Basic Vegetable Garden

[Cheesy Potatoes]

I want to start a little vegetable garden with my grandmother. She really likes to plant and she wants to plant vegetables that she can use in her dishes. I live in a tropical country and I am wondering if you guys have any suggestions for the first few plants we can plant. I was hoping for plants that don't need to much maintenance, because I will be going to school next month. I don't want my grandmother to tire herself too much tending the plants.

Thank you very much in advance!

 

[Trellum]

What about cucumbers? I grew cucumbers as a teen and they were so easy to take care of, I got a lot cucumbers! So many we had to give them away! My dad also grew tomatoes and chilies, those seem so easy to grow as well! My dad didn't use any kind of fertilizer or aid to grow those. Same with me and my cucumbers.

 

[firelily99]

Peppers, green beans, cukes and squash are all easy to grow. Tomatoes too.

 

[Abqu]

We love having fresh veggies around, but it can be a pain if you can't give it too much attention. Potted peppers need little work -- usually some support, a little water, and keep an eye out for horn worms. Tomatoes are the same, and maybe even easier, if you get a good cage.

 

[Rosyrain]

Onions are easy to grow too if they flourish in your area. I grow them in pots on my balcony sometimes.

 

[Cheesy Potatoes]

Those are really nice suggestions. Thank you very much. We already have chillies, string beans and eggplants. I am going to look for the seeds you suggested. I am pretty sure my grandmother would love them!

 

[Abqu]

Onions are easy to grow too if they flourish in your area. I grow them in pots on my balcony sometimes.

Onions do grow great. I've got the opposite problem, though, they're growing too well. The old owner of this house must have planted green onions at some point, and they're all over my front yard. I smell onions like crazy every time I cut the grass.

 

[JGPangi]

Try bitter gourd; they grow with barely any effort at all and you can use the leaves in stews and soup if you like a bitter flavor. Tomatoes should be easier to grow in a tropical climate, just make sure you have good soil. Also try okra and squash, but if your grandmother has a hard time bending down, then I would recommend a strong trellis to raise the vines off the ground for easier access.

 

[Cheesy Potatoes]

She already has bitter gourd. I saw it in her garden the last time I was there. I didn't notice it right away, though. She also has okras already and she once planted a tomato a long time ago. She has no trouble bending down. She's really very active for her age--she chops firewood! She has this weird tendency to just throw seeds anywhere in her garden. I think she believes in letting nature do her own thing, but she also loves to really sow seeds sometimes.

She used to sell vegetables for a living a long time ago--she still does when she has the chance. She has a big piece of land full of weeds. It's perfect for a vegetable garden!

 

[Rosyrain]

It would be fun to have a big enough garden to support veggies and fruit that can be sold. I would love to try my hand at farming someday, but I do not have nearly enough space to make it profitable. Would be nice to support the local economy though and provide the community fresh and organic food.

 

[Cheesy Potatoes]

I know what you mean. Some of the vegetables and fruit nowadays are bombarded with too much chemicals that you need to thoroughly wash them before cooking and eating. It will be nice to buy fruit and vegetables from someone you know who actually grows them, because you know where it's from and you know it's fresh.

 

[claudine]

If you have enough space, you could plant zucchini and pumpkin. Both of these vegetables are really easy to grow. My mother grows them every year and we always have more vegetables than we need

 

[headfullofbees]

I know what you mean. Some of the vegetables and fruit nowadays are bombarded with too much chemicals that you need to thoroughly wash them before cooking and eating. It will be nice to buy fruit and vegetables from someone you know who actually grows them, because you know where it's from and you know it's fresh.

I'm trying to get to the point where I provide ALL our veg, and nearly all our fruit...it's too cold here for citrus and tropical fruit, but I grow rhubarb March-to July (I know it's a veg) then strawbs from late May until July, Blackcurrants in July, raspberries and plums August, melons August-September, apples from September on.
I love oranges and ripe peaches though.

 

[Cheesy Potatoes]

If you have enough space, you could plant zucchini and pumpkin. Both of these vegetables are really easy to grow. My mother grows them every year and we always have more vegetables than we need

Pumpkins need too much space and I already have that in my house. I could just give some to my grandma when it bears fruit. I haven't found zucchini seeds in the store yet. Most of the things I see are corn, plants we already have and flowers.

 

[Cheesy Potatoes]

I'm trying to get to the point where I provide ALL our veg, and nearly all our fruit...it's too cold here for citrus and tropical fruit, but I grow rhubarb March-to July (I know it's a veg) then strawbs from late May until July, Blackcurrants in July, raspberries and plums August, melons August-September, apples from September on.
I love oranges and ripe peaches though.

That is a very good idea. Try growing some tropical fruit indoors. I read somewhere that some citrus fruits make good indoor plants.

It's too hot in our place for berries and apples. It would have been nice. you must have a very big place to grow all those in.