veggieshtml.doc

Green and Tasty

Growing Veggies for the lazy gardener. But not so lazy as can't be bothered.

What vegetables to grow
The important things from my point of view are: how easy they are to grow, and getting tasty vegetables. Points to bear in mind:

A lot of vegetables crop all at once - which is OK if you can store them or you have lots of hungry neighbours.

Does your local supermarket have fresh tasty vegetables? There is also a green angle here: if it flies in green beans from Kenya then you’re not doing much for the planet by buying them.

You should have fun from growing them. If it's no fun my advice is - do something else - like grow herbs - it's easier. But don't give up at once - it keeps you in touch with the natural order of things...

If you still want to get fresh, tasty veggies, the main thing is to find out what they like.

What vegetables like.

Sunshine - They don't like shade (may grow leaves but won't produce much crop)
Water. A tip here is to bury inverted top of plastic bottle in ground next to the roots of plants like courgettes and beans. This delivers the water to where its needed with minimum waste, and encourages the roots to grow deep – so they survive the week when they don’t get watered for one reason or another.
Good soil (dark crumbly stuff – like rich fruit cake) - or poor soil with lots of compost...
Freedom from persecution. Slugs and snails have to be kept in check when plants are small. Some vegetables are very susceptible to attack by aphids, like broad beans, and some have diseases all of their own... Avoid growing the same kind of vegetable on the same spot for year after year - although some vegetables are more susceptible than others...
Warmth

Some vegetables need more or less of the above. And sometimes it can be too warm - runner beans need cool conditions for the flowers to "set" to produce beans - which is one of the reasons why it is better to grow climbing French beans - they are not as particular about temperatures.

And now a list of "good" vegetables to grow. I'm biased in my selection by the hordes of slugs in my garden, and my cold, heavy clay soil: my garden is on the site of a old brickworks. I should really dig a garden pond and let frogs breed in it. Frogs just love a tasty slug, as do hedgehogs.

Courgettes.
Just one or two plants will produce a steady stream ( more like a torrent when the weather is hot and they are well-watered) of courgettes until they are killed by frost in October.
To get good germination best to start them indoors. Second half of May good time in this part of the world (Surrey). Resist the temptation to start too early - cold can slow them down, and later germinating plants can overtake them. Slugs can destroy them when they are small, so protect when they are up to say 50cm across. Otherwise not too bothered by pests. Need lots of water to keep producing the goods, preferably every day in when hot. Cut off the courgettes using a sharp knife to avoid damaging the plant. Twisting them off damages the plant tissue and lets in disease. Good if you have not much space - but each will grow to cover 2meters by 1meter - growing towards the sun. If you think they’ve stopped producing take a good look under all the leaves – there could well be a courgette turning into a monster marrow lurking there.

French climbing beans.
Can cope with wider range of climate than runners beans, and are not so thirsty. But they still like plenty of water. Plant at same time as courgettes. Slugs can destroy them when they are small, so protect them. Some varieties can keep producing beans for two months or so. Good if you have not much space. Cobra a good variety.

Squash. Grow like courgettes - they are closely related species, but don't need as much water. Fruit comes in autumn and can be stored for several months in cool conditions. Good if you like soup.

Tomatoes. Avoid those that produce a big crop all at one time at the end of the season unless you like making chutney. Cherry tomatoes fit the bill. Do need to be looked after though - watering, pinching out side shoots, tying up to canes etc., and do need lots of sunshine and warmth. Buy a greenhouse if you get keen. Then you can grow peppers for a bit of interest.

Broad beans. Only grow if you are prepared for incessant war with black aphids. I'm not.

Lettuce. Only grow if prepared to fend off hordes of slugs and water nearly every day.

Peas. Need quite a bit of cultivating (weeding, watering), take up quite a bit of space, and they all crop at once.

Potatoes. The space I have is better used for other things..

Onions. Same applies as potatoes. They like also lots of sunshine. Also my soil is quite clayey - onions prefer loose, sandy soil as do carrots.

Winter greens. Grow if you like pigeon shooting.

Try multi-cropping.
The American indians grew corn (maize), beans and squash together: The corn provided support for the beans...and the beans provided nitrogen in the soil for the corn and squash... and the squash kept the weeds down by blanketing the ground. It is also suposed to help with pests and diseases. The beans could be eaten immediately, and the squash could be eaten in the winter with tortillas made from the flour ground from the corn.. I must try this sometime, with courgettes instead of squash, but I expect I'll skip the flour grinding bit and go for grilled corn on the cob with melted butter.