Swift-Expanding Vegetation: Seeds to Cultivate for Rapid Growth
Eager Green Thumbs Unite:
Quickly transform your garden into a vibrant spectacle with these rapid-growing plants that'll take your backyard to the next level. Perfect for impatient gardeners, these speedy beauties are not only easy on the eyes but also a cinch to care for. We've chatted with expert horticulturists to bring you the ultimate guide on the fastest-growing annuals.
Niki Jabbour, founder of Savvy Gardening, and Damon Abdi, assistant professor of landscape horticulture at Louisiana State University, shared their insights on the top 10 fastest-growing plants from seed to help you create a show-stopping display in no time.
10 Rapid-Growing Annuals to Brighten Your Garden in a Flash## Arugula
Arugula (Eruca sativa) is an incredible addition to salads, dishes, and your garden alike. Jabbour loves it for its peppery kick and quick growth.
"It's a cool-weather crop, and one of the earliest vegetables I plant in my garden," she says. "I sow more seeds throughout spring and then once again in late summer as the temperatures start to cool down."
- Growing Zones: 2 to 11
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
- Soil Requirements: Loamy, moist, well-drained
- Size: 2 feet to 3 feet tall, 1.5 feet wide
- Time to Maturity: 4 weeks
Marigolds
Marigolds (Tagetes) are a summer essential that brings a splash of warm color to your garden.
"Make sure you sow them after the threat of spring frost has passed," advises Abdi. "Consider selecting long-stemmed varieties for an impressive bouquet display."
- Growing Zones: 2 to 11
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Soil Requirements: Well-drained
- Size: 6 to 36 inches tall, 6 to 12 inches wide
- Time to Maturity: 45 to 50 days
Sweet Alyssum
Sweet Alyssum (Lobularia maritima) offers a fragrant aroma and fast growth, making it the perfect low-growing flower to complement your garden with its pink, white, and purple blooms.
"It's also pollinators' favorite," says Jabbour. "I like to scatter the tiny seeds along the edges of my vegetable beds to invite lacewings, ladybugs, syrphid flies, and bees to my crops."
- Growing Zones: 5 to 9
- Sun Exposure: Full to partial sun
- Soil Requirements: Well-draining
- Size: 3 to 10 inches tall, 2 to 4 inches wide
- Time to Maturity: 2 months
Bush Beans
Looking for a tasty and quick-growing vegetable? Go for bush beans (Phaseolus vulgaris). These garden staples offer a "rainbow" of varieties for an eye-catching display.
"They don't require staking and can be grown in raised beds, in-ground gardens, or planters," says Jabbour. "Try Provider, Goldilocks, or Amethyst for a diverse range of colors."
- Growing Zones: 2 to 8
- Sun Exposure: Full sun, well-drained soil
- Size: 18 to 24 inches tall
- Time to Maturity: 50 days
Sunflowers
Sunflowers are beloved for their bright, iconic colors and quick growth.
"This is a plant that provides relatively instant gratification for beginner gardeners, as they can see visible signs of growth each day," says Abdi. Some varieties grow to be a few feet tall, while others can be over 12 feet.
Abdi recommends growing various sunflower varieties together for different heights and flower colors. Yellow hues are popular, but red, mahogany, and orange sunflowers are also available.
- Growing Zones: 3 to 9
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Soil Requirements: Loam, clay, or sandy soil that is fertile and well-drained
- Size: 3 to 8 feet tall, 1 to 3 feet wide
- Time to Maturity: 70 to 100 days
- Martha Stewart advocates planting sweet alyssum, a fast-growing annual, in flower gardens due to its fragrant aroma and quick blooming.
- Jabbour advises for sowing marigold seeds in gardening zones 2 to 11, after the threat of spring frost has passed, for a vibrant display of warm colors in summer's home-and-garden setting.
- Arugula, recommended for its peppery taste and rapid growth, is often planted by Martha Stewart as one of the earliest vegetables in her garden, thriving in cool weather.
- Bush beans are quick-growing vegetable options, ideal for small gardening spaces and providing a colorful and tasty display in raised beds or in-ground vegetable gardens.
- Sunflowers, renowned for their bright colors and quick growth, are perfect for beginner gardeners, says Damon Abdi, offering instant gratification with their towering heights in a matter of 70 to 100 days.
- According to Niki Jabbour, the vegetable garden ideas of planting various sunflower varieties together results in a striking display of different heights and flower colors, making them an excellent addition to any lifestyle gardening space.
