Low Maintenance Vegetables?

I've never really grown vegetables before in fact I don't do well with growing plants from seed I usually start off with great enthusiasm and quickly get way over my head in a short space of time and then get bored just as quickly...

as you can imagine this does not bode well.

What I would like is a quick run down of vegetables to grow which don't require high maintenance care, that will survive skipping a watering without running to seed or ruining the crop by not harvesting at the exact moment of ripeness another factor is windy conditions...

any ideas?

I'm already going to grow Asparagus, Rhubarb, Perpetual Spinach, Dwarf Bolotto Beans, Broad Beans

and avoiding cucurbits as I'm told these require very regular watering, is there anything else I need to consider?

 

Beetroot, Kale, Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Carrots.

 

I'm struggling to offer advice here, even your list here will require maintenance.

Asparagus will need to be kept weed free and it will be at least 2 years till you see any harvest from it, even then if you don't pick it at the right moment the next day it will be too far over.

Spinach needs regular picking to get the best from it in my opinion and will run to seed very easily, even the beans will need inspecting for black fly etc and all of it will need weeding, watering feeding etc.

Best advice I could give is to try a couple of things and see how you get on with that.

Steve...

 

Swiss chard, Mercury

 

I've been experimenting myself along the same lines as some years I'm away a fair bit. I'd add garlic and leeks to the list above. Also cabbage if you can give them a good start and net them (same for sprouting broccoli) before neglect sets in

I'd agree with @Steve R about avoiding asparagus, tricky fussy things.

Good luck.
GG

 

I grew leeks last year and did nothing to them apart from filling up my ollas once a week

Ollas make watering veg patches so much easier because you just fill those up and then they leak the water out

http://permaculturenews.org/2010/09/16/ollas-unglazed-clay-pots-for-garden-irrigation/

Mine are just normal terracotta pots unglazed with a cork in the bottom and then the saucer is used as a lid to stop evaporation. They are quite good for collecting slugs too so you can remove them from your garden.

 

Just a suggestion, but why not try growing soft fruits instead? Redcurrants, blackcurrants, gooseberries and so on? They're far less maintenance than vegetables, and save money. These tend to be expensive in the shops.

I've got about 10 different ones, and to sit in the garden, on a warm summers day eating desserts made from them is a special experience.

 

You're welcome they really are brilliant much better than the drip feeding ones imo. I have glass ones that sit in some pots but the ollas work loads better. Its quite hard to find traditional shaped ones tho but the £1 basic terracotta pots work fine altho hold less water.

 

I only grow veg for a bit of fun and interest . Onions from sets are really easy and look so good as they are developing , you can almost taste them ! Also dwarf French Beans , they grow about 20" high so you don't need pole supports , wigwams etc . Quite productive and picked at the right time , taste beautiful

 

Kale,toms,garlic,salad and soft fruit for me. little maintenance,pick when u need it.

 

I'm a fan of soft fruit. Especially currants. The thing I've found with currants is they are delicious, practically zero maintenance, pretty when they're growing (especially the red ones), and very easy to propagate. They're also quite expensive to buy fresh.

For veg, spuds are about the easiest thing in the world, as long as the soil is right. Leaf beet (sometimes falsely called chard, although chard is a different plant), peas and beans.

You could also consider the slightly less conventional. Nasturtium is prolific, low maintenance, pretty, and delicious.

 

How about herbs too..sage and rosemary plants can be bought as cheap plants,just plant in a well drained area,also coriander from seed is easy just sprinkle seeds on a patch,very lightly cover with compost,water and wait you can re seed every 2/3 week if you want.
Chives are great too