Top 10 veggies for the garden??????????

[homesteadingnky]

If you could chose only 10 veggies to grow in your garden to live on, what would they be? How much would you have to grow of each, and how would you store them? I'm anxious to see what eveyone comes up with.

Also, see the top 10 medicinal herbs to grow under the medicinal herb link.

I hope everyone that gardens will drop in and leave your top ten list. Have a blessed day.

Homesteading Dad n KY

[CountryKitty]

If limited to just 10 I would grow some cool-weather crops, some hot, and several that were double or triple-duty crops--edible in several ways. Here's my choices, along with some rationales for why I chose them, plus the occasional variety:

Tomatoes----A medium sized (the big ones are green on top while the bottom is ripe), acidic, low juice variety. Indeterminate (space-saving and bears till frost). Still trying to find a variety with the old fashioned acidic flavor my family loves. Some I would can, some freeze, and I would like to try drying...I add dry beans to a slow cooker all the time, what would be different about adding dry tomatoes?

Beans--TRIPLE-DUTY--Yard-long beans/ Asparagus beans can be eaten as green beans, the seeds can be used for dry beans (they're kin to cowpeas) and young leaves can be cooked like spinach. BONUS: japanese beetles (bad in my area) don't care for them much, they can take heat better than regular green beans, and are fairly prolific. Have not tried freezing the leaves or green beans yet, tho' am told frozen beans need to be blanched briefly before freezing to retain texture.

Lettuce--the leafy variety--we all gotta have our green veggies for optimum health, and the leafy kind have far more nutrition (and flavor) than the head varieties. These aren't really suitable for storing, however, this fall I will be thinking about a few heads in pots in front of a window as well as growing collards and kale for a winter green that can be harvested when the snow flies.

Sweet Peppers--- ripe peppers have more vitamin C than oranges and are nice and sweet, unlike the poor green unripe ones sold at the grocery stores. They go on salads, in spaghettie sauce, etc. I would freeze some, will try drying some, and want to try growing some in pots year-round.

Hot peppers--I'm trying to find just one variety that will do it all for my family in this department! Thick-walled Jalapenoes go in several meals here, Tabascos covered with vinegar for peppers sauce, pepperocini with salads and spaghetti and pizza. I've tried growing my own tabasco--VERY prolific, and store very well just covered in straight vinegar for pepper sauce, but heat canning ruined them. Drying them didn't work out either--no flavor, just heat. I'm growing it again to try at several different stages for our varied hot pepper uses. I'm also trying Lemon Drop AKA Hot Lemon this year. Freezing some, pickling others, and maybe one in a pot by the window.

Collards--DOUBLE-DUTY--tender young growth can go in salads, older growth as a cooked green.-- a cold-weather frost-tolerant variety to grow when lettuce is gone. My family LOVES collard greens and ham--the 17yo daughter tells me "I SO love you!" when she sees a crockpot full of greens cookin' on the counter. Will be trying the variety Green Glaze--resistant to cabbagge worms--this year. Freezing works great for these.

Canteloupe--a fruit that grows in the garden--and late freezes the last 2 years have killed the blooms on my fruit trees! Trying 3 varieties this year. Not something you could store for winter consumption.

Corn---Golden bantam does well here in SW KY, but I would like to try Hickory King--said to be good for eating fresh, or as grits or as corn nuts, plus tall and stout enough for beans to climb. I'm also curious about Painted Mountain--developed as a short season flour corn, it is small enough to fit even in a small garden and rumored to be suitable as a fresh eating corn. Also, is short-season enough to grow a second crop if a first fell to a freak freeze, hail, locusts etc. Freezing works well for corn.

Peas--a cold weather green veggie laden with protein. An early green legume, and if the weather stays cool and makes it impossible to plant green beans til later than usual, the peas will continue to go strong. They go in the freezer.

Amaranth--TRIPLE-DUTY--just growing this for the first time this year. Young leaves for salads in hot weather when the lettuce bolts and the collards are't in the ground yet, older leaves for cooked greens before the collards are big enough, and high-protein grain to cook like popcorn, or in soups like barley or grind and add to bread.

Next?

[homesteadingnky]

You go countrykitty! Nice list! I have just briefly read your list and already have gotten some good ideas. We're fixing to leave so I'm going to print it off so I can study it after while. I'll post my list soon. Got a Super Bowl to go watch.

Homesteading Dad n KY

[Deberosa]

Hmmm. At this point this might be limited to what I am able to grow! But here is what I would try:

1. Burgundy bush beans - they grow great for me - I would put in several 50 ft rows successively to store for the winter - frozen or canned.
2. Tomatoes - rebuild the hoop house and grow tomatoe to freeze, can and dry.
3. Multiplier onions. THey are great for salads and cooking and will "multiply". ;-)
4. Zuccini - grows like crazy and can be dried or fed to animals.
5. Butternut squash - keeps well and is prolific.
6. Pumpkins - also keeps well and easy to grow.
7. Lettuce greens - mixed greens year round.
8. Spinach - for salads and cooked greens.
9. Mangel beets - for food and for livestock.
10. Leeks - grow here year round and overwinter in the garden.

[FirestarterKY]

*Potatoes, keep all year, keep dirt on, let dry and put up/down.
*Onions, the big ones, let hang dry, keeps all year.
*Carrots. Root veggies are just good keepers.
*All deep greens (kale, mustard turnip), packed with nutrients and fiber.
*Spinach, a lot.
*Tomatoes
*turnips, they keep good for a while and as many said up there double or triple duty.
*Beets
*Corn
*Pumkin....did you know that in places like Jamaca(sp?)....they use pumkin as a base in cooking much like we use tomatoes? Neat huh?

