Don't Bother Growing These 9 Crops

We've grown our fair share of plants here at Epic Gardening...and not all of them are worth the effort! The crew gets together to share 3 crops each they feel are NOT worth the time.
00:00 - Intro
00:23 - Jerusalem Artichokes
01:39 - Thorned Blackberries
02:36 - Kiwano
03:51 - Lemon Cucumber
04:59 - Lebanese Squash
06:29 - Edamame
07:39 - Purple Tomato
08:31 - Napa Cabbage
09:56 - Malabar Spinach
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[@epicgardening]

Do you agree with our picks? Any veggie or fruit you WON'T ever grow again?

[@nomdeguerre8464]

Pot. Getting arrested in a red state is a huge waste of time.

[@Herbalist_dilla]

@@nomdeguerre8464 😂😂

[@xSunshinex4206]

I agree wholeheartedly with malabar spinach, they are beautiful but they taste like 💩 🙈

[@PsychedelicTara]

There were two veggies that you mentioned that I also have chosen not to grow again. One is Lemon Cukes because the flavor is just meh, and the shape is difficult, if you are like me and need to peel them (cucumber skins make me burp)! The other veggie that I also find too ordinary to grow is plain zucchini. I have moved on to less common but creamier and more delicious varieties like Cocozelle, Ortolana De Fienza and Zephyr. To cook them, I cut them in half, brush on olive oil, add a layer of grated Parmesan and broil until browned for 35-45 minutes on the MIDDLE rack (too close to the heat and the Parmesan burns before the squash are soft). Easy peezy and Delicious! Yumm!

[@abigaildill6009]

I agreed 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽 Where is your garden? How can I go visit?

[@susanmiller9317]

Sounds like napa cabbage is the perfect thing to grow. It draws earwigs away from other vegetables, and chickens would love eating cabbage with tasty treats inside.

[@mikeschaoticgardening]

Smart!

[@kerrierichards2894]

The only way I have been able to grow cabbage without earwigs is to introduce chickens as a control factor - either a chicken tunnel around the garden bed for slug/earwig reduction or allow the chooks to free roam and fence the beds in wire.

[@patrickk1417]

I only have cucko's and when I try to swat them away a hundred of them come from nowhere and attack me.

[@jocelynsmyth6604]

I did not* know about the the earwig thing, that is very good to know, thanks :)

[@kevinbossick8374]

They also have a tendency to bolt.

[@rhysfirth3506]

For the Napa cabbage, grow it in an enclosed run with quail. The quail will eat any earwigs they find. Chickens would also eat the cabbage but quail roaming free amidst the plants will leave the leaves alone while eating the bugs.

[@naefaren3515]

Would the quail not tear up the cabbage trying to get to the earwigs though?

[@rhysfirth3506]

@@naefaren3515 nah. Chicken do, quail are small enough they don't.

[@shadowtheimpure]

@@naefaren3515 Quail heads are small enough to easily slip between the leaves.

[@jaquigreenlees]

Another non damaging green pest control method, plant Gladiolas around your garden in a complete ring about 4 to 6 inches apart. They apparently keep most pests away from the vegetables.

[@jadeeagle8038]

Do you put anything around the bases, like rocks, to keep them from having dirt baths right under the plants? I have always wanted to put crops in the quail house but worried they dig their little baths right under it. They do it to their food and any decorations I put in their lmao

[@catfunksfabulousfinds]

I planted 10 Zuccini last summer. The price of food has gone way up, so I grew lots of it to give away to help people. I make lots of egg zucchini dishes & tomato zucchini dishes that I learned from my Mom. Every bite reminds me of her and my grown sons say it reminds them of her making it for all of us. Once I tried this as a kid, I love Zucchini. Saute zucchini, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms,add Italian spices & Parmesan cheese on top. I've eaten it with no meat or added cooked diced chicken. Sometimes I serve it over brown or white rice. It grows really well here in Oregon and doesn't need as much water as tomatoes. You can also freeze zucchini to add to soups & stews in winter. Yo can also grate 4 cups and freeze it and make zucchini bread later when the garden is all done. My Mom would bake zucchini bread in hot summer and then freeze it to eat all winter, but I like to do it after the gardening & canning work is all done.

[@orangesoda8885]

You can make zucchini relish for hot dogs and hamburgers

[@charmingcustomcrafts]

Amen add fried zucchini to list…. We ate it burgers. We were poor growing up and couldn’t afford hamburgers. So for years we actually thought WAS burgers 🍔! My moms makes jellies and relishes. She also makes It rebarub. I hate normal squashes and the tender middles when cooked. Zucchini stays firmer When cooked. There’s a huge difference.

[@AndrewVelonis]

10 zucchini plants? 4 give me more than I know what to do with. Then there are the "stealth" zucchini, that get too big to use before you find them. Good to know someone who has chickens or pigs.

[@willgaukler8979]

...tip ... if the tomato sauce gives you any heart burn ... add a small amount of sugar to cut the acid ...

[@RoxasLov3r4Ev3r]

You are an angel, thank you so much for the work you do :)

[@tangleknotlightstep]

Edamame tip: Soybeans cultivars were bred into maturity groups (MG). You must grow the correct MG for your latitude, or the pant will either be small or get too long and fall over. For an example in Canada they must grow MG's 00 and 0, mid Missouri typically grows MG 3-4, and the deep South will have MG 7 + growing. MG's are based on flower timing in respect to photoperiods. Soybeans are incredibly easy to grow organically, you just need to grow the right ones for your latitude.

[@eyesofthecervino3366]

Good to know.

[@TheHuntswoman]

Woah this is so helpful/cool!

[@borahaeist3215]

thanks

[@Katgirl2024]

Thank you!

[@ralphheasty]

I used to have an issue with Earwigs, I built a small ornamental pond and I got Toads to start breeding(long story) the influx of toads into my yard eliminated any visible Earwigs.

[@mjdavison1971]

A5

[@googiegress7459]

You can't leave us hanging on the toad breeding story

[@awesomebeast7509]

@@googiegress7459 guess you could say, he left the story… un-toad.

[@ploofedoof1]

When I was a kid I kept a pet toad outside in my garden space...I noticed one day it had hidden in an empty pot, so every year thereafter I left an empty pot in the same spot...oddly enough it seemed to return...

[@googiegress7459]

@@ploofedoof1 That is a very cute story and I love it

[@catfunksfabulousfinds]

To me, lemon cucumbers are like eating a memory. I remember enjoying them with my Dad & Mom. My Dad always had a big smile on his face when he ate them because he remembered eating them with his parents.

[@eriknye9755]

Lemon cucumbers popped in the fridge, peeled with potatoe peeler, and with heavy salt or tajin, eat it like an apple and it’s the best cucumber there is

[@Metqa]

as far as a pretty purple tomato that also tastes good, look into Indigo Rose tomato. It is a small round tomato, bigger than plum tomato. They are very mild, not acidic and have a wonderful flowery aroma. The sunlight turns the shoulders a deep purple color as it ripens to red in the shaded areas, It's a nice compact bush tomato and was very nice to eat!

[@alphazenturbo]

I love Indigo Rose tomatoes! I also had great success with Brad's Atomic Grape. I was picking them when they got a 'blush' of orange in with the other colors and they were perfect and tasty!

[@joybrown8644]

Sounds delicious. I’ve enjoyed Cherokee Purples before too.

[@patricialloyd866]

love the purple tomato

[@Dr_V]

Tip for the guy trying to grow cabbage: seed basil in between the cabbage plants, it's a well known natural bug repellent. Not sure how well it does against earwigs in particular (I don't see many of these where I live), but it's worth a try, if it doesn't work at least you get a flavorful spice harvest.

[@EtherealSunset]

Either that, or grow dahlias as a sacrificial crop. Earwigs LOVE them. They might leave your lettuce alone.

[@hadaslevy220]

Our traditional family recipe for Jerusalem Artichokes is to peel them, cut into big chunks and then cook them in lemon juice and a few tbsps of olive oil (+ pinch salt) until they become soft (cooked through). Lemon juice helps to break down the complex carbs that make you fart! Another great thing about this is that as a product of that complex carbs breakdown, the cooked chunks in lemon juice will become sweeter and sweeter with time as more simple sugars develop, so we store it in the fridge and it becomes such a taste-bomb, it's amazing! ^_^

[@chriswhinery925]

You mix the lemon juice into water and cook them? Cooking in straight lemon juice seems like it would take a LOT of lemons.

[@zixvirzjghamn737]

so basically you should proccess the food in a way that breaksdown carbsn

[@fonseca898]

@@chriswhinery925 You can use cider vinegar or another strong vinegar instead. No water. You need an acid to break the polysaccharides into smaller, digestible sugars. Remove them before they are too soft, and you can still toss them liberally in oil and roast, and they will crisp up. You can scrub them thoroughly instead of peeling. This, Malabar spinach and the Kiwano are all plants I will never waste space growing again. They look so good in the seed catalogs...

