Comments on: The 10 Easiest Vegetables to Grow at Home

By: Claire

Claire — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 20:49:29 +0000

@Irina – I LOVE the wheelbarrow idea. Definitely worth stealing, er, borrowing .

It is easier than most people think to grow veggies at home, and the payoff is tremendous. Herbs are also pretty easy, and if you grow them in portable containers, you can bring them inside for winter too.

By: irina

irina — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 19:25:32 +0000

Where are the potatoes ? They are certainly easier to grow than peppers.
Someone gave me some very rare seed potatoes this spring, I didn’t want to plant them in the ground and have them get lost among more vigorous varieties so . . . I planted them in a plastic wheelbarrow with a cracked tub.
They are doing great ! As an added bonus, since we can get frost pretty much anytime in interior alaska, i can wheel the wheelbarrow into the garage on cold nights. Harvesting should be a breeze, too ! There have got to be lots of old wheelbarrows around that could easily be turned into planters with a few drainage holes drilled into the tub.

This article should also have noted that carrot seed takes a LONG time to germinate.

And radishes can be fussy. For that spicy flavor, I prefer nasturtiums, they are so easy to grow and they flower all summer and add a really pretty, bright vibe to your salads and sandwiches.

By: Amy!!!!!

Amy!!!!! — Sun, 10 May 2009 08:26:57 +0000

Great top 10!

But I recon beans are the most eeeaaasiest veggies to grow ever!

Plus thet’re great for rotational plots (where you change where you plant the vegies once it’s next season) coz they have heaps of nitrogen which lettuces, cabbages and other leafy plant love lots of.

By: Tina

Tina — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 16:38:54 +0000

Sorry, Dave! That was an error. It was meant to be 2 inches instead of feet, so I edited it . Thanks for bringing that to my attention!

By: Dave Porter

Dave Porter — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 10:07:24 +0000

These instructions say beet seeds are
supposed to be planted two Feet apart.

Maybe in the Matuska Valley, with 20+ hours of daylight?

By: A. Arvanitis

A. Arvanitis — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 02:38:15 +0000

I like that . Your own garden and all fresh and delicious with out hormones and all that staff they put on our everyday food and we get sick about it.
Did you see on TV the hanging tomatoes? I order one so I can see how it going to be. Supposingly are delicious and healthy, especially you grow them on your home . You can have them inside or out side. They need a lot of sun and they give you directions of how to care for them. I let’s you know how it goes when I will receive them.
I love fresh fruit and veggies.
They are good for your body and mind.

By: Jason

Jason — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 18:58:07 +0000

This is a nice list. I would quibble with one choice only: spinach. This is a tricky plant in many places because it bolts quickly in hot weather. A better green might be chard or kale, which can produce for a year before going to flower, and even then can be eaten. Spinach tastes bad once it flowers and it dies quickly afterwards. Kale and chard can be grown like perennials. I have plants right now that are 3 years old. Cut them back once a year and they resprout. Otherwise, the list is really good so nice work! Jason's last blog post..A North American Energy Plan for 2030: Hydro-electricity the forgotten renewable energy resource

By: Uncle B

Uncle B — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 18:38:48 +0000

Still eating beans from a bumper crop three years ago, canned and stored all this time out on the shelf! Did the same with a larger than average potato crop two years ago, and have just about run out of the best product ever for fast stews – canned potatoes. Beets! up to my purple navel in beets, they do can well, and keep like gangbusters on the same set of shelves in the spare room. Now, tomatoes, my pride and joy, we have some very fine juice left over from two years ago! and it still tastes like it did the day we canned it. Did some salmon we found on sale a year ago for a bargain price, and I still have three quart jars full on the shelf. Keeps good, makes casseroles, sandwiches, salads, just like the store boughten variety, only much, much cheaper if you catch the bargains. Gardening is great, and can save a lot of money, but until you can dry, freeze, and can all garden over-production, and any store bought bargains you find, you ain’t seen nothing yet! Do spices, I do basil, it grows like a weed, makes good Pesto, in small jars, can it and you’ve got a bargain again. Oregano is touchy in my soil, and may take some learning on my part, but garlic is a snap and can be dried and ground in an electric coffee grinder, stored on the shelf in jars, not consuming any power, just the way we want it. I do sauerkraut, and then can it. I used up the last of it a few weeks ago, and will try for a good big batch again this year. Carrots can well, and keep on the shelf, consuming no power, for at least two years and often three. Squash can be kept under a bed for at least six months if first you wash then in javex, and don’t touch them again until you use them. We have picked apples at a local orchard to get the “C” grade, for cheap, then sliced, and or sauced them and canned them and kept them for up to three years, no problem. Add a jar of applesauce to any cake recipe and watch the results. Onions hang dry behind the cellar door, and are good for a winter at best. Pumpkin is great stuff, makes cookies, pies from the can and keeps well, as does squash for baking. Spinach cans and keeps well, but pick early leaves for canning to avoid bitterness. Make beer! Good beer, home brewed is a different drink altogether when compared to store-boughten stuff, and very good. Do Wine, it is the easiest to quick good table drinking beverage – aim for a nice easy drinking table wine you like, and let the fancy-pants world go their way with exotics. Keep It Simple Sam, and Proest!

By: Sara Ost

Sara Ost — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 18:03:51 +0000

Let’s hope my black thumb can go green this year.

By: Betsy

Betsy — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 17:55:47 +0000

Peppers aren’t easy to grow… they need warmth, good water and can be very fussy if you want decent flavor and texture. Certainly not for the novice gardener, especially if you live more north.

Carrots can also be a challenge. you need fairly loose soil so anyone with heavy soil or lots of clay will have a tougher time and need to loosen up the soil with compost and maybe even some sand.