Crisp, tender lettuce is perhaps the most desirable of all salad plants. For the best flavor and texture, it is best grown with close attention to moisture, soil, and climatic requirements. Lettuce was originally a Eurasian annual; it has been developed into many varieties and cultivars with dozens of forms. For the home gardener lettuce
Bulbing onions Onions can be grown for their green immature stems or they can be grown for their mature bulbs. These strong-smelling plants have been extremely popular for centuries. Today there are two main types of onions that are grown in the home garden: the young, green or white, bunching sorts eaten fresh and before
Beet near harvest Beets are a cool-weather crop. Beets can again be planted 2 to 3 weeks before the last average frost date in spring or in late summer or early autumn 6 to 8 weeks before the first average frost in autumn. Beets can be grown as a winter crop in mild-winter regions. Beets
Cauliflower head near harvest Cauliflower is grown for its edible flower buds that form a solid head atop single stalks. The heads are edible raw or cooked. While cauliflower is perhaps the most delicious member of the cabbage family, it is also the most finicky to grow in the home garden. When the conditions are
Collards plant near harvest Collards–also called collard greens–is a tall growing form of kale whose coarse leaves borne in tufts are eaten like greens. Collards are a cool season crop but they can stand more hot weather than cabbage or ordinary kale, and so are consequently grown in the South. Georgia collards are the standard
Turnip roots near harvest Turnips are grown as a root vegetable or for their green leaves, Turnips are a cool-season crop; they grow and taste best when they come to harvest in cool weather. The turnip is a hardy, cool-weather biennial grown as an annual. The turnip has a rosette of bright green, wavy-edged leaves
Harvest winter squashes when they are mature. Winter squash is mature when its rind cannot be scratched with a thumbnail. Winter squashes include Acorn, Butternut, Hubbard, Banana, Buttercup, Spaghetti, and pumpkins. Winter squash refers to squash planted in spring, grown in summer, harvested in fall, and stored for winter use. Winter squashes require more days
Autumn and winter crops replace summer crops as days shorten and temperatures begin to drop. Root crops do best in cool weather as do most leafy crops. As warm-weather fruiting vegetables—tomatoes, peppers, and squashes—finish their run for the year remove them and prepare planting beds for autumn and winter crops–beets, carrots, parsnips, turnips, kale, spinach
Greens and roots in the late autumn garden November is a busy month in the kitchen garden. Many gardeners would say November is the most important month–now is the time to prepare the soil for next spring and afterward put the garden to bed for the winter. (Of course, winter vegetable gardening can be very
Roasted sunchokes The sunchoke can be eaten raw or cooked. It has a crunchy, delicate, sweet, nutty flavor. The taste is reminiscent of jicama, water chestnuts, or artichokes. Sunchoke is the root of a perennial sunflower. The sunchoke also is called Jerusalem artichoke but it not related to the artichoke. It is tastiest if harvested