[@megathorn4307]

@@chriswhinery925I don’t think it was meant that they are submerged in lemon juice and boiled to cook. Cook in a pan with lemon juice or vinegar and olive oil…

[@79klkw]

How interesting...I read a bunch, about Jerusalem artichoke, last year when I realized it's invaded some of our land that was just cleared. It interesting back story, it was brought to us to be the new sensation, but it never took off, and became another invasive species. I want to try your recepie, I would love to makes use of 1 or 2 plants.

[@ayi0512]

I think there is a basic rule when growing members of the family Cucurbitaceae for their fruits, if one's issue is high moisture content: let the plants' roots dry out for a week or so before harvesting. Doing this forces the plants to draw their moisture needs from their fruits, resulting in less watery, and more flavorful harvests.

[@stjimmy5294]

But if you’re growing zucchini, for example, then you’re going to want to harvest continuously, not all at once. So letting the plant dry out for a week wouldn’t really be an option, unless you want to limit your entire harvest to 2-3 zucchini per plant, and not be able to pick them at the perfect size.

[@DavidLopez-tk3lm]

I like the cocozelle zucchini, pick them early if you want denser fruit

[@erikjohnson9223]

Those who live in rain watered lands don't have perfect control over irrigation, but I guess that would work for California and the desert SW, especially with winter squash that is harvested as the vines die.

[@OhShootKid]

I’d caution against this unless you know your plants water needs really well. A couple days of water stress and all our cucumbers tasted incredibly bitter and were inedible. Granted, I’m a newer gardener, but for other peeps like me, be warned. Cucumbers will send cucurbitacin to their fruits when water stressed and you won’t wanna eat them

[@ryanrodriguez2660]

Or just don't water the fuck out of your cucumber plant during harvesting time

[@rogadev]

8:00 Crazy. I grew purple cherry tomato's (blueberry tomato was the name, from good earth farms) and I had an INSANE amount of yield. Although it took them longer to grow than other cherry tomato's, they grew an absolutely ridiculous amount of weight. They take longer to ripen and they were a real pain grow from seed with a low strike rate - but that may have been due to me providing them with poor seedling conditions more than anything. When they did get going, they produced easily over 130-150 tomatoes per plant and stood about 6' tall when I finally cut the main vine back. They take an extraordinarily long time to ripen, also. BUT they are also DELICIOUS. Anyways. I hope that helps someone...

[@jessicapearson9479]

The sad thing is most people have no patience anymore. Especially in the garden!

[@capnstewy55]

Jerusalem Artichokes and Thorned blackberries are mainstays for me. Deer don't eat the blackberries and every Thanksgiving we eat roasted sunchokes. They are like potatoes but nutty, the inulin can be a problem for the unprepared though.

[@jadeeagle8038]

I absolutely LOVE roasted sunchokes. In fact, I am going to make that with dinner tonight, so thanks for the idea!

[@Barakon]

Wait isn’t inulin healthy?! Why would that be a bad thing to have? I prefer gas over hunger, so bring it on! But then again, sunchokes sound like something from my cultural background so maybe I’m biased…

[@maximcypher3109]

@@Barakon sunchokes are a type of sunflower native to North America.

[@sheilaa1333]

My mother had a Jerusalem artichoke ‘hedge’ she loved along one side of our lawn. We didn’t eat them very often but she liked the flowers - and probably ease of growing. 😂

[@theclumsyprepper]

@@Barakon our bodies can't digest inulin.

[@micheleschielka]

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I love it when you pop up or out of somewhere❣️ super fun! And thank you for all the great info and helping us have access to quality products. 😁

[@epicgardening]

😍

[@zactaylor6676]

Jumping on this comment to ensure we get more random kevin pop-outs!

[@valissha2356]

Same! Keep up the pop outs! You could try throwing in a ninja roll or something to? Lol

[@LindsayHaven]

100% agree. 😊

[@gwenda2808]

For some reason the popping out of somewhere it makes me think of David Attenborough doing the narration on the old Life on Earth shows. I don't know why, because as I recall it was just voice over and you never actually saw him. lol. 'here we see traces of the elusive edamame plant. Sometimes it grows in these conditions....but, it seems...not today.' lol

[@d.c.1851]

Thank you for bringing Chris to the channel. As someone who also lives near Vancouver its really great to see the gardening perspective of someone in the same climate.

[@johnlee7085]

Good to know where Chris lives. Zones are crucial to gardening success so also crucial to know for gardening recommendations.

[@greeneyedlady5580]

​@@johnlee7085 IMO, zones are really only important as far as when you can expect to be able to plant in the spring, and in determining whether or not perennials will be able to survive the winter without protection. They don't tell you anything about what temperatures the garden receives in the summer, the length of the growing season as far as when the temps are above the 40° minimum that many heat loving cropa need to survive, etc. My zone 8b in Oregon has vastly different gardening conditions than other 8b areas.

[@margauxw5037]

Agreed! Im in Seattle

[@kaylarobertson6611]

For me it sounds like all her suggestions for not growing plants is just her incompetence.

[@Katydidit]

@@greeneyedlady5580 especially here in Texas, soil type, humidity etc. also makes a huge difference in what will grow well in various areas!

[@zacharyhenderson2902]

Zucchini are such a great plant. They're easy to grow, produce bountifully, and there's so much you can do with their fruit. We grow it every year, and every year we find more and more uses for it. You can stuff it, slice and Fry it, turn it into a casserole, or slice it then and use it as an alternative to lasagna noodles.

[@jacobheinz8236]

I absolutely agree, I love ordinary zucchini, I grow them yearly. Harvest them young, it’s more tasty too. Harvest them late and old, they can be quite tasteless. But you also need to know how to cook ‘em, with skills and imagination with the recipes, it’s a versatile plant. You can eat the yellow flower too! Stuff them with anything you like, deep dry them briefly , it’s decorative too. One man’s food can ba another man’s rubbish huh!

[@mariemorrison1244]

Growing zucchini till they get large makes them awesome for shredding, grinding and making alternative flour. Use it like coconut flour.

[@Panasiux2]

Also zucchini fruits love to absorb flavor, so they are great is stews.

[@AmandaInEly]

It seems to me you could probably do all those thing with the more interesting varieties too.

[@glow1815]

Aslo stirfry with beef or 3 layers pork can mix with other vegetables as well 😋 Asian dish that is

[@argentvixen]

Sunchokes: there are so many varieties some with flavor much better than potatoes. It is not great for your climate because they are best harvestested after the hard freeze. Zucchini is for good yield in shorter summers. Black and purple tomatoes are tricky because their full flavor doesn't come until they are well ripe and that can't be judged by color. You absolutely must be patient and only pick them when they come off the vine super easy, which is usually longer than reds.

[@robinferdinandsen7122]

I think the jerusalem artichokes are a crop that thrive in colder climates. We grow them here in denmark and we harvest them after the frost has set in and we harvest them over winter from straight in the soil. So maybe they just need the cold weather to "set" for eating. It's an amazing veggie that tastes nutty and does so well in stews and other heavy dishes for cold weather but also pan fried in slices. Thx for another great video

[@jessicasherman1510]

I agree. Gorgeous flavour which adds something special to a winter soup.

[@jeffengel2607]

Also, for people in warmer climates, there's so much more competition in terms of other things that CAN grow there for similar use to suntubers - sweet potatoes, for instance. The suntubers fill a niche for us in colder climes that other things just won't handle so reliably.

[@idkwhodos2840]

Thank you; I am in Scotland so have a similar problem with the weather! I will try to grow some next year on your recommendation 😊

[@sarahsaller9033]

I’ll have to try growing it in CO

[@debbiehenri345]

@@idkwhodos2840 I grow Jerusalem Artichokes very successfully here in my part of Scotland (West). I have something of a rodent problem in my garden (rural, surrounded by farmland, so it's never going to change whatever I do), and mice will eat out the tubers while underground. So I find my artichokes do best in a large container placed in the sunshine. A pack of 10 tubers will spread to easily fill a container made out of a cut-down water butt in one season.

[@zarroaster3009]

I always grow a couple of dark tomatoes, I got hooked by Cherokee Purple. Its such an amazing savoury slicer Its the best for sandwiches IMO. This year I found some Black Prince and Im experimenting with that. fruit isn't ripe yet but I'm excited for it. Rule of thumb I've found is that more yellow varieties are usually sweeter whereas darker varieties are typically more savoury. I usually stick to more yellow varieties for cherries such as Yellow Pear and Sun Gold because theyre like candy you can pick right off the vine. I like darker varieties for slicers and I use all of them when I make pico de gaillo. I love having the full spectrum of flavours in my fresh salsa.

