Talk to me about lovely edible/ low effort things to grow in the garden

[SarahAndQuack]

I've always had tiny postage-stamp gardens or collections of pots; last year we moved and now have a garden. Pros: it's large; the soil is lovely sandy rich stuff; there's a good amount of shelter on all sides; it's sunny, and (because it's almost boggy in winter!) it doesn't dry out too much in summer. Cons: it's full of huge boulders, no one has done anything with it, and random parts of it have been paved/concreted at some time in the distant past, so you end up heaving up paving slabs from under inches of accumulated soil. It's also rented, so anything that would take a long time to establish is a calculated risk, and we're on a budget anyway.

Last year, when we'd just moved in, I carved out some veg beds. We grew:

• artichokes (pretty, not deeply practical)
• herbs
• courgettes (brilliant)
• beans (not brilliant, but got them in late so will re-try - any recommendations what?)
• spring onions (fine)
• cherries (weirdly, despite buying the tree in blossom, very good crop for a 4ft fan!)

We also discovered there were semi-wild raspberries in the back field, which did well, and this year I've moved a few of them to the veg patch to make them a bit more accessible.

I'm fancying trying squash, more beans, maybe some mange-tout peas, maybe tomatoes, and my DP fancies trying corn.

I would love to know what you'd do, both in terms of things that you've found easy and reliable, and in terms of specific varieties you really rate.

FWIW, my DD is nearly 2, and loves to be out in the garden, so I partly want to do things she enjoys. She loved the raspberries last year.

butternut squash, plant them straight into the compost pile. I got 10 squash off 1 plant doing that. It took over the back 1/4 of my yard, was like a ground hugging triffid
Just plant and leave,. I got mine by accident too, grew from seeds Id scraped in there from one I had bought for supper. Just leave them alone and harvest in the winter

Alpine strawberries, they self-seed like mad and are delicious. Incredibly hardy...

OP, sorry to bother you but could you tell me more about your cherry tree?

I have a small, paved garden and it is my dream to have a fruit-bearing cherry tree.

Oh - and if anyone else has any advice on suppliers / types of trees / how to grow fruit-bearing cherry trees that would be suitable for my garden I would be grateful!

Thank you in advance.

Oh, get one! It will be really pretty even if it doesn't fruit much. I got mine from my local garden centre because they're reliably good (not helpful, I know). It's a Stella, which they said is just a good all-rounder. I've had one in a half-barrel pot before, and got a few fruits, but it was worth it because it looked so cute.

And thanks everyone. ronsters, I'll take your recommendation for the swetcorn variety.

parox - good to know it wasn't just me struggling with beans!

theold - ooh, I must try that with squash, then!

I have herbs and so on, and some space for pots, so might try peppers too, just for fun. Has anyone done aubergines (and if yes, how far north are you? We're in North Yorkshire). My brother managed but he's in London and he's a gardener by trade so knows what he's doing!

Thanks, OP! Will definitely look into getting a Stella.

Broad beans, my dad used to grow them on his allotment and amongst others that have been mentioned here they did really well. Also peas but like pp have said they don't often make it to the kitchen.

I've never failed with outdoor bush cherry tomatoes, courgettes, French beans, rocket [slugs don't like it], radishes, spinach and purple sprouting.
Runner beans and broad beans are a bit unpredictable depending too much on the weather, and blackfly...and birds who strip the flowers in a couple of days!
A lot depends on soil type, weather, whether garden is sunny, sheltered or open to winds , facing north, east, south or west and when and how you plant/space and how you water it all.

Peas and mange touts are a total pain - take ages to nurture and grow, build the frames, you have rows of them and they provide with you precisely two meals worth! Plus frozen peas are simply a superior product! Did them several years in a row, got frustrated every year so gave up.

Runner Beans are similarly a bit of a fuss to get going but at least they provide and provide and not just a one hit wonder.

You want stuff that just grow themselves and keep giving! None of this seedlings/transplanting nonsense. Stick a row of seeds down, let it grow, pick it, let it come again. Hey presto.

Sweetcorn definitely! went down really well last year, plant in a block rather than a row as they're wind pollinated.

I tried peppers and aubergines in the greenhouse last year and they didn't do very well, but it was my first time trying them so I might not have the knack for them yet. Our chillis however did really well in the greenhouse last year, we've been giving bags of them away as we have so many in the freezer still!

