Gardening with Crohn's

[sawdust]

Checking out all these recipes and reading more and more about chemicals, preservatives, and other food label junk, has further solidified my thoughts about starting up a garden this Spring.

Anyone here have a garden with some good ideas for things that are easy-to-grow, but maybe friendly with our diets? I actually like the slow-cook ideas I've seen here and would even consider doing some canning, since a summer of nothing but fresh vegetables doesn't sound like a good idea in my diet either.

Just looking for some ideas. tx

 

[partlycloudy]

Veggies that I've been able to tolerate (until recently anyway) are the ones I consider "meaty." They're also easy to grow: eggplant, green beans of any kind, squash and zucchini.

Cucumbers are very easy and I could always tolerate them if I scraped out the seeds.

A lot of people here seem to tolerate lettuce and you can't get any easier to grow than leaf lettuce. Toss in some seeds and 30 days later you're eating lettuce.

If you can tolerate it swiss chard, spinach, mustard greens, kale, etc. are very easy to grow in cool weather (lettuce is a cool weather veggie also).

I'm getting hungry!

 

[Entchen]

Peppermint, lemon verbena, etc. for tea.

 

[lynx]

I know some people do not tolerate tomatoes but you could try growing some of those as they are fairly easy to grow but require a lot of water...speaking of which watermelon is good to grow too...you can grow tomatoes indoors...Oh and look up the DIRTY DOZEN and the CLEAN FIFTEEN...these are veggies and fruits that are known (the first) to have a lot of pesticides and chemicals in them...and the clean fifteen are ones that you should not have to worry so much about the chemicals...some other plants that are fairly easy to grow are...potatoes...beets, carrots, chives...asparagus...some things you can grow in the window are commonly used herbs you use in cooking indoors like parsley and oregano, chives, lemon balm. You can get kits online or at your local garden shop to start a lot of these plants indoors before the spring...and there are kits you can buy that will allow you to grow year round indoors...there are also counter top hydroponic kits you can buy if you want. Good luck.

 

[sawdust]

Thanks for the replies. I have been cruising around for some info and all this has me excited at the possibilities, but I will definitely need to keep myself in check with what's smart for me to eat. I can already see that. It all looks good, and let me tell you, the photography on these seed and plant sites sure make them look appetizing. Mrs Sawdust really enjoys cooking with fresh herbs and greens. That's a good suggestion!

Also, I looked up the dirty dozen and clean fifteen - I think it was a story from ABC News from google search that I settled on - and that just seemed to confirm my goals here. I've never really thought twice about this kind of thing, but flaring right now, I'm reading all labels and nutrition facts. Some of it is a little scary. It's probably what makes it taste good though.

 

[vonfunk]

last year I tried, 5 types of tomatoes, 2 types of peppers, 2 types of potatoes, 3 types of carrots, 4 different basils, 5 different mints, onions, garlic nasturius and a bunch of different herbs that I forget.

Then I spent the summer being sick and everything died.

 

[sawdust]

Then I spent the summer being sick and everything died.

That sounds tasty, although sorry to hear that you didn't feel well and that it didn't work out in the end. Think you'll try again this year?

From what I've been reading, it looks like many vegetable are okay for most people if you cook them to the point where they are questionably vegetables anymore. Potatoes aren't something I thought about, but like the sound of them. I know I can eat them reliably.

 

[vonfunk]

I'll definitely do it this year. I try to have a garden every year, I live near the hippy neighbourhood so there are lots of places to get heirloom plants. Last year I grew everything from seed, not do if I'll do it that way again though.
I spent about $150 on soil, seeds, and lights and fixtures for starting it indoors, and got about a dollar's worth of produce. My entire harvest made an omelette. the most expensive omelette that I have ever eaten.

 

[rygon]

I managed to kill all my plants (runner beans, peas, and a few herbs) due to not watering at the height of summer. Saying that I managed to grow thyme, rosemary and oregano with great success. My mum also did basil, mint and a few others. Potatoes were pretty easy but I got 3 seeds with a bag. Bought 3 of these and spent £20 on soil, with only getting enough potatoes from each bag to last 3 or so meals. Think this year I will make a raised bed and plant some more

 

[vonfunk]

I planted mine in an old wooden chest/box, I took one side off and as the stalks grew I would add more soil and boards to the side. Anything in the nightshade family (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers etc.) will grow new roots from the stalk if the stalk is covered in soil. If you keep building up the soil as the plant grows, you'll have a higher yield.

