Every new gardener wants a thriving harvest. These easy-to-grow varieties, whose flavors range from hot to sweet, are a wise choice for a successful first-time garden.

'Black Seeded Simpson' loose-leaf lettuce (Lactuca sativa) is an heirloom that matures early in the season with a tender texture and delicate flavor.

'Bush Champion' cucumber (Cucumis sativus) has a compact habit that allows it to thrive in containers, producing crisp, bright-green fruits in abundance.

'Carnival' sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum) produces sweet, mild peppers in a range of cheerful colors. For a hot pepper, 'Jalapeno M' has an intense, medium-hot flavor and is suitable for containers.

'Chioggia' beet (Beta vulgaris ssp. vulgaris), an Italian heirloom, is also known as a striped beet for its globe-shaped, mild-flavored red-and-white flesh.

'Danvers Half Long' carrot (Daucus carota ssp. sativus), a popular heirloom, has an excellent flavor and doesn't require deep soil.

'Early French Breakfast' radish (Raphanus sativus) is a heat-tolerant heirloom radish with superior crunch.

'Fordhook Giant' Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris) is an easy-to-grow, heat-resistant heirloom that does not bolt; it has a mild flavor.

'Kentucky Wonder Brown' bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), an heirloom with a distinctive flavor, has been popular since the mid-19th century.

'Rosa Bianca' eggplant (Solanum melongena) is a sweet-flavored Italian heirloom with lovely creamy flesh.

'Saffron' summer squash (Curcurbita pepo) grows on a productive, bushy plant that provides an early harvest.

'Sugar Ann' pea (Pisum sativum) is an award-winning snap pea that grows in a bush form and doesn't require staking.

'Super Sweet 100' cherry tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) produces an abundance of candy-sweet, bite-size tomatoes all season. For a slicing tomato, plant 'Brandywine,' one of the most popular heirlooms for its large, flavorful, nonacidic fruits. For sauces, choose 'San Remo' paste tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum), an Italian heirloom with intense flavor, few seeds, and a high sugar content.

'Teton' spinach (Spinacia oleracea) tolerates heat better than other spinach cultivars, making it a three-season crop in temperate climates.