Easiest Vegetables to Grow & Automation

SaltyJohn

Hi everyone,

I've been thinking about trying to grow my own food recently. I have access to some land land I can use but I don't have much time for maintenance (yet). In fact it probably won't be possible to really have a go at this for a few years. But I'd like to do a few experiments in the mean time nonetheless. I'd also be interested in experimenting with sensors & some kind of organic 'smart growing' equipment but I'd be getting a bit ahead of myself there. So, I think it would be best to try something basic & manual first. With that in mind:

What vegetables are easiest to grow in Ireland (organically) ? Even if they fail I can still learn from trying to grow them for now. The ones I'd be most interested in eventually would be the likes of carrots, kale, spinach & celery.

And if anyone has used any sort of electronic help with growing or watering etc. I'd be interested in hearing about your experiences.

Thanks.

macraignil

If you are going to be growing your own food then the vegetables you should try growing would be ones you like to eat.

I found carrots to get attacked by carrot root fly a lot where I live and the leaves don't do much to suppress weeds so they do need to be looked after a bit. I have read it can be a good idea to plant them with onions as they grow well next to each other and the smell of the other crop confuses the root fly. I found parsnips easier.

Kale was relatively easy and you can get the plants to a reasonable size in containers before planting them out to give them a head start over any competing weeds that might sprout up once you clear the ground for growing.

Spinach grew easily enough but I found it did not last long and like lettuce you probably need to plant a few seeds regularly to get a continuous supply. These and radishes are so quick growing they would be fairly easy but as mentioned to get a regular supply you need to be continuously planting and harvesting. They bolt to make seeds if not harvested.

Celery I have not tried as when I read up about it the growing pattern of earthing up the stems to encourage the formation of long pale coloured stems you get in the shops sounded to me to be a bit too much work.

Beetroot and rocket are other vegetables I found relatively easy but the easiest vegetables in my experience are rhubarb and Jerusalem artichoke. The rhubarb benefits from a covering of manure or compost over winter when the leaves die back, but as long as you stop harvesting in September they consistently shoot up new stems year after year and the growth is strong enough to weaken any weeds competing with them and make them easy to keep clear. The Jerusalem artichoke are a root crop that will sprout new stems the following year if they are not harvested. In fact if you don't clear all of the crop any tubers that are not harvested will go on to give another crop the following year. The stems are usually over two metres high so they can outgrow most weeds but the roots are a bit fiddly to clean and awkward to peal as well if you think that is necessary. The fuseau variety I have has fairly thin skin so does not need to be peeled in my opinion.

No experience with electronic organic smart growing equipment you mention so can't offer any advice there.

uck51js9zml2yt

I have a thread on the forum of my gardening venture this year as a beginner.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Very few vegetables are low maintenance, except a field of potatoes. Not all soils suit all vegetables and, to be honest, while the rewards are immense vegetable growing takes effort.

looksee

Leeks are easy - grow from seed, thin (in deep trays) dibble a deepish hole, drop in 6" approx (still very skinny) leek, water in but don't fill in hole.

Onions are easy especially if grown from sets. Scallions easy enough.

Carrots are ok but as mentioned need to be 'guarded' by something smelly, like onions. Need well tilled but not recently fertilised soil.

Haven't grown parsnips.

Celery reasonably easy, you don't have to be obsessed by white stalks provided you use it for cooking.

Green beans very easy - only issues are creating suitable structures to grow them up and keeping up with picking.

Peas much the same

French beans take up a lot of space and bit tedious, not as good as green beans imo.

Broad beans likewise.

Purple sprouting broccoli pretty good as you are harvesting it later in season when less caterpillars. There is also a perennial one which is good.

Sprouts ok for same reason. Most other brassicas too much trouble with slugs, caterpillars, birds and other pests.

Marrows and squash easy enough but keeping up with watering and keeping them lifted away from slugs are main issues.

Most soft fruit easy enough if you can keep birds off. Especially raspberries very satisfactory.

Salad greens need to grow fast and warm - best way is to keep a continuous supply close to hand by sowing a pinch of mixed seed into a big pot of good compost, regularly watered, at weekly intervals and picking leaves it as soon as it is big enough to eat. Generally you get it before any bugs notice it is there.

uck51js9zml2yt

looksee wrote: »

Leeks are easy - grow from seed, thin (in deep trays) dibble a deepish hole, drop in 6" approx (still very skinny) leek, water in but don't fill in hole.

Onions are easy especially if grown from sets. Scallions easy enough.

Carrots are ok but as mentioned need to be 'guarded' by something smelly, like onions. Need well tilled but not recently fertilised soil.

Haven't grown parsnips.

Celery reasonably easy, you don't have to be obsessed by white stalks provided you use it for cooking.

Green beans very easy - only issues are creating suitable structures to grow them up and keeping up with picking.

Peas much the same

French beans take up a lot of space and bit tedious, not as good as green beans imo.

Broad beans likewise.

Purple sprouting broccoli pretty good as you are harvesting it later in season when less caterpillars. There is also a perennial one which is good.

Sprouts ok for same reason. Most other brassicas too much trouble with slugs, caterpillars, birds and other pests.

Marrows and squash easy enough but keeping up with watering and keeping them lifted away from slugs are main issues.

Most soft fruit easy enough if you can keep birds off. Especially raspberries very satisfactory.

Salad greens need to grow fast and warm - best way is to keep a continuous supply close to hand by sowing a pinch of mixed seed into a big pot of good compost, regularly watered, at weekly intervals and picking leaves it as soon as it is big enough to eat. Generally you get it before any bugs notice it is there.

Everything is easy to grow, it's the preparation, maintenance and harvesting that require work
I'm moving to permaculture next year to reduce the workload but there's still a whole lot of prep to be done to make it easier.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Gracelyn Elegant Meteoroid wrote: »

Everything is easy to grow, it's the preparation, maintenance and harvesting that require work
I'm moving to permaculture next year to reduce the workload but there's still a whole lot of prep to be done to make it easier.

Agreed. Veg need maintenance: Weeding, thinning, staking etc.
Prep is the key but takes time. It's relatively easy but that's not to say it's not time consuming.

uck51js9zml2yt

There is a very good YouTube channel on permaculture. Byther farm. She does a daily video. Has a 0.8 acre site including house.

Uses beds and no dig.