easy/successful fruit and veg,?

Discussion in 'Edible Gardening' started by Snowbaby, Feb 5, 2014.

  1. Snowbaby

    Snowbaby Gardener

    Joined:
    May 9, 2010
    Messages:
    477
    Occupation:
    Childminder
    Location:
    Scotland
    Ratings:
    +117
    Can anyone suggest any very easy and foolproof/failsafe fruit and veg to grow please? I'm a container grower and no greenhouse.

    usually I do courgettes and green beans. Last year I did carrots for the first time. Any suggestions for other fruit and veg please?

    I've never had success with Strawberry bushes(usually buy the plants from garden centre, never grown from seed) - any advice?
    I bought a blueberry Bush last year, we got a few berries off it but not loads, at the moment it is an approx 4ft tall "twig", do I need to do anything prepare it for this year?

    Also last year I bought an apple tree from lidl, no fruit last year which I had expected none since its a young tree. Do I need to prepare it for this year? Should I expect no fruit again this year?

    Thanks in advance!
     
  2. nFrost

    nFrost Head Gardener

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2013
    Messages:
    1,763
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Leachate Treatment Plant Manager
    Location:
    Cottingham, East Yorkshire
    Ratings:
    +2,908
    Off the top of my head:

    Potatoes - Bags
    Onion Sets - Raised Bed
    Carrots - Raised Bed
    Garlic - Raised Bed
     
    • Like Like x 1
    • JWK

      JWK Gardener Staff Member

      Joined:
      Jun 3, 2008
      Messages:
      30,679
      Gender:
      Male
      Location:
      Surrey
      Ratings:
      +45,619
      Most apple trees need other apple trees nearby to pollinate them, either in yours or a neighbours garden. Plus they need to be in matching pollination groups. What variety of apple is it?
       
      • Like Like x 1
      • Craig1987

        Craig1987 Gardener

        Joined:
        Jan 27, 2013
        Messages:
        258
        Gender:
        Male
        Occupation:
        Payroll Administrator
        Location:
        Rotherham, South Yorkshire
        Ratings:
        +292
        I think that the two easiest veg to grow are onions and garlic.

        You can buy onions sets (they look like bulbs/mini onions), you just stick them in the ground or container with just the little whispey bit of the set/bulb sticking out of the soil/compost. They then send up a green shoot and will grow and grow until you decide to harvest them.

        garlic, very similar! just buy some garlic bulbs from a garden centre (not a supermarket!) and then proceed to break the bulb up into its individual cloves. As with the onion sets above, stick them in the ground one by one but planted a little deeper so that they are about 1-2 inches below the soil/compost surface. Just make sure that the pointy bit is facing upwards.

        I personally love pulling up an onion, cutting the green and roots off, giving it a quick wash and shoving it into a meal within minutes. You get a great strong fresh taste.

        An advantage of growing these two above, you can store them for months!
         
        • Like Like x 1
        • Agree Agree x 1
        • Snowbaby

          Snowbaby Gardener

          Joined:
          May 9, 2010
          Messages:
          477
          Occupation:
          Childminder
          Location:
          Scotland
          Ratings:
          +117
          Thanks folks. I rarely use garlic in cooking but it sounds like an easy grow for my little girl to help with at least!

          The apple tree is "Apple (Malus)" from Lidl last year. My neighbour has an apple tree which fruited last year. I've just been reading about container gardening online and realise I need to get a much bigger pot for the apple tree.

          Any advice with strawberry growing?
           
        • JWK

          JWK Gardener Staff Member

          Joined:
          Jun 3, 2008
          Messages:
          30,679
          Gender:
          Male
          Location:
          Surrey
          Ratings:
          +45,619
          Malus is the Latin name for Apple, was there no variety name like "Coxs Orange" or "Granny Smith"?



          Strawberries are pretty easy, just buy healthy looking plants and plant them in good compost in the spring and they will do well in a container. Again they need plenty of water but apart from keeping the birds off with some netting and a little feeding they are straight forward.
           
