What can my mate grow if he's away most of the time?

[mrbadexample]

Me again.

One of my mates would like to grow some veg. Trouble is, he works away from home a lot, often for extended periods, so can't really tend the garden regularly.

So what can he plant that will be happy being left to get on with it? I've suggested potatoes and onions, but I'm sure you lot can come up with a decent list.

Thanks,
MBE

[Bren In Pots]

Jerusalem Artichokes are easy to grow and don't take any looking after, only downside is you never get rid of them apparently.

[mrbadexample]

Hmmm...to be fair, that's quite a big downside!

I'm hoping some of the people who spend occasional time abroad in holiday homes might have some good ideas for me.

[teakdesk]

It really comes down to how well he prepares his soil and what type of soil he has. Providing it gets lots of organic matter and is not too well drained there are lots of plants that just need harvesting (apart from a very occasional weeding):

Rhubarb
Sprouts
Cabbage
Onions
Perptual Spinach
Herbs
Etc.


Probably best to avoid plants like peas, runner beans, french beans, etc. as they need harvesting at the right time as soon as they are ready.



.

[Potstubsdustbins]

Id go along with TD maybe add calabrese also so is he going to grow in the ground or in containers? as this will make a difference.

Colin

[mrbadexample]

In the ground. After he left mine, he went home to work out where the sun fell best - he'll have a bit of trouble with tree shading I think.

One of my gooseberry bushes has made a new one, so he can have that. My rhubarb needs splitting at the end of the year, so he can have a crown of that too.

So we have potatoes, onions, sprouts, cabbage, calabrese, spinach and herbs.

Any more?

[mrpaulbradley]

He'll need to think slug/pest control if he's away a lot I reckon, especially for brassica or tender salads. Other than that most any root veg? I wouldnt worry about weeds etc I tend not to be too fastidious about weeding continually anyway. I find it easier to lift and remove slightly larger weeds than messing about with small fiddly things.
Watering I guess is the problem. Maybe a friendly neighbour could be called on if drastic measures needed when/IF! we get a summer

[taff]

garlic, although not this year, and he has to net the cabbage, sweetcorn, celeriac and celery [in boggy bits if he has any], beans he can do if he wants the seeds and not the beans, borlotti, cannelini etc, shallots, parsnips, scorzonera and scorzobianco, raspberrys, and various netted fruit.

[SarzWix]

Carrots, parsnips, swedes. Winter squashes (the sort you store) as long as he prepares the ground well beforehand. Beans for drying, as you just leave them to get on with it (good for using in chillis and stews in the winter).

[Kittypickle]

Yakon, Oca and Rainbow chard.

[Newton]

When I am away I find it is very easy to grow homesick!

[mrbadexample]

Thanks all. Seems to be a fairly decent selection.

[endymion]

A few years ago we spent a bit of time 'working away' and found the best things to grow were those that had a long cropping season, otherwise we found we got home just at the wrong time to benefit.

Soft fruits were eaten by the birds, and netting managed to develop gaps all on its own - we took it down when we discovered a little corpse.

Herbs were worth growing, and rhubarb and fruit trees.

We also planted a lot of native wild flowers, which looked pretty and encouraged insects which helped keep the pest numbers down. We also put up a lot of nesting boxes and other wildlife-friendly bits and pieces, including a pile of old wood and some sunflowers. We're still benefitting now, because we've still got got loads of good insects, and a lot of birds.

[chris]

Nobody mentioned weeds?

If your mate invests in an auto watering system (hozelock do them, reasonably cheap - £20) then he'll be able to grow much more.. you can set it to water at set times during the day, or on set intervals (i.e. every 8 hours). I guess it'd depending if he was comfortable leaving the tap on though (assuming he has an outside one).

[mrbadexample]

I think we'll get him started off small. He can prepare this year, and start with a few spuds, onions, a bit of root veg, my gooseberry and rhubarb next year.

We all know that'll lead to a greenhouse, polytunnel, auto watering system, and finally him quitting his job to tend it all.