GROW IN NL A guide to edible gardening in Newfoundland & Labrador
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Student project created by Jamie Lewis.
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CONTENTS
Introduction.....................................................................................................................p. 4-5 Where to Start................................................................................................................ p.6-9 Cold Weather Crops from A-Z................................................................................ p.10-53 Outdoor Gardening....................................................................................................p.54-59 Indoor Gardening.......................................................................................................p.60-69
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Anyone living in Newfoundland and Labrador has experienced many of the inconveniences of living in a remote location. It’s hard not to think about the unpredictable weather, unreliable ferry services, deflating economy and rising food costs. It’s not uncommon to find produce at grocery stores that is both expensive and in bad condition, but many of us rely on stores as our sole source of food. We’ve moved away from a culture that relies on agriculture, simply because it is so difficult to do here. It’s a hard issue to tackle; our soil is acidic, our growing season is short, and our winters miserable at best. Despite the fact that our province is vast, the majority of our population lives on the Avalon Peninsula- which is an urbanized area that boasts a pretty unforgiving climate. So what can we do to live more sustainably in an environment that is only lightly urbanized but nonetheless unforgiving? This book is a compilation of different edible gardening techniques suitable for our climate.
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WHERE TO START Seedlings, Cuttings, & Whole Plants If you want to grow your own herbs, veggies or fruiting plants, there are some general concepts you’ll need to be aware of; namely the ways in which we choose to grow them. For the most part, growing plants from seed requires more patience. Sometimes seeds must be germinated before planting, and take some time to produce fruits. In addition, the delicate seedlings that grow from the seeds you have painstakingly sowed need extra care and attention. Young plants like humidity, moisture and warmth. The time required for some seedlings (especially vegetables) to grow means that agricultural gardening needs some degree of foresight; if you wish to grow fruits and veggies outdoors, many plants started from seedlings will need to be started indoors during the spring or winter months and then moved outdoors. For this reason, I’ve included some planting and harvesting times of various fruits and veggies. Another way to start your growing is from clippings that come from existing plants. I find that this is a much easier way to begin growing if it’s your first time, and doesn’t take as long as starting from seed. The concept is simple- you can cut a piece off of a plant, put the cutting in a glass of water, and the cutting will soon start to produce its own roots! This is a
very cost effective way of growing; in time the cutting sprouts roots and becomes a new plant that is an exact genetic clone of the plant that the cutting was taken from. Herbaceous plants are your best bet for starting off, because they don’t have woody stems and are quick to propagate roots, but even some plants with woody stems can be grown from cuttings. Take cuttings from plants that are in the middle of a growth spurt and you will have an easier time getting them to root. It’s also important to get these plants in their propagation medium as soon as possible, and make sure that there is no wind in the area so that the plants can do their thing! Once your cutting is starting to grow roots in the water, it’s time to move them to a medium such as potting soil or a mixture of soil, mulch and peat moss. Young plants need a very humid environment, so once you plant them make sure to mist them with water and keep them warm. Another great way to help speed along the process, or to start rooting plants with a more “woody” stem, if to buy a rooting gel or powder and then place the plant within a medium that is good for starting seeds. Just cut off a piece of the plant and dip it in the rooting powder before placing it in your growing medium.
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Plants that do well with water propagation Rosemary Mint (peppermint, spearmint, common mint, wild mint) Currants (Blackcurrant, Redcurrant) Basil Sage Oregano Sweet potato vine Lemon Verbana Geranium Tomato suckers (the smallish shoot that grows out of the joint where a branch on the tomato plant meets a stem. These small shoots will grow into a full sized branch if left alone, which results in a bushier, more sprawling tomato plant. You can just clip them off and use them to re-grow.) Christmas Cactus Lemon grass Lavender Patchouli
Tip:
you can grow wild plants like raspberry bushes and mint from cuttings. Just be careful with placement; raspberries and mint both spread VERY easily, and can take over your garden! Try planting them against a fence, or in containers.
