Peaches! Followed by kiwifruit, strawberries or pretty much any other fruit that is sooo much better when allowed to fully ripen on the plant but you can never buy ripe at a grocery store because they’re too delicate or don’t look as nice as the unripe crap that gets shipped
@tinamarie1974 - We’re currently sharing a garden with some friends - they’re in a nearby apartment, and we have some sunny meadow land. Currently enjoying a good crop of cucumbers, basil, mint, a variety of hot peppers, and winter squash. There are tomatoes and eggplant still coming along, and after the first set of zucchini died we put in some seed, which has started well but has a way to go. We did get a few green peppers, but they never seem to grow to anything like the commercial ones.
If we can have the fruit year-round: definitely mangoes
If only seasonal: well, mangoes anyway
Now, from a strictly practical, utilitarian perspective: mangoes still.
(hey, keep the mind happy and the body won’t complain too much!)
@jester747 Yeah, you can get decent apples and everything else from grocery stores but store-bought mangoes never taste close to as good as ones picked ripe from a tree. There’s a reason for that: They’re picked 1 month before they’re ripe and frozen in a block of ice in shipping. If someone thinks they don’t like mangoes, they probably haven’t tried a “real” one.
@jester747@Weboh Not only that but there are a zillion different kinds of mangos. My kid is picky about them as she was used to picking them off the tree. She says most USA mangos are “no good” and aren’t the “good kind”. I guess not the particular kind she was used to.
We (and by that, I mean “my wife” - I only get included because I do what she says sometimes) grows lots of food in our garden. But blackberries, raspberries, and snap peas are the best because harvesting goes something like “one for me right now, one to take inside for later” (repeat until full).
@smyle Blackberries are a noxious weed here in the PNW. It is a constant effort to control them. Left unchecked, they would completely overtake my property - my house would be covered by an enormous thorny patch of vines. (But the berries are pretty tasty. )
@macromeh They’re not to that point on the great plains. I do mow all the way around my bramble, though, and i do mow over many aspiring shoots lest my entire yard become the bramble.
@macromeh@smyle We had some on the farm that 13 kids could eat whatever they wanted, trample them to get at them and there were still enough left that “the aunts” didn’t gripe about us wrecking all their plans to cook with them, make jam, etc. Kills me to pay those prices in the stores because of that history of stuff yourself on berries whenever you wanted for free (ditto the raspberries and blueberries - there was an elderberry bush too but we got yelled at if we touched it as there was squabbling amongst the aunts splitting up that meager supply).
When I lived in northern Idaho a ton of neighbors had cherry trees. The entire neighborhood could eat and there’d still be more left. One year the family with 5 trees in their yard were out of town during the height of the ripeness so all of us picked a ton for them, froze around half of them them and gave them probably 60 pounds of cherries when they returned home. Fortunately they had a big freezer. Oh and we all still got to eat off the trees when we needed a snack - there were that many of them.
@Kidsandliz - That reminds me that I guess we just missed wineberry season. There were lots of wild wineberry bushes growing around where we used to live - they’re like slightly small, grittier raspberries with a slightly tarter flavor. Technically an invasive species but pretty tasty.
@smyle I have a 4WD diesel tractor. I once (recklessly) headed it into a large blackberry thicket on my property, intending to clean it up, only to result in the tractor stopped in its tracks, wheels spinning, about 8 feet in. There were canes at the base of the thicket that were a good 2 inches in diameter. Nasty stuff.
@macromeh@smyle
I read somewhere recently that it’s the Himalayan Blackberries that are invasive. The native species is less invasive, thus losing its habitat to the Himalayans.
@shiranissosexy Rules are so meh. I will grow and eat all the fungus I want. If I must grow traditional fare…I gotta go with avocados. Way expensive where I live yet delicious and good for you.
Seriously, one item? Just no way. Currently, I grow 7 varieties of peppers, 4 varieties of tomatoes, sweet peas, green beans, eggplant, rhubarb, asparagus, sweet onions, garlic, tomatillo, cucumbers, and many kinds of herbs (basil, cilantro, sage, parsley) all in my backyard. I LOVE IT ALL!!
@stampurr Well Thank You. Most people don’t realize how nice it is up here. It’s just that it’s equally as crappy in the Wintertime, which is why we try to make the most of our other three seasons!
Do you get an endless supply of said produce, or only normal growing season? I’d like peaches so they can actually be sweet and ripe. Strawberries are good but growing season isn’t that long in Michigan.
