Most economical veggies to grow? - Page 3

Doug9345 · June 12, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by stonysoilseeds

it always depends so much on geography what varieties and crops would be most lucrative to sell at markets .. some of the hierlooms and specialty crops demand very high prices in some areas where as in my market area they dont sell.. i tried selling beautiful chioggia beets last year but customers would only buy the red neets

And it can be over very small areas too. I suspect that in Ithaca which is what about 25 or 30 miles from you a totally different set of produce will sell.

Worth1 · June 12, 2012

Jalapenos and tomatillos are not worth growing here in Texas they are too cheap at the store.
Your other peppers are, so it is best to grow the varieties that they dont sell or are expensive.
It is also not worth pickling them here.
Do I follow this advice?
No.

Worth

barkeater · June 12, 2012

1) Heirloom Tomatoes
2) Fresh Basil & Cilantro
3) White Eggplant
4) Hardneck Garlic
5) Pumpkins

Others I would consider economical because there is very little cost or work involved to grow them and it is hard to get as fresh would be sweet corn, pickling cucumbers, and specialty hot peppers.

stonysoilseeds · June 12, 2012

you right doug although ithaca is only about 30 milesfrom me is light years away in preferences.. i like visiting the farmers market there it is loaded with etnic foods and hierloom vegetables they get a premium price it really rocks

tjg911 · June 13, 2012

if you are looking for purely volume and no work it has to be cukes on a trellis, pole beans, cabbage, zucchini and yellow squash.

if you are looking at saving money vs buying and storage thru winter it's winter squashes, onions and garlic. carrots and beets keep well too but they are more work imo and i gave up growing them. tomatoes if you want them all winter, i like them for fresh eating and prefer to just make sauce from store bought puree when it's on sale. cabbage keeps ok but only for a few months, i freeze pole beans, if you want to make pickles they'll keep too but to me it's too much work. i have made fridge pickles but they only keep about 120 days.

tom

plainolebill · July 30, 2012

We've got a limited amount of space so production value is a big consideration for us. I consider our highest value crops to be tomatoes, garlic, lettuce, green beans and long eggplant. If I compare the prices at the local food co-op vs how much of this stuff we can grow I'm way ahead of the game. We do grow a little zuchinni and cukes but truthfully they are relatively inexpensive in the store compared to the amount of space they take up. Potatoes are another item that's pretty cheap in the store, we grow some for fall storage but not a lot. Peppers aren't very productive so we don't grow many.

Some things that simply aren't available at all a worth growning like Trombetta squash and magenta spreen lambsquarter.

We have 6 blueberry bushes and although we could go to a no-spray u-pick and get them for $1.25 lb we like having them here. We also have a everbearing raspberry patch that is a real money saver.

Herbs we grow in pots and dehydrate or use fresh.

mrs_dlight · August 3, 2012

I mostly just grow for fun but I get the biggest crops from Tomatoes, salsify, beets, garlic, sunchokes, zucchini blossoms, turnips, pickling cucs, kohlrabi, swiss chard, herbs also Sakurajima radishes and daikon

We have an amazing public market on Saturdays in Rochester. Everything seems to be $1(because thats what vendors yelling out ). Sometimes you wonder what's the point of growing because you can buy cheaper than growing your self. Last weekend I bought a huge box of zucchini and summer squash for $2 I can't wait till the end of august when they are practically giving away tomatoes and peppers.

BigBrownDogHouse · August 3, 2012

I've really just been in the serious gardening game for about five years now but I am still always overly impressed with Snow Peas.

I only plant them in a small area in back but always seem to be able to pick a good bowl full everytime out.

I got a great Spring crop, froze some and now I have some growing in a container even though I know it is a bit early for the Fall crop.
Once the weather cools down a bit, I'll start another container so I have a steady supply starting in Sept-Oct.

I grew a variety this year that didn't even need staking....grows three feet straight up.