Tomatoes - easy and so much tastier than shop bought ones (and they aren't cheap to buy!).

Potatoes easy and fun digging up. Make sure you water them plenty.

Generally have a think about what veg you enjoy eating, especially the fruit and veg that isn't cheap to buy in the supermarket.

This year I am going to grow tomatoes. I tried a couple of years ago but failed miserably.

I'd definitely try tomatoes. I've grown a cherry variety in a long trough in my tiny concrete front yard in London a couple of times and they went RAMPANT – almost too many to use; the trick was to keep them well watered. And it helps that the yard is sheltered and has a lovely sunny wall for them to grow against, which sounds a bit like your garden.

Thanks, Darling. It sounds like a visit to a garden centre is in my near future.

if you have a sunny spot, preferably against a wall, you can grow tomatoes. In the ground it is not neccessary to constantly water them (in pots or baskets, you must)

You say you have sandy soil. If you fork in one or two grow-bags it will improve moisture retention and give an initial dose of fertiliser. You can use a tomato fertiliser once a week or so when they get bigger.

Sandy soil is low in nutrients and dries out quickly.

we`ve done cherry tomoto plants in grow bags. no nurturing bar tying them to a can as they get taller. maybe a nice water.

i've never grown anything before other than tomatoes but have a few very bags that I have decided to grow things in. Going with:
courgette, dwarf beans, swiss chard & (think this may be a mistake) butternut squash.

The thinking process was to grow things that are slightly more expensive in the supermarket but that we use a lot. I currently have 8 sprouted butternut squash plants in my conservatory that i'm not sure will work in the small space they will have

Does anyone have any fool proof ways to get rid of slugs? Organically?

Before I even opened your thread I saw the title and thought......raspberries. Get some Autumn Bliss and they will give you a large bowlful every other day. Don't transplant them, or try to train the. Just leave them to it and the more you do that the more they will deliver.

l've just bought some climbing strawberry plants. You grow them in a pot, train them up trellis or something similar, it stops the slugs getting at them. l already have a pot of ordinary ones, but these ones don't put out runners like they do.
Also chard, kale, and broccoli. All to feed my rabbits, but it saves me quite a bit in the summer.

Leeks,sow them in a large pot now,leave outside and by June/July they will be big enough to plant.Make holes,drop in hole,water regularly and then you do nothing until they are ready to eat.
Tomatoes,if you only want a few then you can often buy little plants at carboot sales for 50p.
Salad,little gem,cut and come again leaves,radish,rocket,beetroot.
Perpetual spinach,regrows as you cut it and will last into winter.
Shallots again no special attention needed.
Runner beans but only if you really like them as they can be very prolific.Climbing french beans are also easy.
Squash and pumpkins do well in a hot year so worth a try.
Potatoes like Charlotte are nice as if blight hits you still get them as salad potatoes.Children love digging them up.
Enjoy.

Corn on the cob is ridiculously easy
Peas are tasty & we always end up eating straight off the plants
Beware the raspberries- they send out suckers and spread everywhere!
Cut and come again salad leaves
Rhubarb
How about fruit trees? A compact patio plum tree or something.

l've just bought some climbing strawberry plants. You grow them in a pot, train them up trellis or something similar, it stops the slugs getting at them. l already have a pot of ordinary ones, but these ones don't put out runners like they do.
Also chard, kale, and broccoli. All to feed my rabbits, but it saves me quite a bit in the summer.
We grew some carrots in tubs last year, but didn't have much success with those. My friend grows tomatoes, chillis and melons in her greenhouse, and squashes and pumpkins in her garden. You can grow potatoes in a tub or a bag, too.

l have a herb garden too. That saves me a fortune too, the rabbits love them. Basil, a few kinds of mint, lemon balm, coriander, and parsley. They don't take much work. Grow mint in tubs, though, or it takes over.

I've been growing veg for twenty years and so far the best for ease of cultivation and produce are...

Mangetout peas
Runner beans
Spinach
Kale
Rocket
Chives
Potatoes
Rhubarb
Sweetcorn
Blueberries, strawberries, black currants and raspberries.
Anything else gets eaten alive and is a pain to look after
Tomatoes

Marking place as an enthusiastic newbie - best success to date is broad beans but best planted before the winter, don't seem to suffer with blackfly then.