 

[rygon]

cheers, will have to give that a go.

Ive also managed to grow mint successfully, as peppermint is supposed to be a natural painkiller it may be worth growing some of that to make tea with

 

[Lydia]

I have a garden in the middle of the rockies. Our growing season is very short but I manage.

I grow carrots, potatoes, onions, beets, peas, beans, spinach, kale, and chard.

 

[sawdust]

I grow carrots, potatoes, onions, beets, peas, beans, spinach, kale, and chard.

Mmm, except for the beets... you can have the beets.

I think I'm going to give all this a go. My only concern at this point is that if I plant things now hoping that I can eat it then, well, I guess that's positive thinking. Many of the things I'd plant won't get eaten if I don't eat them (like your swiss chard )

Is it naive to think that the costs are low, sweat equity aside? If I have to donate certain things, I will if I can't eat them by then.

 

[scoutfinch]

I spent about $150 on soil, seeds, and lights and fixtures for starting it indoors, and got about a dollar's worth of produce. My entire harvest made an omelette. the most expensive omelette that I have ever eaten.

Well, hopefully it at least tasted good. Though, a litte bitter perhaps... :wink:

I highly recommend growing herbs. They are generally easy to grow and maintain, cheap to grow from seed or seedlings, constantly regenerating new growth, and have many uses (cooking, drinks, potpourri, etc). You can even maintain some of them indoors over the winter, if you live in an area with a cold climate.

 

[vonfunk]

This year i just decided to forgo starting from seed. Too much work. It's a shame I had basil varieties that I could only find in seed format.

I don't get enough light in my apartment to grow indoors. I have 2 windows, both west facing.

This year I focused more on visual appeal in my growing, very few vegetables. I only planted 3 varieties of tomatoes and 2 types of peppers. But I upped my number of edible flowers. the wooden chest I grew potatoes in last year now houses: Borage, Calendula, dill, purple basil, lemon thyme, lime thyme, purple sage and two types of nasturium.

 

[Sha0913]

I have a container garden (no weeding when they are grown in container) running down my fenced in yard, I have two tomato plants, a cherry tomato plant, two pepper plants;one red and one green, squash, limas, cucumbers and strawberries, maybe more but can't think of it right now. I barely buy any produce in the summer, and I tolerate most veggies pretty well. Shannon

 

[sawdust]

After a very wet Spring, I got a garden in later than I had hoped; 2 types of tomatoes, 2 kinds of peppers, cabbage, cucumbers, radishes, beans, potatoes, rhubarb, and a few cooking herbs. I'm really excited that everything came up and is looking decent. I might actually pass out when I get vegetables!

 

[rygon]

This year I have got mint, chocolate mint and peppermint growing (in containers, ive heard they will take over the garden if you dont). Carrots, pak choi and 3 different types of onions. Got some blueberry bushes and rasberry stalks, although not looking too good at the moment (bit of a heat wave in the UK and i didnt get around to watering them). Some mixed salad leaves and herbs (oregano, bay, thyme, rosemary plus a few others). Did try growing a few different types of chilli plants and bell pepper plants from seed but none of them took for some reason (used a propagator but left it outside)

 

[Boioiod]

I had the same thought of a "garden", but as I live in a tiny apartment I had to scale down to just a few herbs (admin: not-weed, I know this is the wrong forum). I cheated and even bought grown plants, organic no less, from the local grocery store.


I killed them all.

 

[sawdust]

I'm pleased to report that everything I planted came up and yielded results, at least to some degree. I have learned alot this year - lots more of "what not to do" next year.

I used my pressure canner this weekend as well, getting two varieties of pickles and green beans put up. The timing worked out perfectly for getting my seton out and working up to have enough energy for this (I had no food for 5 days, liquid diet for 5 so energy was very low for a while). Canning is time-consuming work, but not real rigorous, so it fit the bill. It's been rewarding so far.

Lots of people keep telling me that I won't save any money canning, to which I always reply, "but I will know what the heck is in my food." Tomatoes and peppers are there, just not yet ripe. I'm probably most excited for those, and to feel good enough to eat them, of course.