Neat question~~thanks!

I was thinking, "filler" and high in nutrient values.

Leeks grow in winter????
will have to check it out!
Thanks!

[homesteadingnky]

1. Potatoes - my favorite! ( I was practically raise on them)

2. Tomatoes - Can't live without them!

3. Beans - CountryKitty has just about sold me on the triple duty ones (sounds awesome)

4. Sweet Peppers - We put them in just about everything

5. Broccoli - packed with nutrition

6. Onions - Very healthy and I can never get enough of them

7. Corn - for the corn and the meal

8. Lettuce - for salads (haven't grown a wide variety of greens but I intend to start this year)

9. Squash - Yellow straight neck

10. Zucchini - Black beauty or Golden

I'm sure I could do better nutritionally speaking but if we'll grow what we love then we'll eat what we grow. All of 10 of these things grow great for us with minimal care.

I'm loving your top 10 list! :) Keep them coming. I'm getting some really good ideas for things I'd like to try.

Homesteading Dad n KY

[BIGGKIDD]

Cool Thread,,

I don't know if I can come up with ten. I am not much on veggies. :-[

1) Sweet White Corn I have grown it for years my favorite food on earth.
2) Potatoes Last year was my first time growing seemed like we got more than our share of delisious taters
3) Tomatoes I can't eat them but the wife and kids love them & we end up with way more than we use
4) cucumbers Wife & kids again and they do well
5) Peppers Sweet, Hot, Bananna We love them all. They don't do so well here did great at our last place.
6) Ice Burg Lettuce I have never grown it but I would really like to.
7) Onions Must have added flavor for lots of things never had much luck with them though.
8) Radishes (Red) go with salids well & If I remember right good for thr soil. They seem to grow well anywhere.
9) Carrots I've tried but never managed to grow them.
10) Squash Wife & kids love it I have only grown it once though.

I am sure we will learn more we can grow and like. Sorry I don't have more experance as we are starting our homesteding soon. The more we do for ourselves---


Good topic I can learn a bit more here.

Larry

[homesteadingnky]

Hey Larry good to hear from ya! What zone do you live in? How do you prepare the soil in your garden? Just curious. You mentioned having trouble growing a couple of things where you are now. Thought some folks on here with years of experience might be able to toss out some helpful info if you're interested.

Wish you the best on your garden and homestead! :)
Homesteading Dad

[sbemt456]

Countrykitty dont forget the cornmeal from the Hickory King corn and it grows very tall, especially here in the river bottoms in eastern Ky, the strong summer winds will have you picking corn of the ground.Been there done that, didnt get a tee shirt. Also you can freeze cantalope, just cut in chunks put in freezer container , cover with light syrup(sugar syrup) and freeze. to serve thaw part way and serve. Beats the heck out of store bought in the winter. Good luck.

[BIGGKIDD]

Hey Larry good to hear from ya! *What zone do you live in? *How do you prepare the soil in your garden? *Just curious. *You mentioned having trouble growing a couple of things where you are now. *Thought some folks on here with years of experience might be able to toss out some helpful info if you're interested. *

Wish you the best on your garden and homestead! :)
Homesteading Dad


Thanks HOMESTEADING DAD

* * I have no idea what zone we are in I do know most things will grow here.
*We live & have lived in the city of Richmond VA for the last 5 years. Before that we were in Amelia county VA. Here we have nice dark 18 deep top soil. This is a 68 year old yard. Out in Amelia we were clearing garden space and using it as we went it was your basic old red clay. I think most of the things I have had trouble with here is due to soil drainage and a higher PH. I remember out there the PH was around 5 -5.5 before the addition of lime here is around 6 - 6.5 before lime. Out there the soil drained much better too. I am sure we could work out these simple problems but since we are going to move soon I don't see much since in doing a lot to change it now. I am going to try and do a garden both places this year. If my luck holds.

Some tips I could really use would be for turning woods into garden area. Oh we can do the clearing I just need to know what to add or not add. I have not checked the PH out at the new place yet. Need to see if I can find my test Kit.

Thanks
Larry

PS I have a small 5 hp chiper shredder I wonder if I chould turn some of the trash (tree branches) from clearing into mulch?

[homesteadingnky]

Most of VA is in zone 7 I think but you'd want to double check to see if that is right. PH has a lot to do with having a sucessful garden for sure. I like a slightly acidic soil. 6.0-6.5 is just about perfect.

If you are having drainage problems I'd highly suggest that, if your able, you double dig the beds. This will make a huge difference. Then add lots and lots of compost and organic matter. This will make a dramatic difference as well.

If you want to lower ph naturally just add pine needles or oak leaves. If you want to raise the ph you can add lime or you can add wood ashes. The chipper would be ideal for making mulch, especially for things like fruit trees or rose bushes. Great for the garden too but I'd mix in lots of compost with it. It would help keep it from getting packed down. But then, I NEVER walk in my raised beds.

Sounds like you're in the same boat as me. We are trying to sell and move as well and are raising a garden in both places just in case.

Take care.
Homesteading Dad

[dreams_in_color]

This is a great question. If I could only grow 10 veggies they would be:

1. Tomatoes
2. okra
3. Onions
4. Potatoes
5. Purple hull pea
6. green beans
7. corn
8. Butter nut squash
9 cucumbers
10. carrots

When I was making my list I realized 10 different veggies is not a lot of choice for someone who really likes vegetables.