Don't Grow These Crops

So funny to watch this. Almost all the crops mentioned were things I tried and decided I’d never bother with again, usually for the same reasons as Gardener Scott’s. This is an excellent guide for a beginner.

We have family members that specialize in different vegetables. My mother in law grow butternut squash for the whole family, my brother grows cucumbers and a variety of peppers, one has fruit trees. We all have small yards but managed to have a variety of crops combining our land. It’s nice to live in a family full of gardeners 🌱

I don't garden base on cost, I'm gardening to ensure I have food!

Thanks for the wisdom! For my future reference: Corn 1:50 Watermelon 3:08 Artichoke 3:58 Brussels sprouts 5:20 Cabbage 6:34 Squash/zucchini 7:34 Sweet potatoes 8:46 Celery 9:50 Cauliflower 10:48 Russet potatoes 12:04 Carrots 12:56 Beans, dry 13:50

Sir I must admit, I live in zone 7b. Despite the ‘difficulties’ you mention, with the ECONOMY AS IT IS, IM GROWING It ALL. Every bit of it, I can’t afford the supermarket for every little thing, and produce from the supermarket tastes like disappointment. GROW ALL THE THINGS YOU WANT, people. You’re gonna need it.

The only one I'd disagree with slightly is carrots. Yes, they can be difficult, and yes, they're relatively cheap (the orange ones) in the grocery store. But the home-grown ones are just SO much better than store-bought that it's definitely worthwhile imo.

While there's alot of sense to all of this, I'm gardening for 3 specific reasons. 1. I worked at a fruit packing plant, and after seeing the chemicals they're washed in, I always feel leary when I buy them in the store. After 3 days working there, my son's hands were raw from the chemical baths he had to dump the cherries into. We have no idea what store bought fruits and vegetables have been through. I lived surrounded by cherry, onion, carrot, peaches and walnut crops. Regularly, at 2 and 3 a.m. in the morning, the farmers had hugh trucks spraying massive clouds of pesticides on the crops. We would bar the doors and shut all of our windows. The next day, bugs in MY YARD were staggering or dead from THEIR PESTICIDES on the nearby crops. 2. With inflation and supply chain breakdown, there may come a time we have NO RESOURCES for our produce. Gardening on the fly, inexperienced, is not sufficient plan to feed a family, or even yourself. Learn and prepare now while you still can. Remember at the beginning of the "pandemic" that some places were prohibiting the sale of seeds, and deciding what businesses and goods were "essential"? 3. I love gardening and I love eating something I grew and nurtured. If you're limited on space, you should consider what vegetables are highest in nutrition, and what you enjoy eating. Most vegetables can be grown successfully in totes, pots, planters, grow bags, etc. Where there's a will and the need, use what you have to the best of your ability, and don't be afraid to give it a try.

I used to be married to a crop duster. If people realized what was sprayed on crops, especially root crops & especially potatoes, they would re-think buying at the store. And yes, I realize there's organic but then you must re-address the costs that you mention. And I agree, as well, with others here that point out that the taste of homegrown is far superior.

I totally agree with your logic if growing conditions are similar to yours, and especially if one is growing food as a hobby. My perspective leans toward survival gardening, so my goal is to learn to grow as if there was no produce aisle for backup. After 5 years trying to grow cauliflower I’m getting quite large, pest-free heads. I grow massive amounts of carrots, beets, russets, onions and winter squash to store and eat all winter. We may not always have the luxury of running to the store.

After growing potatoes and carrots for the first time last year, I will always grow them! They're so much better than the ones in the stores and they weren't difficult. I loved my celery last year as well and was surprised at how easy it was.

You can consider the challenge accepted. Now I'm going to grow every single one of these just to see if I can grow them successfully.

I grew artichokes in Montana and really enjoyed the look of the plants. The artichokes were small but it was a real victory to grow them.

I have found out, after trying many years, that I can grow cauliflower and cabbage real easy. I use row covers in my raised beds It made all the difference for me. My cabbages used to get demolished by bugs so badly I almost gave up. But after using the Agribon row covering material, I have no problems. Growing in the garden is good again. Hardly any maintenance. Just always have to get the timing right on when to start them from seeds. In Florida it is hot when you have to start them which is unusual. Ellen Florida Gardener Zone 9a

Corn is cheap to buy but FUN to grow. Looking out the window and seeing those stalks growing so tall makes me feel like a "real" gardener. 😀

I live in zone 3 B, I grow my carrots as a bed border for my flowers. They do excellent. I also grow Peas and green peppers in between my flowers. I love the foliage difference. The peas and carrots are not for winter storage. They are for the neighborhood kids to snack on. I am very popular with the kids and have offers of many little helping hands. I have been doing this for 25 years and the older kids stop by with gardening questions. So much fun. I grow 16 corn stocks in a 4 x 4 raised bed. I start them 2 months early in pots and plant out when the soil hits 55 degrees. I get between 48 and 54 ears. Where I am corn is 4 for $1.00. So, $1.00 worth of seeds gets me $12.00 worth of food. And this amount is all I need for a year. BTW I have had Green Peppers 10 inches across with this method. A stuffed pepper becomes a casserole. They are for me.

if anyone has trouble growing celery. try growing chinese celery it's smaller but more flavorful and much easier to grow

Just a tip: melons can be grown vertically up a trellis to save space

With the shortages everywhere now makes it even more important to grow what you can in volume but also what you will eat. The cost of home growing as well for the big farmer will cost more because of the fertilizer price also. I'm fortunate to have a little longer growing season, but unfortunate to have very limited space. We have to do the best we can with what we have. My prayer is that across the world people will harvest an abundance from their garden, large or small like mine.

With the price of fresh produce going sky high in grocery stores here in Canada I will be growing as many vegetables as I can this summer. Winter squash stores well so I grow lots, they get very expensive to buy in the winter.

Some good points here, but cost isn't why I enjoy growing my own food. Could I get a lot the things I grow at the store? Of course. But growing my own, I control every aspect of the process. I also don't have to worry about supply chain issues or product availability, like we saw early in the pandemic.