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Tip:
let your water sit for at least an hour before using it on your plants! Most potable water sources contain chlorine, which can be harmful for plants or cuttings. Leaving your water out for a bit lets the chlorine evaporate, and makes it healthier for your plants. If you're serious about yielding good results in your edible garden, be sure to test the PH level of both your water and your soil to make sure they are balanced. PH test kits are available at any hardware store that sells gardening supplies.
Wild blueberries- one of the most abundant edible crops that can be foraged in the fall in NL! Blueberries love our acidic soil.
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Cold Weather Crops (from A-Z)
Because "what the hell even grows here" is a valid question.
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WHAT TO GROW & WHERE TO DO IT
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ASPARAGUS Vegetable (cool season) Asparagus has been grown with ease in parts of central and West coast NL- but it’s harder in colder regions. If you’re trying to grow this vegetable in a cold climate, it might be a good idea to build them a raised bed or garden bed that can easily be covered with plastic in the winter months. A hardy perennial can last
for decades if well cared for, and the fine foliage makes it a natural for edible landscaping. The tender spears are tastiest when eaten as soon as possible after harvest.
Sunlight:
full sun part shade
Soil conditions:
tolerates acid soil, tolerates droughty soil, requires well-drained soil. Prefers loose, deep soils high in organic matter. Prefers pH near 7.0, but tolerates a wide range. Add lime and fertilizer before establishment.
Ease-of-care:
moderately difficult Height: 5 to 9 feet Spread: 2 to 2.5 feet
How to plant:
Propagate by seed, division or separation - Purchase disease-free, 1-year-old crowns for planting. Divide plants in early spring, if desired. Asparagus can also be grown from seed, but requires an extra year to establish. Germination temperature: 70 F to 77 F Days to emergence: 10 to 12 Seed can be saved 3 years.
Maintenance and care:
Carefully consider site before planting this long-lived perennial. Test soil and apply phosphorus, potassium and lime as indictated before planting. Avoid frost pockets as late killing frosts will damage spears. Plant crowns 4 to 6 weeks before average last frost, 18 to 24 inches apart in trenches 8 inches deep. (5 inches deep for Jersey series cultivars.) Spread roots in bottom of trench and cover with 1 to 2 inches of soil. Gradually cover with more soil as the plants grow. Do not cut back ferns in fall until they die naturally. Water during dry spells during the first year. Do not overwater- plants don’t tolerate water-logged soils.
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Beets (Vegetable, cold season)
Easy-to-grow beets do doubleduty in the kitchen, producing tasty roots for baking, boiling or sautéing and fresh greens to boil or steam. Plant them early for top quality and best flavor. (Fluctuating weather can reduce quality and create white zone rings in the roots.) Some varieties have red stems and venation in the leaves, making them a natural for edible landscaping.
Sunlight:
full sun, part shade
Soil conditions: tolerates low fertility. Prefers well-drained sandy loam to silt loam soil, high in organic matter, with pH between 6.5 and 7 and free of large stones. Good soil structure is important because growth is improved by good soil aeration. Beets grow poorly in acid soil. They tolerate low fertility but require consistent moisture. Do not plant in soils with pH less than 6.0. Beets use boron inefficiently. Boron is less available in soils with high pH and high organic matter. Corky black areas in the roots indicate boron deficiency. Lifecycle: annual. Biennial grown as an annual. Ease-of-care: easy Tolerates: frost Germination temperature: 50 F
to 85 F - Will still germinate at temperatures as low as 40 F and as high as 90 F. Days to emergence: 5 to 8 - May take two to three weeks in colder soils. Seed can be saved 4 years.
