The 32 Best Self-Seeding Vegetables To Grow In Your Garden

Whether you prefer a more hands-off approach to your garden or simply enjoy watching life unfold in an organized chaos, you should consider incorporating self-seeding plants into your garden. These types of plants distribute their seeds themselves and germinate on their own the next year, making your job as the gardener even easier, as it saves you time and effort. No need to spend money on additional seeds or take the time to plant them. Most plant seeds fall directly around the parent plant, give or take a few inches or feet.

One of the biggest benefits of adding self-seeding vegetables to your garden is that the process of natural selection works for you: The seeds that germinate are more likely to be acclimated to your garden's microclimate, giving them a higher chance of survival. When adding these types of vegetables to your garden, it's important to note that you may need to do a little bit of relocation depending on where the seeds fall. But moving seedlings is a far easier process than digging up a whole plant. As long as you stay vigilant and watch for growth, the transplant process should be simple, and you can avoid any issues like transplant shock.

Arugula (Eruca sativa) is a popular leafy green known for its tangy and peppery flavor, making it a great addition to your vegetable garden. If allowed to flower, arugula can easily self-seed and self-pollinate. This veggie will bolt, or go to seed, quickly when it's warm outside, so it grows best in the spring and fall. You'll want to make sure you give your arugula seedlings plenty of time to grow before the weather gets too hot and the cycle begins again.

Also known as orach or red orach, mountain spinach (Atriplex hortensis) is often planted as an earthy and nutty alternative to spinach, as it doesn't go to seed as quickly its popular relative. Despite being an annual plant, mountain spinach can come back every year thanks to its reseeding properties. To allow this process to happen, you need to leave at least one plant and let it go to seed. Note that mountain spinach seeds can easily be blown in the wind and sprout where you might not expect. 

Enjoyed raw, cooked, baked, or fried, kale (Brassica oleracea) is another versatile staple to add to your garden. As a biennial plant, kale lives for two years and will bolt in its second year, growing flowers and producing seeds as it reaches the end of its life cycle. If you don't want your kale to start regrowing, it's recommended that you check the plant regularly for seed pods, to save them and replant elsewhere. Otherwise, you can allow the seeds to fall and sprout into new kale. Kale typically reseeds in the spring.

Instead of spending money on expensive sorrel (Rumex acetosa) at the grocery store, you can easily plant and grow your own. This herbaceous perennial tends to self-seed in its second year, growing a stalk full of seeds which you can either remove and re-plant or simply allow to fall into the surrounding soil. Sorrel is usually reseeded by the wind and grows its seed stalks in the late spring or early summer. 

Another member of the Brassica family, collard greens (Brassica oleracea) are thick, leafy vegetables known for being versatile in the kitchen and packed with nutrition. They are biennial in moderate climates, but can also be grown as annuals. If you leave your collard greens to flower, which usually happens around late spring and early summer, they will produce seeds, which will fall to the ground and regrow the next season.

Broccoli rabe (Brassica ruvo), also known as rapini, is an easy-to-grow mustard family vegetable that you most likely have, at one point, mistaken for broccoli. This veggie will likely bolt and grow its seed stalk in the springtime when the temperatures rise above 75 degrees Fahrenheit, as it grows best in cooler weather. While most broccoli rabe is grown as an annual, it can also be grown as a biennial. 

A member of the Brassicaceae family, radishes (Raphanus sativus) are enjoyed for their crisp bite and versatility in the kitchen. These self-seeding vegetables germinate quickly and tend to bolt, or go to seed, when the weather gets warm, spreading their seeds in the nearby soil. When growing radishes, note that planting them in late spring or early fall can cause them to bolt early. Once planted, they mature in about 21 to 30 days.

If you're considering growing your own vegetable garden, lettuce (Lactuca sativa) is an excellent addition. You can harvest the rest of your lettuce and leave one plant, which will then be inedible, to go to seed. When lettuce goes to seed, which is due to long days and high temperatures, it grows a tall stalk that flowers and drops seeds to germinate in the soil below. 

