What is on your 'must grow' list please?

[zazen999]

oh it's a big list! And I haven't even LOOKED in the catalogues yet...

Garlic and Rhubarb (already bought and rhubarb planted)
herbs (sage/mint/bay/thyme already growing) basil and coriander hopefully
Potatoes
leeks
peppers
tomtao
spring onion
runner bean
cauliflower
courgette - yellow and green
carrot
parsnip
broad bean
asparagus
strawberry
lettuce
brussel sprout
cabbage
purple sprouting
broccoli
marrow
sweetcorn
spinach
beetroot

and I was going to grow chard - why is that on your 'not list', can I ask?

Oh, and I've got an apple and a pear tree, and raspberry and loganberry and gooseberry bushes, two fig trees and a grape vine.

Some may not get done this year though - I wont' be able to make my asparagus bed until next year. OH wants to grow cauliflower because his dad couldn't (I've never heard such daft reasoning - oh, I'll grow that because it's really difficult...)

And, as I go through catalogues I keep finding things I really want to have a go at - there was something last night that looked like a sweet pea and had a tri-pod thing left behind that you cooked whole at about 1.5 inches long. I want to grow sweet peas and nasturtiums too.

I am an ambitious girl

Caulis - it's very hard to get the curds white, and if you buy the F1s, then they are all ready the same week; if you can get them to grow properly at all. Pain in the neck

Your little tri-pod pea thing, is called Asparagus Pea. Unless you like tasteless fiddly things, they are only good for the minute flower; seriously.

I learnt quite quickly that it's really not worth spending time, money and heartache on things that are a PITA - but only by growing things do you learn which is a PITA for you and your soil.

So as two-sheds said, and as I said on the other thread, grow what you like to eat first and then expand into more adventurous things.

[hollychap]

it will be my first full year growing at the allotment
broad beans (loads)
runners
carrots
beetroot (white and normal)
parsnips
brussels
climbing beans
french beans (dwarf)
sweetcorn
potatoes
salad (spring onions,radish,lettuce)
swede
turnip
peas
cabbage
romanesco
rainbow chard
courgette
.
in the greenhouse
toms
chillies
cucumber
grapes
.
fruit outside
strawbs
red and white currant
gooseberry
rhubarb
and no doubt a few more items as well

[trish60]

Cucumbers because they are so much tastier & crisper. Toms the same . Herbs because they are always available fresh. Fennel because it is expensive to buy.
Strawberries because they are so enticing ewheh you walk down the garden.
Turnips & Kohl rabi because they are expensive to buy.
Salad leaves as it gives you a very satisfying feeling to take some scissors down the garden & cut your own lunch.
Have given up on broccolli & broad beans because of butterflies & aphids.
Grow a few carrots but carrots & beetroot do not do well in my garden.
love beans but can only eat limited amount & don`t like them frozen so will grow less next year as I have limited space.

[trish60]

Sorry forgot rainbow chard which is a really decorative plant & I do eat some of it but if you leave it to set seed it is an amazing architectural plant.

[SarzWix]

I talked the kids at school out of buying 'asparagus pea' seeds. Said we could try them for the flowers if they wanted to, but that lots of people said they didn't taste nice. So they very wisely chose to put a purple-podded pea on the list instead - pretty flowers and edible pods

[Corris]

oh well, that's one thing crossed off and about six added!

I had no understanding it was this complicated - or exciting

[bearded bloke]

You cannot eat them,but no garden is complete without ............... sweet peas

[Corris]

ah sweet peas and nasturtiums are both on there.

[Jelliebabe]

I must grow more than one serving of PEAS! They were the yummiest peas I ever tasted... and I love peas! Also beans were great and freeze well. I am mostly sticking to regular things as the folks dont really "get" odd veg. I will try romanesco this year for fun. Apart from that Chillis and Squash are my faves to grow. I did really well with Spaghetti Squash this year!

[jackyspratty]

Mymust haves are

Globe artichokes, georgeous and expensive to buy
Beetroot, lots of differebt types
parsnips, love them and always get a good crop
Winter squash, lots of different varieties and sizes.
Kale
Chard, love chard and kale in pasta with chorizo!
New potatoes
Red cabbage for the festive feeling!!
Runners and french beans
toms, indoor and out
cucs, same!
Oca just for the pleasure of diging up a scarlott jewell in mid winter!
garlic

When i started i did the staples mainly, but now try to grow things i llike that are very pricey to buy such as globe artichokes and asparagus (waiting a crop on these!) plus things i love! Each year i try to grow one unusual thing that you generally cant buy just to see if i like it. Often i do like them but perhaps not enough to give them room in the plot, but still glad i tried! I also like to try new varieteies of a veg such as new beans ive not had. Each year you will find the staples you like and this list will grow, but each year you will discard some. Ive yet to find something I really hate! Plus as mentioned its learning about the soil and conditions on your plot, how much time you have to mollycoddle etc!

