What Should You Plant First?

My first garden was three tomato plants, a pepper and a packet of carrots I sowed far too thick. The tomatoes split, the pepper sulked, and the carrots never came up. What I needed that year was one crop that worked, so I would come back the next spring.

What the quiz does

Ten questions ask about your space, your sun, the time you have each week, how long you can wait and what you like to eat. Your answers point to one of six crops that most growers find forgiving the first time. Each one asks for something different. One wants speed and attention, one wants room, and one wants almost nothing except time.

What it leaves out

It has never seen your yard. It does not know your soil, your local frost dates or the squirrel that digs up every pot. Treat the answer as a starting point, then check your local extension office for planting dates where you live.

How to pick a first crop that sticks

Start with the sun. Watch your spot for a full day and count the hours of direct light. A balcony that feels bright may get only three hours, and most fruiting crops want six or more. Leafy crops and radishes put up with less.

Next, look at your calendar before the seed rack. Every crop has a window tied to your last spring frost or your first fall frost. Miss it, and even an easy plant struggles.

Last, grow something you will eat. A row of beans nobody likes still counts as a miss, even if it grows well. One small win that makes it to the table beats an ambitious bed you stop visiting by July.

Before you answer

Describe the space you have today. If the new raised bed is still a pile of lumber in the garage, answer for the pots on the steps. You can always take the quiz again next year.