But apples store longer and are more useful in more ways.
Something to make the draconian HOA imposing stupid rules like this regret their authoritarian decision.
Otherwise, if its needful, potatoes. If its for enjoyment and supplementing, probably raspberries or strawberries. Maybe blueberries. Definitely berries though
@Limewater We’re in San Diego. We bought the trees back in 2012 for $15 each at Costco.
When my husband planted them, he used some wire fencing to make baskets for the roots so that the gophers wouldn’t kill them before they had a chance to grow.
The first couple of years, the yield wasn’t anything to write home about. Last year, only one of them had fruit. But this year…just wow.
Not difficult to grow, just water them. He uses manure for fertilizer.
Carrots. I love fresh carrots, and I can get fresh tomatoes, and any number of other good fruits and vegetables from local places (including farmer’s markets, when I get my lazy self motivated to do so).
Carrots fresh from the ground…just shake off the dirt, and eat them right there. Mmmmmmm…
@Kidsandliz I live in the desert. Mud isn’t there even on irrigation days. The soil comes off with a few taps. Besides, a little dirt never hurt anyone.
My wife grows tomatoes here. And we have a bunch of blueberries that the grandkids pick and eat. Also an herb garden, basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, cilantro, and chives. When we were in Florida, we had oranges, mangos, avocados, limes along with them. If we are limited to only one, it would be the tomatoes.
@olperfesser Any tips on growing blueberries? I hav 7 plants. 4 varieties. Some 2yr old, some 3yr old, one 5yrs old-thats the only one i can expect berries from nxt yr. I live in NJ. I will take ANY tips i can get PLZ & Thank You!!
Is it weird that my mind did not go to the ones I would most like to eat (apples/oranges), but instead trying to decide which one would be the least intrusive? (basil?). #hategardening
While tomatoes are my obvious choice, as has been mentioned, they are generally available, though not the quality of home grown. Therefore I have to say pawpaws because they are not available in stores, or even local farmer’s markets. If this is a magical tree that has not limits to climate, then durian, because I could make a fortune having local fresh durian. But then, if we’re talking magic, then the money tree. Hands down. Hundreds and Twenties please.
How do money trees work? Do they start as ones and mature into larger denominations? Does each tree have one denomination? Does each tree have every denomination, and if so, how?
I guess I’m off to facebook to find out!
@InnocuousFarmer@tmayshark I am quite skilled at growing weeds. Much better at growing them than keeping them from growing, at any rate.
Only reason I haven’t yet tried my hand at growing weed is that, despite the name, it takes a lot more skill, attention, time and effort to grow it successfully than weeds, and I’ve really never gardened or even so much as kept house-plants before.
But, it’s legal to grow weed here now, so I don’t have to worry about helicopters with IR cameras, getting raided, losing my house, etc., so I absolutely will try growing it at some point… eventually.
if the question is meant to imagine just for funsies, and thus whatever i pick would grow, and maybe even grow year round, it’d be a toss-up between: tomatoes, hatch chiles, and avocados. i think i’d have to go with hatch chiles since we can only get them for one week out of the year here, and this year it looks like we may not even get any - apparently the weather isn’t cooperating and the plants aren’t producing as much as is needed to go around
anyway, tomatoes and avocados would save the most money, though i can reliably buy those at the store year round. (although tomatoes are only good for a month or two.)
in terms of what i can actually grow here? no funsies? basil.
@jerk_nugget HATCH chiles? You must be in NM? I think I had them on something every day when we were there! Grilled cheese with ham and hatch, hatch burger (yes, same day), hatch in the eggs…mmmmmm
@ybmuG i’m in boston, which is why we have such a small window to get any and they might not reach us this year. but yeah, usually i buy at least ten pounds fresh, then roast, peel, seed - i try to freeze some but honestly we go through them pretty fast! my favorite is on burgers or in an egg casserole for breakfast, but they’re good in everything, i’ve eaten them on bagels with cream cheese
@jerk_nugget I keep thinking about a greenhouse. Would open up possibilities to things that need a longer growing season (upstate NY). Chiles just never seem to get the heat I want.
I live in NJ so it MUST be tomatos and corn-but corn wasnt an option! I grow both plus 5 other veggies!! I have 7 blueberry plants in my basement that will be goin in the ground nxt mth! WooHoo
I think I have garden envy. Our avocado trees (San Diego county) never did well. For the first time in 20 years we have managed to grow tomatoes and now something has found them and is eating them, despite fencing and traps, under-over-and around. The wildlife (gophers, squirrels, bunnies, rats, birds, worms, fungus. Water is expensive and ground lacks natural nutrients. We DO have 5 large citrus trees that we manage to keep alive and I’m happy to have them. We had a 6th, a lemon tree that died of old age. We replaced with a smaller tree about 2 years ago. It seemed to be doing well until a bunny found a way in one night and ate more than half of it. Really! Trying to bring it back and protect it with more layers of fence, but the future of lemons in our backyard is iffy at best.
@awk NOW we’re talkin!
Then use the crop to buy whatever I actually want to eat
@mehcuda67
@mehcuda67 Hmm - I always thought it grew on trees.
@mehcuda67 I would love to get a few of those seeds to start my own crop!
@tinamarie1974 Here ya go!
@macromeh going to plant them now!!
Peaches! Followed by kiwifruit, strawberries or pretty much any other fruit that is sooo much better when allowed to fully ripen on the plant but you can never buy ripe at a grocery store because they’re too delicate or don’t look as nice as the unripe crap that gets shipped
I think tomatoes. Here is a thought, if we can only grow one, let’s share our harvest and then we can all have a nice mix
@tinamarie1974 so sensible!
@RiotDemon
/giphy silver lining
@tinamarie1974 - We’re currently sharing a garden with some friends - they’re in a nearby apartment, and we have some sunny meadow land. Currently enjoying a good crop of cucumbers, basil, mint, a variety of hot peppers, and winter squash. There are tomatoes and eggplant still coming along, and after the first set of zucchini died we put in some seed, which has started well but has a way to go. We did get a few green peppers, but they never seem to grow to anything like the commercial ones.
@aetris that is very cool! Before I moved we had a community garden that was similar to your set up, just a larger scale.
@aetris That there @tinamarie1974 sounds like some kind of damn hippie. You aint no hippie are you?
@aetris @therealjrn hahaha. Quite far from it actually.
@therealjrn - Well, I’m uptight, outta sight, and in the groove.
SOMEtimes. Not usually simultaneously, though.
If we can have the fruit year-round: definitely mangoes
If only seasonal: well, mangoes anyway
Now, from a strictly practical, utilitarian perspective: mangoes still.
(hey, keep the mind happy and the body won’t complain too much!)
@jester747 Yeah, you can get decent apples and everything else from grocery stores but store-bought mangoes never taste close to as good as ones picked ripe from a tree. There’s a reason for that: They’re picked 1 month before they’re ripe and frozen in a block of ice in shipping. If someone thinks they don’t like mangoes, they probably haven’t tried a “real” one.
@jester747 @Weboh Not only that but there are a zillion different kinds of mangos. My kid is picky about them as she was used to picking them off the tree. She says most USA mangos are “no good” and aren’t the “good kind”. I guess not the particular kind she was used to.
Blackberries.
We (and by that, I mean “my wife” - I only get included because I do what she says sometimes) grows lots of food in our garden. But blackberries, raspberries, and snap peas are the best because harvesting goes something like “one for me right now, one to take inside for later” (repeat until full).
@smyle Blackberries are a noxious weed here in the PNW. It is a constant effort to control them. Left unchecked, they would completely overtake my property - my house would be covered by an enormous thorny patch of vines. (But the berries are pretty tasty.
)
@macromeh They’re not to that point on the great plains. I do mow all the way around my bramble, though, and i do mow over many aspiring shoots lest my entire yard become the bramble.
@macromeh @smyle We had some on the farm that 13 kids could eat whatever they wanted, trample them to get at them and there were still enough left that “the aunts” didn’t gripe about us wrecking all their plans to cook with them, make jam, etc. Kills me to pay those prices in the stores because of that history of stuff yourself on berries whenever you wanted for free (ditto the raspberries and blueberries - there was an elderberry bush too but we got yelled at if we touched it as there was squabbling amongst the aunts splitting up that meager supply).
When I lived in northern Idaho a ton of neighbors had cherry trees. The entire neighborhood could eat and there’d still be more left. One year the family with 5 trees in their yard were out of town during the height of the ripeness so all of us picked a ton for them, froze around half of them them and gave them probably 60 pounds of cherries when they returned home. Fortunately they had a big freezer. Oh and we all still got to eat off the trees when we needed a snack - there were that many of them.
@Kidsandliz - That reminds me that I guess we just missed wineberry season. There were lots of wild wineberry bushes growing around where we used to live - they’re like slightly small, grittier raspberries with a slightly tarter flavor. Technically an invasive species but pretty tasty.
@smyle I have a 4WD diesel tractor. I once (recklessly) headed it into a large blackberry thicket on my property, intending to clean it up, only to result in the tractor stopped in its tracks, wheels spinning, about 8 feet in. There were canes at the base of the thicket that were a good 2 inches in diameter. Nasty stuff.
@macromeh @smyle
I read somewhere recently that it’s the Himalayan Blackberries that are invasive. The native species is less invasive, thus losing its habitat to the Himalayans.
A vineyard with grapes
@heartny
Mushrooms. I love mushrooms and they are pretty pricey by the pound.
@tweezak Alas, mushrooms are neither fruit nor vegetable. You broke the rules of meh and I think they permanently banned you.
@shiranissosexy Rules are so meh. I will grow and eat all the fungus I want. If I must grow traditional fare…I gotta go with avocados. Way expensive where I live yet delicious and good for you.
chili peppers
Have to go with avocados. I could sell them for a hefty profit.
Cucumbers for salad and pickling.
Seriously, one item? Just no way. Currently, I grow 7 varieties of peppers, 4 varieties of tomatoes, sweet peas, green beans, eggplant, rhubarb, asparagus, sweet onions, garlic, tomatillo, cucumbers, and many kinds of herbs (basil, cilantro, sage, parsley) all in my backyard. I LOVE IT ALL!!
Here’s a few pictures…
@tohar1 impressive!
@tohar1 That is gorgeous!! Where do you live?
@stampurr We live in Fargo, ND
@tohar1 I’m even more impressed!
@stampurr Well Thank You. Most people don’t realize how nice it is up here. It’s just that it’s equally as crappy in the Wintertime, which is why we try to make the most of our other three seasons!
Egg plants. Gotta have my protein.
Do you get an endless supply of said produce, or only normal growing season? I’d like peaches so they can actually be sweet and ripe. Strawberries are good but growing season isn’t that long in Michigan.
But apples store longer and are more useful in more ways.
Something to make the draconian HOA imposing stupid rules like this regret their authoritarian decision.
Otherwise, if its needful, potatoes. If its for enjoyment and supplementing, probably raspberries or strawberries. Maybe blueberries. Definitely berries though
Oranges, because the are delicious and the blossoms smell wonderful when they bloom.
Guacamole balls (I just took this picture). Great harvest this year, both trees are loaded. Good thing they don’t ripen until they’re picked.
@lisaviolet What agricultural zone are you in? Are they difficult to grow?
@Limewater We’re in San Diego. We bought the trees back in 2012 for $15 each at Costco.
When my husband planted them, he used some wire fencing to make baskets for the roots so that the gophers wouldn’t kill them before they had a chance to grow.
The first couple of years, the yield wasn’t anything to write home about. Last year, only one of them had fruit. But this year…just wow.
Not difficult to grow, just water them. He uses manure for fertilizer.
Gotta has them ‘maters
Carrots. I love fresh carrots, and I can get fresh tomatoes, and any number of other good fruits and vegetables from local places (including farmer’s markets, when I get my lazy self motivated to do so).
Carrots fresh from the ground…just shake off the dirt, and eat them right there. Mmmmmmm…
/image Fresh Carrots
@Shrdlu Carrots seasoned with mud. OK.
@Kidsandliz I live in the desert. Mud isn’t there even on irrigation days. The soil comes off with a few taps. Besides, a little dirt never hurt anyone.
@Shrdlu Ooh, carrots are a good choice!
I wish funnel cake was a fruit or vegetable because I wouldn’t mind that for the rest of my life!
@Trufs I wouldn’t say no to a Pop Tart tree.
Can I wish for more wishes?
Cheese.
My wife grows tomatoes here. And we have a bunch of blueberries that the grandkids pick and eat. Also an herb garden, basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, cilantro, and chives. When we were in Florida, we had oranges, mangos, avocados, limes along with them. If we are limited to only one, it would be the tomatoes.
@olperfesser Any tips on growing blueberries? I hav 7 plants. 4 varieties. Some 2yr old, some 3yr old, one 5yrs old-thats the only one i can expect berries from nxt yr. I live in NJ. I will take ANY tips i can get PLZ & Thank You!!
Is it weird that my mind did not go to the ones I would most like to eat (apples/oranges), but instead trying to decide which one would be the least intrusive? (basil?). #hategardening
@DrWorm same line of thought I had, but it sounds like you know the differences between these plants.
@InnocuousFarmer I am totally dumb-founded by your user name now.
Cucumbers.
Or cannabis.
Chili peppers, several varieties. Gonna need:
Pizza
@blaineg
/image pizza garden
Cayenne.
Fresh grown cayenne is some good stuff.
Cucumbers.
Cucumbers or hot peppers
/youtube really like your peaches
While tomatoes are my obvious choice, as has been mentioned, they are generally available, though not the quality of home grown. Therefore I have to say pawpaws because they are not available in stores, or even local farmer’s markets. If this is a magical tree that has not limits to climate, then durian, because I could make a fortune having local fresh durian. But then, if we’re talking magic, then the money tree. Hands down. Hundreds and Twenties please.
How do money trees work? Do they start as ones and mature into larger denominations? Does each tree have one denomination? Does each tree have every denomination, and if so, how?
I guess I’m off to facebook to find out!
@enville
/giphy the truth is out there
Olives
Leeks
peppers
weed
@tmayshark Weed, or weeds? Because, if it’s weeds, that’s probably what I would grow.
@InnocuousFarmer @tmayshark
/image dandelion field
@InnocuousFarmer @tmayshark I am quite skilled at growing weeds. Much better at growing them than keeping them from growing, at any rate.
Only reason I haven’t yet tried my hand at growing weed is that, despite the name, it takes a lot more skill, attention, time and effort to grow it successfully than weeds, and I’ve really never gardened or even so much as kept house-plants before.
But, it’s legal to grow weed here now, so I don’t have to worry about helicopters with IR cameras, getting raided, losing my house, etc., so I absolutely will try growing it at some point… eventually.
Strawberries, because the store-bought ones taste like cardboard and the growers (hi, Driscoll’s!) mistreat workers.
if the question is meant to imagine just for funsies, and thus whatever i pick would grow, and maybe even grow year round, it’d be a toss-up between: tomatoes, hatch chiles, and avocados. i think i’d have to go with hatch chiles since we can only get them for one week out of the year here, and this year it looks like we may not even get any - apparently the weather isn’t cooperating and the plants aren’t producing as much as is needed to go around
anyway, tomatoes and avocados would save the most money, though i can reliably buy those at the store year round. (although tomatoes are only good for a month or two.)
in terms of what i can actually grow here? no funsies? basil.
@jerk_nugget HATCH chiles? You must be in NM? I think I had them on something every day when we were there! Grilled cheese with ham and hatch, hatch burger (yes, same day), hatch in the eggs…mmmmmm
@ybmuG i’m in boston, which is why we have such a small window to get any and they might not reach us this year. but yeah, usually i buy at least ten pounds fresh, then roast, peel, seed - i try to freeze some but honestly we go through them pretty fast! my favorite is on burgers or in an egg casserole for breakfast, but they’re good in everything, i’ve eaten them on bagels with cream cheese
@jerk_nugget I keep thinking about a greenhouse. Would open up possibilities to things that need a longer growing season (upstate NY). Chiles just never seem to get the heat I want.
I live in NJ so it MUST be tomatos and corn-but corn wasnt an option! I grow both plus 5 other veggies!! I have 7 blueberry plants in my basement that will be goin in the ground nxt mth! WooHoo
Being a slavish rule-follower, I picked avocados. That’s kind of like growing butter, right?
Strawberries, 100%
I think I have garden envy. Our avocado trees (San Diego county) never did well. For the first time in 20 years we have managed to grow tomatoes and now something has found them and is eating them, despite fencing and traps, under-over-and around. The wildlife (gophers, squirrels, bunnies, rats, birds, worms, fungus. Water is expensive and ground lacks natural nutrients. We DO have 5 large citrus trees that we manage to keep alive and I’m happy to have them. We had a 6th, a lemon tree that died of old age. We replaced with a smaller tree about 2 years ago. It seemed to be doing well until a bunny found a way in one night and ate more than half of it. Really! Trying to bring it back and protect it with more layers of fence, but the future of lemons in our backyard is iffy at best.
Squash, they’re so easy to grow! and good for you too.
Grapefruit
peaches…or blueberries
Pizza.
Carrots
Spinach
Watermelon for sure
cucumbers
PEACHES
Eggplant or Green Beans.