Maintenance and care:
Plant in early spring, as soon as you can work the soil, ¾ inch deep and 1 inch apart in rows 12 to 18 inches apart. For continuous harvest, make successive plantings every three weeks until midsummer. For winter storage, sow crop about 10 weeks before heavy freeze. The wrinkled “seedball” usually contains two to four viable seeds, making it necessary to thin to 3- to 4-inch spacings if you plan to harvest young, small or cylindricalshaped roots, or 6-inch spacings for larger roots for winter storage. Begin thinning when seedlings are about 4 to 5 inches tall, and eat the thinnings. Cut rather than pull plants when thinning to avoid disturbing roots of other plants. Some “monogerm” varieties have only one seed per fruit. Some seed companies remove seeds from the seedball. Unlike most root crops, beets can
be started inside or in cold frames and transplanted into the garden. Use floating row covers to discourage insects early in the season. Keep well-weeded. Competition and uneven watering can make beets stringy and tough. Beets are closely related to Swiss chard and spinach. Avoid following these crops in rotation. Beets tolerate average to low fertility. Too much nitrogen will encourage top growth at the expense of root development. Best color and flavor develop under cool conditions and bright sun. When beets mature in warm weather, they are lighter colored, have less sugar and have more pronounced color zoning in the roots. Fluctuating weather conditions produce white zone rings in roots. Beets are biennials. Normally, they produce an enlarged root during their first season. Then after overwintering they produce a flower stalk. If they experience two to three weeks of temperatures below 45 F after they have formed several true leaves during their first season, a flower stalk may grow prematurely. Many newer varieties are less sensitive to this problem.
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bush beans (Vegetable, warm season)
You can harvest this staple of the vegetable garden as snap beans, shell beans or dry beans. They are extremely easy to grow, but if your garden is small, consider planting pole beans. They yield two to three times more from the same space.
Sunlight:
Full sun- Can tolerate partial shade but will reduce yield. Soil conditions: requires welldrained soil. Prefers well-drained soil, but with consistent moisture. Only requires average fertility. pH 6.0 to 6.8.
Plant Traits
Lifecycle: annual Tender annual. Ease-of-care: easy Height: 1 to 3 feet Spread: 1 to 2 feet Bloom time: mid-summer, late summer.
How to plant: Propagate by seed - Do not start seeds inside. Beans do not like to be transplanted. Germination temperature: 70 F to 80 F - Germination is slow and poor when soil temperatures are below 60 F. Days to emergence: 8 to 10 Germination may take two weeks
or more if soil temperatures are below 60 F. Seed can be saved 5 years.
Maintenance and care:
Do not plant until danger of frost has passed and soil has warmed. Germination is poor when soil temperature is below 60 F. Cold air temperatures (even above freezing) can injure plants and reduce yields. Plant seed one inch deep (deeper if soil is dry), about 2 inches apart, in rows 18 to 36 inches apart. Soaking beans to hasten germination may damage seeds. Do not start seed inside. For a steady supply of beans, make successive plantings until mid- to late July. Relay-crop beans following harvest of cool-season crops, such as lettuce, spinach and peas. Beans require even moisture about 1 inch per week - especially when flowering and developing pods. If you water, avoid wetting foliage, which encourages disease. Water early in the day so foliage
dries quickly. Mulch after second set of true leaves develops to help retain moisture. Do not use nitrogen fertilizers. Inoculating seed with rhizobium bacteria may increase yields, especially in soils where beans have not been grown before. Pod set is often poor when temperatures exceed 90 F. Deformed pods may be the result of lack of moisture, poor soil fertility or insect damage during blooming. A three-year rotation helps reduce some diseases.
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cabbage (Vegetable, cold season) Germination temperature: 45 F This cool-season crop grows best when daytime temperatures are in to 85 F - Will germinate at soil the 60s F. Direct-seed or transplant temperatures as low as 40 F. Days to emergence: 4 to 7. Seed can spring crops for fresh use in summer. Plant fall crops for winter be saved 5 years. storage or sauerkraut.
Sunlight:
Maintenance and care:
twisting plants after heads have firmed to break some of the roots. To help reduce disease, do not plant cabbage or other cole crops in the same location more than once every three or four years.