One of the more popular kinds of root vegetables, turnips (Brassica rapa) are an easy self-seeding plant. They are biennials, so they will grow their roots in their first year of life and then flower, produce seeds, and die the next year. Turnips tend to bolt quickly when they are in poor soil or are overwatered. When harvesting your turnips, leave one to flower and provide you with seeds for future seasons.

Closely related to beets, Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris var. cicla) is a dark leafy green vegetable that is harvested for its thick leaves. This biennial plant can bolt when temperatures rise or if it's planted too early, causing it to produce a long flowering stalk that will release seeds. This process typically happens during the plant's second year of life. Your dropped Swiss chard seeds can germinate in as little as five to 10 days. 

Extremely easy to grow, parsnips (Pastinaca sativa) are a must for any beginner vegetable garden. Known for their nutty flavor, these biennial root vegetables will take root during their first year of life and self-seed during their second. The plant will produce a tall stalk and, when left unharvested, will drop its seeds for new growth. Parsnips will typically bolt in the springtime. 

The iconic purple vegetable, beets (Beta vulgaris var. crassa)are easy to grow, and you can eat every single part of the plant, making them incredibly versatile. Known as a biennial plant, beets will set their roots during their first year and self-seed the next. You can typically harvest your beets in late spring, allowing one plant to remain to produce blooms for self-seeding purposes. 

Part of the Brassicaceae family, cabbage (Brassica oleracea) can come in a variety of colors from green to white to purple. When exposed to prolonged hot weather, cabbage plants can bolt, seed quickly, and put their energy completely into producing seeds. While that cabbage plant may not be edible, at least it provided you with new seeds. Similar to other biennial plants, cabbage takes two years to produce flowers. 

Another leafy green option for your garden, lamb's lettuce (Valerianella locusta) is known for its nutty flavor, and you can grow it from transplants or seeds. When lamb's lettuce eventually goes to seed, or bolts, it sends up a long flowering stalk with small white buds that give way to seeds that spread over the ground. Depending on its environment, such as long seasons or high-temperature winters, lamb's lettuce can either die the same year or come back the next. 

One of the most popular options for a self-seeding vegetable, carrots (Daucus carota) need full sunlight and free-draining soil. You'll want to plant your carrots in the spring, since the summer heat can cause the plants to bolt early. Because it's a biennial plant, carrots take root the first year and, if left untouched, can go to seed the next year. To really push for a spring self-seeding carrot, make sure to leave a few in the ground over the wintertime. 

Summer squash, like zucchini (Cucurbita pepo), is a popular choice for vegetable gardens, as it's easy to grow and extremely versatile in the kitchen. When planting zucchini and other summer squashes, it's important to note that it's not always possible to self-seed, and when it does, the finished product may end up being a hybrid of the parent plants if there is cross-pollination. Zucchinis will typically self-seed from fruit that is left on the vine or falls in the soil.

Celery (Apium graveolens) is a vegetable garden addition that can self-seed. Typically, in its second year of life, a celery plant will bolt and produce seeds via a long flowering stalk. You can leave these, as well as the unharvested celery plant, to fall to the ground and regrow in the soil for additional plants. Note that celery can bolt prematurely in response to stress, which can be caused by low temperatures or an early transplant outside.

New Zealand spinach (Tetragonia tetragonioides) is a popular alternative to spinach as it is a warm-season vegetable and can endure high temperatures much better than its leafy namesake. Unlike typical spinach, the New Zealand variety does not go to seed in the warm summer months. This veggie tends to bolt when the soil is too lean or dry.

Both drought and heat-resistant, the flower and grain hybrid plant amaranth (Amaranthus cruentus) is a staple for gardens, given both its gorgeous bright purple color and gluten-free grain. When an amaranth plant matures, it has the ability to produce a ton of seeds to grow in the same location the next year. You can tell when the seeds are about to fall  because the heads are dry, which will typically happen in late summer. 