[@jocelynsmyth6604]

thanks for the tips, I love a good slicer, and I haven't been able to garden for years... we want to put in some slicer tomato plants next year

[@lisadonaldson5132]

I love the flavor of most of the specialty tomatoes I have grown and Cherokee Purple is one of my absolute favorites. Pineapples tomatoes are amazing too.

[@AlliyahPerry]

If you like Cherokee purple and black prince try Paul Robeson! It's the best so tasty.

[@greeneyedlady5580]

Last year I grew Black Cherry tomatoes for the first time, and absolutely loved them. They are extremely prolific, hardy, and sweet as candy. They have replaced Sungold and Sweet Yellow Pear as my all time favorite. I grew them successfully in both a 7 gallon and a 5 gallon container. I finally quit picking them last November in my zone 8b garden in Oregon.

[@Mete0ryt]

Yo the Cherokee Purple is my absolute favorite tomato. It has such a complex and deep flavor. I will *always* grow those. They might grow better in some climates than others. I've had wonderful luck with them in 6a.

[@joywebster2678]

Zucchini are soooo versatile. My Dad overgrew them one year, and my mother in law dug out recipes for cakes, cookies, as well in regular vegetable dishes, and lasagne, they are mild, moist, little flavour that's why they work so well in so many recipes.

[@dldarby82]

As someone who "succeeded" in growing malabar spinach, let me share my experience. It will stay small, compact, and make you think it's not going to do well. Then you'll wake up, and it'll be like something out of Jumanji! I used a lead line, that led to some hog panels I leaned against the side of the house... Then my house was covered in malabar spinach. The leaves are very thick and mucilaginous, almost like a succulent, but they have a very interesting flavor. Cooked, they wilt down like spinach, but taste way better in my opinion. The berries taste like nothing, but have a ton of pigment, so we used them in tinctures.

[@Omegawerewolfx]

I had zero issues growing Malabar spinach. It grew super fast and would have filled in my fence if I let them.

[@orionsghost9511]

Thanks for sharing that : )

[@priyachauhan5132]

Hell yeah.. I love it too

[@karlaskitties]

We love it, but towards the end of fall, you’ll have to fight it. And it will come back

[@OffGridInvestor]

I have Madeira vine, a close cousin. I have SEEN the damn thing grow a meter in a week. I got rid of most but still have some. In warmer areas it's considered a pest here in Australia, but in my area it's cold enough that it doesn't get out of control unless you let it.

[@paulorod13]

I absolutely loved this style of video, you three together rock!

[@RachellesGardenDiary]

Mark of Self-sufficient Me, ferments his Jerusalem Artichoke/Sunchoke and says it makes it not be a fartichoke. Definitely still grow it in a container to keep it from spreading and taking over everything.

[@FrozEnbyWolf150]

I'm purposely growing mine with the intent of letting them take over, because I like sunflowers, and sunchokes are the easiest of all to grow. They're perennial here in zone 7b, self-propagating, and fairly pest resistant. The sunflowers from seed keep getting destroyed by rodents, but they don't bother the sunchokes. The deer did take a bite out of the sunchokes, but each of the damaged stalks has grown two new main buds in place of the old one, and they're now taller than I am.

[@phoebebaker1575]

They’re easy to harvest. The long stems just pull right over, with sunchokes attached. If you grow them in a large patch, you can lay some sheets of cardboard in the middle, to create a fun hide/ fort space for kids to play in, surrounded by the tall, sunflower-like stalks. I liked stir frying the sliced sunchokes, and I liked that they have a different kind of sugar (inuline?) that your body doesn’t process the same as normal sugar.

[@yeezet4592]

@@phoebebaker1575 the inulin causes the gassiness. If you cook it properly or just let it sit after harvesting for a while the inulin breaks down into it's simple sugars. The inulin strands themselves are to long for the regular gut to digest it so the bacteria have to do it which produces gas.

[@rosemaryogilvie6842]

It amazed me that some I had growing in the top south eastern corner of my 600m2 property wound up growing in the botton north western corner. No idea how they got there!

[@googiegress7459]

@@rosemaryogilvie6842 Some guest bent down and ate one not knowing what it was, their body rejected it and passed it along 100% unchanged until, forced to bend over from the pain of the cramping, they farted and ejected the sunchoke with an ideal arc and perfect spiral so that it flew over the house and buried itself in the fertile soil of the back forty. They probably considered the whole 9-second experience unmentionable.

[@JackScotful]

The Jerusalem Artichoke gave you gas because you were suppose to pickle them before eating it. Its great that your Artichoke was invasive, that means you had a successful crop with high yields, the Napa Cabbage however needs pesticide to stop the air wigs , some farmers give it fertilizer to make it grow faster with a special fertilizer so they can harvest it before the bugs get there first bite. i sugget you plant the Cabbage in Nellys Greenhouse to keep it safe from the air wigs.

[@beansoup8171]

Really? I had jerusalem artichokes without pickling. No gas or anything

[@alexandercarlson6800]

Pickling is a great idea, I boil mine. They're a great source of inulin fiber, which is why they may give someone gas. Once that's digested or broken down by something else it probably doesn't have that effect.

[@1MSally1965]

I put mine in mixed anti pasta pickled veg. Delish and no gas!!

[@insightspinner]

Lemon cucumber is the best asking with Richmond green apple. Crisp, sweet, we eat them out of hand, amazing w/ tomatoes and in gaspacho. Honestly my far and away fave. 😂

[@Herr_Flick_of_ze_Gestapo]

also my favourite type of cucumber.

[@orionsghost9511]

With you on lemon cucumbers : )

[@Bruce_Wayne35]

They're also burpless.

[@freedomthroughspirit]

Agree! Our fave. Must be picked BEFORE the whole fruit turns yellow (just a bit of the stem end yellow is great). The small seeds and delicious moist fruit and flavor make this our go-to cucumber year after year. Especially since we can't find them in the stores (and when they do they've always yellow, overripe and gross).

[@robyndudley9684]

For me, it’s peanuts. You need a lot of plants to get any meaning volume. So true about the novelty tomatoes. They look great, but flavor is lacking. And thanks Jacques for inspiring me to try a different summer squash.

[@namastenurse]

Where can we find the seeds for those varieties he mentioned ?

[@epicgardening]

I always struggle w peanuts myself!

[@tretre1692]

Fresh peanuts don’t even tase as good as store bought ones unless you’re good at roasting!

[@Nero_Karel]

Heritage tomato varieties are still often worth a try though, despite arguably being novelties

[@omarvaldivia8297]

The Centercut squash are from Row 7 seeds

[@Trailtotable]

On the Napa cabbage I would suggest harvesting leaves as they grow. I snip a leaf or two for my morning smoothie or lunch salad, the leaf will be replaced so cut and come again

[@patoliver5585]

I do this with bok choi until it starts to flower. then I cut it leaving the bottom in the ground and it grows back so I have a perpetual crop.

[@JuanVic-nr8lu]

I only grow loose leaf lettuce because of this

[@getin3949]

FYI, if you grow broccoli and it's covered with green caterpillars you can barely see, you can always soak it and any other vegetable in salt water and the bugs will vacate. Even Napa cabbage. Even though you will need a salad spinner to get the cabbage less wet so it doesn't start rotting in your refrigerator. The salt water trick works wonders. I did it with Hen of the Woods fungi because it's notorious for hiding a plethora of creepy crawlers.

[@ZoeMcBride-Jones]

so many native butterflies are extinct in my area because ppl hate caterpillars so much! I wish ppl would work with nature instead of controlling nature

[@victoryoverheresy9417]

​@@ZoeMcBride-Jonesdon't be silly. Nobody is trying to kill caterpillars. That has happened to me a few times and there's absolutely no way to know they are there because they truly camouflage and then start melting when you cook them. GROSS. Unless you like it, so go for it

[@mars7304]

​@@ZoeMcBride-Jones no, native butterflies are extinct in your area because of commercial pesticide usage.

[@ZoeMcBride-Jones]

@@mars7304 there is more than one reason why native butterflies are extinct!

[@claudettemonty4077]

Maybe you can try "Tulle fabric" for your Napa Cabbage and your "friends". You must enveloped the plant when more small completely with the tulle and keep it on the plant until you are ready to eat it!! And you walking cane is marvellous!

[@brockreynolds870]

We build a wooden frame and cover it with fiberglass screen mesh. Works like a dream

[@jalepeno5903]

I live in Bend Oregon (high desert). In my greenhouse, Atomic Grape was one of my best performing tomatoes, looked exactly like the package and tasted amazing. Climate makes such a huge difference

[@elizknight8262]

Wow, I'm glad you had success but in my area I couldn't believe how bad it was.

[@VickiBowers]

Another crop we tried once as an experimental crop was jicama. We planted it with the knowledge that every part of it above-ground is toxic - leaves, stems, flowers - toxic, so don't eat the greens, don't let the chickens get into it, don't feed those greens to any of your livestock, don't put it in your compost. And jicama is very prolific in their above-ground growth. That's an awful lot of be-careful for one root about the size of a softball. An interesting project, but I don't love jicama enough to have to worry about how to deal with all that beautiful, toxic above-ground growth.

