What do you consider your staple crops?

Susan BBPM

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As the title says, if you were to list your 10 must have vegetable crops for your garden what would they be?

It would also be interesting to know what your climate is/what part of the world you are in.
I target crops that a) I eat a lot of and b) *could* potentially be upscaled to get me closer to self-sufficiency (Which is why I try to include some winter crops).

I'm in Scotland UK with cool, wet climate and a fairly short season. Last frost late May first frost around November. All of the following are very easy to grow in my climate (although greenhouse needed for tomatoes).

1. Potatoes
2. Leaks
3. Onions
4. Dried Beans
5. Courgette/Zuchini
6. Tomato
7. Cucumber
8. Winter Squash (e.g. Acorn, Hubbard, Butternut)
9. Beetroot (I prefer parsnip but less reliable/easy to grow)
10. Peas

I'm interested in what others do as it might inspire me to rethink my priorities.
 

Meadowlark

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1. Sunn Hemp
2. Alfalfa
3. Cow peas
4. Austrian peas
5. Soybeans
6. Elbon rye
7. Crimson clover
8. Vetch
9. Ceral grains multiple
10. veggies for eating in no particular order that I have posted pictures of : corn*, potatoes*, beans*, tomatoes*, squash*, onions*, peppers*, spinach*, cabbage*, brussels sprouts, broccoli*, carrots*, turnips, radishes*, kale, bok choy, cucumbers*, watermelon*, cauliflower, cantaloup, garlic, peanuts, lettuce*, beets*, okra*, jicama, sunchokes, tomatillos, artichokes, asparagus, kohlrabi, leeks, arugula, parsnips, pumpkin, broccoli raab, collards, eggplant, dill, basil, and sweet peas.

*Indicates multiple varieties
 

pepper

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1. Tomatoes
2. Peppers
3. Cucumbers
4. Cannabis
5. Dill

That's about it. I grow other things but those are the only five that really matter to me. Stuff like potatoes, corn, carrots etc is a dime a dozen to buy and taste just as good as any I grow when I get them from local small scale farmers. I guess things like rhubarb, strawberries, grapes, apples and things like that are something I have always grown and always will even though I leave most of it for the birds and compost.
 

redback

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In winter (now in southern hemisphere); brassicas ( mainly broccoli and cabbage), onion, potato, silver beet, carrots, celery, broad beans, turnip, beetroot, fennel, strawberries, asparagus, lettuce, parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, peas (3 types), lucerne, marjoram and oregano, sweet peas, garlic, lemongrass, citrus (lime, lemon, mandarins, orange and kafir lime), and others- hollyhock, salvias....
There's no frost or snow here - some topsoil on top of clay, and limestone and sand in the sub-strata.
Staples are potatoes, brassicas, carrots, celery and broad beans. Parsnips and brussel sprouts taste terrible where there is no frost. Cauliflower is too hard to blanch the flower.

In summer (september to march); tomatoes (usually 20-40 plants and 5 types), capsicums, eggplant, cucumber, zucchini, basil, melons (3 types), beans (climbing mainly - blue lake, purple king), corn (2 succession plantings), and all the winter herbs keeping growing plus chicory, mustard, soya beans, lovage, salsify, more garlic, sometimes galangal ginger, lavender, other permanent trees like guava, finger limes, figs, mulberry, bay laurel.....
Summer is very hot and dry, and all summer crops are irrigated. Sometimes I also grow summer versions of potatoes, carrots, lettuce, radicchio, rocket, spinach, broccoli etc.
I guess the staples are - Mediterranean type veges and the three sisters (corn, melons and beans).
 

skinyea

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1. Potatoes
2. Tomatoes
3. Peppers
4.Pole Beans
5. Bush Beans
6. Sweet Corn
7. Beets
8.Okra
 

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