June 12, 2012	#3
barkeater Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NE Kingdom, VT - Zone 3b Posts: 1,439	1) Heirloom Tomatoes 2) Fresh Basil & Cilantro 3) White Eggplant 4) Hardneck Garlic 5) Pumpkins Others I would consider economical because there is very little cost or work involved to grow them and it is hard to get as fresh would be sweet corn, pickling cucumbers, and specialty hot peppers. __________________ barkeater

June 13, 2012	#5
tjg911 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: zone 5b northwest connecticut Posts: 2,570	if you are looking for purely volume and no work it has to be cukes on a trellis, pole beans, cabbage, zucchini and yellow squash. if you are looking at saving money vs buying and storage thru winter it's winter squashes, onions and garlic. carrots and beets keep well too but they are more work imo and i gave up growing them. tomatoes if you want them all winter, i like them for fresh eating and prefer to just make sauce from store bought puree when it's on sale. cabbage keeps ok but only for a few months, i freeze pole beans, if you want to make pickles they'll keep too but to me it's too much work. i have made fridge pickles but they only keep about 120 days. tom __________________ I need a hero I’m holding out for a hero ‘til the end of the night He’s gotta be strong And he’s gotta be fast And he’s gotta be fresh from the fight I need a hero I’m holding out for a hero ‘til the morning light He’s gotta be sure And it’s gotta be soon And he’s gotta be larger than life

July 30, 2012	#6
plainolebill Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Williamette Valley, Oregon Posts: 33	We've got a limited amount of space so production value is a big consideration for us. I consider our highest value crops to be tomatoes, garlic, lettuce, green beans and long eggplant. If I compare the prices at the local food co-op vs how much of this stuff we can grow I'm way ahead of the game. We do grow a little zuchinni and cukes but truthfully they are relatively inexpensive in the store compared to the amount of space they take up. Potatoes are another item that's pretty cheap in the store, we grow some for fall storage but not a lot. Peppers aren't very productive so we don't grow many. Some things that simply aren't available at all a worth growning like Trombetta squash and magenta spreen lambsquarter. We have 6 blueberry bushes and although we could go to a no-spray u-pick and get them for $1.25 lb we like having them here. We also have a everbearing raspberry patch that is a real money saver. Herbs we grow in pots and dehydrate or use fresh. Last edited by plainolebill; July 30, 2012 at 02:22 AM.

August 3, 2012	#8
BigBrownDogHouse Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Northern Illinois ZONE 5a...wait now 5b Posts: 906	I've really just been in the serious gardening game for about five years now but I am still always overly impressed with Snow Peas. I only plant them in a small area in back but always seem to be able to pick a good bowl full everytime out. I got a great Spring crop, froze some and now I have some growing in a container even though I know it is a bit early for the Fall crop. Once the weather cools down a bit, I'll start another container so I have a steady supply starting in Sept-Oct. I grew a variety this year that didn't even need staking....grows three feet straight up. __________________ Brian

June 12, 2012	#2
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	Jalapenos and tomatillos are not worth growing here in Texas they are too cheap at the store. Your other peppers are, so it is best to grow the varieties that they dont sell or are expensive. It is also not worth pickling them here. Do I follow this advice? No. Worth

June 12, 2012	#4
stonysoilseeds Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: cincinnatus, new york Posts: 341	you right doug although ithaca is only about 30 milesfrom me is light years away in preferences.. i like visiting the farmers market there it is loaded with etnic foods and hierloom vegetables they get a premium price it really rocks

August 3, 2012	#7
mrs_dlight Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: upstate ny Posts: 11	I mostly just grow for fun but I get the biggest crops from Tomatoes, salsify, beets, garlic, sunchokes, zucchini blossoms, turnips, pickling cucs, kohlrabi, swiss chard, herbs also Sakurajima radishes and daikon We have an amazing public market on Saturdays in Rochester. Everything seems to be $1(because thats what vendors yelling out ). Sometimes you wonder what's the point of growing because you can buy cheaper than growing your self. Last weekend I bought a huge box of zucchini and summer squash for $2 I can't wait till the end of august when they are practically giving away tomatoes and peppers.