Imagine a garden that keeps giving, where you can pick fresh vegetables repeatedly without the hassle of replanting. Sounds too good to be true? It’s not!
Many vegetables are “cut and come again” or regrow after harvesting, making them perfect for sustainable gardening.
Whether you’re a seasoned green thumb or just starting, these 20 veggies will save you time and effort while ensuring a continuous supply of fresh produce.
1. Kale
Kale is a superstar among leafy greens, offering a near-endless supply of nutrient-packed leaves. Pluck the outer leaves as needed, leaving the central crown intact. This encourages the plant to keep producing fresh leaves for months.
This vegetable is hardy and frost-tolerant, thrives in various climates, and requires minimal maintenance.
Whether you prefer curly or Tuscan varieties, kale is a versatile addition to your garden and plate. Use it in salads, soups, or smoothies for a health boost year-round.
2. Swiss Chard
Swiss chard is beautiful with its vibrant stems and incredibly productive. Like kale, you can repeatedly harvest the outer leaves while the plant grows. This cut-and-come-again method ensures you’ll have greens for months without replanting.
Chard grows well in cool and warm weather, making it a reliable choice for any season. Its mild flavor works well in stir-fries, sautés, or as a spinach substitute in recipes.
Plus, it’s packed with vitamins A, C, and K (ref)—perfect for boosting your health while reducing food waste!
3. Romaine Lettuce
Romaine lettuce is a garden favorite for its crisp texture and versatility in salads and wraps. Instead of pulling out the whole plant, snip off the outer leaves as they mature. This allows the inner leaves to grow, giving you multiple harvests from one plant.
With proper care and regular watering, Romaine can produce fresh greens for weeks. It’s also an excellent choice for small spaces or container gardens since it doesn’t require much room to thrive.
For a bonus, regrow store-bought romaine by planting its base in soil or water!
4. Scallions (Green Onions)
Scallions are one of the easiest vegetables to regrow endlessly. After harvesting the green tops, leave about an inch of the white base with roots intact and replant it in soil or water. Within days, new shoots will emerge, ready for your next dish!
These fast-growing alliums are perfect for adding flavor to soups, salads, and stir-fries. They’re also incredibly low-maintenance and grow well indoors on a sunny windowsill or outdoors in your garden bed.
With scallions on hand year-round, you’ll never run out of garnishes again!
5. Spinach
Spinach is another leafy green that keeps giving when harvested correctly. Pick the mature outer leaves first while leaving the central rosette untouched, encouraging continuous growth throughout the season.
This cool-weather crop grows quickly and is rich in iron and vitamins A and C, making it a nutritional powerhouse for your meals.
Whether you enjoy it raw in salads or cooked into curries and casseroles, spinach is essential to any sustainable garden plan.
6. Celery
At first glance, celery might seem like a one-and-done vegetable, but it’s easy to regrow from scraps or as a cut-and-come-again crop. Harvest stalks from the outside while leaving the inner base intact—it will continue producing new stalks over time!
Alternatively, plant the base of store-bought celery in soil or water to grow fresh stalks at home.
Celery thrives with consistent watering and sunlight and adds crunch to soups, salads, and snacks without constant replanting efforts.
7. Chives
Chives are perennial herbs that come back year after year with minimal effort. Snip off what you need from the tops during harvests, but leave at least two inches of growth near the soil line so they can regenerate quickly.
These onion-flavored greens are perfect for garnishing dishes or adding subtle flavor to recipes like omelets or baked potatoes.
Chive flowers are edible, too! Their purple blooms make an attractive garnish while supporting pollinators like bees in your garden ecosystem.
8. Beet Greens
While most people grow beets for their roots, don’t overlook their leafy tops! Beet greens are edible and can be harvested repeatedly by snipping off outer leaves as they mature—just ensure you leave some foliage so the root can continue developing underground.
Rich in nutrients like calcium and iron, beet greens are delicious sautéed with garlic or added raw to salads for extra flavor and texture.
By growing beets for their roots and greens, you get double the value of one plant!
9. Arugula
Arugula, or rocket, is a fast-growing leafy green that rewards you with peppery, flavorful leaves throughout the growing season. Snipping the outer leaves as they mature will encourage the plant to keep producing fresh growth from its center.
Perfect for salads, sandwiches, or even as a pizza topping, arugula thrives in cool weather and can be grown in containers or garden beds. Its quick regrowth makes it an excellent choice for gardeners who want a steady supply of greens with minimal effort.
Plus, its distinct flavor adds a gourmet touch to any dish!
10. Bok Choy
Bok choy is another versatile vegetable that can be harvested repeatedly if handled carefully. Instead of uprooting the entire plant, cut off the outer stalks and leaves, leaving the central core intact. This encourages the plant to regrow, giving you multiple harvests from one planting.
