Sow seeds outdoors around the last frost.
Plants per Square Foot: 4
Varieties We Like: Dark Green Flat Leaf Parsley
How to Harvest: Harvest parsley as needed by cutting at the base of the outside stems.
Dill
Why We Like Them: Dill is one of our favorite herbs to cook with. Having an abundance of it in the garden each summer is a real treat.
Planting Strategy: Sow seeds outdoors around the last frost.
Plants per Square Foot: 1
Varieties We Like: Bouquet Dill
How to Harvest: Harvest dill fronds as soon as they start growing.
Green Onions
Why We Like Them: Green onions are our favorite vegetable in the onion family to grow. You can grow many per squarefoot and can harvest them at different sizes most of the summer.
Planting Strategy: Sow seeds 2 weeks before the last frost.
Plants per Square Foot: 16
Varieties We Like: Evergreen White Bunching Onion
How to Harvest: Start harvesting green onions early in the season when the onion is large enough to cook with. Continue harvesting throughout the summer as the green onions grow larger.
Basil
Why We Like Them: For many, basil is a must have in a summer garden. It pairs well with tomatoes and other summer favorites.
Planting Strategy: Start seeds indoors 6 weeks before the last frost, or sow seeds outdoors around the last frost.
Plants per Square Foot: 4
Varieties We Like: Italian Large Leaf Basil
How to Harvest: Pick leaves from the top of the plant down, pinching off stems just below a group of leaves. The more you harvest, the more they’ll grow.
Arugula
Why We Like Them: Arugula is one of our favorite salad greens to grow. It adds a nice spice to any salad mix.
Planting Strategy: Sow seeds outdoors 4 weeks before last frost.
Plants per Square Foot: 4
Varieties We Like: Slow Bolt Arugula'
How to Harvest: Harvest larger leaves from the outside of each plant while allowing leaves to continue to grow from the inside.
THYME
Why We Like Them: Thyme is a wonderful herb for cooking and also makes for a fun and aromatic addition to summer flower bouquets.
Planting Strategy: Sow Seeds outdoors 2-3 weeks before the last frost or transplant around last frost.
Plants per Square Foot: 1
Varieties We Like: Common Thyme
How to Harvest: Cut sprigs off from the outside of the plant. The more you cut off, the fuller the plant will grow.
Radishes
Why We Like Them: Radishes are the perfect starter vegetable for a new gardener. They are often the first vegetables to be harvested, giving gardeners an early reward.
Planting Strategy: Sow seeds outdoors 4-6 weeks before the last frost.
Plants per Square Foot: 16
Varieties We Like: French Breakfast Radishes, Early Scarlet Globe
How to Harvest: Harvest radishes around 5 weeks after planting, when you can see the radishes peeking up out of the soil.
Somewhat Impractical, But Worth It
These plants don’t put out the most produce per square foot, but are so rewarding that we think adding some to each garden is worth it.
eggplant
Why We Like Them: Eggplants are delicious and beautiful in the garden. Even though sometimes you only get 4 eggplants per square foot, each eggplant is a side dish of its own.
Planting Strategy: Eggplants take 2 - 3 months to grow, so seeds should be started indoors 6 weeks before last frost, or bought as transplants to plant outdoors.
Plants per Square Foot: 1
Varieties We Like: Rosa Bianca Eggplant, Black Beauty Eggplant, Long Purple Eggplant
How to Harvest: Harvest eggplant once they are full grown, after 2-3 months.
radicchio
Why We Like Them: Because they are fun and delicious! Radicchio have a slightly sweet and slightly bitter taste and are great with a multitude of cooking preparations. Try them grilled and drizzled with balsamic vinegar and olive oil! They will take all summer to grow, and you’ll only get one head as a reward, so plant sparingly.
Planting Strategy: Sow seeds outdoors 2-3 weeks before the last frost.
Plants per Square Foot: 1
Varieties We Like: Rouge De Verone Radicchio
How to Harvest: Radicchio heads are ready to harvest in late summer once the heads start to get firm. Remove the loose outer leaves to reveal the edible head underneath.
Potatoes
Why We Like Them: There’s something about pulling freshly grown potatoes out of the garden that beats any other gardening feeling. They are also one of the best vegetables to grow in terms of taste out of the ground vs. from the grocery store.
Planting Strategy: Plant seed potatoes (eye up) 2 weeks before the last frost about 6 inches below the surface of the soil. Pile soil high on top of the seed potatoes.
Plants per Square Foot: 1
Varieties We Like: Yukon Gold, Purple Majesty
How to Harvest: For tender and small new potatoes, start harvesting some potatoes after the plants bloom. Wait until the end of the season when the plant leaves die to harvest full grown potatoes. Or do what we do - harvest throughout the late summer until they are all eaten! Carefully pull out the potatoes you want to harvest while leaving the rest to continue growing.
Not So Fast…
Pause before you plant these vegetables in your square foot garden
Brussels Sprouts
Why You Should Pause: Brussels sprout plants grow to a very large size and can take over your garden, preventing other vegetables from growing. Fresh brussels sprouts out of the garden can also have a sulfuric taste to them, one that is not present in grocery store brussels sprouts.
zucchini
Why You Should Pause: Zucchini plants grow to a very large size and can take over your garden, preventing other vegetables from growing. While zucchinis are easy to grow and rewarding for their productivity, they aren’t worth risking the growth of the other vegetables in your garden.
Onions
Why You Should Pause: Onions can grow in square foot gardens, but it takes a lot of space to grow the amount of onions you’d need to cook with over the course of a season. Since you’ll probably never grow enough onions to only use onions from your garden in a small space, we recommend bowing out of the onion game altogether. Save your space for more prolific veggies!