Baby corn is sweet and crunchy and can be eaten whole out of hand–kernels and cob together. Add baby corn raw to salads, or cook it quickly in stir-fries. Include fresh baby corn among crudités. Baby corn is often included in Thai and Chinese dishes. It looks like miniature corn on the cob. But baby […] More
Yard-long beans can be eaten raw or cooked. Sliced yard-long beans can be added raw to salads similar to French haricots verts. Yard-long beans can be steamed or sautéed as a side dish. They can be added to soups and stews. Yard-long beans have a chewy, crunchy texture–more so than snap beans–and a flavor reminiscent […] More
Calendulas are the cool-season cousins of summer marigolds. These easy-to-grow annuals are nicknamed “pot marigolds” because they resemble marigolds and the leaves were once cooked in pots as a vegetable. Calendulas can be readily grown from seed. The large seeds are easy to handle and plant and they germinate quickly. Use calendulas in beds and […] 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
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
Artichokes are perennial plants. Artichokes prefer cool, moist summers and mild winters. The perennial artichoke plant will not survive where the ground freezes. The artichoke is an edible thistle flower bud that is eaten before it opens. Artichokes are tender perennials that grow from 3 to 4 feet (.9-1.2m) tall and to 6 feet 1.8m) […] More
Arugula–also known as rocket, garden rocket, and roquette–is a dense, low-growing plant with long, smooth, soft-lobed, bright green leaves. Arugula is a cool-weather leafy crop. Grow arugula in spring and autumn. Arugula leaves can be harvested about six weeks after sowing seeds. Arugula plants will continue to produce succulent leaves as long as the weather […] More
Cucumbers–natives of India–love warm weather. Wait until soil and air temperatures average 70°F each day before sowing or transplanting cumbers to the garden. While warm temperatures are required for growing, cucumbers require a relatively short season–55 to 60 days from sowing to harvest. In long-season regions, you can plant successive crops. In cool or short-season […] More
Learn how to grow tomatoes in the ground, in raised beds, and in containers. From seedling to harvest, tomato plants require care. Now let’s start the port by understanding the tomatoes in more depth. The tomato is native to semi-tropical western South America. Tomatoes are warm-season annuals. To grow strong and healthy and to bear […] More
Brussels sprouts are best grown in cool weather, usually in early spring or autumn. Sprouts require from 80 to 110 days with daylight temperatures below 80ºF (27ºC) and nighttime temperatures even lower. Brussels sprouts are frost hardy and will tolerate temperatures as low as 20ºF. A frost will sweeten the flavor of Brussels sprouts. Temperatures […] More
Chinese cabbage can be eaten raw or cooked–steamed, boiled, and quickly stir-fried. Cooked leaves and stalks add flavor to soups, stews, pasta dishes, and stir-fries. Chinese cabbage is a general name for several varieties of thick-stalked and green- or pale green-leaved vegetables that fall under the even more generic name Chinese leaves. Chinese leaves are […] More
Taro–also called Dasheen–is a perennial tropical or subtropical plant commonly grown for its starchy but sweet flavored tuber. Taro is always served cooked, not raw. The taro tuber is cooked like a potato, has a doughy texture, and can be used to make flour. Young taro leaves and stems can be eaten after boiling twice […] More
Stephen Albert