Last updated on April 26th, 2024 at 01:11 pm
Growing your own organic vegetables is also a good way to embark on green living ! However prior to growing anything, you should consider the type of vegetables that you are growing. In view of the vast types of vegetables available, narrowing them down to a top six is even harder than voting for Miss Universe!
So the list of recommended vegetables that I have compiled below is based on key criteria that include general appeal, ease of growing, required space, disease and pest resistance, and the how the crop can be grown with other plants. Nevertheless these recommended vegetables are all my personal preferences and not the gospel truth.
1) Spinach 
Yes. Popeye’s favourite vegetable, this vegetable is rich in vitamin C and iron that is good for you! It is also a versatile culinary plant that can be used as either a salad green, or as a garnishing. You can also stir-fry it using a bit of oil and garlic to make it a nice dish for consumption with rice.
Growing of spinach only require a small area of loamy, well-drained soil that gets full sunlight in cool weather and partial shade during warmer conditions. This leafy vegetable can be grown nearly all year round in tropical climates and as a cool weather annual in areas with
four seasons.
2) Potatoes
The Irish will tell you how important the potato is to European countries… from the Great Irish Famine in the late 1840s where over a million peoples starved to death as a result of the potato blight!
This humble tuber has an extensive usage from fastfood in French fries to production of vodka. However the potato is also often overlooked for its health benefits. It is high in potassium, vitamins, protein and natural fibre.
Potatoes make my list of recommended vegetables as they are versatile and easy to be grown; from in raised box beds to small plots of land. It also requires little attention, and is great for increasing a garden size.
Potato is a perennial crop that can be harvested all year round. Harvested potatoes and can be stored for a few weeks during a bumper harvest. Check with your seed supplier for the varieties that will cater to your needs; starchy types like Russet Burbank are great for baking, mashing, French Fries while waxy types like Round White are great for roasting and for potato salads.
3) Lettuces
Lettuce is a very versatile crop that can be grown in a wide variety of soils that includes sandy or marshy conditions. It is also a hardy crop that can survive most diseases and pests though the quality will be inferior.
Lettuces can be used in salad, garnishing, soups or stir-fried. All varieties of lettuces are also great for dieters as it is very low in calories. One point to note though, different varieties of lettuce will have different nutrient concentrations and taste; romaine lettuce is the most nutrient-rich and iceberg lettuce having the mildest in taste. But all varieties are good sources of chlorophyll and vitamin K.
To grow lettuce, seeds can be sown in spring and in early summer to be harvested when mature. They grow best in cool weather, ample sunlight and under moist conditions. The soil should also be fertile for lettuce to develop quickly thus preventing their leaves from becoming tough and leathery.
4) Zucchini
Zucchini is an easy and very productive crop to be grown. Just one or two plants are sufficient to feed a single family. It is also low in calories and is a significant source of folate, potassium, manganese and vitamin A. This vegetable can be trellised to save space in your garden.
For cooking, only young zucchinis (roughly under 20 cm in length) are used. It can be used in a wide variety of cuisine that spans a few nationalities like Italian, French and Mexican. It can be prepared by steaming, boiling, grilling, and raw in a salad or cooked into a
stew.
Zucchinis can be grown as purchased transplants or as seeds sown directly into the soil. However a point to note, zucchini seeds should be sown only in the garden soil when there is no danger of subsequent frosty weather. Another alternative is to start the seeds indoors, around a month prior to the last frost date.
5) Runner beans
This legume can be easily purchased in your average supermarket frozen section.. but the taste of the frozen ones can never beat those homegrown. Runner beans are a great crop to be home-grown. They are good and are a healthier choice for consumption as it is a good source of vitamin C, folate, fibre and iron.
In terms of culinary exploits, it possesses a more distinct flavour compared to French beans. The pods can be eaten fresh after cooking, or seeds from older pods can be harvested to be cooked as haricot beans.
Runner beans are very prolific in cropping with the harvest able to be stored frozen for many months. Runner beans can be grown in odd spaces like amongst flower beds on bean poles or trellises for the plant to climb upon.
The area where they are grown should be semi-shaded with a well-fertilised and moist soil. No addition of nitrogen fertilisers or manure is also required since it is a nitrogen-fixing plant. Therefore this crop made my list of recommended vegetables.
6) Garlic
It's a root vegetable ok! It can be grown in small areas with minimum hassle. A crop of maybe 40-50 bulbs per harvest will sustain you for sometime. Garlic grows well in soil that is noth fertile and well-drained.
Consumption of garlic has been shown to prevent cardiological ailments like heart disease and cholesterol problems. Besides these wonderful benefits, it is also very versatile in the kitchen.
Immature garlic has been sold and consumed as scallions. Roasting your own home-grown whole bulbs with olive oil, as a side-dish to meat dishes or even baked potato adds a new dimension to this humble root.
Garlic can be planted as an individual clove in your garden in an area that is sunny and not too damp. Garlic can also be planted in conjunction with other plants.
In Conclusion...
So after looking through my list of recommended vegetables, hopefully you have a rough idea of the vegetables that you can grow in your garden. Some vegetables not recommended due to their pest susceptibility and cropping irregularities include cabbage, celery, and others that take up space and not suitable for a small garden include sweet corn and broccoli.
So after viewing my list, go ahead and compile your own list of recommended vegetables. Ultimately in growing organic vegetables of your own, you are providing a healthier and safer vegetables for your own and family consumption. However if you are still clueless and is looking for an easy-to-follow guide look no further than “Organic Food Gardening Beginner’s Manual” by Julie Villani.
(Last Updated 10th July 2011)