[@terrisserose]

We were going to grow them next year So thankful for your post

[@FrozEnbyWolf150]

I have to wonder, would the toxicity of jicama make it a good pest deterrent? I've had a really hard time keeping the deer away from the parts of my garden that I can't fence in, which is why I'm growing poisonous plants like datura and foxgloves as a barrier. I already use tobacco dust as an organic pesticide, and the rotenone in jicama is commonly used for the same purpose. Supposedly rotenone does break down quickly, with a half-life of 3 days in soil, so I'm not too worried about composting it.

[@terrisserose]

@@FrozEnbyWolf150 I'd love to know what your experience is if you do use it!!

[@carolp6433]

@@FrozEnbyWolf150 do those work to keep deer away?

[@FrozEnbyWolf150]

@@carolp6433 They won't touch those particular plants, but there's always the risk the deer will just avoid the plants they dislike and attack your other plants. The good thing about both datura and foxglove is that they reseed themselves once they get established. The downside of datura though is that it's an annual (foxglove is biennial) and it doesn't reach maturity until late in the growing season, so for most of the year it's too small to have much of an effect. Still, the flowers are pretty, and attract a lot of pollinators.

[@fdd4957]

Kiwano is a fantastic crop to grow. I live in west Florida. We call them horned melons. I planted one melons worth of seeds into a 4' x 6' dirt plot and had 100ish lbs (86 fruits) of fruit ready in 3 months. This stuff grows quick and tastes alright.

[@BigboiiTone]

"Alright?" So they're kinda mediocre? That seems to be the general consensus with them

[@shizzledink]

@@BigboiiTone It's definitely not something you grow for the taste. It's the health benefits that make them worth growing.

[@BigboiiTone]

@@shizzledink very interesting...mmm

[@ssheeessh]

I really like the taste od them and tha kfilly the texture doesnt bother me. The texture can be off putting for some people, but that doesnt make it bad. i.e mushrooms@@BigboiiTone

[@parks51998]

Just rewatched this episode looking to improve next year's garden. Couldn't agree more with most of your observations, Napa cabbage has tested me, I grew sun chokes for the butterflies and the hedge (haha). I do love chocolate cherry tomatoes and this year I grew dwarf black krimm tomatoes that out fruited my non dwarf variety and the taste was amazing. I am going to try several of the seed recommendations from you all, thanks.

[@pay1370]

Soy beans are one of the few plants that do really well in my garden. Last summer we had nothing but rain and they still did amazing. The key i found is to just totally ignore them. Put em in the ground (no fertilizer and no watering) and ignore them till the end of the season. I've grown them on my nutrient poor sandy soils for a few years now and they always come up reliably.

[@epicgardening]

Jealous! I've struggled myself - Kevin

[@FMNsocial]

A ton of farmers in our area have switched to growing soy beans and that seems to be all they do as well!

[@TheLifeSpice]

Where are you located? I'm currently struggling with my soybeans and I can't tell if it's heat damage or disease

[@D71219ONE]

I grew up in southwest Indiana, and much of it is all sand. Almost every farm rotates with soybean because it grows so well and fixes the soil. Watermelon is also a huge crop there because it grows amazingly in the sand. Still the best watermelon I’ve ever had.

[@pay1370]

@@TheLifeSpice i'm in belgium, i grow mine in pretty shady conditions (a tree blocks out the sun in the afternoon) so they aren't getting blasted by the sun.

[@candicemcmath4521]

Glad to hear you say to skip zucchini! I couldn’t find any of it this year so grew Patty pans instead - what a delicious switch!

[@patoliver5585]

I love patty pans have been growing them for years but could not find the seeds this year. the new gardeners must have bought them all.

[@TheEragonFreak]

this popped up in my recommendations and i thought this might be interesting. what i did not expect was that everyone picks plants they don't like because of flavor or similar things. i was hoping for things like plants that are just difficult to grow, so for example the zucchini, even if there are many summer squashs that taste better, almost every amateur gardener can easily grow zucchinis.

[@maxhames499]

Zucchini is awesome. I even make great pickles from them.

[@michellejester9734]

Ha!!! Everyone except a friend of mine! Every year she buys a flat, and every year she gets not one zucchini!? The rest of her plants thrive, but never a zucchini!! She has bee hives too!? Her thought I'd that it's either too wet where her garden is, or too shady. Not sure, but she's so frustrated bc everyone else harvests so many around our area they can't even give them away by the end of the season😂

[@freedomthroughspirit]

@@michellejester9734 We've struggled with our zucchini yields because our water is too low in calcium, had to supplement the soil. So maybe there's some kind of deficiency somewhere in her soil or water?

[@freedomthroughspirit]

EXCELLENT point, yes, that's what I first thought, too, and would have appreciated. The personal taste thing is neither here nor there.

[@connorh6183]

Lol zucchini grows rampant here in 5b incredibly easy

[@MotherUdder]

Lemon cucumbers are one of our favorites that we both ate as kids. If you didn't grow up eating them, they might not be for you but we eat them like an apple, put slices in our water during the summer, and serve it on salads.

[@axminsterz4151]

they taste great fresh off the vine eaten like an apple. Make great cucumber tomato salads too, freezer pickles are 🔥

[@freedomthroughspirit]

Same for us! He is picking them when they are already overripe (if the whole fruit is yellow they are overripe). We pick them when the stem end shows yellow but the rest is still a light greenish/white - the seeds are small and we skin them and eat then like an apple or use in salads. Soo good! The stores that do carry them always have them as overripe and they're gross then. 😊

[@vivacora1969]

Zucchinis are one of my favorites to grow, and I don't think they are too watery. Maybe because of climate (I live in Quebec)? But I also pick them when they are still quite young and firm. I pickle a lot of them, and they are great.

[@itzel1735]

Pickled zucchini? Never tried. What style of pickle?

[@loriki8766]

I live on the east coast US. I like zucchini and enjoy growing them. I think the real secret here is to plant what you enjoy eating most and what will grow in your area. Also - save the seeds of your best plants and replant the next year. I find things grow better from my saved seed than from purchased seed.

[@lisacastano1064]

@@itzel1735 I've made a bread and butter type pickle from them

[@FMNsocial]

Pickled zucchini is better than pickles! Also love zucchini bread and zucchini relish!

[@angelsyd1990]

I love zucchini, it's one of the crops I looked forward to growing. I don't think it's real watery either...? Hmm. In Wisconsin zone 4b I pick them small also and love them sheet pan or in stir fry

[@breakthespell2287]

Jerusalem artichokes?! I wouldn't be without them! They taste like a jicama when added raw to salads and a white potato when steamed. If you leave them in the ground to overwinter, they become sweeter when harvested in the spring. I've never had the flatulence effect you speak of. They are a great survival food because they look like sunflowers and no one will know there are food roots growing below the ground. I gladly let them spread because I get big harvests. You don't have to plant the eyes like potatoes; if you cut a sunchoke into 20 pieces, each one will grow a new plant.

[@reneegossage8609]

Yes, it's a great sustainable crop, little work for big harvest. I was also looking at it as a feed crop for animals. The goats, horses and rabbits will eat the stalks and leaves.

[@pennyriley7721]

Sunchokes, when fed to boiler chickens showed they grew faster, bigger, healthier, in studies, they can eat them raw, if you stamp on them on hard surfaces, chickens devour them, they taste amazing, and have many health benifits, especially for diabetics.

[@simracer2428]

Yep fantastic crop, my man in the video giving out silly advice because he cant grow stuff.... I mean why say dont grow something because you cant grow it lol

[@kirstypollock6811]

I believe the fart in "fartichoke" is due to the high inulin content. It very probably depends on your own personal gut flora mix if you've got the right ones to break it down nicely or if you'll get lots of gas. I do know they use inulin as food/filler in probiotics and heard its good for menopause-related sleep issues. I haven't eaten them for 20 years (i got some but not epic wind). Maybe I should try again!

[@dearnia2728]

@@simracer2428 he did just say these were his personal pants that he wouldn't grow again

[@jadeeagle8038]

Ah man, the Jerusalem artichoke is one of my favorite crops. It does spread, but I have never had a challenge keeping it under control. The whole plant is edible and has a nice mild artichoke/sunflower flavor. They keep nearly a year in damp sand in a 5 gallon bucket, and the the gassiness is mild if you eat small portions. Also you get used the the sunchokes and the gassiness lessons over time. My favorite dish is fried sunchokes and breakfast sausage with onions. The leaves are great in small portions cooked and mixed with other veggies. You can use the flowers to fill vases. I grow them for ourselves because we like them but I started growing the for my friend who has diabetes (not making any health claims here) who enjoys them in the place of potatoes.

[@1MSally1965]

THANK YOU!!!

