Seems such a horrid thing, but even Barack Hussein Obama is in a person's personal garden now.
No I do not mean Muchelle in a her toxic dump with human poop and high levels of lead, but of necessity form the frankenfood, pesticides and food poisoning in the food chain it behooves Americans to return to Victory Gardens as in World War II when America faced another National Socialist in Germany.
I realize that most Americans are now not agrarians, but in that a small 8 by 16 foot garden will produce more fresh produce than they can consume.
I use the 16 feet because that is what stock panels are at length and if one uses them you can grow pole beans and pole snap peas. If not, just use your smaller patch and grown the bush varieties.
So with that understanding I will provide a short list of idiot proof crops which will taste lovely fresh as that is what this garden is designed for is to cleanse your system and make you wonder how things could taste so good.
There are many varieties of leaf lettuce beyond that Black Seeded Simpson. I came across one called Ruby Red last year which produced all summer delicious, non bitter, pea tasting salad which was perfect.
I saved seed from it, and it reseeded itself this spring thickly so I have not needed to replant it.
I like Swiss Chard in the blonde varieties which are available instead of the big frilly leaves. They are less tough and they will make salads all summer and one can eat them as boiled greens.
Last year I tried the southern crop of Collards and found how weed like they can be in producing a boiled cabbage vegetable in abundance off of 4 plants. I appreciated them so much I am going to make sauerkraut out of them and save my cabbage for fresh eating.
Nursery stock is Stonehead cabbage, a few tomatoes of the heirloom type in Big Boy, German Johnson, German Strawberry types.
I like the Lemon cucumber as it produces a great deal of small yellow cukes which are easy to digest and do not get bitter. Pick them small though.
The pole peas in Amish Sugar Snap and the pole bean in Kentucky Wonder will in 16 feet produce all the fresh and in beans all the frozen beans you want.
The best beans grew for me in late autumn in heavy clay soil. They were almost addictive in flavor they were so good. Where I tested them in sandy soil they were like bush varieties.
So soil does make a difference in flavor.
Radishes I like Sparkler, but they have to go in early as of now and need cool weather with rains.
That list is pretty small and it will fit into small spaces, easy to take care of. It is meant for fresh eating and none of the hassle of canning.
With food costs quite high now, and they will rise, it is good to have something fresh which God is growing and free of crude oil fertilizers which do indeed affect flavor.
This will keep you if you life in a nice part of the world like Ohio in bags of produce and enough for drooling neighbors and children who always seem to like gardening when someone else is doing it.
Oh and for a treat, you can get about 100 sets of white onions which one can eat as green onions fresh which are really nice lightly salted.
If you would like to know how garlic grows in not being fall planted, you will have to wait, as I put some in from my grocery in March. It all came up nice, but if you put it in as I did later, it just grows below the soil and only makes small bulbs.
I doubt my cheating the system will work, but then it was worth a try as adventure is my middle name. (Yes I know it is Kipling, but I always loved Russell Annabel.)
nuff said and God bless your seeds in Jesus Name. Amen
agtG
