A fruit is the seed bearing structure of a plant. With fruits we generally think of sweet and juicy foods, but “vegetables” like cucumbers and tomatoes are technically fruits, and nuts (see fruits on trees and shrubs) and seed pods (see Vegetables-Podded vegetables) belong to this category as well. On this page we show you examples of typical fruits for vegetable gardens; fruits from annual plants that can be seeded and harvested within one year.

Annual fruits

Annual fruits can be grown from seeds. Start indoor at the end of winter or outdoors after the last frost. Examples of annual fruits: Corn, Cucumber, Eggplant, Melon, Pumpkin, Okra, Pepper, Squash, Tomato, Tomatillo, Zucchini

Podded Seeds and Shells

Podded seeds or beans can be given a head start indoors, but are also easy to plant directly outdoors, after the last frost. Examples of podded vegetables: American Groundnut, Azuki Bean, Black-eyed Pea, Common Bean, Drumstick Moringa, Dolichos Bean, Fava Bean, Garbanzo Bean, Green Bean, Lentil, Lima Bean, Moth bean, Mung Bean, Peanut, Pigeon pea, Rice Bean, Runner Bean, Peas, Snap Pea, Snow Pea, Soybean, Velvet Bean, Winged Bean, Yardlong Bean…and many more. Your local garden center will have a selection and a wider selection can be found online.