[carrotboo]

Which veg would you recommend growing for a total beginner? 

With the exception of carrots and lettuce I've not grown my own before.  I don't know the soil type yet because it's still covered in brambles but its shady.  I haven't made my mind up about going organic yet.

[peapod]

Peas! Very easy to grow and dont mind the shade (Im not biased honest  )

other easy stuff includes radish, parsnips (once they germinate), swede, spuds, onion sets, garlic (a bit late now though) leeks, and all beans as long as they go out after frosts.

Others will add to this because it depends on your soil condition and ph and what (if any) nasties may lurk that may apply for you but not for others (clubroot for example)

[lucywil]

courgettes and kale, the 2 easiest veg to grow i think

[cathangirl]

Runner beans and perpetual spinach.  The first likes plenty of moisture and a good load of compost under their tootsies.  Perpetual spinach will continue to produce lovely tasty leaves for up to two years if you take a few outer leaves for the pot each day.
Good luck.
cathangirl

[Ropster]

turnips and beatroot in addition to those above, both grow well

[Rampant_Weasel]

first early potatoes, easy peasy

[Faz]

Onions are pretty easy too, if you can get some sets in pretty soon.

[fatbelly]

Which veg would you recommend growing for a total beginner? 

My answer to that question is all ..............

I can't grow carrots but count myself as fairly knowledgeable, so give anything you eat a go. Worse that will happen is that you lose the cost of a packet of seeds but gain invaluable knowledge which will serve you well next year.

[argaric]

I would add chard and American land cress to the list, very easy to grow.

Regards,
  Argaric

[dougsta]

In addition to all the above - Go to the garden centre and see what takes your fancy - have a go at something that interests you. We learn more from our mistakes than from our successes (at least that's what I keep telling myself )

Good luck

[Lardman]

Which veg would you recommend growing for a total beginner? 

Whatever veg is on your weekly shopping list    But grow a few things you would never dream of buying, just because you can.

If its your first year might be an idea to grow things that taste like they're supposed to rather than the coloured mush you get from the supermarket. Toms, peas, beans, beetroot, sweetcorn and spuds all taste so much better.

With the exception of carrots I think you'll probably get a usable crop off most things even if you just throw the seed in the ground at the right time.

[andreadon]

i feel, that as a very very incompetent gardener, i am fully qualified to answer this question!
I have success with runner beans, potatoes, courgettes (oh, yes, definitely!) and any fruit bushes like goosberry and raspberry (not strictly a bush)

i find that lettuce is too hard and that strawberries die (unless you spend all winter picking off the autumn leaves).

(i also do carrots well, so you're good there, but if you've grown lettuce well then you're already more of an expert than me!!  )
hope that helps!

[Stripey_cat]

Whatever's your favourite.

I think it'd be quicker to list the difficult things:

Carrots and parsnips need good, deep soil, and are vulnerable to carrot fly.  If you have nice loam and are willing to put up fleece over them, then you're fine, but otherwise less so.  Early and short-rooted carrots are better in poor soil.

Cauliflowers are a bit fussy; most other brassicas are easy unless you're on sandy soil (or have clubroot, but you won't know that until it's too late).  Kale and kohl rabi are better on light soils than the rest.

Tender things like tomatoes and peppers are OK if you can cosset the young plants until they can go outside, and have somewhere reasonably sheltered to ripen them.

Asparagus needs a lot of effort to get the bed right to begin with.

Celery can be a bit difficult to get going, and needs lots of water (it's a marsh plant), so isn't great on light soils or miles from a tap.

[NoodleSoup]

Firstly, only plant stuff you or your family will actually eat. I started growing stuff last year and ended up with a whole load of radishes which grew beautifully, however me and my partner don't like them!

This is only my second year of growing - last year, I grew rocket, courgettes, tomatoes, potatoes, spring onions, garlic, strawberries and spinach without any drama. My broad beans started well, but then got some disease as did my peas, so didn't do so well with them

[carrotboo]

We've decided on:

Rocket, lettuce, radishes, onions, carrots, parsnips, peas, potatoes, swedes and pak choi. and if we've feeling brave tomatoes in containers.

Thank you for you help.