This Asian green is perfect for stir-fries, soups, or steaming and grows quickly in cool and warm seasons. Its tender leaves and crunchy stalks make it a favorite among home cooks and gardeners.
With proper watering and partial shade, bok choy will produce delicious greens for months.
11. Parsley
Parsley is more than just a garnish—it’s a productive herb that can be harvested continuously when grown correctly.
Snip the outer stems near the base of the plant while leaving the inner growth untouched. This keeps the plant healthy and encourages new shoots to grow rapidly.
Parsley is a staple in countless recipes. It thrives in garden beds or pots and can even be grown indoors on a sunny windowsill. Whether you prefer curly or flat-leaf varieties, this hardy herb will provide fresh flavor year-round with minimal maintenance required.
12. Collard Greens
Collard greens are another cut-and-come-again vegetable that keeps on giving when harvested properly.
Pick the lower leaves first, allowing the upper part of the plant to continue growing new foliage. This method ensures a steady supply of greens throughout the season.
Known for their slightly bitter but hearty flavor, collards are a Southern cuisine staple but can be used in soups, stews, or sautés anywhere. They’re also frost-tolerant and thrive in cooler weather, making them an excellent choice for extending your gardening season into fall or winter.
13. Leeks
Leeks are an underrated vegetable that can regrow indefinitely if harvested strategically. Instead of pulling out the entire plant, cut it about an inch above ground level and leave the base intact. With time, new shoots will emerge from the remaining root system.
These mild-flavored alliums are perfect for soups, quiches, or roasted dishes and are easy to grow in small spaces.
Leeks thrive in well-drained soil and full sun but require consistent watering to ensure tender stalks for your kitchen creations.
14. Mustard Greens
Mustard greens are fast-growing leafy vegetables that regenerate quickly when harvested correctly. To encourage continuous growth throughout their growing cycle, snip off mature outer leaves while leaving the central rosette untouched.
Their slightly spicy flavor adds a unique kick to salads or cooked dishes like stir-fries and braises.
Mustard greens are also packed with nutrients like vitamin K and antioxidants, making them as healthy as they are delicious.
15. Endive
Endive is another leafy green that offers multiple harvests when picked carefully. Harvest individual outer leaves as they mature rather than uprooting the entire plant—this way, the endive continues producing fresh foliage from its center.
Known for its slightly bitter taste and crisp texture, endive is ideal as a side dish for salads or grilling.
It thrives in cooler weather and grows well in garden beds and containers, making it versatile for various gardening setups.
16. Radicchio
Radicchio’s vibrant red leaves bring color and flavor to your garden and, if handled properly, offer multiple harvests. Cut individual leaves from outside the plant while leaving its core intact to encourage regrowth.
This chicory relative has a bold, slightly bitter flavor that works well in salads or roasted dishes.
This vegetable thrives in cool weather, adds a gourmet touch to meals, and is easy to grow at home.
17. Cilantro
Cilantro is another herb that rewards gardeners with repeated harvests when picked correctly. Snip off individual stems near their base, but avoid cutting too much at once—this allows new growth to sprout from the remaining plant.
Whether used in salsas, curries, or garnishes, cilantro’s bright flavor is a kitchen essential for many cuisines worldwide.
It grows quickly in sunny spots but benefits from regular watering to prevent bolting during hot weather.
18. Turnip Greens
While turnips are often grown for their roots, their leafy tops are equally valuable and can be harvested repeatedly during their growing cycle. Trim mature outer leaves while leaving smaller inner growth untouched, ensuring continued leaf production without compromising root development.
Turnip greens have a slightly peppery taste similar to mustard greens and are delicious sautéed or added to soups and stews.
By growing turnips for both their roots and greens, you get double the value of one crop!
19. Fennel (Fronds)
Fennel fronds are delicate greens that can be harvested repeatedly without damaging the main bulb below ground level. Simply snip off what you need for garnishes or recipes while allowing new fronds to grow back over time.
These feathery greens have a mild anise flavor that pairs beautifully with fish dishes or salads. Fennel is easy to grow in sunny spots with well-drained soil and adds beauty and utility to your garden setup.
20. Oregano
Oregano is a perennial herb that keeps on giving when trimmed regularly during its growing season. Harvest stems by cutting above a leaf node—this encourages bushier growth while providing plenty of fresh herbs for your kitchen.
A staple in Mediterranean cuisine, oregano thrives in sunny spots with minimal watering needs once established.
Its robust flavor makes it perfect for seasoning sauces, meats, or roasted vegetables while being incredibly easy to maintain year-round.
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Nancy has been a plant person from an early age. That interest blossomed into a bachelor’s in biology from Elmira College and a master’s degree in horticulture and communications from the University of Kentucky. Nancy worked in plant taxonomy at the University of Florida and the L. H. Bailey Hortorium at Cornell University, and wrote and edited gardening books at Rodale Press in Emmaus, PA. Her interests are plant identification, gardening, hiking, and reading.