What to Plant in New Jersey This Month
New Jersey’s growing seasons shift quickly, and choosing the right vegetables for the time of year makes gardening much easier. Cool-season vegetables like lettuce, spinach, and carrots do well in early spring and fall. Warm-season crops such as tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, and peppers thrive once soil temperatures warm up in late spring and early summer. Choosing the right plants for the month helps ensure a healthy harvest.
Which sounds more appealing?
- A salad made from vegetables you grew yourself
- A salad made from vegetables that spent days traveling from a farm to your local grocery store
We think the answer is A, and not just because we’ve got a stake in the world of New Jersey garden supply. Fresh, home-grown vegetables will always win out over their store-bought counterparts.
At the same time, the idea of growing your own vegetables can seem pretty daunting.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. Anyone can start a garden with a little patience, and the help of these easy-to-grow vegetables:
1. Tomatoes
A favorite of veteran and novice gardeners alike, tomatoes are perhaps the most popular easy-to-grow vegetables. (Although if you asked a botanist, they’d tell you that tomatoes are technically a fruit. But that’s a topic for another blog post.)
You can grow them anywhere they’ll get a lot of sunlight. With a little bit of water and a good amount of light, they’ll yield plenty of fruit all summer. Plant basil – another simple garden favorite – next to your tomatoes to keep away pests and give the tomatoes an enhanced flavor.
2. Cucumbers
Have you ever had a neighbor who showed up at your door with a bunch of cucumbers? They’ve learned the same lesson you’ll learn when you plant these veggies: they grow like crazy.
Cucumbers do well with a lot of sun, water and warm weather. Just give them room to climb – or plant bush cucumbers, which are better for containers or smaller yards – and pretty soon, you’ll be the neighbor who’s giving away cucumbers.
3. Lettuce
On paper, lettuce doesn’t seem like the most exciting vegetable. But trying fresh, garden grown lettuce will quickly cure you of that notion.
There’s nothing quite like eating a salad made from lettuce you’ve grown yourself. And lettuce – and other salad greens like spinach or arugula – is easy to grow and harvest. Just be sure to pick lettuce in the morning, after the plants have spent the night absorbing water.
Lettuce doesn’t take up a lot of space. In fact, it’s a good plant for anyone experimenting with container gardening. Keep the soil moist – watering every other day when it doesn’t rain.
Don’t wait too long to harvest: lettuce won’t do well in hot weather. Visit your local New Jersey garden supply center for more advice.
4. Green beans
Whether you’re growing string beans or shell beans or whole beans, green beans are perfect home garden vegetables. Bush beans will yield more crops, but broad beans are much easier to manage. You can also go with their easy-to-grow cousin pole beans, as long as you have a trellis.
5. Zucchini
Just like cucumbers, zucchinis – also known as summer squash – will grow like wild, whether you plant in them in the earth or grow them in containers.
They’ll need a lot of moisture, and grow in warmer soil, making them the perfect vegetable for people who wait to the last minute to start planting.
Are you ready to start planting easy-to-grow vegetables? Mendham Garden Center is ready to help. For decades, people have trusted our New Jersey garden supply center to provide plants, fertilizer and other lawn and garden care equipment, along with expert advice.
Visit one of our three locations today, and our team will be happy to help guide you through the world of gardening. Good luck!
New Jersey Gardening FAQs
When should seeds be started in New Jersey?
Most cool-season seeds should be started indoors 6–8 weeks before the last frost, typically in late February or March. Warm-season crops can be started in early April for late spring transplanting.
What vegetables grow best for beginners in New Jersey?
Easy options include tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, green beans, and leafy greens. These plants adapt well to New Jersey’s soil and climate.
Where can I find garden supplies locally?
Mendham Garden Center offers soil, fertilizers, mulch, tools, seeds, and plants for gardeners throughout Morris and Hunterdon Counties. Visit our Mendham, Chester, or Annandale locations for seasonal supplies and expert guidance.