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Except for tomatoes (because I know they grow well here), what are the TOP FIVE veggies you've easily and successfully grown -- or know someone else who has had good results with them -- here in the Triangle?
As food prices skyrocket (once again, I heard it on the TV news today), I think more people than ever will probably start gardening.
I'd like to do more, too, but I want it to be worthwhile. I know corn is going up in price, but I know that's not worked very well for me in the past.
What works for you?
What you think are the TOP FIVE easiest vegetables to grow in the Triangle?
Hmmmmm. I would say snap peas--we hardly do a thing and they nearly take over! Bell peppers can do well with good soil and proper care. Strawberries do well and are perennials.
I do raised bed gardens which allows me to avoid dealing with crummy clay soil. Our blueberry bush seems to like the soil, though, as I planted it in the ground and it does well.
I like to get seedlings from the farmers' market and pick the farmers' brains.
I mostly do lettuce, peppers and eggplant since I am short on garden space and the TOMATOES get first dibs! For some reason, I can't grow squash although everyone else seems to be able to.
Any and all of the above, plus asparagus (perennial -- once it's established it does great!) and a ton of different herbs (basil, fennel, dill, on the annual end, or sage, rosemary, lavender and thyme on the perennial end). We had reasonable luck with corn until the squirrels figured out what it was. ;-)
Our garden struggled this past summer. But by October the broccoli was hitting its stride. It might have been the direct sunlight that did it in.
We are moving towards Lillington this month and although the soil and shade is better, we now have to contend with pine trees--from which we have shade--and the abundunce of falling needles.
We are looking forward to tomatoes, lettuces, beans / peas and more broccoli in our raised beds.
Mostly what everyone else said. I'll add, though, that the biggest problem with squash in this area is squash vine borers. You can buy bt which is an organic control for it and it works very well. I think it's some kind of a healthy bacteria that is unhealthy for the bug.
Also, I've found that growing broccoli or cabbage (or anything in that family) will get horrible worms if you plant them in the spring, but if you wait until fall absolutely no pests at all!
Potatoes are another one that is incredibly easy to grow and can really round out an awful lot of meals. I tried sweet potatoes once and they didn't do very well but I think it was because I didn't give them enough room. I've heard that they are very hardy here.
OH, and don't forget to plant enough tomatoes to can your own sauces. Plan for one plant per quart of sauce. Buy yourself a couple good home canning books to get good ideas on how much can really be done with a home garden. A nice garden and a handful of chickens and you can practically forget about the grocery store! You can even grow your own chicken feed! This company in Wake Forest sells a really neat contraption for home-grown grubs: Raise BioGrubs as a Cheap Food Source for Chickens.
Getting a little carried away with this thread! I get excited about sustainability. :-) :-)
Besides tomatoes, we've done really well with green beans, peppers (poblano and jalapeno), and tomatillos. We started an asparagus bed last year, and should get our first harvest next spring. Herbs do really well, too - I've grown chives, Italian parsley, rosemary, thyme, oregano, sweet basil, Thai basil, dill, and lemongrass. I usually plant some extra Italian parsley for the swallowtail butterfly caterpillars, because they love it. I grow all of the herbs except the lemongrass in pots on my deck, which make it really easy to grab for cooking. The lemongrass gets so big I put it in the ground.
One thing that surprised me about growing asparagus is how beautiful the plants are. They get really tall, and turn a beautiful golden color in the fall. This photo doesn't do it justice.
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