Food stories

15 Times People Tried Growing Their Own Food Without Success

Life as a kitchen gardener is not as easy as it may seem. For hours, weeks, months and perhaps even years, you pour all your effort, love and attention into that garden, only to hope that you’ll be able to reap some of the rewards. When that vegetable garden actually produces something, you feel like the richest person alive. You almost want to build a stage to put your harvest on display. But sometimes all that hard work in your vegetable garden can also be a thankless task.

Foto van culinair journalist Jeske van Steen

door Jeske van Steen

And we’re not necessarily talking about a tomato that looks a little strange. Small dents, cracks and spots can simply happen—we are talking about nature doing its thing, after all. No, we’re talking about fruits and vegetables that simply refuse to grow.

No, this is not a success

Pumpkins that are still the size of a peach after growing for two years. Or spring onions that look like chives months later. Or three ears of corn on the cob. And that’s the end result. Seriously?! That’s probably what the hobby gardeners below must have thought too. We do have a tip for them: burying a pair of underpants in your vegetable garden is supposed to work wonders. You can literally give that thankless task right back.