What Veggies and Fruits to Grow in an Average Sized Yard

 

With seed ordering season starting up I came across this interesting section in a gardening book I own with a list of crops to raise that give you more bang for your buck.  I added a few that I have found useful as well.  The fruit section is all from my own recommendations

Beans - you can plant up to 3 harvests in one season in many parts of the country

Beets - easy to grow

Carrots -  good all around veggie

Corn - although they recommend this it is a space hog and you really need to plant more than a few to get good pollination

cucumbers - can be trained up a trellis or fence to save lots of space

eggplant - compact and usually produces lots of fruits

greens - easy to grow and can be scattered about the garden, can be grown deep into winter

Peas- can be planted fall and spring and grown up a trellis

Peppers- compact and generally prolific

Potatoes- can be grown in tires, as the plants come above the soil you just cover again with soil and another tire stacking taller and taller.  the vines just produce more and more tubers

Pumpkins/winter squash - plants are large but can be trained up a trellis for the smaller fruiting varieties.  Amish Pie would be ideal because they are for pie making and small enough not to break the vines as they mature

Radish - quick to mature and can be planted between larger veggies

Summer Squash -  large plants but with such prolific harvests they pay off

Tomatoes - prolific harvests

My recommendations

Okra- small plant that produces tons of food and pretty flowers too

Mellon's - can be trained up trellises

Bramble Berries - these can be put on sunny fences or walls that would otherwise have no food producing capacity and will discourage unwanted criminals

Strawberries- can be put in places that would be too small for other garden veggies and as a bedding in flower gardens

Gooseberries and Currents - I cant recommend enough that people should plant these in their shady dead spots.  These are the few fruits that prefer partial shade and you can put these in shady areas that would otherwise go to waste.  They make great jellies pies and syrups

Fruit trees - can be trained (called espaliering) flat to sunny walls and fences

Herbs- most herbs are ridiculously easy to grow and can be scattered throughout your plantings of other veggies.  Some herbs are perennials however so should be put in a permanent bed.  Right now I have Tarragon, Sage, Rosemary, Horseradish, Lavender, and Chives in my culinary garden.  I also plan to grow such things as Basil's, parsley, cilantro, fever few, savory, etc this spring.