Sow seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before average last spring frost. Keep soil warm (about 75 F) until germination. Then keep plants around 60 F. Provide direct sun so plants don’t get leggy. When plants are 4 to 6 weeks old, transplants Soil conditions: requires wellinto garden 12 to 24 inches apart, drained soil. Prefers well-drained, in rows 18 to 34 inches apart. Use fertile soil high in organic matter, closer spacings for smaller, early pH 6.0 to 7.5. Can tolerate slightly alkaline soil. This heavy feeder also varieties, wider spacings for larger, needs plentiful, consistent moisture. late-season varieties. Can be direct seeded as soon as you can work the soil. Will Plant Traits Lifecycle: annual. Biennial grown germinate at soil temps as low as 40 F. Plant ½ to ž inch deep, about 3 as an annual. Ease-of-care: moderately difficult. inches apart. Thin to final spacings. Direct seed in summer for fall Requires good soil, timely planting crop, or start transplants in late and protection from pests. May and transplant in late June or Height: 1 to 2 feet early July. Spread: 1.5 to 3 feet Plants have shallow root systems. Avoid even shallow cultivation. Special Considerations Mulch to protect roots, reduce weed Tolerates: frost - Tender leaves inside the head can be damaged by competition and conserve moisture. heavy freezes while the outer leaves Use floating row cover to protect crop from early pests. appear unaffected. When heads are mature, they are Special characteristics: not native prone to splitting in response to to North America - Not known any stress or a rain following a dry in the wild. Descended from wild period. Avoid splitting by choosing Mediterranean kale. varieties that resist splitting, Special uses: edible landscaping spacing plants close together (8 to 12 inches for early varieties, 12 to How to plant: 16 inches for later varieties), using Propagate by seed shovel to sever roots on one side about 6 inches from the plant, or full sun Can tolerate light shade but will slow maturity. Light shade can be beneficial in warm weather.
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carrots (Vegetable, cold season) Careful attention to the soil makes these Vitamin A-rich roots a snap to grow. Plant in deep, stone-free soil (a raised bed is great) with a fine surface. Thin and weed carefully, and mulch to keep soil cool.
Sunlight:
full sun. Will tolerate very light shade.
Soil conditions: requires welldrained soil Good quality roots require plentiful moisture and soil that is deep, loose, free of stones, and high in organic matter. Roots can become twisted and forked in heavy, stony soil. Prefers pH of 6.0 to 6.8 but can tolerate 5.5 to 7.5. Requires only moderate nitrogen. Too much can cause root branching. Plant Traits
Lifecycle: Biennial grown as an annual. Ease-of-care: easy Great crop for kids if planted in deep soil and site gets full sun. Foliage color: medium green Foliage texture: fine Shape: cushion, mound or clump Special Considerations Tolerates: frost - Tolerates light frost.
How to plant:
Propagate by seed Germination temperature: 50 F to 85 F - Will germinate at
temperatures as low a 40 F. Will germinate in about a week at 75 F, with adequate moisture. Days to emergence: 7 to 21 Seed can be saved 3 years.
Maintenance and care:
Plant in spring, 2 to 3 weeks before last frost, ½ inch deep, ½ inch apart, in rows 12 to 24 inches apart. Deeply worked soil with fine, weed-free seedbed will greatly improve chances of successful crop. Carrots are slow to germinate (1 to 3 weeks), and often germinate unevenly over a period of several weeks. To speed germination, water lightly daily if soil is dry. Thinning is critical to reduce competition from neighboring plants. Thin to 1- to 4-inch spacings (depending on size of root desired) before plants are 2 inches tall. Cutting rather than pulling reduces disturbance of the remaining plants. To improve germination in dry weather: Make a small furrow, about 2 inches deep. Plant seed and cover with about ½ inch of soil. Cover furrow with a board to retain soil moisture until seeds germinate. Tip: Sow radishes in the same row. They germinate quickly, break the soil crust, and mark the row. Thin and/or harvest radishes before they compete with carrots. Use seed tape or pelleted seed for more even spacings and less thinning. Or mix seed in roughly equal proportions with sand, fine
vermiculite, or dried coffee grounds. Mulch to keep soil cool, conserve moisture and to keep exposed “shoulders” from turning green and bitter. Another option is to hill soil over the shoulders. Make additional plantings every three weeks through midsummer for continuous supply and fall harvest. Sowing in very early spring is possible, but some varieties will bolt if temperatures are too cold. Plant crops for fall harvest about 10 to 12 weeks before first frost. Root quality is best when soil temperatures are 60 F to 70 F. The shape of the root is determined within the first few weeks after germination when the new plant extends its taproot deep into the soil. If it encounters obstacles (such as rocks or high water table) or is damaged, shape and quality of the root will suffer. To prevent diseases, don’t plant carrots in the same spot more than once every 3 years.