[@agneteht]

The leaves and stalks are edible? I didn't know that but it only makes it even more of a survival food.

[@J3rs3yM1k3]

I've grown Kiwano/Horned Melon/Jelly Melon and I got 50-60 melons from 4 plants. The melons were very sweet and tropical tasting. Not only that, the fruit lasts a VERY long time. I kept mine at room temperature with plenty of air flow and ate the last one a year after harvest. It was juicy and still had good flavor. The vines and leaves are almost like handling cactus, but they are prolific. Give each plant plenty of space, preferable upward.

[@gagaxueguzheng]

I grew mine and it took a long time until they were ready to harvest. And even then, it took another three months until they finished their ripening process indoors. And then the taste was not much more than a cucumber and it had hard seeds inside making it as hard to eat as a maracuja. Maybe it could be because it didn't have time and sun to become really ripe. Not much taste.

[@J3rs3yM1k3]

@@gagaxueguzheng I don't know how long you let them mature on the vine, but I'm in zone 6 and I let the vines turn brown before harvesting.

[@fadedprodigy8620]

I love lemon cucumbers! It adds color and it's such a great conversation starter for us. I cut them like an apple and eat it with lemon and salt or tajin. It's great! Especially because it produces a lot!

[@mindyliu7197]

Same here! I live in bay area, my lemon cukes are sweet and juicy, not seedy at all. I harvest when they are not completely yellow. I like them even better than Persian.

[@freedomthroughspirit]

Our favorite! He is waiting too long to harvest them - if the skin is all yellow they are overripe and not good. Just the very end turns yellow (at the stem) and they are the best! Seeds are small and we eat them like apples (after skinning). So good.

[@chrystallangille1667]

I am growing twice as many zucchini this year compared to last year. I am celiac, and have discovered an amazing grated zucchini based pizza crust that requires a LOT of zucchini to get me through the year. I canned the grated zucchini for continued pizzas, until I ran out the end of Feb.

[@sarahsaller9033]

Must share recipe 🤓

[@Mrs.LadeyBug]

Zukes are a staple food for me. So versatile. This sounds like a great GRATE idea! I 💚 Zukes!

[@AlpacaRenee]

Recipe please!🙏🏼

[@oftin_wong]

Get out of here ....

[@Mrs.LadeyBug]

Zukes are a staple crop for our family too! My mom eats zucchini pancakes literally every morning, while I prefer a little more variety. I would love your recipe too! I freeze my grated zukes. I’m thinking about trying dehydration next year, and canning is a good idea too. Do you have any canning tips?

[@aaronthompson70]

Watched the whole video, but still can't get over the Dragon Staff! I was like, is that what I think that is?? Yep, you confirmed it lol! Love it!

[@gp4708]

Sunchokes are fabulous for your gut micro-biome. They don't spike your glucose as do regular potatoes. It has been a mainstay, for many reasons, on my farm for over 25 years. I sell commercially and chefs purchase these in quantity. Prepared correctly , they are delicious.

[@aidanwest1878]

Never really heard of sunchokes before this video so now I’m curious … how dooooo you prepare them correctly? :)

[@attheratehandle]

@@aidanwest1878 Sunchoke = Jerusalem Artichoke the video says this at 1:03

[@aidanwest1878]

@@attheratehandle yeah that wasn’t really my question :)

[@gp4708]

@@aidanwest1878 I've make some great soup with them. They're also great roasted with herbs. I once had a sunchoke puree in an up scale restaurant that was amazing. Lots of recipes on the internet. They pair great with ginger and acid, like lemon. The flavor is unique, kind of nutty. They can definitely cause gas and intestinal distress if you eat too many or consume raw. They contain inulin, a prebiotic fiber. Lemon luice can neutralize the effect somewhat as can pickling them. Best not to eat them raw. And don't over indulge in them unless you boil them in lemon juice or pickle them. I personally enjoy them but to each their own.

[@googiegress7459]

Sunchokes are a fabulous way to amp up your gut micro-biome and forcefully eject it out your butthole. You won't set down for some time, partly because you're gonna want to replace that chair.

[@jacquelynrader8044]

Sunchokes are fantastic! I guess I have never eaten enough at once to be gassy 🤣 They are a great source of inulin, not starch, so they keep sugar levels stable, and they have lots of vitamins, plus iron, magnesium, and calcium. Flavor is not the only thing to consider. I actually just snack on them raw as a vitamin source. To manage gaseous effects, you can build a tolerance by regular consumption a little at a time, boil them in lemon juice, or pickle them by fermentation. You might think better of them during an apocalypse challenge, I wager.

[@kellyreineke4653]

JA hash browns are the best! But a small serving on the side of an egg is all you want to eat in a day.

[@LunaLeche]

I agree. And flowers have good properties too, and green mass from this plant is very good for burn it for heating. So it's great plant in many ways! :)

[@derekmorris7128]

I love them as well, in fact one of my favorite crops. They do not mess with my stomach much but I do know some people who cannot eat them without too much gas or getting an upset stomach.

[@leighburville2717]

@@derekmorris7128 They are a great pre-biotic. . .which is probably why people have gas at first eating... feeding good bacteria has it's smelly reactions... but it's worth it.

[@yeezet4592]

Prollym means bro ate them immediately after harvesting and didn't cook right. You have to get the inulin to break down so you can digest it without gassiness.

[@juliomaldonado7781]

For the lemon cucumbers, harvest them when they are still on the light green side, about to turn yellow. They will be sweet and have a great flavor. If you let them turn dark yellow then they turn sour and seedy. I can see why you wouldn't like the over ripe variety. This is true for a lot of cucumbers, leave them on the vine too long and the seeds turn hard and ruin the fruit.

[@freedomthroughspirit]

Exactly! We pick them when the stem end has just turned yellow and the rest is still light greenish/white. Small seeds and absolutely yummy. It's really fired me up to see him dissing this beautiful fruit because he is critiquing an overripe fruit! Not fair. I must have made about 15 comments on here, really fired me up to see this beautiful fruit misunderstood. 😅💔

[@skullykittie9889]

I'm glad I read the comments as I have some seeds started in my window sill!

[@MrWuhisn]

problem is they are so prolific you will get over run with over ripe ones in no time. I think its better to stick with a larger variety that buys you a wider harvest window.

[@ploofedoof1]

I happen to love Jerusalem Artichokes....they practically thrive on neglect, and are an American native species....also taste like creamy new potatoes....do well if you have lots of space, and have an area to forget about.

[@googiegress7459]

Do you also have a special area to devastate with your hellish farts?

[@Barakon]

Why the fuck are they called JERUSALEM artichokes then?! The thistle ones are the true artichokes!

[@ploofedoof1]

They're also called sun chokes....

[@Barakon]

@@ploofedoof1 which I do consider their true common name.

[@Trixtah]

It's cool if you like them, but in no way do they taste like creamy new potatoes. The texture is similar, though.

[@vanzikky]

Loooove Jerusalem artichokes and lemon cucumbers! And basic zucchinis which were never watery in my garden...guess up to anyone's taste. And if you try to grow subtropical stuff in a cold climate, good luck.....

[@junief1083]

The wateriness and mild flavor of a traditional zucchini is one of its many appeals to our family as we tend to make lots of chocolate zucchini breads, and zucchini desserts where we use them for moister and the mild flavor is easily over powered so its not bitter

[@cynthiat9089]

Lol I love how Jaqués was so traumatized by the thorn berries. 🤣 I did exactly the same thing assuming I could control them. This year I was pulling runners all over and digging like crazy. I got thornless blackberries and now they are on a container. 😄😄

[@elisabetk2595]

When I was a kid we'd be sent with buckets to the blackberry patches out on the edges of yards and pastures, and return scratched up, sunburned and covered in chiggers. But opening a jar of blackberry jelly deep in the winter to spread on my grandma's freshly made bread - so worth it.

[@mariap.894]

@@elisabetk2595 awwww! It sounds like torture. Bad parents! Taking advantage. Kidding aside, your memories are priceless. Thanks for sharing 😉💜🪴❤️

[@debbiehenri345]

With regard to the Malabar Spinach, I live in Scotland and those all Malabars I planted outside last year - well, they went nowhere. But I brought one indoors and it absolutely loved it! It grew, it vined, it flowered magnificently, and it went to seed just everywhere. Amazing plant. I now have one growing on my windowsill and wouldn't be without it.

[@ssneakyandfriends1626]

I'll give you one of my favorites. Cilantro. Smells nice, tastes good (leaves tasty to graze, old harder stalks good to chew if I feel like it) and grows fast.

[@cf9076]

My family's been growing and eating lemon cucumbers for years. We've found that they are best when still young, green and smaller in size (a bit bigger than a golf ball.) Don't like them nearly as much when you let them mature to full size and they get their yellow color (although they look pretty cool).