Mustard greens (Brassica juncea) have a peppery kick to their taste that some people prefer over their cousin, kale. These leafy greens can self-seed and quickly grow throughout your garden beds year after year. Heat and long days are typically what cause mustard greens to bolt, and this process usually takes place in the hot summer. You can identify a bolting mustard green plant by its long stalk and yellow flowers.

A winter squash that can self-seed, pumpkins (Cucurbita pepo) are a great addition to any vegetable garden and not just near Halloween. These plants do not bolt, but instead the large fruits are harvested at maturity. The self-seeding process takes place after fruit rots away over the winter.

Chances are, you can grow cucumbers (Cucumis sativus) no matter where you live, since these veggies can thrive in a wide range of environments. If you want your cucumber plants to survive till the next year without having to plant new seeds, all you have to do is leave a few fruits on the vine to ripen fully, drop seeds, and rot. This means to look out for fruit that turns yellow or orange, as these will be your self-seeding cucumbers.

Strawberry spinach (Chenopodium capitatum), which is also called beet berry, is an annual plant that is closely related to spinach. While the attached "strawberries" may not be similar to their namesake except in color, the leafy plant is beloved in homemade salads and other fresh dishes. This plant's self-seeding process begins once the "strawberries" have matured and start to drop seeds in the soil, which is typically around the fall season. 

As one might expect, given its popularity as a garden plant, peas (Pisum sativum) are pretty simple vegetables to grow, with their self-seeding properties making it even easier. Once the pods have fully matured and dried, they will drop to the ground and re-seed if you don't harvest them in time. You can tell they're about to drop when the pods grow dry, brown, and brittle.

If tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) are left on the vine to mature and rot, you will most likely have a tomato plant growing in that area next season. Overwintered seeds will germinate when the soil warms in late spring. From there, a process that takes only about seven to ten days to sprout.

In a similar process to heirloom tomatoes, bell peppers (Capsicum annuum) can self-seed thanks to fallen fruits that break open and spill their seeds. If they survive the cold winter months, they can germinate and regrow in the new season. This is particularly common in warmer weather climates. 

Using the exact same process as its relatives, bell peppers, chili peppers (Capsicum annuum) can easily self-seed if you allow fruits to drop, break open, and rot in the soil below. The peppers must be fully mature for the seeds to be able to thrive and self-seed. Once these seeds lie dormant and survive through the winter, they will start to germinate when the warmer months come around. 

As expected, tomatillos (Physalis ixocarpa) can self-seed, or naturally propagate, in a similar fashion to their nightshade cousins, heirloom tomatoes. Once matured, fallen to the soil, and decomposed, tomatillo seeds can lie dormant in the soil over the winter and germinate come spring. This germination process can happen in as little as five to 14 days. 

Long beans (Vigna unguiculata subs. sesquipedalis) self-seed if you don't harvest a few pods and allow them to fall to the soil and seed themselves. When left to germinate, long beans can do so in eight to ten days. These plants do not bolt like leafy greens; instead, their life cycle simply ends.

Pinto beans (Phaseolus vuglaris) can be a super simple addition to your veggie garden. Related to kidney and lima beans, the pinto bean variety is easy to grow, developing seeds within its pods. This plant is ready to harvest when the seeds have dried, and you can hear them shake inside. 

Also known as loofah sponges or dishcloth gourds, luffa gourds (Luffa aegyptiaca) are a member of the squash family, related to other veggies like pumpkins and zucchini. Typically, towards the end of the summer and early autumn, luffa gourds can self-seed by breaking open and spreading seeds to the nearby soil. You can either allow these seeds to grow on their own or collect and save them for future gardening. 

Black beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) can easily self-seed if their pods, which will garner a brittle texture, are left to completely dry on the plant. You can either remove the dried pods to save for later seeding or allow them to fall, break open to reveal their seeds, and start to grow on their own. Black beans can start germinating as early as one to two weeks after hitting the soil.