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.....what would they be ?

Imagine that you feel that there is a food shortage on the horizon and you would like to give your friends a couple of varieties to grow in their gardens to give them a taste of home grown, what would you give them ?

They will have kids, so something kid-friendly would be good, veg or fruit.

Ideas ?

Runner bean, potato and blackberry.

My first crop of asparagus come up in a few weeks so when that happens I may want to swap asparagus for the potato.

Not sure that potato, usually grown from the tuber, ot blackberrry, usually propgated by layering, count as seeds, but the runner bean would certainly be top of my list. Fast growing, it produces a lot of food on a small area of land. Eat the pods sliced up green but also allow the beans to ripen, dry and store forever. Great in stews and curries. Remember to keep a handfull to plant next year.

Radish, one of the really big varieties, would be good. They grow so easily and fast.

Lettuce, a red variety. Red food is good and one cannot live by beans alone.

Hazelnut or some other kind of nut, bramble and kale.

I assume from the OP that the friends are not growing their own, and may not be keen gardeners; indeed may forget most of the time that they even have a garden.

Based on those assumptions, I would give them seeds that are easy to start off (just sow in situ and leave) and plants which are low maintenance and fairly disease free...

Runner beans, peas and courgettes.

Despite being p!ss easy to grow, courgettes are really expensive in the supermarket. Courgettes are very versatile. I particularly liked the young ones in salads instead of cucumber (which I don't like). They could freeze the excess, give them away to friends, swap for other veg or sell them at their front gate. Or, more likely, do all four!

foodinistar wrote:I assume from the OP that the friends are not growing their own, and may not be keen gardeners; indeed may forget most of the time that they even have a garden.

You assume correctly . It might even fall to the kids to do the planting, you can't start them too early.

Well the runner beans and peas (being the ones that require some ground work), I remember watching my father sow.

I'd also add that the ones I chose are large seeds (none of your invisible carrot seed types that get sown unevenly), don't need thinning (except facile thinning-cum-transplanting with the courgettes seedlings), crop profusely and over an extended period, and the produce can be incorporated in many different meals.

Hazelnut, broad bean and sorrel.

No this is probably not the optimum combo, but they all produce their own seeds, they are the three that have done the best from seed here at Chateau Renewable, meaning that they like our weather and soil, and that I may (or may not!) be well-placed to give advice.

Whatever seeds they are, they should be easy to grow. I grew some yellow Mange tout last year (and will again this year) very easy and high yielding. Cougettes are also high yielding and easy to grow. I would suggest Mange tout, Cougettes and broad beans as they are all easy to grow and you are less likely to have crop failures (useful when trying to build enthusiasm)

What's the best way to grow hazelnuts?. I've just 'planted' some...in the shell but then I read that they should be de-shelled first

If you could give your friends 3 seeds to grow......

Aurora wrote:If you could give your friends 3 seeds to grow......

Weirdly enough I was going to say Sativa and Indica as two of the seeds.

Hemp seeds are (i'm lead to believe) about the most nutritious seeds around and hemp medicine has been used for thousands of years to cure many ailments.

I dont smoke the stuff but i'd happily take it as medicine or food.

Now, now, although during these difficult times it's tempting to presume that "Dope will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no dope", let us not forget that one of Catweazle's guidelines was that the seeds should be child-friendly! So I guess that rules out cannabis

What about lettuce? Easy to grow and easy to collect the seeds?

parsnip - easy huge return seed wise
potato's - staple
Rhubarb - trouble free

I know 2/3 are not seeds per se but ease of cultivation and for simple food value in my view in our climate unbeatable. Parsnip from half a dozen tubers can yield 2 jars of seeds- basically a lot an awful lot of seed, stand through frost etc simple cultivation.
Pots and Rhubarb likewise.
Asparagus/beans etc in our climate and land available as suggested, no not as food source.
Would free up land etc through starvation of those who went out in style
Asparagus tips followed by a wild berry coulie!

Calories are all that will matter pretty much.

WCR

If we assume that the threat of food shortage is not immediate and you want to get them hooked on food growing, I'd get them some herb plants to grow. Not seeds at all. Having a bucket of mint, a rosemary bush and a bed of thyme will keep them going to the garden to pick the results.

Unless of course they don't cook much either!

How about strawberries? Or a raspberry cane? Our kids love the raspberries and pick them themselves when ever in the garden in autumn.