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Sunlight:
full sun, part shade Soil conditions: tolerates acid soil. While chives will tolerate a wide range of soil conditions, they prefer slightly acid soil (pH 6.2 to 6.8) with moderate fertility and high organic matter. Chinese and garlic chives (Allium tuberosum) are slightly less hardy, only to Zone 4 without extra winter protection. Special locations: outdoor containers, rock gardens.
Plant Traits
Lifecycle: perennial Ease-of-care: easy Height: 0.5 to 1 feet. Chinese and garlic chives (Allium tuberosum) grow up to 2 feet tall. Bloom time: late spring, early summer, late summer, early fall. Flower color: red, violet, pink white. The common garden chive has pinkish lavender flowers. The cultivar ‘Forescate’ has rose red flowers. ‘Corsica” and ‘albiflorum’ have white flowers. Chinese and garlic chives (Allium tuberosum) have white flowers.
How to plant:
Propagate by seed, division or separation - Direct seed, divide or transplant in spring or fall. Germination temperature: 45 F to 95 F Days to emergence: 7 to 21 Seed can be saved 3 years.
Maintenance and care:
In spring or fall, direct seed onto well-prepared seedbed (covering very lightly), or transplant established plants. (If starting from seed, plants probably won’t be large enough to harvest for at least a year.) Regular cutting helps keep plants vigorous and healthy and encourages spreading. Keep flowers picked to discourage dormancy in warm weather. No fertilizer is needed if planted in reasonably fertile soil. Plants harvested frequently benefit from nitrogen top-dressing. Divide and replant clump in fresh soil every three to five years.
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chives (Herb, Vegetable, Cool Season)
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collards (Vegetable, Cool Season)
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The flavor of this traditional Southern potherb is improved by frost. Very cold hardy (harvest can continue right through snow), collards are also among the most heat tolerant of cole crops.
Sunlight: full sun
Prefers full sun in spring, but can benefit from light shade during hot weather.
Soil conditions: requires well-drained soil. Prefers well-drained, fertile soil high
in organic matter, pH 6.0 to 7.5. Can tolerate slightly alkaline soil. Prefers plentiful, consistent moisture. Can tolerate drought, but quality and flavor of leaves suffer.
Plant Traits
Lifecycle: annual Biennial grown as an annual. Ease-of-care: easy Height: 1.5 to 3 feet Spread: 1 to 2 feet Special Considerations Tolerates: frost - Flavor improved when plants are “kissed” by frost.
How to Plant:
Propagate by seed Germination temperature: 45 F to 85 F - Will germinate at soil temperatures as low as 40 F. Days to emergence: 4 to 7 Seed can be saved 4 years.
Maintenance and care:
Direct seed about three months before expected fall frost. Plant seeds ¼ to ½ inch deep, 1 inch apart in rows 18 to 30 inches apart. Thin to 12- to 18-inch spacings. Eat or transplant thinnings. For spring crops, start plants inside about 8 weeks before the last frost, and transplant when they are about 6 weeks old. Set transplants 12 inches apart, rows 18 to 24 inches apart. Plant direct-seeded crops 1/2 inch deep and 3 inches apart 3 weeks before last frost. Thin to 12 to 18 inches apart. Mulch overwintering plants. Collards don’t seem to be as troubled by pests as most other cole crops. Use floating row covers to help protect from early insect infestations. To help reduce disease, do not plant collards or other cole crops in the same location more than once every three or four years.
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GARDEN CRESS (Vegetable, Cool Season) Also known as Peppergrass, Pepper cress, Mustard cress The easiest of the cresses to grow, garden cress can be harvested in as little as two weeks after sowing. Its peppery taste adds zing to salads, but hot weather makes this cool-season crop bitter and inedible.
Sunlight: full sun, part shade. Prefers part shade during hot summer weather. Soil conditions:
requires well-drained soil. Prefers moist, fertile soil with high organic matter and pH 6.0 to 6.7 Special locations: outdoor containers - Good for windowsill gardens in winter.
