Essential Veg?

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Essential Veg?
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Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Tue Nov 30, 04 12:29 pm Post subject: Essential Veg?

Although we have a reasonable plot it does have poor soil and we don't have room for everything. So, I've been wondering what people would class as essential vegetables, before going for some more exotic items. The OH is always very keen to grow potatoes, but they take up too much room and are some of the easiest and cheap vegetables to buy, so this year we will try and stick to unusual varieties and earlies.

I'm not including fruit or herbs as we grow them round the rest of our garden in amongst our boarders.

So far:

Garlic (easy to grow and expensive to buy)
Shallots (seem easier than onions to grow and are more expensive to buy)
Unusual & Early Potatoes (but not too many!)
Early Carrots
Salad leaves
Broccoli
Brussels Spouts
Courgettes
Runner beans
Climbing French beans

In the greenhouse

Salad tomatoes
Chillies

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45674
Location: Essex

Posted: Tue Nov 30, 04 12:34 pm Post subject:

I'd defintely grow orach, the coloured ones look terriffic and it's very productive. Chick peas are also very easy and dual use, you can use the greens and obviously the peas. If you like indian food then fenugreek is another excellent green, as is fat hen (I've saved some seed if you're interested) I also grow garlic for greens in my stir fries and curries.

www.vidaverde.co.uk always have a lot of exotic stuff so have a look there too

sean
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Tue Nov 30, 04 12:37 pm Post subject:
Leeks are good, especially if you want little ones for vinaigrette.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45674
Location: Essex

Posted: Tue Nov 30, 04 12:43 pm Post subject:
I love leeks, an excellent veg

Mrs Fiddlesticks

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 10460

Posted: Tue Nov 30, 04 12:44 pm Post subject:

our pumpkins have been the surprise hit of our plot this year, they took up alot of room because himself didn't like to pinch the tips out and we've since learnt they can be grown up poles so we'd grow them again. But the yield from 5 plants - well you've seen the piccy in the store article!- just brilliant!

Actually although cheap to buy one of the most useful things on our plot has been the onions. Having a net in the store is just so handy especially when for us the shops aren't near. I'm planning to grow some red ones next year which are my favourite and will be cheaper than buying.

Herbs are worth growing definitely especially the ones you need handfuls of like basil.coriander or parsley - much better than those supermarket pots that I always seem to kill before I've used much of them

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45674
Location: Essex

Posted: Tue Nov 30, 04 12:48 pm Post subject:
Herbs definitely

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Tue Nov 30, 04 1:03 pm Post subject:
I'd always reccomend Jerusalem artichokes; easy to grow, good yields, expensive to buy. Welsh onions are also a hit, giving onion greens all year round from a small space. I wouldn't be without sorrel in the garden, and I always grow chard.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45674
Location: Essex

Posted: Tue Nov 30, 04 1:04 pm Post subject:
What do you with your Jerusalem artichokes? I tried them a few different ways but didn't really like them

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Tue Nov 30, 04 1:05 pm Post subject:

I'm aiming for a selection of what we actually eat, and then within that what's expensive or much better fresh. I wanted to have a selection of things availble throughout the year.

I'm growing courgettes, pumpkins, patty pan, broccolli, sweetcorn, purple sprouting broccoli, french beans, peas, baby beetroot, shallots, pink fir apples and anyas, and a couple of international kidneys if I can get them and lots of tomatoes. I'm also growing baby carrots, spring onions, watercress, salad leaves, peppers, chillis and aubergines in pots on the paito. I'm hoping to process the chillis, tomatoes, peppers and aubergines into enough pasta sauce, mousakka sauce and chilli to last us the year, and to grow enough salads and veg to keep us through the summer (obviously I'll have to buy maincrop carrots, onions and spuds) I don't know how much I'll have over to freeze, but that's this years experiment!

I'm hoping that a fairly small area can be very productive in an urban garden. I will only be growing a few of most things (for example one courgette plant) and I'll be sqeezing things in together where I can (pumkins up the fence and spinach under the sweetcorn) and because I'm growing odd things, my rotation plan is really weird! The only big crops I am expecting are tomatoes and french beans and peas and baby carrots (although they'll be in succession) but these are the ones I would grow if I couldn't grow anything else (along with salads)

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Tue Nov 30, 04 1:08 pm Post subject:

Tahir wrote:

What do you with your Jerusalem artichokes? I tried them a few different ways but didn't really like them

Oh, we do all sorts fo things with them. Baked in the skins, then the innards squeezed out and seasoned with a little salted butter and some nutmeg, they're very tasty. Or roasted with a little garlic. Also make a good soup.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45674
Location: Essex

Posted: Tue Nov 30, 04 1:09 pm Post subject:
Might have to give 'e another go

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Tue Nov 30, 04 1:12 pm Post subject:
Jerusalem Artichoke, potato and cheese pie is good too.

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Tue Nov 30, 04 1:19 pm Post subject:
And salad with walnuts, grapes and pecorino....

Sarah D

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 2584

Posted: Tue Nov 30, 04 1:27 pm Post subject:

I always make soup with mine, it's wonderful and one of my favourites. I also found a recipe for wine last year which I want to try after Christmas.
Grow things that are best when they are at their very freshest - salads, beans, etc. Permanent crops giving good yields are also good - as said, the sorrel, Welsh onions, as many herbs as you can fit in. Choose climbing varieites where you can to utilise the upward space.

bimini

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 156

Posted: Tue Nov 30, 04 9:42 pm Post subject:

wellington womble wrote:

I'm hoping to process the chillis, tomatoes, peppers and aubergines into enough pasta sauce, mousakka sauce and chilli to last us the year

My aubergines flowered well but not a single fruit set! What do you think went wrong?

On a happier note two new tries this year were cucumbers and butternut squash. Both were absolute successes!

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