Plants That Grow in a Few Weeks

Vegetables

• Radishes are easy to grow and one of the fastest-growing vegetables. Sow radish seeds in early spring when the weather is still cool. Varieties such as Cherry Belle, French Breakfast and Early Scarlet Globe mature in about three weeks. Fertilize the soil before planting and keep the bed moist for the fastest growth. Loose-leaf lettuce is cool-season, fast-growing vegetable. Sow lettuce seeds early in the spring, as many varieties can stand light frost. Leaf lettuce is generally ready to harvest about 75 days after planting, although the baby greens may be harvested sooner. Both radishes and lettuce make good additions to salads and sandwiches.

Annuals

• Sunflowers germinate in 10 days or less and quickly grow. They have some degree of frost tolerance and are planted early in the spring. While the flower head begins forming about a month after planting, these drought-tolerant plants grow all summer long. Some varieties, such as the Mammoth, grow 10 feet tall. The morning glory is a fast-growing annual vine with attractive flowers. This vigorous, undemanding plant grows to a length of ten feet eight weeks after planting. Nick the seeds with a file or soak them overnight in water before sowing for the fastest germination. Morning glories are also good plants for attracting birds and butterflies.

Houseplants

• Houseplants purify the air inside a home or office. Fast-growing houseplants include the aloe vera, also known as the medicine plant. This hardy succulent produces baby plants alongside the main plant, which may be potted up and given away. The spider plant is easy to propagate. The pups or plantlets grow on long stalks sprouting from the mother plant. Pick one of these off and place the root into a container of water, and a new plant is ready for potting in a few weeks. The umbrella tree, or schefflera, is another fast-growing specimen. Pinch the top leaves if it becomes too large.

Bulbs

• Most bulbs planted outdoors need overwintering before they bloom. Forcing bulbs indoors speeds the process into a few weeks. Crocus, daffodils, hyacinth, tulips, iris, snowdrops, grape hyacinth, amaryllis and paperwhite narcissus are all good candidates for forcing. Some bulbs, such as amaryllis and paperwhite narcissus, are available in ready-to-plant kits during the winter. Keep the bulbs well watered and do not fertilize them until after the plant blooms.ell watered and not to fertilize until after the plant has bloomed. (See References 6)