Are brassicas and potatoes worth it?

[rary]

There is one other point I want to mention, I attended a talk by a gentleman who grows organically and he has as good number of Apple trees which never gets sprayed, he brought some apples with him some misshapen some with blemishes, but all edible, though not supermarket quality, and he pointed out that to produce supermarket quality he would need to,spray his fruit 14 times and no matter how often you washed the shop bought Apple the chemicals never get washed out of the fruit, I actually stopped buying Apple's after that, I have four small Apple trees in my flower beds and have provided apples for my son and daughters families as well as eating them myself

[bikermike]

I grow potatoes and brassicas

I like growing potatoes because I like eating them, they take virtually no looking after, the break up the soil and they are pretty much guaranteed to give you some crop no matter what. They keep well as well.

As Rary said, it's also about nutrient content/absence of pesticide in food - and spuds can make up a pretty good portion of one's diet.

Cost is interesting - I suspect no homegrown veg is cheaper than shop bought if you factor in your time even at minimum wage.

by contrast, I have no flamin' idea why I grow brassicas, as I've had no luck these last few years (they have usually bolted, been eaten or maliciously ripened when I'm on holiday). Hoping for good sprouts though - one the new rituals of Christmas is hunting sprouts on Xmas morn to have with Christmas dinner.

ATEOTD, it's your growing space and you can do what you want. You won't be hauled up before a tribunal of Monty Don, Geoff Hamilton and Percy Thrower if you don't grow spuds...

[Derbydal]

I grow potatoes and brassicas

I like growing potatoes because I like eating them, they take virtually no looking after, the break up the soil and they are pretty much guaranteed to give you some crop no matter what. They keep well as well.

As Rary said, it's also about nutrient content/absence of pesticide in food - and spuds can make up a pretty good portion of one's diet.

Cost is interesting - I suspect no homegrown veg is cheaper than shop bought if you factor in your time even at minimum wage.

by contrast, I have no flamin' idea why I grow brassicas, as I've had no luck these last few years (they have usually bolted, been eaten or maliciously ripened when I'm on holiday). Hoping for good sprouts though - one the new rituals of Christmas is hunting sprouts on Xmas morn to have with Christmas dinner.

ATEOTD, it's your growing space and you can do what you want. You won't be hauled up before a tribunal of Monty Don, Geoff Hamilton and Percy Thrower if you don't grow spuds...

I hope not two of em are dead !

[bikermike]

I hope not two of em are dead !

No worse than the average court of appeal bench then...

Interestingly, they are the only "famous" gardeners I could think of.

[bario1]

What about Charlie Dimmocks?

[bikermike]

good point, I had completely forgotten about her. And Alan Titchmarsh

They don't look the sort to sit in judgment over you should you fail to grow spuds though...

[Aberdeenplotter]

The gospel according to me is also to grow what you like but I would advocate continuing to grow spuds. I grow some earlies, twice as many second earlies and for a few years abandoned lates because blight always seemed to strike before the lates were ready to lift. I did plant a single row of lates this year - Variety Cara - and it's been a blight free year up here so far .

Earlies are good because they tend to be expensve in the shops and even in a blighty year will normally be ready before blight strikes. I grow Charlottes as a second early and they are so yummy.

I need spuds in my scheme of rotation not in the cultural avoiding a build up of pests/disease sense but because I plant with a good layer of muck under and that continues to feed the plot in the following years as it breaks down. The ground is then suitable to grow the likes of carrots, beetroot and parsnips which would otherwise fork in freshly manured ground.

[Aberdeenplotter]

No worse than the average court of appeal bench then...

Interestingly, they are the only "famous" gardeners I could think of.

Tsk, don't you remember I was on Beechgrove Garden

[chillithyme]

Grow what you will enjoy
I always say that I won't grow potatoes, but always end up growing some. Ive only grown brassicas once in the last 10 years due to limited space, but with more space this year I will have a go to see if I like the results.

[Jay-ell]

What about Charlie Dimmocks?

That's your reply to everything though. Get your mind back on the subject in hand.

I need spuds in my scheme of rotation not in the cultural avoiding a build up of pests/disease sense but because I plant with a good layer of muck under and that continues to feed the plot in the following years as it breaks down. The ground is then suitable to grow the likes of carrots, beetroot and parsnips which would otherwise fork in freshly manured ground.

Check out Charles Dowding about compost and carrots. Judging from his videos it looks as if when dug in the compost forms clumps which the roots hunt out but as a thick mulch they don't have to hunt.

If you wanted to get rid of the spuds but have a crop with lots of much you could go for squash/pumpkins/courgettes - there are bush varieties of winters quash available that have reduced space needs to the vining types (smaller fruited vining types can also be grown vertically up trellis). Sweetcorn also benefits from a lot of organic material added but if you're of the mindset that price - performance it's not worth growing potatoes then it wouldn't be worth growing sweetcorn either coz that's cheap as well.

[veggiechicken]

Tsk, don't you remember I was on Beechgrove Garden

I remember and I'm still waiting for your autographed photo to hang on the wall.

[Jay-ell]

Still playing in the local darts team VC?

[Jay-ell]

I've got Nicola and Charlotte earlies on the go from a July planting. Home grown new potatoes in Autumn (and possible winter) is one reason to grow them.

In the future I might have 3 rounds of plantings (if I keep doing main crop) - Late Jan/Early Feb in the greenhouse for a late April yield. Late March - Early April for earlies/2nd earlies/ Mid-Late April for Maincrops and Late July/Early August for Second Crop and Christmas New Potatoes. OK - I make that 4 rounds of planting. Too much?