          • Like Like x 1
          • Kristen

            Kristen Under gardener

            Joined:
            Jul 22, 2006
            Messages:
            17,534
            Gender:
            Male
            Location:
            Suffolk, UK
            Ratings:
            +12,667
            I would grow high value crops in containers, failing that high yielding crops. Runner Beans & courgettes would be top of my list, Carrots, Spuds and the like low down my list as they are cheap in the shops.
             
            • Like Like x 1
            • Phil A

              Phil A Guest

              Ratings:
              +0
              Hi Snowbaby :)

              Glad you've found your way back here, kept seeing you on the wrong forums :biggrin:

              Physalis might be fun to try, you get a lantern as well as an edible berry

              http://www.fruitsinfo.com/Physalis-Exotic-fruits.php

              Strawberries don't crop much in the first year, but should in the second and third. Give them a feed when they set fruit and net them to keep the Daughter birds off them :biggrin:
               
              • Like Like x 1
              • Snowbaby

                Snowbaby Gardener

                Joined:
                May 9, 2010
                Messages:
                477
                Occupation:
                Childminder
                Location:
                Scotland
                Ratings:
                +117
                Lol ziggy, you said that before, I'm completely unaware that I've been on another site! You'll have to PM me to tell me what site it is please?

                The Apple tree didn't have any other info. I just know it was a twig from lidl last year. Oops, it seems I've been making a huge mistake, the last 2 years I tried Strawberry plants but thought they died after the fruiting season and pulled them up to bin! I didn't know they are annual plants!

                Sent from my SM-T210 using Tapatalk
                 
              • Phil A

                Phil A Guest

                Ratings:
                +0
                Can't remember which one now, look at a few :biggrin:

                Aww, thats a shame, they die back in the winter but come back in the spring.
                 
              • Scrungee

                Scrungee Well known for it

                Joined:
                Dec 5, 2010
                Messages:
                16,524
                Location:
                Central England on heavy clay soil
                Ratings:
                +28,996
                Had a meal with those in my desert at the hotel I was staying in last week, prepared like this to make them look posh.

                [​IMG]

                It's the other way round, annuals die at the end of season (except bi-annuals which die the following year) and perrenials keep on going. I hope you haven't been chucking the wrong ones out.
                 
                • Like Like x 2
                • Snowbaby

                  Snowbaby Gardener

                  Joined:
                  May 9, 2010
                  Messages:
                  477
                  Occupation:
                  Childminder
                  Location:
                  Scotland
                  Ratings:
                  +117
                  I've only ever done carrots, courgettes (dumped after the season), green beans (dumped), strawberries (you know they got dumped lol) and now my blueberry bush and apple trees

                  That's really odd Ziggy, I only ever use this site. Are you sure it's me and not someone with the same username lol
                   
                • Kristen

                  Kristen Under gardener

                  Joined:
                  Jul 22, 2006
                  Messages:
                  17,534
                  Gender:
                  Male
                  Location:
                  Suffolk, UK
                  Ratings:
                  +12,667
                  Courgettes and Beans only do a single season, so you couldn't have got any more out of them I'm afraid.
                   
                • Lolimac

                  Lolimac Guest

                  Ratings:
                  +0
                  Tomatoes and salad crops do well in containers @Snowbaby :dbgrtmb:
                   
                  • Agree Agree x 2
                  • Jungle Jane

                    Jungle Jane Middle Class Twit Of The Year 2005

                    Joined:
                    Dec 12, 2010
                    Messages:
                    2,070
                    Gender:
                    Female
                    Occupation:
                    Local Nutcase
                    Location:
                    South Essex
                    Ratings:
                    +3,225
                    Onions are easy to grow but if you want more value for money I would recommend planting shallots instead. You get 5 bulbs for the price of one set planted compared to just digging up one white or red onion bulb.
                     
                  Loading...

                  Share This Page

                  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
                    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
                    Dismiss Notice