Chiles are awesome, but don't stop there! There are plenty of easy seeds to plant in your garden that will round out your dinner table.
We'll mention Pozole a lot below... that's because it's so delicious! Pozole is a traditional, hearty Mexican stew made with hominy (large, dried corn kernels) and meat, typically it is made with pork or chicken but we make it vegetarian with potatoes/sweet potatoes/squash or other veggies, all cooked in a flavorful broth. It comes in three main varieties—blanco (white), verde (green), and rojo (red)—depending on the sauce base, and is served with a variety of fresh toppings like shredded cabbage, jalapeños, radish, onion, and lime. Try our Green Chile (Verde) Pozole Recipe »
Find some of our favorite easy seeds to plant below:
Grow our Cherry Belle Radishes from seed, these super-fast growing veggies are sure to delight with their speedy sprouts and crunchy red globes that have a nice spiciness – slice for Pozole or salads. Radishes are some of the easiest seeds you can grow, and are great for new gardeners and kids because they are instantly rewarding. You can also eat the leaves, pan fry them with a little olive oil and garlic for a delicious side dish.
Grow Cilantro seeds to toss this fragrant and delicious herb on top of your Pozole, tacos, or add to salsa. Pictured above is cilantro growing quite happily between two recenty transplanted Fish Peppers in the spring. You can sow cilantro seeds directly into your garden or pots, sow it all over the place and you'll find it will grow happily in certain spots. Cilantro grows the most greens in cooler weather, and when it gets hot it blooms, but don't worry, the whole plant is edible even the flowers. And the lacy pretty flowers smell great, are decorative, and beneficial insects love them. If you let the seeds fully mature, you will have Coriander spice, and/or you can save some to re-sow for continual harvests. Don't fight cilantro, here are our tips to growing it successfully »
Grow your own Brunswick Cabbage and make homegrown spicy Mexican Coleslaw, also known as Cabbage Salsa, with shredded cabbage, tomatoes, hot peppers and cilantro. IT'S SO GOOD! Cabbage is also great topping for tacos and Pozole. It's also great when fermented to make healthy sauerkraut. Cabbage is easy to direct sow if you can keep the soil moist in the garden, or you can also use the Winter Sowing method to germinate a lot of seedlings to then transplant into your garden. Cabbage is cold-hardy so you can plant it extra-early in spring or later in the summer into fall, it takes about 90 days to grow the dense heads, but you can also harvest the younger leaves if desired (though for the best-sized heads, leaving them alone until the heads form is best).
Super easy to grow, our Little Gem Lettuce seeds are fast growing, crunchy and sweet, and make another perfect topping for tacos and smothered burritos. Pair it with sweet specialty peppers like Fushimis or Corno Di Toro and any heirloom tomatoes for a delicious crunchy salad.
Our White Lisbon Bunching Onion seeds are another must-have in any salsa or vegetable garden. These scallion-type onions are hardy, fast-growing, and prized for their mild yet robust savory flavor. Great for chopping and topping Pozole, salads, green chile stew, or tossed into pico-de-gallo. The vibrant green tops are just as delicious as their white parts. Roast them on the grill with your Green Chiles for a real treat. Green onions can be tucked in between other vegetables, or used as borders in the garden.
Squash seeds are super easy to grow and OH SO PRODUCTIVE! You can direct sow the seeds in mounds after all chance of frost has passed. They quickly grow and start producing edible blossoms and eventually tons of squash for your recipes. Squash is one of the most versatile veggies you can grow – offering both quick-harvest summer varieties (zucchini, yellow, pattypan) and long-storing winter types (butternut, pumpkin). They are very useful in the kitchen, you can roast zucchini with garlic and olive oil on the grill for a delicious side dish, use in stir-fries, burritos, for tacos, shred and make savory or sweet breads or fritters, make pumpkin chile, or stuffed blossoms, roast the seeds... the choices are endless. One of our favorite ways to use summer squash is to make Calabacitas: Sauté onion, garlic, and serrano or other hot peppers like green chiles, then add diced zucchini/yellow squash and corn. Finish with shredded cheese, avocado, and/or tomatoes.
Basil seeds are also very easy to grow, and you can grow basil in pots with your peppers, or tuck the plants anywhere in your garden. Basil makes a great companion plant for peppers and tomatoes! Basil is ornamental as well as delicious – so it's a must-have easy to grow vegetable/herb for every garden. Make caprese salad, or add to tomato sauces, nothing beats the homegrown flavor of basil! You can start the seeds under lights indoors in the spring, and then transplant outside, though some people direct seed the seeds in their gardens after the temperatures warm up over 50-60˚ F at night consistently. Once it gets going, it's super easy to grow, make sure to harvest leaves often to keep it bushy and producing. When it starts to go to flower in the heat of summer, don't worry, pollinators love it! Plant a new batch of basil in mid-summer to keep the harvest coming through the fall.
Round out your vegetable garden this year with the easiest to grow seeds! We have the easiest vegetables to grow from seeds in our Get Real Gardening collection, so don't stop at just these listed above. Herb seeds are also surprisingly easy to grow and the perennial herbs like Sage, Oregano, and Garlic Chives will provide you with years of flavor for your kitchen.
