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Martin Brown · 19-10-2010, 03:58 PM posted to uk.rec.gardening

On 19/10/2010 12:53, wrote:
I've been having a think, and I've definitely come up with one single item
that I would /really/ miss if I couldn't grow it myself. There were a few
that I would miss cos they Just Aren't the Same from the supermarket, and
there are some where we just grow them for fun/easy/something to do.

Ones I could easily replace with supermarket-grown:
* onions
* butternut squash
* potatoes
* courgettes
* runner beans
* leaks
* redcurrants

Purple sprouting broccolli, sprouts and calabrese are fun and not too
difficult. And fresh lettuce just from the garden tastes nicer than
supermarket grown. Though you end up with a glut if not careful.

Fresh herbs are also worth growing - nothing beats using them fresh from
the garden. Carrots are a bit trickier but nice from the garden.

Ones that are nicer home grown, but a bit of a pain to grow:
* sweetcorn

Slug ate all mine at 4" tall this year.

* peas
* french beans
* raspberries
* cherries

Raspberries are fairly easy and with the right varieties available for a
fair chunk of time and not too heavily pinched by the birds. Other
fruits like blackcurrants, blueberries and jostaberries need netting to
get any crop at all.

Ones I would miss if I could only supermarket them:
* strawberries (a close second place)
* all other tomatoes not in 1st place

Absolutely essential GYO item:
* Gardeners Delight tomatoes

Anyone else want to offer up their favourites? (I'm bound to have forgotten
something!)

I like growing unusually coloured cultivars. Purple or white carrots,
yellow courgettes, black tomatoes (actually not worth it at all), yellow
ones are fun tho. I usually let one marrow plant have the oldest compost
heap to itself. This time of year we have apples and Japanese nashi
pears. Tend to end up with way too many chillis.

Heroic failures include aubergines and asparagus which really doesn't
like our heavy clay soil. I get a couple of stalks per plant per year
and strawberries have invaded the bed...

Regards,
Martin Brown