Home grown varieties have the best flavor. Most of the vegetables sold in markets and grown in vegetable gardens are well known. The last major introduction of new kinds of vegetables took place in the sixteenth century when Europeans began to arrive in the Western Hemisphere and returned to carrying seeds of white potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, corn, squash, and climbing beans, together with such plants as tobacco and cocoa.You don’t need a big plot of ground to grow vegetables. Many of them are decorative and can be interplanted with your garden plants. Others are suitable for planting in containers. And homegrown vegetables are often more flavorful than those from the market, since market varieties are chosen for their shipping qualities and are picked long before you buy and eat them.Vegetables need all the water, nutrients, and sunlight you can give them. Before buying any vegetables, choose a planting site that gets full sun for most of the day. Then rough out a plan on paper of where each kind of plant will go.
Prepare the soil as described, adding a complete fertilizer or well rotted manure and bone meal or superphosphate. Plant the seed or set out young nursery plants. When the plants are a couple of inches tall, cover the ground immediately around the plants with a mulch to conserve moisture and stop weed growth. Feed leafy vegetables with a nitrogen fertilizer once or twice during the time it takes for them to reach full growth.
If pests become a problem, go for control methods. Be sure that you never use an insecticide on vegetables that you plan to harvest within a week or so. Consult product labels for instructions on how long to wait between spraying and harvesting.
The edible leaves
Under this heading are two very easy-to-grow and good- tasting vegetables (Swiss chard and leaf lettuce), and two others so challenging to grow (spinach and celery) that 99 out of 100 gardeners would rather buy them at the store.
Spinach
You can sow seeds from July to September so it can grow to maturity during fall, winter, and spring (depending on your climate). Long daylight hours of late spring and summer heat make it go to seed too fast. Spinach requires a rich soil that drains well. When seedlings get a good start, thin plants so the remaining ones are 4 inches apart. In summer, you can grow an unrelated (but similarly flavored) plant called New Zealand spinach.
Swiss chard
Ideal for any vegetable garden (even as your only crop), easy to grow, pretty, and it yields continually through the first summer without going to seed. Grow it in any sunny spot—among flowers or whatever. Young seedlings transplant easily. Space plants at least 12 inches apart. Rhubarb chard has red stems, attractive leaves, and is valued for floral arranging. Its taste is slightly sweet. Rhubarb chard may develop a fat root like its close relative the beet.Celery
Plant celery only if you’re looking for a horticultural challenge. It doesn’t tolerate very high or low temperatures, is a heavy user of water and nutrients, and needs sandy or silty soil. Can be planted in early spring in most regions. Seeds are slow to germinate, so it’s best to start them indoors 2 months ahead of planting time.
All the lettuces
The four kinds of lettuce include: 1) crisphead or heading; 2) butterhead; 3) a kind known variously as leaf, bunching, loose leafed, or loosehead; and 4) romaine. Crisphead is the trickiest to grow because to achieve a perfect shape requires a constant temperature of between 50 and 60 degrees. If it’s too hot, the central stalk elongates and loses quality. The other types of lettuce are easy to grow. Butterhead varieties are loosely folded with smooth yellow center leaves. Leaf lettuces are best for growing in a hot climate. Cut off leaves from outside the cluster as you need them. Plant rows of several different kinds of lettuce at intervals through the year to keep a continuous, varied supply coming on. Space leafy varieties 5 to 10 inches apart in the row, heading types 10 to 18 inches apart. The cole crops
“Cole crops” is just another name for the cabbage family. A cole crop’s two worst enemies are hot days (which make them go to seed) and aphids. Where summers are cool and rainy, these crops do fairly well. And, if your winter is not too severe, you can plant in August, September, or October so the plants will mature (about 90 to 150 days) during the cool season, which is also the aphids’ off-season. Your best planting season locally for each of these crops is when the nurseries sell started plants. That, incidentally, is the best way for a beginning gardener to start any cole crop. Plant them in full sun. Water often; fertilize several times during growth period.
Brussels sprouts
Although many people tend to drop the final “s’ in pronouncing the first name of this vegetable, the correct term is Brussels sprouts (it was named after the capital of
Cauliflower
Of all the cole crops, cauliflower is the most difficult to grow successfully, but it is worth a try. It grows best in a cool, moist climate. Daily sprinkling is helpful, especially if a dry hot spell comes along. The curd (the white part that you eat) doesn’t form until towards the end of the growing season. When you see it, fold the outer leaves over the curd to protect it from the sun.
