[onthebeach]

hi all,

im still quite new to all this growing veggies and stuff and have found you all very helpful in advising me since i have been on here.

i have started myself off with cherry tomatoes, basil and peppers and am proud to say they are all coming up really well in my plastic greenhouse which is at the moment located in my house because of the weather but as i say they are coming up really well.

i want to start growing a couple of other things now but want to grow things that grow above ground so i can see whats going on.

i was thinking of rocket, the italian theme continued but can anyone give me suggestions for other veggies that i can grow above ground in order to keep an eye on whats going on.

again i do thank you all for your comments and help.

[peapod]

peas, beans, sweetcorn, courgettes, squash, pumpkins, lettuce, broccolli, sprouts, caulies, cabbages, etc etc

Theres a long list 

[tam]

Peas would be good, there are some varieties that you can start now and if you soak them first they germinate in a few days and will be above ground very quick

[digalotty]

all the above as mentioned but why dont you try something underground aswell, it will give you confidence to adventure a little , try a couple of spuds you can grow them in pots or in the ground .
the reason i say this is you dont know whats there till you harvest and thats the excitng bit, theres nothing better than than fresh homegrown spuds so why not have a go   

[dougsta]

all the above as mentioned but why dont you try something underground aswell, it will give you confidence to adventure a little , try a couple of spuds you can grow them in pots or in the ground .
the reason i say this is you dont know whats there till you harvest and thats the excitng bit, theres nothing better than than fresh homegrown spuds so why not have a go   

Agreed
For me the most fun is in digging stuff up from in the earth. Digging spuds is my particular favourite. The suspense of not knowing what's going to be down there is great and the joy at discovering something is actually there is a wonderful feeling. It makes me feel just the same now as it did when I was a child - like uncovering buried treasure!

[JayG]

How much space have you got, how good or bad is the soil, how much sun does the plot get, and above all, what do you like to eat?

As peapod says, there is potentially a long list; in your situation I would go for crops which are relatively easy and reliable, which would include beans, salad leaves (Italian mix?), shallots, and yes Rocket (why not?)

I also agree that it's a shame to miss the thrill of digging (and eating!) home-grown potatoes if you've got the space (don't forget that a goodly proportion of the potato plant is above the ground!) 

[onthebeach]

thanks for your suggestions i have gone for rocket, sprouts and cabbage..

havent got much soil in my garden its all grass and therefore cant really grow below soil plus i have a very inquisitive springer spaniel that likes to dig !!!!

[kingston boy]

cylindrical beetroot always seem to grow out of the ground, or dont i just plant it deep enough?

[DavidT]

thanks for your suggestions i have gone for rocket, sprouts and cabbage..

havent got much soil in my garden its all grass and therefore cant really grow below soil

So how are you going to grow above ground plants then?