Lettuce and salad greens (fast, forgiving, and productive)

Lettuce is arguably the best crop for absolute beginners: it germinates in 3-7 days, grows quickly (harvest in 30-60 days), tolerates partial shade, and can be harvested continuously using the cut-and-come-again method (cut outer leaves 1 inch above the base and the plant regrows). Plant in early spring or fall; lettuce bolts (goes to seed and turns bitter) in summer heat above 80 degrees F. Direct sow seeds 1/4 inch deep, thinning to 4-6 inches apart for leaf types or 8-10 inches for head types. For continuous harvest, succession plant every 2-3 weeks from early spring through late fall. Excellent varieties for beginners: Buttercrunch (butterhead, heat-tolerant), Salad Bowl (loose leaf, reliable), Rouge d'Hiver (red, cold-hardy), and mesclun mixes (variety in one packet). Expand to other greens as confidence grows: spinach (cool season, 40-50 days), Swiss chard (heat-tolerant, colorful, 55-65 days), arugula (peppery, 30-40 days), and baby kale (60-70 days). A single 4x8 bed can produce enough salad greens for daily salads for a family of four when succession planted.