Cabbage
There are cabbage varieties that take 2 to 3 months to mature; these plants should be spaced 12 inches apart. Other varieties mature in 3 to 4 months and need to be spaced 18-inches apart. As plants grow, mound soil around stems to support the tops. Additional roots will grow from the covered stems. Pick cabbages when heads are round and firm. Try growing one cabbage in a small soy tub for a unique patio container plant.
Broccoli
This vegetable is very sensitive to heat, especially heat combined with good growing conditions. At first you might think it’s growing mightily (which it is), but too suddenly you find that the heat has forced it to flower—which means it’s too late for good eating. Pick broccoli while heads are tight. When heads start to spread, the skin on the stems will be thick and require peeling off. Pick off stems that you need from the base, leaving the less mature ones farther up the stem to develop.
Kale
Imaginative gardeners plant this vegetable in flower borders and in prominently displayed containers. Its pretty leaves (gray- green or blue-green) are curled and corrugated to the point that they look almost unreal. Cooked like spinach or shredded in salad, kale is delicious but strong in taste. Nurseries seldom sell started plants, so you’ll most likely have to buy the seed and sow it. Plants are easy to transplant. Kale can be grown into summer more easily than other cole crops; it doesn’t head and isn’t as inclined to go to seed in hot weather.
Kohlrabi
Like kale, kohlrabi must be grown from seed. The eating part is the swollen stem section above ground; it’s especially good sliced like a cucumber.
The bulb crops
Bulb vegetables are easy to grow and they continue to grow for most of the year, constantly waiting to be harvested.
All the onions
Onions are especially easy to grow; they need only a fairly rich soil, and regular watering. Applications of fertilizer several times a year will make them grow faster. You can plant onion sets (baby onions from seed stores) all winter and up through April in mild climates; in harsh – winter climates, plant them in early spring. After three weeks, you can begin to pull them up, but they’ll be white, moist, and perishable at this stage. Seeds need about 5 months to mature; sets need 3 to 4 months. After tops die back, pull the onion bulbs out of the ground and let them cure on the surface for several days. The dry onions can be stored safely for considerable periods of time.
Garlic
Seed stores and some mail order seed houses sell “mother” bulbs for planting. They will look like garlic bulbs from the grocery, only firmer. Break them up into cloves and plant them with bases downward, 1 to 2 inches deep and 2 to 3 inches apart in rows 12 inches apart. One or two dozen cloves will be plenty for an average crop. Culture is the same as for onions; harvest the same way as dry onions.
Leeks
An onion relative, a leek doesn’t form a bulb. Plant as seeds. As the plants grow, mound the soil around the fat, round stems to make the bottoms white, mild tasting.
Shallots
These mild, sweet onions are used in many gourmet recipes. They grow from sets like the dry onion. Plant in fall, placing each set 6 to 8 inches apart. Fertilize once or twice during the growing season. Dig up in spring. For white stems, ridge about 4 inches of soil up around the plants five weeks before harvest.
The vine crops
All vine crops originally came from the tropics and simply cannot stand a frost. Consequently, their growing season is limited to the time between the last frost and the first. In regions where there are only about four months between frosts, vine crop growers have to start early, often planting the seeds in paper cups or boxes a few weeks before the last frost date and then setting out the little seedlings when it’s safe. To grow well, all vine crops need nutrients. Before planting, add a shovelful of manure to the soil in each planting site. Then plant the seeds. Remove weeds as they appear; water often.
Squashes and pumpkins
Two basic types of squash are summer and winter squash. Summer squash (such as scallop or zucchini) takes only about two months to ripen from seed. Winter squashes have hard shells; they need three or four months to ripen, as do pumpkins, a close cousin to the squash family. Plant seeds in late spring, when weather is beginning to warm up. Give plants plenty of room to grow; water often. To avoid rot, make sure ripening fruit rests on dry ground.
Cucumbers
Owners of small gardens often have difficulty finding room for any of the vine crops because they need at least a 5 by 5- foot ground area. Because of their light weight, cucumbers adapt well to being trained up trellises, thereby saving space. Plant them 18 inches apart, train the center stem vertically up the trellis to the top, then pinch the top off and train the side branches sideways. Otherwise, grow in the same way as you would pumpkins, squash, and melons.
Melons
To ripen to full sweetness, melons need from 2 1/2 to 4 months of heat. They will tolerate foggy or cool summer days. You grow melons in the same way as other vine crops; however, they can’t develop the desired sweetness without the needed heat. Watermelons need more heat than other melons and more space than other vine crops (8 feet by 8 feet). Of all melons, cantaloupes are easiest to grow because they ripen the fastest.