Enjoy is all i can say!

[bethduckie]

next year I will be growing, amongst others-
Broad beans
Several different kinds of squash/ pumpkin, and more of them than this year
Runner beans- some for dried beans in the winter, some fresh
Borlotti beans for dried
Red cabbage, sprouts, King Edwards and parsnips for the Christmas dinner table
carrots
tomatoes
salad leaves
peppers
cucumbers
new potatoes
strawbs
rasps
leeks
rhubarb


oh, and heaps of other things too. Basil and swedes and marigolds and all sorts.

[daylily]

oh it's a big list! And I haven't even LOOKED in the catalogues yet...

Garlic and Rhubarb (already bought and rhubarb planted)
herbs (sage/mint/bay/thyme already growing) basil and coriander hopefully
Potatoes
leeks
peppers
tomtao
spring onion
runner bean
cauliflower
courgette - yellow and green
carrot
parsnip
broad bean
asparagus
strawberry
lettuce
brussel sprout
cabbage
purple sprouting
broccoli
marrow
sweetcorn
spinach
beetroot

and I was going to grow chard - why is that on your 'not list', can I ask?

Oh, and I've got an apple and a pear tree, and raspberry and loganberry and gooseberry bushes, two fig trees and a grape vine.

I think for someone new, it's important to grow mostly things that not just that you like to eat but are also easy. Plenty of disappointments to be had anyway.

I have highlighted those, I think are dead easy. And as such rewarding. Some were already mentioned, but I could list: squashes and pumpkins (I do also love Crown Prince); kale and khol-rabi of the mostly difficult brassica group; onions, welsh onions (they are much easier than spring ones), shallots; sorrel(much easier than spinach); and tomatoes, cucumbers, parsnips and radishes are fairly easy (winter radish is a lot less trouble).

With carrots, the real problem is, that you must cover them with some fine mesh, otherwise, also easy.

there was something last night that looked like a sweet pea and had a tri-pod thing left behind that you cooked whole at about 1.5 inches long. I want to grow sweet peas and nasturtiums too.

Rubbish. Pretty maroon flowers to them, but as the plants themselves are also tiny, not much you get to see of them. The Asparagus peas themselves are perfectly tasteless and tiny.

Both artichokes - Jerusalem and Globe - are also easy, if you like them.

If you like your seeds, caraway, dill, seed poppy and sunflowers are all very easy to grow, also cobnuts (unless you have lots of squirrels).

Take it easy for the first year, there is plenty to grow that won't give you extra trouble till you get into a routine. Enjoy!

Once you are courgetting, I would recommend the petty pan types, I find them more flavoursome. Of course, do hold in mind, a couple of courgette plants provide oodles of fruit to cope with.

[Corris]

Thanks everyone - I still haven't ordered anything

But am at the table, tea in hand listing what I want and what has been recommended, with my catalogues scattered about.

Who knew it would be so much fun? And I haven't even grown anything yet.

[veggiechicken]

One more thing, Corris. before you spend oodles of cash on seeds from some of the big seed companies, check out places like Wilko and LIDL for the common varieties, or Alan Romans website Alan Romans or Moreveg Home - moreveg.co.uk, vegetable seed company, vegetable seeds, herb seeds, flower seeds where most of their seed is 50p a packet but in smaller quantities than the bigger suppliers.
Seeds are not cheap and you may be horrified when you add up the cost of what you would like to buy.
Also, don't forget the seedswap on here which Zaz has already suggested. Its a very cheap way to try some of the more unusual seeds.

[zazen999]

Thanks everyone - I still haven't ordered anything

But am at the table, tea in hand listing what I want and what has been recommended, with my catalogues scattered about.

Who knew it would be so much fun? And I haven't even grown anything yet.

Buy 5 packs of Franchi seeds [check the pack but you get oodles of seeds in most of them] then pack them up into small bags [keeping some for you] and swap the rest for others that you want to grow.

If you packed them into 10 bags each, that would give you a choice of 50 seed types to grow. Saving you about £100.

Plus Franchi seeds are usually absolutely fantastic in themselves.