5 Essential Crops Every Gardener Should Grow

If you could only grow 5 different vegetables, what would you choose? Tricky question! So we put it to Ben to decide and to fiercely defend his selection. Can you guess which ones they will be? Are they the same as the ones you chose, we wonder. Let's find out..!
In this week's episode, Ben has chosen his top rated crops that are easy to grow, cover all bases from roots to leaves, that are good all-rounders in the kitchen and super tasty too. We think you'll agree that these really are the 5 essential crops that every gardener should grow.
For our video on Ben's top 10 money saving crops, watch this next:
• If I Could Only Grow 1...
For our recent watering video, see
• Water Your Garden the ...
Catch up on all our previous monthly sowing videos using this handy playlist: • What Can I Sow Now? Mo...
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[@fostercat]

“Like choosing your favorite child….difficult, but not impossible” “Has-beans” 😂 Thanks for the laughs and another great gardening video!

[@athannaelanderson3806]

The difficulty is getting over one’s own lies. These generations love to lie to themselves. It’s not difficult at all.

[@froginprogress8510]

The garden has been the only way to get my special-needs son to try new foods. If he can pick it, he’ll usually eat it. Going off of his favorites, or what he’ll tackle me for, it’s broccoli, bell peppers, corn, carrots, and peas. What are those fabulous trellises you planted your beans along?

[@GrowVeg]

That's a great selection! The arches are from Agrs: www.agrs.co.uk/products/elegance-round-arch

[@SEBZED86]

@@GrowVeg They are quite expensive at first sight! Could you perhaps get your loyal followers a deal/percentage discount, as you’re doing free advertising for them? I would love some quality frames, but can’t afford at the moment, but also fed of cheap frames rusting in one season…

[@trockodile]

This year has been a proper 'has-been' for so many crops this year. We've lost more crops than any other year, so we've doubled down on those that would grow strongly, and we've found new and exciting ways to make the most of these hardy weird-weather-winners! We've grown an abundance of peas (including tray as microgreens for shoots), spuds galore, onions of every type we could find to plant, brassicas aplenty (including perennial kale), salad leaves by the barrow load, and strawberries and perennial soft fruits on mass! If at first you don't succeed don't take it personal, grow more of what's working well, and go again next year if needs be.👍

[@GrowVeg]

A great attitude. And a great alliteration: weird weather winners - love it! :-)

[@hollyharbz5092]

My favourite child changes with good performance, much like my favourite crops 😂😂 Oh that intro had me howling!!

[@GrowVeg]

Haha, brilliant! :-)

[@oceansoul3694]

Tomatoes, Chard, Zucchini, Beans and Corn. Thank you, Ben, for this lovely video. I am so thankful for your huge enthusiasm and knowledge, you make my weekends better!

[@lisakruger5289]

Tomatoes and cucumbers are my favorites - because they are so easy to grow and make me feel like an accomplished gardener! :)

[@ArmigerRu]

Another splendid vid Ben! And that's not just the ample info -- it's the enthusiasm and cheer (and may I say the alliteration) that sets you apart. Hope yourself and family are well, enjoy the rest of your summer! 😄

[@GrowVeg]

Cheers so much, very kind. And you! :-)

[@holycameltoe124]

you're an amazing person, you always lift my spirits and reinvigorate my motivation for my gardening. keep up the great work

[@GrowVeg]

Thanks so much! Happy gardening! :-)

[@twelvesmylimit]

@@holycameltoe124 He'd be such a cherished friend, wouldn't he? 🤗

[@holycameltoe124]

@@twelvesmylimit absolutely

[@Beaguins]

I have challenging growing conditions, so instead of basing my top five on what I like best I have to base it on what works. For me that's beans, Swiss chard, cabbage, green onions, and tomatoes. Thankfully I like all of these, but I wish I had more success with bulbing onions, potatoes, peppers, corn, squash, and carrots.

[@sosgardening]

I have to agree, Zucchini (Courgette) is one of my favorites too, however I prefer waiting for the monsters to pan fry or throw on the bbq. What i've found over the years is you can train them to grow vertical if needed and this helps save space (and gets you more delicious fruit!). Additionally I found you will get a bigger plant and fruit if you give it more space for the roots, but you can easily grow it in a decent sized pot to get smaller fruit if desired.