[@loriki8766]

I wonder if the flavor of them depends on where you live? When I lived in Florida, I grew them, they were delicious when yellow. Now I'm a little further north with a nuch smaller garden with a lot of clay in the soil and they don't do well.

[@cf9076]

@@loriki8766 could be. They probably need to be covered at night, or even during the day early in the season depending on the temps where you live. If you didnt know, there's a product called walls-o-water that many gardeners up north use early in the season for tomatoes, squash, cucumbers and peppers. It's a good cheaper alternative to a greenhouse

[@phoebebaker1575]

I love the tart flavor, especially when they’re warm from the vine.

[@paulacothren3591]

I think you are right about picking them very young, but they seem to double in size overnight and become inedible (for me, at least).

[@lorimalone3210]

Good to know about picking them when younger. I’m growing them for the first time in Southern California.

[@AndrewJones-wp4ot]

Top tip I learned today, try before you buy. No sense growing something new to eat and finding out you don't like it. Great content as always, thanks.

[@OverDoseVapes]

Dude, I freaking love lemon cucumber! Reminds me of rural rustic salads during the Summer. Very fresh and packed with citrus notes. A little soft texture wise though.

[@brent69]

I slice one end off and spoon the insides out . They re awesome!!!

[@freedomthroughspirit]

I think he's picking them way too late -- when they are all yellow, it's too late! When picked earlier they are wonderful with small seeds, we love them!

[@juliepuhr9806]

Oh how exhilarating this is….to be set free from the chains of having to grow what doesn’t work! I loved this episode

[@freedomthroughspirit]

Unfortunately the lemon cucumber advice is ignorant -- they are picking the fruit too late (skin is yellow) when it is garbage. Pick it when the stem end is barely yellow and the rest of the fruit is light greenish/white - then it's delicious with small seeds and so yummy! We skin it and eat it like an apple. 😁

[@PeterSedesse]

Malabar spinach is crazy yielding in the tropics. Maybe 10 plants and you can have a salad a day for 5 months. Cut off 3 inches from the top of a vine and you will have a production plant in 3 weeks( they root super easy). Just amazing how frequently and for how long you can harvest each plant.

[@jujube2407]

I LOVE LOVE the lemon cukes for hamburgers! They make AMAZING HAMBURGER CUCUMBERS!!! IN A WIDE MOUTH JAR! perfect one slice per burger!!! 👌 the are fast producing and gave us alot on 1 or 2 plants... Def not my fav for salad eating...but my go to for pickles

[@freedomthroughspirit]

Picking them young means they are GOOD! Don't wait until they are yellow. We pick when they are yellow at the very tip of the stem end. The seeds are small and the fruit is so yummy. Our staple cucumber every year.

[@zoltantapai3716]

Jerusalem artichokes are great mixed with some potatoes covered in some sour cream and oven baked. We have the same spicies here in Hungary and we had it in the garden for a long time. It does give you some gas but it wasn't ever any worse than beans or cabbage. It is indeed very hard to get rid of it once it started growing somewhere. Leave the smallest piece of its root in the ground and it grows back the next season. The most effective way to exterminate it is to mow the area and not let it grow leaves for a few seasons. It is not a quick process.

[@stephandjuliaseden]

Great list! We did manage to grow malabar spinach successfully in a cold climate but the trick for us was starting it indoors with our tomatoes so it had time to grow. It is very beautiful and good in smoothies as the spinach leaves are quite tough and have an intense greens flavour. We also loved that it also didn't bolt in the warmest months when our lettuce all went bitter!

[@jackslynn]

Chris sounds just like a news reporter. Liked this video! I also love the transparency about crops that you guys have a hard time with, keeping it real 😎

[@phoebebaker1575]

Man, lemon cucumbers are my favorite! I’ve grown them twice and just let the vines run along the ground. Walking in the garden and picking a warm, tart, juicy, round cucumber to snack on is so fun.

[@lucylu530]

I like them too but I agree, they have big seeds.

[@freedomthroughspirit]

He's waiting too long to pick them -- when picked younger the seeds are small and totally edible and delicious!

[@hawkmattz4215]

Love lemon cucumbers. Very popular in Northern California amongst the native communities

[@WarmFuzzyVibes]

I live in USDA zone 8b or 9a (it now varies street to street!). I found that Malabar spinach likes part shade here and as long as it isn't in full sun here, it will do well. I also water it daily during 100 plus degree heat especially in drought conditions.

[@Zimbertica]

For the Earwig problem, if you haven't try growing peppermint, basil, lavender, or rosemary nearby and spray with a dilution of regular white vinegar and water. For purple tomatoes, try Cherokee Purple or Chocolate, both are amazing varieties that I had success with last year.

[@IndigenousIndianLady65]

Are they called Cherokee tomatoes and chocolate tomatoes?

[@Zimbertica]

@@IndigenousIndianLady65 yes, Cherokee purple and Chocolate.

[@CheeseyCake]

Seconded. I love growing cherokee purple heirloom tomatoes. They do great in the garden and taste amazing

[@Psilo33_]

Malabar is on my all time favorite list. Just started a few this year for giggles, and they went insane. Central Texas tho 😅🌵

[@durinok]

Yes, there’s nothing better than Malabar spinach in the heat of the summer in hot climates. I harvest the leaves for months, and every year, they reseed themselves - literally hundreds of plants - and take over the same fence. One caveat is the texture, which may be a little too slimy to use alone in salads. But mixed in with other greens or used in any other way, the leaves are absolutely perfect. Mild flavor goes works with just about every recipe.

[@darshanamaya]

Well, after watching this video and reading your comment, I no longer blame myself for my fail with Malabar Spinach in Northern California!! It just never grew any bigger than the 1 gallon container it arrived in! I do love Longevity Spinach though, which I bought as plants from Baker Creek Seeds just over 2 years ago!

[@Nobodyreallyatall]

Malabar Spinach grows crazy in Ohio, hard to believe it didn't grow in the sun. I found it to be very slimy and disgusting, and not food. When you pull down the red vines and berries, it dyes your hands magenta pinkish for that day, which is either funny or annoying.

[@mariap.894]

Sorry to drop in the conversation, but I'm in SoFlo and wanted to grow it but not sure if in full sun or partial shade? Is it invasive? We've had Temps in the 90's for more than 2 months in a row with little rain, so I couldn't grow anything this summer. That's why I 'm asking for help😥🙏🪴💜

[@Psilo33_]

@@mariap.894 Either or for shade is fine. I’ve noticed partial shade allows them to get bigger, and more foliage. But if full sun is all you have, it’ll be just fine. I wouldn’t say it’s invasive. But I don’t know for an absolute fact that it isn’t.

[@frymybaconpl0x]

My Lemon Cucumbers did awesome this year! Everyone I gave them to loved them!

[@randybugger3006]

I think he's pulling our collective leg. Everyone knows that lemon cukes are best cukes!

[@freedomthroughspirit]

Our fave! If they are yellow with huge seeds they are overripe IMHO, pick them when the stem end turns yellow and the rest is a light greenish/white -- then they're always good with small seeds.

[@gardenerpete5232]

I'm growing lemon cucumbers this year (2023). Every year I try to grow a new variety of the different plants. Zone 7A, lower Westchester, NY. Cucs aren't flowering yet, but, I will pay special attention to them. I grow 20 tomato plants. Always looking for the best tasting tomato in each variety. In Cherry tomatoes- Sun Gold has been my favorite cherry for a few years. I heard about Red Centiflor cherry. An indeterminate, with umbrella loads of super sweet tomatoes. Well, I got a small harvest of delicious, sweet tomatoes. Small- because they flowered before the beehives had a chance to grow their summer brood. the plant is finished, have about 3 to ripen. I can't recommend that plant. It's an early Determinate!, Not an indeterminate as advertised. I sent a note to the seed co. but haven't heard back from them for 2 weeks. This started out about Lemon Cuces. So I throught would throw my Lemon veg in here. Hopefully somebody will appreciate this.

[@eden1178]

Ah… I love lemon cucumbers! I first tasted them at the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market. They are delicious . I like cucumbers fresh more than pickled. Although pickled is delicious too. This summer I am actually trying to grow lemon cucumbers. I started them from seed. They are taking a long time but I am crossing my fingers. I love your channel Kevin. Your garden is amazing. We moved to San Diego 3 years ago and started a garden during the Pandemic. I have been following you since . Bought your book too. Your videos are very helpful. I even have planted a dragon fruit. This was a fun video. I won’t try Napa cabbage for sure.

[@v2joecr]

One form of green beans I loved as a kid was purple, green beans. It was so much easier to tell which was the fruit & which was the plant & we got more out of the garden. After cooking they would go to the normal green color & tasted close enough to regular green beans.

[@adnel4142]

I grow Blue Peter and they are great!

