Introduction

I wish we’d stop growing potatoes, carrots and onions. I’m sure we’d all be happier. It’s as if we were brainwashed by the Department of Miserable into dedicating our time, energy and money to growing what is cheaply and widely available and tastes largely the same whether you buy it or grow it. It’s worked perfectly.

I grew exactly the same standard varieties in my first year of growing food. I dedicated evenings and weekends to looking after the brown space between the plants — hoeing off the weeds that took advantage of the invitation to grow, and watering to replace the water that evaporated from the bare ground. And my reward? Sackfuls of perfectly ok food. I’d dedicated much of spring and summer to growing the cheapest, plainest food I eat. Never again.