Vegetable Growing 2025

I guess technically they grew in 2024, but I just harvested them yesterday - 6 yakon plants - I'm a little gobsmacked at the size of the crop compared to last year. The biggest tuber came in at 1.5 kg.

 

Looks like a good crop.
I'm still harvesting sprouts and beetroot again technically grown last year but welcome whenever they come.

 

I’m thinking of doing something different this year. I usually grow tomatoes (last year was poor) and courgettes (not great last year) as staples then I’ll try something new (sweetcorn or peppers) plus salad leaves and herbs. Well from a business point of view - the cherry tomatoes take a large amount of labour and compost and we don’t really eat half of them. Wisdom says to grow what you enjoy to eat, so with that in mind (plus limited space and only a poly greenhouse) I’m thinking of trying potatoes and much more salads this year.

What are you planning?…

 

My intention this year is to maximise production of those crops that we eat, especially in view of the likely shortage of both home production, due to adverse agricultural policies, increased production costs and imports from Spain , where the Valencia floods have destroyed much capacity; the net effects are likely scarcity and therefore ,increased prices.
This may be at the cost of giving over 'useless lawn', perhaps to be replaced with potager style planting as it is in some degree visible to pedestrian traffic.

It is thought probable that we shall see the demise of one, or possibly two , major supermarkets in the near future, which will heighten the issues.

 

I'm still pondering on bothering with tomatoes this year, I might just have a couple of plants, I will be growing sweetcorn, I didn't grow enough last year and I've run out now.

Broad beans are near impossible with the black fly problems these days, a few onions, I cant grow brassicas because of club root.

The melon experiment last year was mostly thwarted by the poor weather.

As you can guess I've mostly given up on veg these days.

 

I will be growing early pots, carrots, parsnips, onions, toms and runner beans again as they do well.
I’ve given up on leeks as the beetle does for them.
I’m thinking of trying sprouts but we have a lot of wood pigeons here and I wondered if it is worth bothering ?

 

I don't grow so many vegetables since B died but ...
I may try some potatoes in tubs again, I had some nice ones last year.
Going to grow parsnips and purple turnips again in my raised bed, I haven't grown them for a few years but I always got nice ones.
Also going to grow some onions, My autumn ones are coming up now but I want to try another variety too.
I'm going to grow cherry tomatoes only this year, the ordinary ones have been hopeless for the past few years so I'm giving up on them.
I'll grow a cucumber and two peppers as usual.
I'll grow lettuces in hanging baskets too, I don't let them get big, I just use a few leaves at a time.
Given up on radishes, they always bolt
I'm going to grow peas but dwarf ones like last year. I never get enough to cook because I eat them down the garden straight from the pods
I've given up on Kidney beans, they get too big and they're a pain to prepare (I'm not very good with preparing food, and I can get a few nice ones in the local open air market if I fancy them)

 

@Michael Hewett kidney beans are worth it! Just keep picking young, so you don't have to fiddle about with cutting stringy bits, steam them and lots of butter! My mum used to have a huge bowl with butter, top of milk and lots of pepper - that was her happy meal!

 

They take up a lot of room and look untidy
Maybe I'll try growing them in amongst other things.

 

Well my garden is untidy anyway, so they fit in.
Yes, a tripod of beans, particularly if you got the ones with different coloured flowers, might fit in. But don't add sweet peas for interest - I found out they're one of the poisonous seeds. Apparently during famines people ate them out of desperation and it caused problems. (I went down a Wikipedia wormhole)

 

Mine too so I don't know why I'm fretting about it

 

I will be growing mostly the same things. Easier to list the exceptions, none of the Onion family, due to white rot, shan't bother with celeriac again, I don't do sweetcorn as the grandchildren don't visit so often now they are older and I'm not that fond of it. I'm cutting down on potatoes, but mostly because I have given up my extra half plot, so I don't have as much space for rotation .