Plant Traits
Lifecycle: annual Ease-of-care: easy Tolerates: frost
How to plant:
Propagate by seed Germination temperature: 55 F to 75 F Days to emergence: 2 to 7 - In early spring when soils are cold (~45 F), germination may take two weeks. Seed can be saved 5 years.
Maintenance and care:
Plant in early spring as soon as you can work the soil. Broadcast seed and cover very lightly with soil or compost. A small patch (1- to 2-feet square) provides plenty of cress. Make succession plantings every 2 to 3 weeks until weather warms. Start planting fall crops when weather cools in late summer. You can intercrop cress with carrots or radishes, or mix it with other salad green crops. Keep cress well watered and provide shade when weather warms. Cover with fabric row covers if flea beetles or other pests are a problem.
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GARLIC (Vegetable, Cool Season)
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Easy to grow and productive - a pound of cloves can produce 7 to 10 pounds of garlic - the “stinking rose� needs rich, well-drained soil, full sun and excellent weed control.
Sunlight: full sun
Soil conditions: requires welldrained soil, requires high fertility. Well-drained, fertile, with plenty of organic matter. Slightly dry sites preferable. Tolerates wide pH range but prefers slightly acid soil (6.2 to 6.8). Plant Traits
Lifecycle: annual Perennial grown as an annual. (Fall-planted, harvested the following summer.) Ease-of-care: easy Easy if you have rich well-drained soil and good weed control. Height: 1 to 2 feet Spread: 0.5 to 1 feet Tolerates: frost
Maintenance and care:
Garlic prefers cool weather when developing foliage, and warm weather when bulbs enlarge. Fall plantings take about 8 months to mature. Choose a weed-free, well-drained location. Raised beds are ideal. Do not plant where other onion family crops have been grown in the past 3 years. In New York, plant from about the time of first fall frost to early November. If your soil is loose and well-prepared, you can plant in very early spring, but fall plantings usually yield more. Using cloves from the supermarket is not recommended. They may carry diseases or have been treated to discourage sprouting. Most are also from varieties that are not well-adapted to New York’s climate. Purchase bulbs from mail order suppliers, garden center, or other local source. Break bulbs apart at planting time, keeping papery husks on the individual cloves. Plant with tips up, 2 inches deep and 4 to 6 inches apart in rows 15 to 24 inches apart. Plant elephant garlic varieties about 3 inches deep and 8 to 12 inches apart. Mulch heavily after planting to prevent soil heaving particularly with less-hardy elephant garlic varieties. Roots will begin to grow even though topgrowth may not be evident in late fall and winter. Remove mulch in spring, leaving only what is needed to suppress weeds. For larger bulbs, remove woody flower stalks (scapes) as they appear. Bulblets at top of scape can be used in cooking. Plant large cloves to produce the largest bulbs. Plant smaller cloves at closer spacings or in patches for harvest as garlic greens. Save largest bulbs for planting your next crop.
How to plant:
Propagate by division or separation - Cloves must be exposed to temperatures below 65 F or they may fail to form bulbs when planted. Plants may produce flowers, but they are usually sterile.
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kale (Vegetable, Cool Season)
The tender young leaves from these fast-growing plants can be eaten raw, or cooked for soup or stir fries. Very cold hardy, harvest can continue right through snow. Many colored varieties are a fine addition to ornamental plantings as well as spectacular garnishes.
Sunlight: full sun, part shade.
Prefers full sun in spring and fall, but can benefit from light shade during hot weather. Soil conditions: requires welldrained soil Prefers well-drained, fertile soil high in organic matter, pH 6.0 to 7.5. Can tolerate slightly alkaline soil. Prefers plentiful, consistent moisture. Can tolerate drought, but quality and flavor of leaves suffer.
Plant Traits
Lifecycle: annual Biennial grown as an annual. Ease-of-care: easy Height: 1.5 to 3 feet Spread: 1 to 3 feet Tolerates: frost - Flavor improved when plants are “kissed” by frost.
Seed can be saved 4 years.
