The appearance of asparagus is the first sign of Spring in many vegetable gardens. Stalks or spears begin to break the soil in early spring as soon as the soil temperature reaches 50°F (10°C). Asparagus is a long-lived perennial vegetable that requires three to four years to become established and productive. Once established, an asparagus
Sunchoke tubers at harvest The sunchoke, also called Jerusalem artichoke, is a variety of perennial sunflowers grown for its edible low-starch tuber which looks much like a small potato but tastes like a water chestnut. The sunchoke is a hardy perennial that grows from 5 to 10 feet tall. The plant has rough-textured leaves 4
Tomatoes are warm-season annuals that grow best when the soil temperature is at least 55°F (12°C) and the air temperature ranges between 65° and 90°F (18-32°C). Here is your complete guide to growing tomatoes. Quick Tomato Growing Guide Tomatoes are commonly grown from seedlings started indoors that are later transplanted into the garden. Tomato seeds
Black Beauty eggplant Eggplant is a very tender warm season perennial grown as an annual. Grow eggplant in the warmest, frost-free time of the year. The edible fruit can be long and slender or round or egg-shaped fruit. The fruit is creamy-white, yellow, brown, purple, or sometimes almost black. Eggplant is a small- to a
Pepper seedlings Sweet peppers and hot peppers are most easily grown in the garden from transplants started indoors. Start seed indoors 7 to 10 weeks before the date you intend to set peppers into the garden. Don’t rush peppers into the garden. Transplant pepper seedlings into the garden 2 to 3 weeks after the last
Potatoes require a cool but frost-free growing season. Grow potatoes through the summer in cool northern regions. Grow potatoes in fall, winter, and spring in hot summer southern regions. Here is your complete guide to growing potatoes. Quick Potato Growing Tips Plant potatoes as early as 4 to 6 weeks before the average last frost
The tomatillo is a warm-weather crop. Tomatillos are easy to grow and bear fruit all summer long. Tomatillo fruit is used to make sauces and salads and is very popular in Mexican and Southwestern cuisine. The tomatillo has a sweet-sharp flavor recognizable in the green sauce used on chicken enchiladas and fresh green salsa for
How to Grow Beans: Snap beans are tender annuals that grow best in temperatures between 60° and 85°F. Snap beans–also called green beans–are tender annuals best planted shortly after the last frost in spring. Snap beans are grown for fresh eating or for canning. The color of snap beans can vary. Green beans are green
Broad beans, also called fava beans, are a cool-season crop. The broad bean is a bushy, hardy annual that can grow from 3 to 4½ feet (.9-1.3m) tall. The broad bean has square stems with leaves divided into leaflets. Broad bean pods are 6 to 8 inches (15-20cm) long and contain 4 to 6 flat
Lima beans are tender annuals grown for their flat, crescent-oval-shaped seeds. There are two types of lima beans: bush and pole or vine varieties. Bush types grow to about 2 feet tall (.6m) and tend to have smaller seeds; they bear more quickly than pole lima bean varieties. Pole lima beans have large seeds and
