How much does productivity matter to you?

[Avonnow]

You know it is funny you mention this, I was speaking with a close friend and we can observe alot just by looking at kids today. Kids think canned Raviolo is better then home made Tomato sauce, they think a dried packet of Mac & Cheese is the bomb, forget homemade Mac & cheese that costs 20 bucks a pan, they think McDonalds is the best hamburger ever ( I don't think it is even made from something that was close to the cow) . This is the way society is, the produce at store appeals to them because the package is pretty, forget health, forget taste. This is the way they were brought up. Most people do not want to change that.

I got into having my own garden because honestly I could no longer afford organic. I wanted to change my families way of eating as much as possible. I grow for better, healthier and more flavorful produce. Space is limited so I would like to get enough to make a difference, but will sacrifice it for learning something new. Everytime I see that Miracle Grow commercial I laugh. I don't want a 4 lb tomato, I want tomatos that can be used within a reasonable amount of time, without waste. There is alot of trial and error for me being new. You learn from reading and forums like this to correct that thinking. Yes I did buy what I could from my local nursery - I didn't know any better. Now I buy mostly from Baker Creek and Johnnys - A year ago I had no idea these places exsisted. I am trying different varities to bascially see what does best in my area, you can't just grow anything in the Heat in FL. I want to try and narrow it down to some good heirloom and organic varieties, but I have alot of trial and error ahead of me.

Taste, to me, everything I grow and eat from my garden tastes better (even if it is in my mind) because I worked hard to get there. I am proud and happy with what I have accomplished in such a short time.

[nes]

Originally I was after flavour and ease of care (especially being a new gardener) but in the last few years I've really found that most things you grow at home taste a million times better then store bought no matter the variety.

With a quickly growing family and very long cold winters, now quantity and freezing quality is the most important to me. Even though it doesn't taste as good as it does fresh, I just ran out of zucchini a month ago adding a little into pasta sauce once a week. Before I grew it this year, I didn't think I liked zucchini. We still have some beans in the freezer but that is about it; for next year I'm aiming to carry us right through the winter with frozen (or canned!) vegetables.

Since we also buy local meat (VERY local, like next door...) nothing makes my soul feel better then putting together meals where everything except the salt & pepper are grown/raised and harvested within walking distance.

In a couple cases (like beans) I may grow two different varieties, one for fresh and one for freezing.

Non-hybrids (true heirlooms or not) are also important to me only because I want to be able to save my seeds from year to year.

#1 Freezing quality/taste
#2 Quantity vs Space/care requirements
#3 Non-hybrids for seed saving

My last reasoning is I like to try to grow something (or a few somethings) every year. Next year asparagus, eggplant and beets - three things I've never grown before! Last year it was arugula, celery, zucchini and cauliflower, all (relatively) big successes.


"....having to sneek over to the neighbors in the dead of night to leave a bag of anonymous zucchini ... " gave me a good giggle - I just throw them at my family members and run, they are more forgiving .

I would definitely say that seed packets are sold on those descriptions, most of which say nothing helpful about the actual plant, and can be down-right misleading at times.

[farmerlon]

... I make lasagna with my own canned tomatoes, sauce, paste, and a couple of jars of hot salsa. I also use my own garlic, onions, oregano, basil, thyme and parsley. ....

That's what it's all about ... there's nothing like making tasty dishes with your own organic-grown ingredients !!!

[farmerlon]

...Some things may be touted as edible, but that does not necessarily make them palatable. On that list are dandelions, Brussels Sprouts and okra.

Now, jal, if you ever come through Tennessee, you'll have to let me whip up a plate of Fried Okra for you ... you might be converted!

[erlyberd]

Taste, Taste and Taste otherwise if taste did'nt matter I'd go to the market.

Sometimes I wonder if it would be better to not know what a fresh vegetable is supposed to taste like.

My garden is 100% OP/heirloom, non-certified organic with around 80-100 different veggetable varieties and continues to expand.