Maintenance and care:
Direct seed about three months before expected fall frost. Plant seeds ¼ to ½ inch deep, 1 inch apart in rows 18 to 30 inches apart. Thin to 12- to 18-inch spacings. Eat or transplant thinnings. Similar to cabbage and other cole crops, you can also set out transplants in spring 4 to 6 weeks before average last frost, 12 inches apart, rows 18 to 24 inches apart. Doesn’t seem to be as troubled by pests as most other cole crops. Use floating row covers to help protect from early insect infestations. To help reduce disease, do not plant kale or other cole crops in the same location more than once every three or four years.
How to Plant:
Propagate by seed Germination temperature: 45 F to 85 F - Will germinate at soil temperatures as low as 40 F. Days to emergence: 4 to 7
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Tip:
all plants need a variety of nutrients- some of which can be sourced from your own kitchen scraps! Spent coffee grounds contain nitrogen, fish scraps can provide a source of phosphorous and potassium to help root growth, and if your PH is off balance you can make it more acid by adding vinegar to your watering can, and add more alkalinity with wood ash.
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leeks (Vegetable, Cool Season)
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eks
n)
Milder flavored than most other onion-family crops, you can mulch long-season varieties in fall for winter and spring harvest. Sunlight: full sun part shade,
Soil conditions:
requires well-drained soil, requires high fertility. Well-drained, rich soil, high in organic matter. Optimum pH is 6.2 to 6.8. Requires plentiful, even moisture for good yields.
Plant Traits
Lifecycle: annual Biennial grown as an annual. Ease-of-care: moderately difficult Height: 2 to 3 feet Spread: 0.5 to 1 feet
How to plant:
Propagate by seed Germination temperature: 45 F to 95 F - Peak germination around 77 F. Days to emergence: 5 to 7 Seed can be saved 3 years.
Maintenance and care:
Choose a weed-free, well-drained location. Raised beds are ideal. Leeks are good for intercropping with other garden plants, especially early-maturing spring greens. Do not plant where other onion family crops have been grown in the past 3
years. You can direct-seed leeks, or start transplants indoors. Long-season varieties are best started indoors. Start transplants about 8 to 10 weeks before last frost date. Sow seeds in flats about Ÿ inch apart and ½ inch deep. Transplant to celltype containers when they are about 2 inches tall. If you skip this step and continue growing in open flats, simply tease apart and trim roots when transplanting into the garden. Around the average last day of frost, set hardened-off transplants 4 to 8 inches deep, 4 to 6 inches apart, in rows 20 inches apart. Deep planting reduces need for hilling to blanch the base of the plants. Transplants should be about 6 to 12 inches tall - the bigger, the better. Only a few inches of leaf need to show above the soil. Direct seed about 4 weeks before average last frost ½ inch deep, 1 inch apart, in rows 20 inches apart. Thin to 4 to 6 inches apart. Hill or mound soil around stems several times to blanch as leeks grow. (A single large hilling while plants are young can cause them to rot.) Or, place a portion of cardboard paper towel center around the lower part of the stem. Leeks have shallow root systems and need consistent moisture and good weed control. Water weekly if weather is dry, and mulch to retain moisture and suppress weeds.
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lettuce (Vegetable, Cool Season) With the variety of colors, shapes and flavors available, your salads may never be the same. Lettuce is adapatable to many growing conditions, but likes it cool - around 60 F to 65 F. Grow in spring and fall, and slow bolting by shading summer crops.
Days to emergence: 7 to 14 Germinates in about a week at 50 F, 2 days at 70 F. Seed can be saved 1 year.
Sunlight: full sun/part shade
Yields best in full sun. Part shade helpful when it’s hot.
Soil conditions: requires well-
drained soil Tolerant of a wide range of soils, but prefers well-drained, cool, loose soil with plentiful moisture and pH 6.2 to 6.8. Sensitive to low pH. Lime to at least 6.0. Special locations: outdoor containers.
Plant Traits
Lifecycle: annual Ease-of-care: easy Height: 0.5 to 2 feet Spread: 0.5 to 2 feet
Special Considerations
Tolerates: frost - Will withstand light to moderate frost. Hardened seedlings more tolerant than mature plants.
How to plant:
Propagate by seed Germination temperature: 40 F to 85 F - Seed can go dormant at high temperatures. Best germination is below 70 F.