The edible roots
The root crops listed here are not as closely related as you might think. Carrots and parsnips belong in the parsley family. Radishes and turnips are mustards. Salsify is one of the daisies or composites. Beets belong to the goosefoot family. Although different in most respects, all have certain requirements in common: Sow as early in spring as possible; they grow when it’s cool and, generally speaking, heat can reduce their quality. Manure blended into the soil before planting makes them grow well, as does a thin band of commercial fertilizer placed 2 inches out from the row. Seeds are often slow to germinate; give them continual moisture to make them sprout and grow vigorously.
Beets
Plant a 10-foot row in spring (or fall where winter is mild), mulch lightly so soil won’t crust, keep the bed moist, and in about 60 days it will yield 60 delicious, tender small beets (tenderest at 1½ to 2 inches in diameter). When foliage on plants reaches 5 inches high, begin pulling out excess so that by the time the remaining plants are 60 days old (harvest time) they will be 4 inches apart. The plants you removed (beets and tops) can be cooked and eaten.
Parsnips
These vegetables are related to the carrot, with culture quite similar, but growth much slower—four months from seed to harvest. In cold winter areas, it’s best to sow seed in late spring, let the plants grow through summer, harvest in fall, and leave the excess in the ground to be dug up as needed all winter. In milder climates, parsnips will rot if left in the ground; sow seed in fall and harvest in spring. You must have deep, loose soil for parsnips. In heavy soil, sow seed in holes or trenches filled with sand or with ¾ sand and 1/4 soil.
Radishes
You can harvest some kinds of radishes three weeks after you sow the seed. Speedy growth and relatively easy culture make this vegetable popular. They need continual moisture and some added nutrients to grow well. Supply the nutrients by blending rotted manure into the soil before planting or—about 10 days after planting—apply a fertilizer alongside the rows as for carrots, or feed with liquid fertilizer.
Carrots
Sow carrot seeds rather thickly (20 to 30 seeds per foot) because they germinate unevenly. Rocky or clay soil makes roots branch and grow crooked. Continual moisture and a non-crusted soil over the seed are needed to bring carrots up. When tops are 2 inches high, thin them out to leave 1 1/2 inches between each plant and, at the same time, apply a thin band of commercial fertilizer 2 inches out from the row.
Turnips and rutabagas
Even if you don’t like the taste of turnips, they are good to look at. Part of the fun of buying the vegetables is the choice of color and shape by variety. Colors are white, white topped with purple, and creamy yellow. Shapes are globular and flattened globular. Rutabaga is a tasty kind of turnip with large, yellowish roots. In cold winter areas, plant turnips or rutabagas in spring for early summer harvest or in July or August for fall harvest. In mild winter areas, grow as a winter crop by planting September through March.
Salsify
Salsify looks something like a parsnip and has a creamy white flesh that tastes a little like oysters. In fact, some people call it “oyster plant.” Culture is much the same as for parsnips: Plant in a rich, deep, sandy soil which has been deeply tilled or spaded up. It takes 150 days for salsify to grow to maturity. Cooked, mashed, and mixed with butter and beaten egg, salsify can be made into patties and sautéed until brown to make mock oysters.
The perennials
Perennial vegetables grow tall and come back year after year. Plant roots in late winter or early spring. Some nurseries grow plants in cans so they’re available all year.
Asparagus
Dig 12-inch trenches, work 6 inches of manure into the soil at the bottom and water thoroughly. Then wait two weeks before planting asparagus crowns. Set them 12 inches apart, gently spreading the roots apart. The crowns should be 6 inches below the top of the trench. Cover with 2 inches of soil; water well. As plants grow, add soil but never cover tips. Allow the plants to grow for a year before cutting off the spears.
Rhubarb
This vegetable is best planted in cooler sections, but you can grow it almost anywhere. Give it some shade in hot inland gardens. Plant at least 3 or 4 plants. Space the roots of each plant 2 to 4 feet apart, setting the bud top 4 inches deep. Water slowly and deeply. Let the plants grow through two seasons before harvesting. Be sure never to eat the leaves—they’re poisonous.
Artichokes
Artichokes like cool weather, but can’t take cold winters (they do best in the coastal belt of central
The potatoes
White (or Irish) potatoes are commonly grown in average- sized gardens, but sweet potatoes take up too much space for most gardens.
Yams and sweets
These vegetables are tropical and extremely tender. For summer growth in hot climates, they require rich and sandy soil and large growing spaces. Cut off and plant rooted shoots that grow from temporarily-planted tubers.
White potatoes
It takes a sandy, well-drained soil to grow white potatoes successfully. The subsoil should hold moisture well. Plant early in spring or in midwinter. Buy certified seed (they’re perfect specimens) at a seed store and cut into chunky pieces (1” inches square). Place the chunks (with eye facing up) 4 inches deep and 18 inches apart. Dig up early or new potatoes when tops begin to flower. Dig up mature potatoes after the tops die back.
