Flowers

• Radishes are one of the fastest-growing plants.NA/Photos.com/Getty Images
  
  Marigolds grow anywhere from 6 inches to 2 feet tall and range in color from pale yellow to deep burgundy. The seeds germinate in just three to nine days, and the plant is fully mature at two weeks if all the conditions are right. If not, they often take about a month to mature. Cosmos has white-to-pink flowers and grows to about 4 feet tall. Calendula has yellow-to-neon orange flowers and reaches 1 foot tall. Zinnias come in many colors and grow to about 2 feet tall. Cosmos, Calendula and Zinnia take about seven to 14 days to germinate, mature in about 30 to 45 days. All are in the aster family.
  
  

Vegetables

• Radishes sprout in four to six days and mature in about three weeks. When one crop is done, plant another. This cycle continues as long as the weather conditions support it. Spinach and beans sprout in six to 10 days and reach maturity in about seven weeks. Peas sprout in about a week and are ready in about eight weeks. Corn, although germinating in five to eight days, takes about 10 weeks to mature.
  
  

Herbs

• Basil sprouts in seven to 10 days and matures in about three months. Wheatgrass, an immature form of wheat, is used in health drinks. It sprouts in about six to nine days and is used in the sprouted stage rather than the mature stage. Dill, used in flavoring pickles and meats, takes about seven to 14 days to sprout and about 10 weeks to mature. Oregano, a favorite in Italian cooking, takes about eight to 14 days for germination and about two months for maturity.
  
  

Other

• Grass seedlings usually sprout within a week and are mature in about three weeks. Alfalfa sprouts take only a few days to grow and are eaten in sprout form within about one to two weeks of planting. Chia seeds, grown on the famous terra cotta forms, germinate in about five days. Field mustard completes its lifecycle in about a month.