[@blanchekonieczka9935]

Trying to figure out how you're cooking your zucchini if you think it's too watery. I have a great unusual recipe for zucchini. You use a overgrown zucchini, peel, remove the seeds and slice it. Then toss it with sugar (white or brown), cinnamon and lemon juice. You use it to make a cobbler or pie and the zucchini tastes like apples. It's a fun cookout dessert because you can ask people to guess what kind of apples you used. If you roast zucchini it will remove all the water and when you brown it, there's a new delicious note. I also love all squashes, summer or autumn, but have no bigotry against zucchini. 😁

[@keepdancingmaria]

I'm saving this whole video just to come back for this idea. Could you give me some notion of ratios? Doesn't have to be exact, just a place for me to start?

[@blanchekonieczka9935]

@@keepdancingmaria i never received any ratios. Just played it by ear. The reason the overgrown zucchini works so well is once you peel it and scoop out the seeds, the cut shapes resemble apple slices. I tossed the zucchini slices with brown sugar (because I like brown sugar), tossed in a bit of cinnamon and a squirt of lemon juice, stirred and tasted it. Kept adding sugar, cinnamon and a tad of lemon juice until it had the right taste. I also seem to remember mixing a little flour or cornstarch in to thicken the juice once it baked. Used it in a cobbler type dessert originally but did an "apple" crisp the next time. You just bake it as the recipe for a crisp or cobbler tells you to do. I think the crisp turned out the best.

[@keepdancingmaria]

@@blanchekonieczka9935 This was an awesome help. Thanks!

[@blanchekonieczka9935]

@@keepdancingmaria you're welcome.

[@freedomthroughspirit]

Wow! That's very interesting, may try this. Thanks!

[@k9spot1]

I watched this vid when it first came out and it definitely made me think twice about Jerusalem artichokes but since then I bought some from the store and THEY’RE DELICIOUS! So sweet!! I had to learn how to cook them properly to avoid the gas but it was totally worth it and they’re so easy to grow. You might want to scan your gardener friends for a better variety and maybe try growing them through your “winter” because it seems like the people who have been super successful are in colder areas. Maybe give them one more try!

[@Gardenergal]

I sat here and laughed so hard. This is exactly my same list! Fartachokes, zucchinis, nappa cabbage, plants with thorns, and mucalige spinach. So funny to compare notes.

[@GeckoHiker]

If you eat properly cooked sunchokes regularly there is no gas problem. Same with beans. I have my patch contained in a concrete block lined pit...the opposite of a raised bed garden...to keep them from taking over. I dig up the roots up as needed, all year, to roast them or use them in soups and stews. And thorned blackberries are real blackberries. Growing wild, free, and thorny makes them the best foraged food. I like permaculture.

[@karenmessina4361]

Sunchokes have a very complex carb some people just can't digest

[@GeckoHiker]

@@karenmessina4361 Sunchokes contain inulin. You need to build up a healthy gut flora to digest that. It is a diabetic friendly carb. Also, it is a Native American food. I am an atypical Native American that won't eat European food. No frybread or manufactured faux-foods here! My health level confounds my doctor. Approaching 70 with no modern diseases of civilization. It is always about our natural diet versus what the "modern" world thinks passes as nutrition. However, I have drunk black coffee all my life, and it is good! We have the Yaupon Holly in the Americas but it's not quite the same as coffee. It will do in a pinch.everything in moderation.

[@googiegress7459]

"No gas problem" meanwhile a man from the county utility has to keep Sandra on a special list because of complaints from all the neighbors.

[@GeckoHiker]

@@googiegress7459 Too funny. While my nearest neighbors are 15 miles away and smell like ramps when they're in season.

[@edwingarcia3413]

I think the one thing I myself would never grow tired of is seeing such Epic gardens 🌱♥️🌱

[@urbanfrog8466]

Greetings from New Zealand. Definitely Malabar spinach is one I wouldn't bother with again. My garden space is very tiny, less than 1/12th of an acre attached to a flat, and I rely on it for almost 90% of my fruit and veg, so I have to be very prudent about what I grow. When I first started growing tomatoes, I was the same - choosing them for how they looked. I really love have the variety of colours, but finding ones that do well, are the colour I want, are heirloom/open pollinated varieties, are good for slicing and freezing, and taste good - very important, has been a journey. Now, I grow one variety of each colour, ones specifically chosen to meet all those requirements. I grow the Cream Sausage, Aunt Ruby's German Green, Cherokee Purple, Brandywine Pink, Mortgage Lifter (red), and Big Rainbow. The hardest to find has been a suitable one for orange. Up til now only hybrids have been available, but I am trialing two newly available varieties that are heirloom/OP - Sean's Orange and Orange Icicle. The other thing I wouldn't bother with again is cherry tomatoes - they take up way too much space in my small garden (because you don't prune the laterals with those), and for the amount in weight I get off one them, I can grow several standard staked tomatoes and get more. And the cherry tomatoes are a lot more work to blanch and peel for freezing excess to use later in making sauces, soups, and to use in cooking. I try to grow enough tomatoes to be able to eat fresh and also have enough frozen and dehydrated to last right through the year until the next season. With most zucchini I tend to agree, with two exceptions- I grow a specific Italian heirloom variety known for the large number of male flowers it gets (I love stuffed fried zucchini flowers), and I make bread-and-butter pickles with the zucchini; and then there is the Rampicante, an old heirloom variety that is more like a crookneck squash, has dense, orangish flesh, and a nice nutty flavor. It vines like a pumpkin rather than bushing like a squash. And is an exceptionally long keeper.

[@xSunshinex4206]

The kane is awesome, like the Dragonborn goes gardening 😊 We leave the sunchokes in the ground and harvest in the spring (we have a cold cold winter). This lessens the inulin content responsible for the smelly wind. Please try them again🙏 , divide them in halves, ovenbake with a bit of olive oil and salt flakes!!

[@christineborgatti3760]

I do have sunchokes and this was the first year I harvested one. I'll try your method.

[@saltycat662]

Lol I'm totally diggin' Kevin's cool cane. I want one myself now.

[@Donna_G]

I used to buy Jerusalem artichokes all the time when I lived in Ohio. They are also called sunchokes because they are related to sunflowers. The thing that makes the sunchokes taste good is inulin. Inulin is a type of carbohydrate which has become a trendy prebiotic according to my sources. But, the article is from a few years ago; so, I don't know if it is still trendy. Inulin becomes a problem if you eat a lot of it. Most people who like to eat sunchokes can't seem to eat just one; or, part of one. According to my step-grandma, the sunchokes had to go through a process that she called acid hydrolysis. The inulin can turn from an indigestible carbohydrate form to a digestible form by cooking it in an acid. Think about all of the acids that are used in cooking. The obvious ones are vinegar and lemon juice; but, there are others. When I used to buy the sunchokes, I would eat just a couple of slices raw with no problem; but, I would slice it up and cook it in a vegetable gumbo using tomato juice as my base liquid. Then, I would add in other vegetables that my garden had produced. I rarely see sunchokes up here in any of the stores. I have tried multiple times to grow carrots. I have tried by planting in the mid to late summer and this year I planted in early to mid spring. I have carrot tops that look like they are about 3 inches tall; but, so far no carrots. I had better luck growing carrots when I lived in Ohio. Radishes also are not an easy crop for me to grow. I have been able to harvest a few radishes; but, the plants bolt too fast. I have tomato plants that I grew from seed and will be getting them into my garden soon. I put my peppers in the garden on Friday and have not gone over to check on them yet. If I get a chance to go tomorrow, I will check on them then. Otherwise, I will have to wait until Monday. Everything growing in my garden are plants that I direct seeded or grow from seed at home. Even the marigolds. My garden is one big experiment, even though it's not really all that big.

[@FrozEnbyWolf150]

I was going to say the same thing. If you eat only a little bit of inulin every day, it shouldn't cause any problems. Over time, it changes your gut microbiome and thus raises your tolerance of inulin. The sunchokes I grew last year were also by far the most productive tuber crop of them all, far outperforming the potatoes and sweet potatoes, and this was after I had planted the sunchokes in mid June relatively late in the growing season.

[@hangrymomma31]

I can’t grow carrots or radishes either 😭

[@phoebebaker1575]

Your garden sounds great!

[@jeffengel2607]

@@hangrymomma31 I'm happy I'm not the only one having this issue! They're supposed to be among the easiest and mine consistently produce plenty above ground and nearly nothing under it.

[@levisaunders2642]

I actually love growing kiwano. I live in a region where they’re said not to be able to grow and thrive(Zone 7), but I’ve managed to grow several generations of them from a random fruit I bought at the store. I’m a fan of the flavor and texture as well 😋

[@AdelardRen]

I'm going to try growing them next year, I purchased seeds from seedsavers. I have no idea if I'll like them or not. Got any growing tips?