[@GrowVeg]

Great suggestion. :-)

[@jaytoney3007]

I didn't grow beans this year, and still have too many left over from last year. This year's tomato crop is a bumper crop. I have so many, that I am having to give them away to friends, neighbors, and family. I am working at harvesting out the first crop, and the second crop is setting fruit despite the summer heat. I planted my fall crop of potatoes on July 5th, and will do seed starts for cabbage, and sow carrot seeds in a few days. I still have chard growing from last February, and will grow it through fall and into winter. I'll sow a replacement crop next year. Next month, I'll so seed starts for brocolli, cauliflower, and Nappa Cabbage. In September, I'll sow seeds for boc choy and Yellow Heart Winter Choy; October is garlic month.

[@psisky]

"Can" your tomatoes and you can still be eating them all winter. All you need is empty glass jars. I have one left from last summer and looks like it was made today.

[@jaytoney3007]

@@psisky I can them. I still have nine jars left from last year. I discovered one jar that lost its seal the other day. It happens, and was only one out of over a hundred. Before canning tomatoes, I want to make salsa. I can use it as it is, or as a base for soups and stews. It gives me a way to use my peppers and garlic. I planted way too many tomatoees this year. I've given away over 30lbs (13.6 kg), and still have over a hundred pounds (45 kg) with more on the vine to pick, and a second generation of plants setting fruit. For now, I am freezing them, and waiting for cooler weather before processing therm.

[@psisky]

@@jaytoney3007 Wow, over a hundred. You must have a huge garden. I'm jealous ;) I'd love to make salsas. They're something I don't eat but they look good and home made must be epic.

[@jaytoney3007]

@@psisky My garden is spread out over about an acre. I have a small orchard with a crabapple tree, two apple trees, two peach trees, two plum trees, three cherry trees, and a lemon tree. I have sixteen raised beds of various sizes with an 8 foot long trellis tuinnel between two of them, three GreenStalk towers, a 10 ft x 20 ft in ground herb garden, a dozen grow bags, about a half dozen potted plants, two compost bins, and a 10 ft x 13 ft chicken run with five hens (3 Rhode Island Red, and 2 Speckled Sussex).

[@psisky]

@@jaytoney3007 That sounds epic. Where are you? I'm in Scotland. I have a polycrub 10 x 13, Potatoes in pots, some thornless brambles and a redcurrant. Used to have fruit trees but they grew old and diseased. I'm building a salad table this week, with wheels so I can take it out of the polycrub when it's too hot. Everything in there goes to seed, except the toms.

[@basketcaz]

I am house-bound and garden vicariously through you. If I could I would grow: Tomatoes, cauliflower, corn, lettuces, and potatoes. Top 5 for me. Thank you for your lovely vids. ❤

[@GrowVeg]

Thanks for joining me in the garden - it's lovely to have you along! :-)

[@Got_Goals]

i did a tiny apartment herb garden of cilantro and lemon balm, was tasty and satisfying

[@jessicajordan680]

I grew kentucky *pole beans* last year and found myself enamored with the crazy little things! Playing "hunt the beans" every day, even though i swear i picked everything the day before, is just awe inspiring for me 🤩 the buggers like to play hide-n-seek. So for me, there will always be beans. And I grew *potatoes* for the first time this year as well and I am in love. Iam growing *summer squash* for my mother and even though I dont enjoy the flavor myself, I love watching it grow! I didnt have spaces prepared for *onions* or *garlic* but i am doing so this year because I use them nearly every day. I want to grow *corn* and *pumpkins* but the seeds have not germinated successfully at all, despite resowing. Same with *carrots* yet (the sun is just too bloody hot for the seeds to germinate. My fault for not shading them correctly) but these crops will forever have a place in my summer garden, for however long I have space to grow them. Winter this year I want definitely want to grow broccoli and cauliflower, spinach, kale, and celery. I have never grown any of them! So exciting! Hopefully my Southern Cali sun is kind to them 😢

[@GrowVeg]

Hope the Cali sun is kind indeed. Happy gardening! :-)

[@krazedvintagemodel]

@@jessicajordan680 Best pumpkins I ever grew came from volunteers when my porch pumpkin (overwintered in place) split open in spring, seeds sprouting already! Of course, most were nibbled by deer and I saved no seeds.

[@MarianWalsh-vz9fy]

My favourites are ones that can’t be bought in the shops. Purple sprouting broccoli is my number 1

[@jacquelineclauson4891]

These are has beans, good one. I’ll be growing more beans for sure.

[@andylowry8439]

😂

[@louski5844]

My favorite plant to grow is cucuzzi squaah/gourd. Tomato, beans bush & string, basil, parsley, peppers, eggplant.

[@susanrazza9740]

Peas, beans, tomatoes, peppers and eggplant ( broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes). I. have such a problem with squash vine borer, that i don't grow them. I'm new to onions, but have had some success.

[@emilyjabrawn9703]

My top 5 are tomatoes (prefer cherry indeterminate types), peppers (anaheim and bell), zucchini, okra, and herbs like cilantro and basil! Thank you for the video!

[@frankhill2406]

Ben Thanks for your videos. They do inspire me to try different veggies. My favs are tomatoes {beefsteak and cherry}, beans, cucumbers peas and potatoes. My potatoes are grown in potato bags which I bought on line and the rest are in my small garden plot against the property fence line with a sunny southern exposure.

[@christavanderburg4382]

Our favourites: 5. Sweet potatoes, in all colours: orange, white, pale yellow, dark purple, lilac... Chopped and tossed together for a tray bake is our favourite. Only, they are so difficult to grow in our Dutch climate. 4. Peas, such a lovely sweet treat. Yet shelling can be quite a bit of work. 3. Pumpkins, the only vegetable my hubby really enjoys. Easy to grow, easy to store for a long time, and - at least the Cucurbita moschata - such a nice sweet, nutty taste. Perfect for a spicy soup or creamy lasagna. 2. Tomatoes... Ah, nothing beats the taste of a homegrown tomato! And the 'indigo' tomatoes are a real show stopper for tourist walking by. :D 1. Garlic! If I can't grow anything else, I would still grow garlic. So easy to grow, and we eat quite a lot of it. We will harvest over 130 bulbs this year, but I'm afraid it won't last us a whole year... :)

[@GrowVeg]

Great selection! :-)

[@lilybruggeman5796]

My favorites: Onions, carrots, celery, leek and tomatoes. These are the most commonly eaten here. I only have a very small garden with little sun, so I had to look for solutions. In a large green house: tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, zucchini, peppers and peppers. Once the tomatoes are gone, the white and red cabbages and broccoli go into the large greenhouse for the winter. In small mini greenhouses: I mainly grow carrots, onions, celery and leeks all year round, plus turnips, beets and lettuce. In open places mainly beans.

[@irek4656]

Definitely potatoes, pumpkins, beans, garlic and tomatoes. Followed by onions ,peppers, chard, peas, carrots and beetroot. Impossible to choose only 5.

[@willsolarski8550]

I'm making a point of growing more beans this year. Was actually in the garden transplanting black eyed pea starts when I clicked on your video 😅🌱

[@Realatmx]

My favorite is spaghetti squash😊 Green peas Pigeon peas Okra Cluster beans Fenugreek Safflower Artichokes Horseradish

[@Vimsetutta]

Cucumber, tomatoes, pumpkin, onions, bell peppers 😊 Big hello from Norway 🤗

[@GrowVeg]

Hello! :-)

[@jarodandshanti3749]

I should have planted my potatoes a month earlier this year so I could dig them up and plant them again. We had the weather I was just too busy planting potatoes lol

[@anafd25]

Tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, beet root and broccoli 🤗 (And peas and carrot) 😉 Enjoying your enthusiasm and cheerful videos - best regards from Croatia 🙃

[@GrowVeg]

Great to have you watching in Croatia. Happy gardening! :-)

[@ingobaby1]

My top five are probably potatoes, tomatoes, green kale, squash and peas 😊 Thjs year we are trying to grow corn and onions as well, for the first time 😁

[@GrowVeg]

Hope they do well for you. :-)

[@vanessacallmev2524]

I like to grow things that freeze well or can be pickled like cabbage, bell peppers, onions and beans both Broad and dwarf. Im also in New Zealand so its winter... cut again lettuce, kale, silverbeet and spring onions.

[@elizabethhayes5723]

tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes ... you get the idea! Cucumbers, summer squash and butternut squash also make the cut. I've been a little wary of trying onions, beans and potatoes because they seem kind of complicated but you've inspired me. Just like the commenter below, I'd love to learn more about your trellises. If I got one of those for my garden, I would have no excuse not to try growing green beans! Thanks for another great video and happy gardening to you.

[@AgnesAtelier-hn7pb]

I agree with the obligations attached to the trellises.

[@GrowVeg]

Thanks Elizabeth - and happy gardening to you too. :-) The arches are from Agrs: www.agrs.co.uk/products/elegance-round-arch

[@tonymatthews445]

I really like home grown cabbage - the taste is so outstanding. And leeks. Shallots. Probably spuds and beans makes the five

[@parker9588]

I’ve had a lot of success sowing spring onions straight into pots this year , and the great thing is you can just harvest them when you need them

[@simulatethat6099]

Definitely corn, kale, squash (winter and summer), beans, and garlic. I struggle with potatoes. Flea beetles seem to get the crop every year

[@GrowVeg]

Flea beetles can be horribly persistent - I feel your pain!

[@GARDENER42]

Broad beans are a must for me, as are climbing French beans. Both get frozen for winter use. My other essentials are cauliflower, onion, beetroot & potatoes. Good thing with container potatoes is they will keep into the next spring if all you do is cut the dying tops off, then store the containers somewhere cool (that's also where my seed potatoes come from...)

[@GrowVeg]

That's true - the potatoes keep really well like that. :-)

[@jarodandshanti3749]

I plant peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, corn, pumpkin, cucumber, and turnip

[@pauldavidmurray6531]

Hello hope you are well, for my container garden I grow Beetroot, Tomatoes, peas, onions and sweet peppers, but I’m trying out beans and courgettes this year, plus I have an array of fruit trees in pots, my apricots and crab apples have been bulletproof, we are looking forward to my retirement in about two years where we have to give up our house and praying that we get a house with a real garden, many thanks for your videos 🙏

[@GrowVeg]

Hope you manage to get a house with a decent garden when you retire. Fingers crossed for you Paul.

[@missmaziecat5058]

So here I sit, shelling fava beans while you pull out your fava beans. LOL. My favorites to grow are zucchini, tomatoes and peas. Happy Summer, Ben!

[@GrowVeg]

Happy summer to you too! :-)

[@trapped7534]

Tomatoes,peppers,beans, cucumbers and potatoes 💖. Thanks Ben….

[@darv66]

potatoes , tomatoes, beans , cabbage , corn but runners up are beets, onions , leeks , peas and broccoli

[@adventurecreations3214]

I grew a bunch of Sugar Snap Peas. Not one ever made it to my kitchen. Yum

[@AllanaRinta]

#1 - early green cabbage - never fails, produces just the most tender smaller heads and, if cut above the leaves, produces five more small loose leafed heads. #2 - Asaparagus - well worth the 3 year wait - prolific producer of great spears and the plants last for 15 years. #3 - potatoes - used Ben’s two layer in pots/bags method and worked great - so easy to dump into a wheelbarrow and start hunting. This year planted two gourmet types and the Violet Queen is just the greatest, most interesting potato I have ever eaten. Don’t have a #4 or #5, as I am growing for the first time foot long Asian five coloured beans - have seen and tasted them - delicious even raw. Wish me luck!

[@GrowVeg]

Great job there! Very best of luck with them. :-)

[@karatechopkitten]

Bush beans, zucchini, carrots, beets, and cherry tomatoes are my top 5 that I grow every year.

[@peterblomgren89]

My absolute favourite is tomatoes, cannot get enough of them ❤️

[@vincenzomaltese745]

Impossibile. I love all of them! 😊

[@faynash6842]

Potatoes, carrots, runner beans, garlic and parsnips for me

[@jackieo8693]

Thank you for sharing your cheerful inspiration!

[@Idontwantachannel67]

I would have to say, #5 Cabbage #4 Zucchini #3 Green Beans #2 Peppers or potatoes (tie) #1 Tomatoes.

[@ScoreGuru123]

Potatoes, french beans, onions, peas and sweetcorn for me

[@deeannh17]

Those are a great top 5 choice. I don’t know what mine are yet. Im still a beginner gardener but I know cherry tomatoes are doing well as my first surviving plant!!!

[@jessicajordan680]

Congrats on your cherry toms!! What variety did you go with? There are so many, all of them so pretty and satisfying to see popping up in the garden 😊

[@deeannh17]

@@jessicajordan680 You know what, I have no idea because they were from Organic cherry tomatoes that I bought to eat and I took the seeds from one of them and decided to see if they would grow and they did! I tried that with garlic and Romaine lettuce but it didn’t work. I recently bought the seeds of basil and amaranth and am hoping they grow. I’ll know in a month or so.

[@GrowVeg]

Nice work on growing those cherry tomatoes - that's a great result! :-)

[@digital_crickets]

One year when I was a child, my mother decided we would plant a ROW of zucchini. Needless to say, we harvested enough zucchini to feed our entire county. I still haven't developed a new love for it, versatile and delicious as it can be!

[@vinn7817]

It's nice to see you showing that even your garden isn't impervious to pests! I feel like on KZbin gardeners always show how all their crops and taking off and hardly ever show them getting eaten by bugs and slugs

[@GrowVeg]

Yes indeed - I know what you mean. Always plenty of slugs and bugs here!

[@Debbieanne51]

I'm making my 2025 list to grow. Peas, tomatoes, potatoes, French beans and kale ...top of the list but now I'm going to add courgettes 😊 love your channel and your positive nature. Keep up the good work,and thank you for all the great advice.

[@GrowVeg]

Thank you - that is great to hear!

[@thirstymercfan]

Yay! My top 5 to grow …. Tomato, potato, butternut pumpkin, beans, chard 😊

[@megaman2016]

Tomatoes, kale, chard, peas, courgettes for me

[@jackgreen1698]

As always, an excellent, enthusiastic and inspiring video- thanks for that 😊

[@valoriegriego5212]

Howdy, Ben! Lovely produce you harvested and a great top 5 list. My top five are beans, okra, winter squash, leafy greens, and melons!😋

[@GrowVeg]

Would love to grow okra some day. :-)

[@valoriegriego5212]

@@GrowVeg It's good fried, roasted, grilled, and raw. Helps maintain blood sugar.

[@karenellis5498]

Love your enthusiasm in all your videos. Great stuff 👏🏼

[@Kitchenlabofficial]

Nice sharing information your channel Garden

[@joannc147]

Gadzooks - I’m in total agreement! I’ve started 2nd round of kale and Swiss chard indoors for mid-season planting and will transplant soon. Chard has been a stunning success in my hot & humid North Carolina garden. Keeps growing on and on. I opted for a winter squash - butternut - for my summer planting. Unfortunately, the call went out to all squash bugs and other sucking insects for “eat here”. Ugh. Will plant courgettes this week and hope for the best. Potatoes and onions? YES and YES! I freely admit that a STRONG point for me, as an inexperienced and lazy gardener, is what crops are the most dependable for production. You nailed that! PS - green beans = total failure in my garden 😢. Another great video, thank you!

[@GrowVeg]

Agreed - dependable crops definitely make the top of the list! :-)

[@TJtheHAWK]

Tomatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Butternut Squash, Chilis and Beans

[@veggiepatchideas]

Great video yet again Ben 🙏 , my number one crop is Black Nero Kale ( that stuff can handle anything) even this years weather 🤣🤣

[@GrowVeg]

It is a real winner, right!

[@CanadianChick1000]

Beans, tomatoes, sugar snap peas, cabbage and zucchini/summer squash are my constants. I don’t have much space, and there is already a big chunk of my allotment for herbs & rhubarb. This was my first successful year with onions, so those are likely to be standbys as well. Tasty and they seem to repel bugs so they were sown among the cabbages. :)

[@margaretreid5989]

Beans, swisschard, beets, tomatoes, garlic

[@corinne7126]

tomatoes, beans, potatoes, beets, peppers

[@theukyankee]

I agree with you on chard and courgettes- they have been fab this year. I would also choose tomatoes, beetroot and peppers.

[@najwaseiya]

Great sharing❤❤❤❤❤❤Thank a lot

[@christ9376]

Leeks, Cavlo Nero Kale, Tomatoes, Potatoes and Onions.

[@hankjones3527]

Pumpkin! Grows like a weed (basically zero maintenance) Stores for a year ( so you never run out despiteit being an annual) Goes in so many meals.

[@ejb777]

Garlic for countless health benefits

[@stevietalk1]

And amazing flavour

[@theclumsyprepper]

It's even better if you ferment it.

[@bipbip6626]

Where do you come from?😂😂😂😂 My beans are so so late to come out! I m in uk . But we live in North Wales, they have suffered as the other vegs from lack of sun, even though they were put in the sun. My potatoes have been really well growing , except the ones which were grown in the ground! They got brown stains/spots, but were delicious once i cut whatever was affected. By the way: I ve seen here, on the video that , in the squares, you did not bother recovering them with soil, you put just the straw above…. Does it mean that , though they seem to shoot out, they get actually the feed from below/around them? Thanks for sharing. I had fantastic garlic harvest[from nov] Half of the onions in the winter were constantly removed by squirrels. Peas , sugar peas were amazingly succulent,old peas gave birth to healthy plants. Miner flies are already affected the leaves of beetroots and chard: how can i stop this? [ without a net] I read spraying with cinnamon water is good…. Courgettes are so so sad Because they are growing upwards, the poor female flower gets flooded before it gets pollinated!

[@GrowVeg]

I'm in the Cotswolds, so perhaps a touch warmer, though it's been very wet here too! You can grow potatoes by just covering them with straw - that works really well, though can attract slugs in very wet weather. I have lots of problems with leaf miners. They are so persistent. I just squash what I can and cut off affected leaves to try and contain it, but plants inevitably get quite badly affected.

[@tatianka30006]

tomatoes, kale, garlic, potatoes and pumpkins. :) Thank you for your humor, Ben! I always enjoy your content and your personality!

[@dr.o.6150]

Beans, tomatoes, zucchini, chili and kale 🥳

[@MANNY100123]

Beans have definitely my favorite thing to grow this year! :D

[@WinsomeWinslet]

I loved this list and agree with them all. If I could do a list of seven, I'd add tomatoes and carrots. Cheers from across the pond!

[@linedezainde]

It's easy to select your favorite child if it's a Top 5! LOL My favorite veggies this year are courgettes, garlic, celery (first time growing in zone 4 and looking great!), potatoes and peas. Nothing tastes better than fresh peas!

[@SkintLivingUK]

Tomatoes, Potatoes, Courgettes, Lettuce and Strawberries. The strawberries and potatoes have loved the rain this year everything is well behind. Its all greenery and no fruits! It is lovely to look at though as everything is so lush :0)

[@aname5267]

Loving those random wildlife shots Ben!

[@GrowVeg]

Our videographer will be very pleased to hear this, thank you! :-)

[@rho1360]

Super cute to hear you singing 😊

[@GrowVeg]

Not the best singer admittedly!

[@JJLewin1]

"Has Bean" Really Ben, lol My Faves are: Tomato (Flavour above anything else), Runner Beans (Tender, Sweet & Easy), Garlic (Beats anything in the shops) Parsnips (Pure White and Full of taste) & Carrots (Cheap in the shops, but a flavour to savour from the garden) I agree, we have so many favourites, but these 5 stand out in no particular order for me.

[@GrowVeg]

Great selection! :-)

[@stevioAda]

This year has been cold and wet in my area .peppers died off cucumbers are late, strawberries did well tomatoes going well onions and broccoli growing well

[@cindyhollings2079]

Lovely video! I always clip at ground level and leave the roots in the ground xx

[@despoticmusic]

The slugs and snails have loved my dwarf French beans this year! 😂

[@GrowVeg]

Haha - same here!

[@stephenhope7319]

Last year I got to the end of the season here in Sacramento, Ca in November and was pulling a zucchini plant out. I found a hidden zucchini, still edible, that was as long as my arm from my elbow to my wrist, and as big around too. Had grown over the less visible side of one of my planters.

[@christinebrooks6364]

Hi Ben, great video with plenty of useful information. Thanks for sharing and take care 😊

[@SerumsFN]

No problem! Glad you enjoyed my videos!

[@tedbastwock3810]

Good top 5. For me tomatoes have to be 1st because they are prolific, easy to store long-term, and have an extremely wide use of food application. Although zucchini are difficult to store long-term, one can get creative and make it work. Where I am, the squash vine borer is a big menace to zucchini and summer squash .. but I am experimenting with subsequent plantings. One of the great things about beans is that there are so many different kinds, and several different storage methods, including dry, blanched and frozen, or canned ... and on top of all that can be grown easily in many different climates. I have not had much success with long-term storage of onions or potatoes, but I will keep trying. Chard is wonderful .. all beet family do great here. And I do love them. But as much as I enjoy them, for my location and taste, I have to replace them with kale, collards, and brussels sprouts in a top 5 list ... but chard is very close, it is vigorous and beautiful as you suggest.

[@GrowVeg]

Kale is a great replacement for the chard, definitely. :-)

[@bobbyjones7505]

One of my favorite channels on KZbin 👍👍👍👍👍

[@GrowVeg]

Cheers so much! :-)

[@lornapenn-chester6867]

Another lovely video. Thanks mate 👍

[@sallyannlaw3860]

My favourite 5 crops are Spinach, Beans, Courgettes, Cucumber and Tomatoes. I grow a few varieties of each crop.

[@toniedalton5448]

Tomatoes are my top, then greens and cucumbers. I'm not much into squash., but I have to make squash for my sister, fried of course. Onions and garlic. This year my entire bed of onions, gar!if and shallots just died !!! They were beautifully growing one minute and all gone the next. I have no idea what happened. Broke my heart !!

[@GrowVeg]

I'm sorry to read this, that's a huge shame. :-(

[@phyllismcdaniel-cook946]

Thank you for another informative video enjoy watching you

[@Arcticdi]

That was a FUN video today. Thanks Ben!

[@IngoderLiegeradler]

My favorite crops are: 1 Tomatoes 2 Paprika 3 Broad beans 4 Cabbages of all kinds 5 Onions 6 (Can not be missed out) herbs like parsley, basilikum, thyme, dill, chives....

[@twelvesmylimit]

'Has beans'. I laughed at that Dad joke. Got to love a dad joke!

[@GrowVeg]

Absolutely! :-)

[@markw5779]

Great video Ben,for me,it would have to be, Potatoes,Beans,Onions,Tomatoes and carrots but I’d rather have a top 10 tbh 👍

[@AgnesAtelier-hn7pb]

Difficult to say, I enjoy what grows. But I always sow tomato, pumpkin, bean, broccoli and corn. Living in a flat with neighbors on buildings around having a view on my balcony, I use some of the plants as privacy screens. Pumpkins and corns are good for that! Besides we enjoy pumpkin pie.

[@PlantObsessed]

I like the drone shots. It would be cool to see the relative location of all your vegetables. Thank you for the good idea to plant another round of potatoes.👍🏼😁 For me it's tomato, peppers, onions,garlic and potatoes for my top 5.

[@GrowVeg]

Thanks for the suggestion - we should definitely use more drone shots, I love them too. :-)

[@krazedvintagemodel]

Strawberries, potatoes, sunflowers, tomatoes and squash for me (and the birds and the deer)😊

[@traceyingram-vd4ip]

Wool is good for mulching but I also use it as a capillary matting in trays for pots, I'm also trying out a new compost mix of sheep wool,bracken and horse manure, you do need to pull the wool apart into small bits as it takes a long time to break down but has good water retention qualities. Wool is a great product and it's a real shame it's not being used to its full potential.

[@GrowVeg]

It is a fantastically useful product for sure. :-)

[@missietgardendelight6029]

My top 5 are kale, zucchini squash, okra, pole beans, and peppers. I live in a part of America where squash vine borers destroy my squash plants. They rarely survive over 2 months. 😢

[@brianartillery]

Great video, as always. Clear and concise. Thank you. I'm glad you chose Chard over Kale - Kale, to my late parents and myself, is somewhat indigestible, plus, I just don't like the taste of it. Oddly, though, I do like Sea Kale stems, and have no trouble with, er, the 'bloat' that Kale always gives me. My brother's partner grew a lot of vegetables in our garden a few years ago, including broad beans. I couldn't help myself from snacking on them if I was in the garden - there's nothing quite like them, fresh from the pods.

[@GrowVeg]

They are lovely straight from the pods for sure. :-)