Best vegetable seeds to plant in spring

Best vegetable seeds to plant in your spring garden

IN THIS ARTICLE:

• Burpee Straight Eight Slicing Cucumber Seeds
• Ferry-Morse Grand Bell Mixed Peppers
• Rebel Gardens Heirloom Tomato Seeds

As it starts to warm up, many of us shed our extra layers and find ways to get outside more often. Vegetable gardening is one of the most rewarding ways to get some sun, and now that spring is here, you have several tasty seed options. 

You can plant everything you need to make your own salsa, salad or soup, but knowing what you can grow in your region and which brands you can trust is an absolute must for a successful spring garden.

Things to consider before you begin

USDA planting zones

The United States Department of Agriculture has a helpful guide that details which plants will likely grow in a given location. The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (or Planting Zone Map for short) divides the United States into “zones” that seed brands, stores and websites like Best Reviews can use to help you understand which vegetable seeds you should buy.

If you aren’t familiar with the map or don’t know which zone you live in, it’s beneficial to pull it up to use as a reference as you read this guide.

Which vegetables grow in spring?

Veggies like summer squash, peppers, tomatoes, spinach and peas can all be planted in zones 5 to 10 as early as March. 

In April, various vegetables can be grown in zones 3 to 10, meaning you aren’t too late if you haven’t started yet. Beans, cabbage, carrots, beets, corn and cucumbers all thrive if planted in April. 

Many of the veggies that grow well if planted in March and April still have time to grow if you plant them by May, including peppers, summer squash and corn. In zones 3 to 6, snap peas, cabbage, carrots and beets will thrive if planted in June. Corn can be successfully grown in zones 3 to 10 if sowed in June.

No matter which planting zone you live in, you can successfully grow herbs anytime through the spring season. 

What tools do you need to start a garden?

• Handheld trowel - The handheld trowel is one of the more versatile gardening tools out there. You’ll use it to dig small holes, break up dirt, plant seeds and more. Having a quality trowel is an absolute must for a vegetable garden. We recommend the ergonomic digging trowel by Zenport, which you can purchase at Wayfair or Amazon.
• Gardening gloves - Even if you like getting your hands dirty, a capable pair of gardening gloves can make a massive difference in personal safety. We recommend the GLOSAV Professional Thorn-Proof Gardening Gloves. You can buy GLOSAV’s thorn-proof gloves on Amazon.
• Kneeling pad -  A kneeling pad can help save you from knee-pain while tending to your garden; make sure to get one made of thick foam for maximum comfort. We recommend the Dimple High-Density Foam Kneeling Mat, available at Amazon and Wayfair.
• Gardening Toolset - If you want to keep things simple, consider a gardening toolset. Many toolsets have everything you need to get started; we recommend Pure Garden’s Eight-Piece Tool and Tote Set, equipped with a twig pruner, snip, rake, trowel, shovel, spray bottle, wire-tie and convenient tote. You can get Pure Garden’s toolset at Home Depot, Amazon or Kohl’s.

The best spring vegetable seeds

Best vegetable seeds to plant in late March

Burpee Straight Eight Slicing Cucumber Seeds

Burpee’s Straight Eight Cucumbers are known for their enormous size and high yield. They’re a perfect addition to nearly anyone’s garden, as they grow in zones 3-10.

Sold by Amazon

Ferry-Morse Grand Bell Mixed Peppers

These mixed bell pepper seeds have above-average germination rates and contain no GMOs. These seeds are an excellent choice to add some bright colors to your garden and diet.

Sold by Home Depot

Rebel Gardens Heirloom Tomato Seeds

These certified-organic seeds produce excellent indoor or outdoor garden vegetables for anyone who loves tomatoes. Rebel Garden’s seed packaging is compostable, and the seeds are non-GMO. You get eight different types of tomato seed in this set, although many complain that the beefsteak tomatoes are not as good as the others in the collection.

Sold by Amazon

Best vegetable seeds to plant in April

Seed Needs Rainbow Beet Mixture

No matter which USDA zone you reside in, these non-GMO beets can add a splash of red, gold, white and orange to your garden. You get a generous 150+ seeds in a package, and in many cases, they begin sprouting within days.

Sold by Amazon

Golden Wax Bush Bean Plant Seeds

Golden Wax Bush Bean Plant Seeds have a high germination rate and impressive disease resistance. You get 50 non-GMO seeds in a packet and can expect to see yields within 50 days of planting.

Sold by Amazon

Burpee Saffron Summer Squash Seeds

Burpee Seed Starting Kit ships you a pack of 100 seeds. You can sow it outdoors for four weeks, and just in 55 days it should be ready to harvest.

Sold by Amazon

Best vegetable seeds to plant in June

Burpee Sugar Snap Peas

If you live in USDA zone 3-6, June is the perfect time to plant sugar snap peas, and Burpee offers 300+ high-quality seeds for less than $10. Some have complained of low germination rates with these seeds, but you get nearly three times as many as other brands for the same price.

Sold by Amazon

Gurney’s Sweet Corn

Start corn in June for a fantastic summer vegetable that’s great on the grill, boiled or as an ingredient in several great summer recipes. With Gurney’s, you get 200+ corn seeds that hold their flavor for more than three weeks in the husk.

Sold by Home Depot

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Cody Stewart is a writer for BestReviews. BestReviews is a product review company with a singular mission: to help simplify your purchasing decisions and save you time and money.

BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers.