If you could grow ONLY TWO vegetable types, what would you grow and why?

sumi

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Just out of curiosity :) I've recently moved to a small property with limited and challenging growing conditions and space and I'm thinking "making the most out of a small space" and "I can only grow about 2 things on any kind of scale…"

What would you all grow if you could only grow two vegetable types?
 

majorcatfish

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would look into easy spring veggies, lettuce, green onions,radishes,bok chio. these you can stagger plantings and pack a lot of them in a small area. you start all of them in doors, maybe not the radishes..
once they are done have your next veggies sprouted and ready to go in, plant your summer crop.. would recommend pole beans, cucumbers they like to be trellised as well. in a limited area "up" is better than "out", you might be able to intermix a couple other low growing veggies as well.
late summer crop again lettuce, beets, carrots,green onions things that can handle the cooler weather.. great veggies to grow in the fall nothing like roast beets and carrots...

peppers and tomatoes you can grow in containers....did see at lowes this year that they had patio tomatoes and bell peppers.
of course you can mix in some herbs with in the flower beds as well...

it's amazing what you can cram into a small area with a little planning.......
i know went over the 2 veggie limit but i like to grow.... take some photos so we can see the area.
 
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digitS'

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I'm going to agree with @majorcatfish , even tho he cheated on number.

Salad type vegetables are expensive so can save you money and they can be succession planted. Also, you might be able to go up and not just out.

Now, if I had plenty of room but only a 2 veggie limit, I'd probably grow sweetcorn and green beans. I'd hate to be without them.

Baby beets are also a favorite ... we fit them in the salad garden because they are out of the ground early.

Tomatoes are for Lovers. Peppers? I can't grow the big ones well enough to stroke my ego. The hot, little ones are demons!

Steve
 
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majorcatfish

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heck you might even think into gutter gardening great for limited areas, install 4x4x8 into the ground along the fence line screw gutters on them every 2' apart in height this will give you 3 rows to grow in and it's only taking up 4"x 8" of vertical space + the length of them.....the only drawback is you have to water them on a daily basis or they will dry out. and then you could add silica gel to the soil to retain moisture.
 

Smart Red

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I am with the more is better group. Why ever limit yourself to two veggies? Grow up. Grow succession plantings. Grow in containers. Stick veggies into the flower beds or skip the flowers entirely.
 

journey11

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Oh no, I could never pick just two! One would definitely be tomatoes, but after that, I couldn't choose.
 

so lucky

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If you are thinking about veggies that you can preserve, then I would go with tomatoes for sure, and either green beans or sweet potatoes. As someone mentioned, if you trellis the beans, they don't take up much room. And depending on the climate you may be able to plant salad greens early and late, before and after the main croo.
 

thistlebloom

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One would have to be potatoes. I'm easily amused and I love the secrets of what's happening underground and the final reveal at harvest. It broke my potato heart this year, but I'm that much more determined to turn things around next time.

The other would have to be tomatoes I guess, because we use them in so many things.
 
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