Don't Bother Growing These 9 Crops
video description
- grow things I love to eat
- grow things that do well in my climate
- grow things that are expensive to buy
I love courgette/zucchini and eat lots of it but they are cheap at the market, hence I don't grow them.
I love tomatoes and eat them by the bushel, but I only grow plum tomatoes to make sauce. I can get great beautiful cherry & slicing tomatoes at my market for a reasonable price.
I grow sweetcorn because it's ridiculously expensive here and I can grow it easily enough.
I used to grow asparagus but I'm in asparagus land. I can get it cheap enough in the spring and early summer that it's not worth dedicating a permanent bed to it in my garden.
Sure, try growing some unusual fruit and veg but be critical about it. If you don't love it, or if you can buy it cheap, don't bother.
Date: 2022-07-18
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Comments and reviews: 14
FreeForLife
Jerusalem artichokes are best for pickles and chow-chow. I had never even heard of eating them baked or boiled. In the South, we only grow them to make pickles. Zucchini does not do well here in Florida. The blossoms won't fall off, and you end up with blossom end rot. Not worth it. The smaller summer squash, like patty pans, are my favorites. Malabar Spinach has disappointed me too. Here in Z 9 N. Florida, you have to plant the seeds in the winter so they will come up very quickly in the spring, but the plants don't actually start growing well until summer, when they quickly go to seed and the leaves get bitter. Just not worth it. You mentioned earwigs, and I can relate, but it's cabbage borers here. I stopped growing cabbage altogether and went with Brussels Sprouts, because the tiny heads are too small to interest the borers.
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Jerusalem artichokes are best for pickles and chow-chow. I had never even heard of eating them baked or boiled. In the South, we only grow them to make pickles. Zucchini does not do well here in Florida. The blossoms won't fall off, and you end up with blossom end rot. Not worth it. The smaller summer squash, like patty pans, are my favorites. Malabar Spinach has disappointed me too. Here in Z 9 N. Florida, you have to plant the seeds in the winter so they will come up very quickly in the spring, but the plants don't actually start growing well until summer, when they quickly go to seed and the leaves get bitter. Just not worth it. You mentioned earwigs, and I can relate, but it's cabbage borers here. I stopped growing cabbage altogether and went with Brussels Sprouts, because the tiny heads are too small to interest the borers.
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Bo
In my youth you couldn't give away zucchini in our hood, I got over fed the stuff, it's OK but I don't bother growing it. Yellow Crookneck a good alternative, much tastier and substantial, or any darker colored squash.
I get the earwig issue from artichokes, recent yrs wild ladybugs have protected my chokes, otherwise a couple drops of hand dish detergent in sprayer bottle directly on 'fruit' (flower) makes them all scramble out from between pedals and die of drowning then you can hose off chokes. just a few times per season at worse. I assume that flushing cabbages like that would cause them to rot. Choke pedals are loose fitting, smooth and dry quickly in the sun.
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In my youth you couldn't give away zucchini in our hood, I got over fed the stuff, it's OK but I don't bother growing it. Yellow Crookneck a good alternative, much tastier and substantial, or any darker colored squash.
I get the earwig issue from artichokes, recent yrs wild ladybugs have protected my chokes, otherwise a couple drops of hand dish detergent in sprayer bottle directly on 'fruit' (flower) makes them all scramble out from between pedals and die of drowning then you can hose off chokes. just a few times per season at worse. I assume that flushing cabbages like that would cause them to rot. Choke pedals are loose fitting, smooth and dry quickly in the sun.
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Brightscales
I agree with almost everything. Last owner of my house planted jerusalem artichokes. So they were everywhere. I harvested them and tried them, but same problem as you and I also don't care for the flavor. Now I'm just annoyed when I see them pop up again.
Thorn blackberries, also planted by previous owner, also keeps popping up everywhere. They are the literal thorn in my side.
I am growing black krim tomatoes for the first time so will see if I agree on that.
Napa cabbage, for me I don't even get to a nice head, the snails/slugs get them way before that. But that did mean they left the pumpkin flowers alone this year, so that's something.
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I agree with almost everything. Last owner of my house planted jerusalem artichokes. So they were everywhere. I harvested them and tried them, but same problem as you and I also don't care for the flavor. Now I'm just annoyed when I see them pop up again.
Thorn blackberries, also planted by previous owner, also keeps popping up everywhere. They are the literal thorn in my side.
I am growing black krim tomatoes for the first time so will see if I agree on that.
Napa cabbage, for me I don't even get to a nice head, the snails/slugs get them way before that. But that did mean they left the pumpkin flowers alone this year, so that's something.
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Courtney
I won't grow onions anymore because they are just so cheap in the store, even organic ones. They're easy to grow, so that's not the issue. I want to grow stuff I can't get in the store at all, or that's expensive, or just not great quality when you buy it. I love my red and black raspberry bushes. Only some pruning work in spring and fall, and other than that they produce a ton of berries and keep the Japanese beetles off my other plants without being affected themselves. (New England Asters do this too btw) I love Potimarron Squash. It is the absolute best for pumpkin pies, even over Honey Nut, Butternut, Sugar Pie.
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I won't grow onions anymore because they are just so cheap in the store, even organic ones. They're easy to grow, so that's not the issue. I want to grow stuff I can't get in the store at all, or that's expensive, or just not great quality when you buy it. I love my red and black raspberry bushes. Only some pruning work in spring and fall, and other than that they produce a ton of berries and keep the Japanese beetles off my other plants without being affected themselves. (New England Asters do this too btw) I love Potimarron Squash. It is the absolute best for pumpkin pies, even over Honey Nut, Butternut, Sugar Pie.
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Ilah
The garden dud I experienced were delicate squash. While I like how compact these plants are, they never produced more than one squash at a time, and extra frustrating since they are small and take a while to mature since they are winter squash. Many vining winter squashes have the combined issue of being garden hogs, not producing many squash, and if you grow from seed, the final squash may be different from the original plant and not taste good. Very frustrating to get only a couple of bland squash after months of watering and my whole garden being a sea of squash leaves.
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The garden dud I experienced were delicate squash. While I like how compact these plants are, they never produced more than one squash at a time, and extra frustrating since they are small and take a while to mature since they are winter squash. Many vining winter squashes have the combined issue of being garden hogs, not producing many squash, and if you grow from seed, the final squash may be different from the original plant and not taste good. Very frustrating to get only a couple of bland squash after months of watering and my whole garden being a sea of squash leaves.
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Frik
I agree on zucchinis. I tried for couple of years to find a good way to make a tasty meal out of them - nothing's going. Just too bland and watery. Our chickens got the most out of them - they like to eat them. About the only good thing we can make out of zucchinis as a food is a component of pasta sauce. But I won't bother growing a patch of zucchinis to make couple of jars of sauce - it's not worth the work and water.
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I agree on zucchinis. I tried for couple of years to find a good way to make a tasty meal out of them - nothing's going. Just too bland and watery. Our chickens got the most out of them - they like to eat them. About the only good thing we can make out of zucchinis as a food is a component of pasta sauce. But I won't bother growing a patch of zucchinis to make couple of jars of sauce - it's not worth the work and water.
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handmade
Glad to see kiwano on here. I bought one once from giant (where it was labeled as horn melon) with FULL intentions of planting the seeds but when I opened it up to taste it I was like, how in the world? Needless to say I didn't like the taste of it and neither did my toddler at the time. Good to know there was no use collecting the seeds since we ate some and threw the rest out.
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Glad to see kiwano on here. I bought one once from giant (where it was labeled as horn melon) with FULL intentions of planting the seeds but when I opened it up to taste it I was like, how in the world? Needless to say I didn't like the taste of it and neither did my toddler at the time. Good to know there was no use collecting the seeds since we ate some and threw the rest out.
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Rory
Kevin! Greetings from central Florida! The video ending reminded me, I just harvested my first dragonfruit last week. I got dark star (first to fruit, physical graffiti, and vietnamese white at blooming age. I also got new cuttings of sugar dragon and ozzie gold a couple months back. I loved it and I have you and Richard to thank for the inspiration, so thank you mucho brother man!
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Kevin! Greetings from central Florida! The video ending reminded me, I just harvested my first dragonfruit last week. I got dark star (first to fruit, physical graffiti, and vietnamese white at blooming age. I also got new cuttings of sugar dragon and ozzie gold a couple months back. I loved it and I have you and Richard to thank for the inspiration, so thank you mucho brother man!
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Louis
Really glad about the Napa Cabbage info because I fricking hate earwigs. I'm not bothered by many bugs or spiders -- critters in general don't bug me but. I hate those little creeps. I won't go out of my way to disturb them in my garden, but if I had to deal with a crap load of them in a crop I'd be so grossed out I wouldn't want to deal with it.
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Really glad about the Napa Cabbage info because I fricking hate earwigs. I'm not bothered by many bugs or spiders -- critters in general don't bug me but. I hate those little creeps. I won't go out of my way to disturb them in my garden, but if I had to deal with a crap load of them in a crop I'd be so grossed out I wouldn't want to deal with it.
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RubyLovesRocket
On my personal list, Asparagus. Not so much a waste of time, but a waste of space. Each crown only seems to send up one stalk at a time, so in order to have enough plants ready to harvest at the same time to get a good, family of 4 mealtime serving, in one go (so they are all equally as fresh) you'd need to plant a whole acres worth.
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On my personal list, Asparagus. Not so much a waste of time, but a waste of space. Each crown only seems to send up one stalk at a time, so in order to have enough plants ready to harvest at the same time to get a good, family of 4 mealtime serving, in one go (so they are all equally as fresh) you'd need to plant a whole acres worth.
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Taxus
I have grown lychee tomatoes. Thorny! The plants did very well and the fruit taste was unusual. Not very sweet but might do well in stir fries. If you think zucchini is too watery try chayote. Summer squash taste, but firmer flesh. My favorite crop is ground cherry. It is a night shade in the physalus genus. Sweet and tasty berries.
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I have grown lychee tomatoes. Thorny! The plants did very well and the fruit taste was unusual. Not very sweet but might do well in stir fries. If you think zucchini is too watery try chayote. Summer squash taste, but firmer flesh. My favorite crop is ground cherry. It is a night shade in the physalus genus. Sweet and tasty berries.
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Jose
I've grown nappa cabbage and michihilli cabbage, but you can't grow them successfully without a border of marigolds. And the marigolds have to be started first. Bugs in general don't like the smell of the flower or the taste of the roots. I tried using Milkweed as a substitute, but the timing of its blooms are less compatible.
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I've grown nappa cabbage and michihilli cabbage, but you can't grow them successfully without a border of marigolds. And the marigolds have to be started first. Bugs in general don't like the smell of the flower or the taste of the roots. I tried using Milkweed as a substitute, but the timing of its blooms are less compatible.
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David
Hey mate try growing your cabbage off the ground my brother was having same problems with his plant even in pots so put them up on table off the ground and never had a problem with them so maybe high raised bed his pots are only about a foot off the ground he cannot grow in ground for same reason like a plague
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Hey mate try growing your cabbage off the ground my brother was having same problems with his plant even in pots so put them up on table off the ground and never had a problem with them so maybe high raised bed his pots are only about a foot off the ground he cannot grow in ground for same reason like a plague
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Gina
Re Jerusalem artichokes and flatulence: Its possible that the microbiota in your intestine needed to digest the JA havent built up, yet. Start with small quantities and increase.
I dont know this for sure, but Ive been reading Fiber Fueled, and the doctor/author discusses flatulence when increasing fiber.
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Re Jerusalem artichokes and flatulence: Its possible that the microbiota in your intestine needed to digest the JA havent built up, yet. Start with small quantities and increase.
I dont know this for sure, but Ive been reading Fiber Fueled, and the doctor/author discusses flatulence when increasing fiber.
reply
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