[HangOn]

I have to agree with everyone here, taste is vital, and the reason most of us do it is that the alternative is very tasteless, and expensive!
I've also fallen for the "let's try this heirloom variety" and failed to plant some of the regular varieties. -result crop failure. I guess it's best to try new but also stick to the known.

Brussels Sprouts!!! are you joking They are wonderful. -But not easy to grow. A friend of mine bought a (1) hybrid seedling last year, $4.95!!, however, he was picking heaps of delicious sprouts for more than 3 mths, we are both looking out for this plant at our nursery.

All the best to all gardeners up in the northern hemi (snow etc) areas, don't know how you manage, but you do.

[tomf]

I love Brussels Sprouts but they got so many aphids. I need plants that ake less work and still produce well but the quality of the vegies is what I am after.

[rootsy]

In my case I need productivity, disease resistance as well as flavor. I spend a lot of time researching university field trials during the winter.

I have found that no matter how good something tastes, price and appearance are weighed just as heavily, if not more so, by the customer.

Trying to make a bit of a living also means I need a hardy plant that can take a licking and keep on producing through wet, dry, humid, bug and disease infested weather.

This not only helps me reduce my chemical dependency but it also reduces my labor required to monitor and police...

[annastasia76]

fresh from the garden produce, no matter what variety, is going to take 1000% percent better than the stuff from the store. for me I go for productivity, mainly because we are trying to be self sufficient, and second because we live in an area where there are so many people that are in need, so I grow 2 to 3 times what we need so that I can provide for others.

I got a comment from a lady at church last year (I had been taking tons to veggies to church for the members) she said that she didn't like my tomatoes because they were too soft and tasted funny, at first I thought something must have been wrong with the one tomato that she got but then I was looking at the tomatoes at the store and they are extremely had, bright red, but they have no flavor because they are forced to change before they are ripe. People are forgetting what fresh is supposed to taste like.

Somebody mentioned that she grows heat tolerant varieties, what are the heat tolerant varieties, we get up to 120 degree heat in the summer and the plants suffer because of it, I struggle to keep them alive.

[garden5]

I can't say that productivity is the only reason that I consider when I choose a variety, but it does help.

Really, variety matters to me in that I like to do what I can to get each plant/variety to produce at it's maximum, however high or low that maximum may be.

I like to experiment with culture, spacing, pruning etc. to see what the plant likes the best.

[gixxerific]

I must say that quality-taste is the most important to me. Heck take a look at last year I had tons of production but the quality wasn't' there. With bug and disease ruined fruits what good is production.

[Duh_Vinci]

There are many important aspect of "selecting varieties" mentioned in this thread. And while my first, initial response would be "Flavor over production indeed" I believe the answer is not quite as simple and may not be the same for every garden.

If someone has room for say 2-3 tomato plants, 2-3 peppers and small space for other small garden varieties such as lettuce, herbs and such, then one may consider varieties that have a balanced compromise between production and taste (possibly)

I have room to grow many varieties, and since I can easily afford to loose the production over the flavor, which I prefer to begin with, I'd do anything I can to try only the veggies that suit my pallet.

On the other hand, for example when it comes to Cucumber varieties, our summers are very hot and humid, and Powdery and Downy mildew are guaranteed! So this is were I come to compromise. Early season, I would grow OP varieties, but for succession planting, I now plant only DM and PM resistant varieties, mostly hybrids. Many of them taste almost as good as OP, and this is simply a choice of mid summer - to have cukes or not to have cukes (or almost no cukes), since hybrids are the only ones can survive, and produce mid/late summer and early fall.

Same goes for lettuces. In the fall, I plant OP varieties, but since most of our springs quickly go from mild to immediate heat of the summer, I've been growing 25-35 days hybrid lettuces that I find to be pleasant tasting, and produce well and quickly before the summer heat sets in. Just don't have the luxury of waiting for the best tasting 60+ days lettuces during that time, so I sacrifice a little of the taste for production.

But at the end, in ideal condition, taste is what matters most indeed!

Regards,
D