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 that grow to 12 […] More
Turnips can be boiled, steamed, and stir-fried. Cook turnips until they are just tender-crunchy–less than seven minutes or so for a young turnip. The flavor will be mildly sweet and crisp. Turnips can be cooked in several ways. Roast turnips, braise turnips in butter, make turnip and potato purée, glaze turnips, or make a turnip […] More
Harvest turnips when they are large enough to eat. Turnip roots are ready for harvest 40 to 50 days after sowing. Turnips should not be allowed to grow too large or they will become woody, stringy, and bitter tasting. Related articles: When to harvest turnips Kitchen Helpers from Amazon: How to harvest turnips How to […] More
There are three ways to get your vegetable garden growing: Starting seed indoors will give you the following: Good Products for Seed Starting Success at Amazon: Crops best started from seed in the garden Some crops are not easily transplanted into the garden. These crops simply want to be handled as little as possible; they […] More
Seeds sprout through a process called germination. Different vegetables have different germination requirements. It’s important to know the germination requirements of the seeds you are planting to ensure success. Germination–depending upon the type of seed–requires just the right conditions for growth–usually an abundant supply of water, an adequate supply of oxygen, and the proper temperature. […] More
Broccoli is an edible flower. Broccoli is a cool-season crop. Grow broccoli so that it comes to harvest when temperatures average no more than 75°F (23°C) each day. Broccoli heads are clusters of tightly packed flower buds waiting to open. Broccoli is a hardy biennial, grown as an annual. It is a member of the cabbage […] More
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 right, even the novice […] More
Kale is a leafy cool-weather crop that requires two months of cool weather to reach harvest. Kale is a biennial plant, a hardy brassica (member of the cabbage/mustard family). Mature kale leaves can be coarse but there are several types that are grown for their tender, palatable young leaves. Kale is an important leaf crop […] More
Plant spinach in cool weather. It is well suited for the spring and autumn gardens. Plant spinach before the weather warms in spring and again as the weather cools in early autumn. (When days lengthen in late spring and the weather becomes dry and hot, spinach bolts and stops making new leaves.) Spinach can be […] More
Cardoon is a tender perennial vegetable often grown as an annual. Cardoon looks like a cross between burdock and celery. It is grown for its young leaf stalks which are blanched and eaten like celery. Cardoon has heavy, gray-green, fuzzy leaves that are deeply cut leaves and a heavy, bristled flower head. Cardoon is a […] More
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 but other snap beans can be yellow, purple, or speckled depending on the variety. Yellow snap beans are […] More
Welcome to the CCSF Garden page. Get updates on what’s happening in the garden this week. Saturday May 18 – Work in CCSF garden 10am to 1pm Garden maintenance; set up drip irrigation. This is the last meeting of the semester. Now growing in the garden are beans, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, collards, kale, […] More
Stephen Albert