The most cost-effective veg to grow

[Deleted User]

I was browsing around fruit and veg today and it sank home re cost effectiveness v effort eg swede was 89p, rhubarb was around £5 a kg and so on. I think I am going to try and be hard headed and not grow the veg that cost pennies to buy, well at least next year as I am not wasting seed I already have

What is really worth growing moneywise? leave organic etc out of it

cootambear

strawbs, courgettes, salad leaves

suegoo

Sweetcorn and runner beans

Sambucus_Nigra

Leeks - 3 for £1.99 in the shops. Outrageous. 99p for a packet of 600 seeds. Bargain.

To be honest, the best thing to do is to sow little and often the things that you use most of that you get most annoyed paying for in the shops.

So, for me, in one year - the cost of my raspberries [I bought 18 bare root plants, 3 different types and they last about 4 months of picking] produced enough in the first year to offset the cost of the original plants; and I still have 3 gallons of rasp wine fermenting; and have enough new plants to sell some one; so will recoup that cost many times over.

r.a.i.n.b.o.w

Spinach & French Beans. French beans are £1.50 for a small pack that feeds 2 of us!!! Plus all those air miles to ship from Kenya... 99p for a pack of seeds that will keep me in beans for at least 3 years...

alanobrien

Runner beans, very very simple to grow and seems to crop forever.

Little_Miss_Determined

Asparagus. The crowns are fairly pricey and you have to wait for a few years before you can start picking but just one year of picking more than pays for the crowns.

I second strawberries, especially if you plant the runners. I also second beans. We ended up with mountains last year and still got lots of seeds left for this year.

Growing your own herbs is also worthwhile I find.

jfdi

Pink Fir Apple potatoes - just brought my last ones indoors, they keep well.

Purple sprouting broccoli (have you SEEN the price of that!!!!!!!?!)

Soft fruits.

Parsnip if you can get them to grow.

Plus all the stuff mentioned above!

Oh! And we've managed peppers, chillis and aubergines as well as nectarines if the weather's decent.

BOGOF_Queen

I grow leeks for soups over the Winter, also spinach, beetroot, cavalo nero (black cabbage) French beans (don't go stringy like runners) raspberries. black and red currant, rhubarb, 3 blueberry bushes which fruit well. Also grow courgettes, cu, toms, lettuce, rocket (pak choi in cooler months else it bolts). Also grow herbs - chives, coriander (for curries etc,) mint, parsley and also basil over the Summer months - have just started some basil off on the window ledge. Grow peppers and chiilies in the greenhouse although in a warm spot will be ok outside once the threat of frost has gone. Grow what you and your family like to eat and what you think expensive to buy - I remember last year seeing 3 sticks of rhubarb on offer for £1.50 and that was half price - my one crown cost 99p and think I kept my work colleague supplied too last year!

markandkate

First of all grow what you like I know it sounds obvious but we have just decided that although we quite llike runner bans we actually don't fancy cooked dinners when they are at their best so we end up freezing them which never tastes as good

Second don't grow too much of something then give it all away unless you are going to get something in return. Grow lots of different things in small quantities

Third try and grow things that are expensive to buy. You can fill the garden with potatoes and onions but you are not going to save much

Fourth try and find friends/ relatives to share the seeds etc with you so you don't end up with loads of seed cos although you can use it in subsequent years it can fail.

Fifth try to grow things that you can freeze unless it is leaves for salad

ceridwen

I would have thought stuff you're lucky if you can manage to even buy at all anywhere personally - eg sorrel, chard, perpetual spinach, the "fancier" type of tomato (eg striped or yellow).