Newbie

[cherrytom]

Hi
I have just found this forum via Google search. Looks really interesting and am looking forward to learning lots. I have two 8 x 4 raised beds along with a small greenhouse. Would like to expand my crop types. At the moment I only grow tomatoes, carrots, peppers and onions.

[greenishfing]

Hi there, I'm sure you will get lots of ideas on here. Where are you? What veg do you like?

[mothhawk]

Hi Cherrytom, welcome to the vine.

[Bren In Pots]

Hello and welcome to the vine Cherrytom

You could make use of your greenhouse by growing veg over winter, something like lettuce, chard or spring onions. I sow mine August /early September in buckets take them in the GH when the weather gets colder.
Otherwise it's just a matter of growing what you like to eat then later branching out trying something new.

[Jay22]

Welcome to the Vine cherrytom, I’m sure you will find it a friendly place and everyone willing to help!

[ameno]

I think a good rule of thumb, especially for newbies or those with limited space, is to concentrate on things you like eating, and to especially concentrate on things which are either rare or expensive in the shops (mangetout peas and French beans, for example) and on things which taste much better freshly picked or homegrown (tomatoes and sweetcorn, for example)
For those with limited space, especially, I'd say it's probably not worth bothered with things like onions, garlic, potatoes, maincrop carrots for cooking (salad carrots for eating raw are still worth it), as they can all be bought very cheaply in the supermarket and those you grow yourself won't really actually taste noticeably better most of the time.

[Snoop Puss]

Hello and welcome, cherrytom.

Good advice from Ameno. Especially the home-grown sweetcorn... Yum!

[quanglewangle]

Hello and welcome, cherrytom.

Good advice from Ameno. Especially the home-grown sweetcorn... Yum!

+1 on all that. Except for ameno about onions - strings of home grown onions are very decorative in the kitchen. Not the best of reasons perhaps...

[rary]

I also disagree with ameno about the onions, growing your own from seed gives you a wider choice of onion verieties, as well as you knowing there has been no chemical spraying or weedkiller used near them, if you like to grow organicaly

[ameno]

I also disagree with ameno about the onions, growing your own from seed gives you a wider choice of onion verieties, as well as you knowing there has been no chemical spraying or weedkiller used near them, if you like to grow organicaly

They all taste the same, though, so having a wider choice of varieties is no benefit from a culinary point of view.
As for growing organically, the same argument could be made about any fruit or veg. That's not something special to onions.
If one has a limited growing area, it just seems a waste of space to grow something which can be bought for 50p a kilo in the supermarket and which tastes no different. Especially as onions take up a fair amount of space if you want to grow any quantity.

[Snoop Puss]

Gosh, ameno, those are cheap onions. I can't get them that cheaply here, but I do agree that standard varieties are not usually 'value for money' in terms of other crops one might grow instead. That said, I have to disagree on them all tasting the same. As the chief cook in our household, I don't think varieties all taste the same, nor do they cook the same, as some are sweeter and others have a higher water content. My favourites for cooking with are €1.89 a kilo at the moment when I can find them. They're not local to my region and are nigh on impossible to find round here. Price and difficulty buying them are what makes them a good crop for me to grow.

[rary]

They all taste the same, though, so having a wider choice of varieties is no benefit from a culinary point of view.
As for growing organically, the same argument could be made about any fruit or veg. That's not something special to onions.
If one has a limited growing area, it just seems a waste of space to grow something which can be bought for 50p a kilo in the supermarket and which tastes no different. Especially as onions take up a fair amount of space if you want to grow any quantity.

Snoop has answered some of what I was going to say, as for growing organicly, for many people, growing fruit and veg organicly is very important and you will see in my previous post I did say "if you like to grow organicly" without going into an argument about it, and though I have no "scientific" proof, I think our overall health as well as soil and environmental health has deteriorated since we started using manufactured feeds
and controls, so now I prefer more natural methods for feeding the soil and controlling pests
Just to add the prices and availability could alter in the future due to previous political decisions

[Ms-T]

Hiya and welcome