[@levisaunders2642]

@@AdelardRen definitely have something ready for them to climb on before it’s too late. Lol. They will branch and spread out like crazy. An arched trellis system might be best, but I haven’t had the chance to try that out yet. My current situation has only allowed me to use tipi structures so far(apartment complex). I haven’t had to do any kind of crazy fertilizing methods/schedules. I fertilized them about once every two weeks, and they did pretty well. Granted, I did use a mix of different fertilizers because it’s what I had at home and was trying to use up the last year I grew them. That did result in my best growing year for them.

[@dooglitas]

One problem with all these gardening channels is that gardening is a very regional thing. What does well in one area doesn't work very well in another area. I live in Oklahoma. Every year I grow tomatoes, but tomatoes do not do well here. The summer heat prevents plants from setting fruit. Some years the heat comes later and some years the it comes very early. Occasionally we have cooler summers. I only grow tomatoes because the store-bought tomatoes are flavorless. I usually get at least a few fruits. It is worth the trouble just to get a few fruits because they taste so great. So I keep trying.

[@brockreynolds870]

You need to cover them with 30% shade cloth, and use heat tolerant varieties. I make a T-shaped frame out of rigid PVC, and just drape the shade cloth over top and secure it with spring clips.

[@dooglitas]

@@brockreynolds870 According to the research I have seen on tomatoes, it is the nighttime temperature that is crucial in setting fruit. When nighttime temperatures remain above a certain temp (I don't remember the number), the fruit will not set. I usually buy my plants at a nursery. The info on the labels never states whether they are heat tolerant. I tried one variety this year that produced fruit, but it was just a "grape" type. However, the label did not state that it was a determinate variety and a dwarf variety. They produced fruit, but the total amount for two plants was maybe 1 quart, which is not much, and they did not all ripen at once. I have tried many varieties. Some do better than others, but none do well in exceptionally hot summers. I live alone and don't do canning. So I only grow three or four plants. I mainly want tomatoes to use on sandwiches and salads.

[@brockreynolds870]

@@dooglitas Try celebrity next year, it's a more heat tolerant standard red

[@dooglitas]

@@brockreynolds870 If I can find it, I'll try it. I've can't remember ever seeing that variety for sale here.

[@dooglitas]

@@brockreynolds870 Thanks.

[@IdiosyncH]

I didn't know nappa cabbage could even be grown in warmer climates 😅 I'm used to seeing them grown in fall/winter in Korea. Also totally agree bush beans are amazing. I only have a small patio for container gardening but grew some royal burgandy beans. Beautiful purple flowers with lots of beautiful tasty purple beans 🤤

[@zactaylor6676]

I grow artichokes for 2 reasons: 1) previous owner planted a butt load of them 2) SHADE. These things are like 15 feet tall

[@zactaylor6676]

@Nooneinparticular987 wow I never considered that, thanks!

[@Katydidit]

In my zone 9a Houston Texas... Malabar spinach is a must grow! This crop requires frequent watering, and here in Houston this is usually a natural summer occurrence. The leaves can grow to tortilla size, so it is also quite lovely for a light summer, soft taco shell. I have a trellis out my front door, and daily snap off a few leaves to snack on while I drive to my office! Best grown in part shade here, under a roof run off, overflow from gutters is a benefit as well! If you live in a rainy area... give it a shot!!

[@ForageGardener]

Kiwanos are from Africa, they need long warm seasons to produce well. I can't grow them here in Oregon, very slow growth. But oh boy are they tasty. Like tropical lime banana flavored jelly inside. Sooooo good in a smoothie and the soft seeds are nutritious and easy to eat and full of protein and other benefits of cucurbit seeds

[@aliciaerickson9862]

She doesn't like seeds with the pulp. I wonder what she does with passion fruit, maracuya.

[@jaelmommaj8735]

I love lemon cucumbers they will always be in my garden. My kids absolutely love them as well. Its ok to disagree we can all grow what we love. Because we all have different tastes.

[@maryberrykinney7930]

I love them also!

[@c.d.9035]

I've been enjoying lemon cukes for about 55 years. We always grew them in California because they could handle less water than regular cukes. Also, they're delicious (though as the video notes, the seeds do tend to got big). Unfortunately they're not so resistant to cucumber beetles and the wilt those pests bring, so I haven't grown them for a few years.

[@monikal9384]

I like them, too. They taste great, but must be harvested early, before they start to turn yellow/orange when the seeds are still small and soft. I will not grow them again, though, because they are so small. I do not have that much space, so I will try to pick a cucumber with bigger fruit to get a bit more out of it.

[@toosense]

Maybe it has something to do with soil because I just picked my first lemon cucumber today and it tasted very bland.

[@monikal9384]

@@toosense what a shame. I guess it can be any number of things... nutrients in the soil, watering... I don't think I have great soil, though, because I hardly ever fertilize.

[@pakbowl420]

I kinda like the lemon cucumber. It does grow a lot to harvest. I like having all the different shapes and colors for a great summer cucumber salad. I'll pickle some whole and quartered.

[@prjndigo]

We planted a run of Crap-o-chokes in prime Illinois topsoil with a 5 foot water table. Midway through the third year that we didn't want to grow them we had someone with a backhoe come in and take 2 feet wide of them to 2 feet deep and bought different dirt. They're one of the emergency crops that will grow almost anywhere that the UofJ-I worked on hybrids of.

[@elisabethjones4917]

It's great to see more of your team Kevin!

[@melody5437]

Glad I'm not alone about thorns in the garden. I completely banned thorns years ago, so of course I moved to a place where the primary weeds include Siberian blackberry and Oregon grape. Grrrrr.... But I love my thornless blackberry, boysenberry and raspberry.

[@jonasbousada3487]

Ya can't have Kousa Mahshi without those white zuchinnis! Those are like gold to my culture! Forget about shawarma and donairs real Lebanese food is Kousa Mahshi (stuffed zucchini) and the meals sito(grandma) used to make growing up! :)

[@anAngeal]

Our garden is 90% tomatoes. We like big beefsteak varieties. Pineapple tomatoes are a favorite. Cherokee Purples and Black Beauties grew well this year too and taste great. We grow almost exclusively heirloom tomatoes and they’re all juicy and flavorful in a way that makes them appealing even though I’m not huge on raw tomato. One thing we won’t do again is tomato pruning. That didn’t work well for us. The plants grew much larger and tastier fruit when we let them grow wild.

[@kellymahan861]

you might want to try Green Giant. Baker Creek sells the seed. It is a huge potato leafed plant, that needs support. Pick the fruit when you see it turn from green to a slight yellow. Sweet, juicy and a heavy producer. Makes an amazing sandwich tomato. Lovely green outside and inside.

[@Cynthia-pf4hm]

Thanks, this was a great video! I've been gardening all of my life. I've gone down from a "traditional" big in ground garden to several good sized raised beds. Due to limited space; I've been down sizing for several years. I'm eliminating plants that don't perform very well for me. Plants that take up my limited space, for little return. It's interesting you talked about not venturing into unique tomato varieties anymore for older red slicing types. That's exactly what I've done. I don't experiment anymore with a bunch of different kinds of peppers. I plant the ones that have proven to produce well in my area/zone. Thanks for the info on the sunchokes. 😁 I was thinking about planting them, since they are perennial - I won't now! I've ordered a couple different types of summer squash, including one recommended in this video. One plant I gave up several years ago is broccoli. I've never found a variety that actually produces a lot of sude shoots, after the initial head. The plants are big and take up a lot of space. I've switched to broccoli rapini, which is a great space saving option.

[@songsayswhat]

I've never had problems with malabar spinach (zone 6) though I also grow it for ornamental reasons. It's so pretty!

[@readbooks9985]

Boil the leaves n tender shoot tips, drain, cool, cut, drizzle lemon and soy sauce over it. Yum.

[@highsocietypottery9381]

You made some excellent points. Some how, these days, gardening became sort of a race more than experiments for a better & healthier environment. #Thankyouforsharing #Keepupthegreatwork

[@Doktracy]

Malabar has basically naturalized to my garden. It self sows every summer,looks beautiful on an arched trellis and gives me greens when not much else will.

[@carolwinick8377]

I Love Summer Squash (Zucchini Squash) and it is my # 1 favorite fruit. This summer, 2024, I will be planting 14 on a Trellis about 10" apart. You mentioned the Liquid. Yes it has liquid, I SAVE this Liquid and use in place of Sugar. I write cookbooks and one Zucchini cookbook has over 1,100 recipes. It is one of the most versatile plants and the mild taste mixes well with a lot of other flavors.

[@LLCCB]

This was super interesting. I love all the different opinions and ideas.

[@greeneyedlady5580]

I loved the collaboration too

[@PerfectionInMotion69]

Only idiots use super as an adjective

[@gemininimeg88]

The way you came up out of the garden reminded me of Hee Haw TV series from early 70s. Too funny. Thank you for your insight!

[@theresekirkpatrick3337]

Lemon cucumbers are delicious. Just tried last year after a friend gifted me some. Love thwm