The lone cereal
As you might expect for a vegetable in the same family as bamboo and lawn grass, sweet corn has to be cared for in special ways if you are going to get a good crop. It must be planted after the soil has warmed and frosts are past. It must be planted in a series of parallel rows so that wind can distribute pollen effectively— otherwise few or no kernels form in the ears. It needs lots of water after growth starts, and especially at tasseling and after silking stages. It thrives on heat. After ears form, the kernels can go from the watery- kernel stage (immature) to the milky stage (just right) to the tough stage (too starchy to be good) in just a day. But if the weather is cool at ripening time, this progression may take a week. The sugar in picked corn changes to starch very fast, faster than field-to-market shipment, so there’s nothing like the taste of sweet corn picked fresh and cooked immediately.
The solanaceous fruits
The solanaceous vegetables (or fruiting vegetables) have these traits in common: All are tender annuals and are widely sold as nursery plants in flats or pots at the right time for local planting. (You can also sow seed in flats about 6 weeks before the outdoor planting season.) Once these vegetables begin to produce fruits, they will continue to do so until frosts hit them.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are sometimes thought of as hard to grow—that a perfect climate is necessary to make them ripen, and that the work involved keeping them staked and protected from pests and bugs is much too hard. The fact is that the amateur gardener who is willing to follow a few simple rules can grow tomatoes with little if any trouble.Whether you buy seedlings from the nursery or plant seeds indoors following packet instructions, the ideal size for setting out plants is 2 to 3 inches tall. A dozen plants should supply enough tomatoes for any medium-sized family. Three to six plants may well be plenty. Plant seedlings at least 3 feet apart; dig holes deep enough to take all of the stems below the first leaves or branches—roots will form there. The wire cylinder is particularly efficient, but you can use stakes or a flat rectangular support. Tomatoes left on the ground may rot before they ripen.After the plants are settled, make a watering basin about a foot in diameter, enlarging it as the plant grows larger. Work a teaspoon of commercial fertilizer into the soil inside the basin. Water thoroughly. If cutworms are a local problem, put out bait immediately. Cultivate to keep weeds out but don’t hoe too deep— roots are shallow. Feed according to fertilizer’s label directions when immature fruits appear or after harvest. How to grow healthy tomatoes
Plant tomatoes deeply (you can bury half the stem).
Space plants that will be staked 12 to 18 inches apart. Use wire and stakes for support and to prevent tomato plants from rotting on the damp ground.
Eggplant
This vegetable is slow and balky ,o grow from seed so you’d be wise to buy nursery plants. Set out plants at the same depth they grew in the flats (not deeper as with tomatoes). Shade young eggplants from sun for a week or so after planting.
Peppers
Pretty leaves, white flowers, and shining green or red peppers on 2 to 2 1/2-foot plants make this vegetable very decorative. Plant in a sunny spot as you would a big annual or small shrub.
The legumes
Peas and beans are related in the botanical sense but have little else in common. Peas are a cool weather crop; beans require heat. Plant beans in late spring to mid-summer; plant peas in fall, winter, or early spring.
Peas and Chinese or snow peas
Plant in water-retentive but fast-draining soil. Add a little fertilizer when the plants are about 9 inches high. The edible pod or snow peas (commonly served in Chinese restaurants) are not stocked by most supermarkets. (They do not do well in warm-winter areas.)
Beans
This vegetable seed may not sprout if soil is too cold or too dense. Plant only when warm weather comes (April in many regions). Add amendments to heavy sail to make it workable. Pole beans, the kind you start twining up stakes or strings, mature 10 days to 2 weeks more slowly than bush beans, but yield more.
 |
Burpee Big Boy Tomato – $ 9.95 The Tomato Burpee Big Boy, ‘Lycopersicon lycopersicum’, is a very vigerous plant with heavy foliage that produces large fruit. The Burpee Big Boy is a long time best seller with firm, smooth, red fruit, great flavor, and excellent quality. It is popular for plant or fruit sales at roadside markets and in garden centers. Burpee Boy was introduced 1949. It’s incredible productivity and gorgeous, perfect, large scarlet fruit made it an instant hit. Tomatoes need at least 1 inch of water a week. They need at least 6 hours of direct sunlight a day. |
If you have any comments or questions about NewGardener.com, I invite you to email me personally at grow@newgardener.com. And don’t forget — you can always follow us on Twitter.
Thanks!
Tim Lundie, Editor