 

[Crohny]

I'm pleased to report that everything I planted came up and yielded results, at least to some degree. I have learned alot this year - lots more of "what not to do" next year.

Curious to know what not to do... and in what part of the country/climate do you live? Everything I have ever planted has died. Including the grass in my front and back yard. Maybe I don't water enough?

I was super excited about planting my first garden this spring, but I wound up in the hospital while my seedlings were home dying. There is always next year!

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

I've currently got several types of tomato, sugar snap peas, basil, peppermint and some other mystery mint (possibly spearmint), and parsley growing in my garden. I am terrible at gardening and am surprised that everything's still growing and alive in there. I do try to water it every day so I think that helps. There is also a resident toad who lives in my garden and eats the bugs off of all the plants. I think he hopped through the chicken wire when he was a small toad and now has grown too big to get back out again! But he seems to enjoy it in there and is definitely well-fed, and I put in a little toad house for him so he's got a good life.

For those who are like me and have no green thumb whatsoever, plant some parsley in your gardens - it seems impossible to kill that stuff!

 

[rygon]

thyme is very hardy as well. Looked after it for 2years, thought it was dead for 3, and to my suprise this year its grown really well

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

Rygon, my husband says mint is pretty hard to kill as well so we'll see how that goes. The mystery mint was planted last year and came back on its own, the peppermint is new this year. Also, I just remembered that in the front yard I've got ginger and onion planted, I put those in the first summer we were in our house and I have done nothing, not even watered them, and they're still thriving several years later.

For those who are keeping a tally of plants that are hard to kill, so far we've got parsley, thyme, mint, onion, and ginger.

 

[sawdust]

Curious to know what not to do... and in what part of the country/climate do you live?

I'm in PA. I could tell you that it's unbelievably hot here this week, but I don't think that it'd narrow it down much. Most of my list of "what not to do" are just things that I learned this year that will help me better plan in future years. For instance, I can't eat or use enough radishes to plant a whole row. Likewise, I have such a better understanding of how much each plant yields now. Right now, I would rather have more beans than some of the cold weather stuff I put in two months late because it was too wet to plant when I should have - most of that stuff isn't looking all that delicious, at least not yet. And while I've kept out all the critters, I still don't know exactly what I'm doing for insects, especially for my cabbage, which looks like Swiss Chabbage.

 

[StarGirrrrl]

I am growing Blackberries (3 yr), Strawberries (2nd yr) and 1st year Raspberries.

You haven't lived until you've plucked a berry off your bush which is warm from the sun- and I used to think I liked my fruit chilled from the supermarket *shocked face*.

 

[Crohny]

Mmmm... Fresh berries are the best!

 

[Mayflower537]

All the birds ate my blackberries. I was so looking forward to it, as the plant is 2 years old and it REALLY produced. I am going to put a net over them next year.

I had an opposite experience from VonFunk - the year I planted plants, I spent close to $80 on plants (plus the cost of putting soil in a raised bed and my husband's hard work building it) and got diddly squat for yield. This year, I decided to only plant bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, and one variety of heirloom tomatoes. So some friends and I split up the seeds which was roughly $1. Then I spent probably $15-20 on the seed starting kits. I had no problem using my kitchen lights for starting them indoors. I lost a lot of the delicate little tomato seedlings transplanting them to bigger peat pots but I've gotten so many tomatoes from what survived that it didn't end up mattering. I will do seeds again. You have more of a selection to choose from. We recently added another 16 sq. ft. section, and I directly sowed okra and green bean seeds. They are growing quite nicely. I planted them probably 3 weeks ago. I'm in the southern US so we have a super long growing season. I'm going to do some cold weather crops this year also, and I plan on directly sowing the seeds in the garden for that.

Yes, Cat, mint is impossible to kill. I have some planted in the ground, and it is even in our grass. You'll see a sprig every few feet around where it's planted. My husband likes it b/c it smells good when he cuts the grass. Sage is also hard to kill - I had planted some last year in the raised bed, it survived the winter, I transplanted it when I realized it was still alive, and it's still doing great.

I tried strawberries in one of those hanging things and they aren't doing so well. I did buy plants for that.

I've had a good time gardening this year. Last year's yields soured me, but the success of the seeds this year has made me change my mind.