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Maintenance and care:
Direct seed or transplant in early spring, as soon as you can work the soil. To get an early start, prepare beds the previous fall by working in manure or compost and raking smooth to leave a fine seedbed. Direct-seeding: Sow seed 1/8 inch deep, 1 inch apart in rows 12 to 18 inches apart. When plants have two or three true leaves, thin to 12-inch spacings for crisphead varieties, 6 to 10 inches for other types. You can also lightly broadcast seed (particularly of looseleaf varieties) in a patch instead of a row. Transplants: Sow in 1-inch cells 3 to 4 weeks before transplanting outside. Harden seedlings by reducing water and temperature for 3 days before transplanting. Hardened plants should survive 20 F. Space crisphead transplants 12 inches apart in rows 18 inches apart. Space other varieties 6 to 10 inches apart in rows 12 to 18 inches apart. Seeds need light to germinate, so do not plant too deep. Make succession plantings every week or two. Grow several varieties with different maturity dates for a continuous supply. Lettuce has a shallow root system. Keep soil moist to keep plants growing continuously. Mulch to retain moisture and suppress weeds (unless slugs are a problem). Moisture stress and high temperatures, particularly at night, encourage bolting. As the season progresses, plant more bolt-resistant varieties. Locate plants where they will be partially shaded by taller nearby plants, latticework or other screen. Use row covers to protect very early plantings from cold, to protect young plants from insects, and (supported by hoops) to shade crops when warm weather arrives. For fall crops, time maturity around time of first expected frost. Mature plants aren’t as tolerant of freezing as seedlings.
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onion (Vegetable, Cool Season) Also known as scallions, bunching onions, green onions. Whether harvested early for scallions (green onions), for summer meals, or winter storage, onions need rich, well-drained soil and good weed control. Tightly spaced green onions fit well in ornamental plantings.
Sunlight: full sun
Soil conditions:
Well-drained, rich soil, high in organic matter, neutral pH. Optimum pH is 6.2 to 6.8. Requires plentiful, even moisture for good yields.
Plant Traits
Lifecycle: annual Biennial grown as annual. Ease-of-care: moderately difficult Easy if you have rich well-drained soil and good weed control. Height: 1 to 3 feet Spread: 0.5 to 1 feet Bloom time: Usually does not flower unless grown from sets that are too large (more than ½ to ¾ inches in diameter), or young plants (direct seeded or transplanted) are stressed by abnormally cold weather.
Special Considerations Tolerates: frost.
How to plant:
Propagate by seed - To grow your own onion sets, sow seeds thickly in a block in midsummer. About 2 months after planting, roll down the tops, forcing the plants to form small bulbs. (Those about the size of a dime work best.) After tops dry, clip them off, leaving about ½ inch of stem. Cure and store in a cool, dry place as you would onions for eating. Plant your sets the following spring. Germination temperature: 45 F to 95 F Days to emergence: 4 to 5 Seed can be saved 1 year. - Longer if stored properly in cool, dry location.
Maintenance and care:
Can be direct-seeded, grown from transplants started inside, or from sets -- small bulbs about ½-inch in diameter grown from seed the previous season. Choose a weed-free, well-drained location. Raised beds are ideal. Onions are good for intercropping with other garden plants, especially early-maturing spring greens. Do not plant where other onion family crops have been grown in the past 3 years. Direct-seeding in the garden may not allow enough time for longseason varieties to mature, but is fine for shorter-season varieties
or for scallions - onions harvested before the bulb forms. Direct-seed in spring when the soil reaches 50 F. Plant seed ¼ inch deep, ½ inch apart, in rows 12 to 18 inches apart. Thin to 4-inch spacings for large bulbs, 2-inch spacings for smaller bulbs but higher yields, or 1-inch spacings for scallions. Start transplants inside about 8 to 10 weeks before last frost date. Plant 4 or 5 seeds in each cell, or seed in flats ¼ inch deep and ½ inch apart. If tops grow too tall and begin to droop, trim back to about 3 inches tall with scissors. After hardening off, transplant 2 to 4 weeks before last frost date. Space 4 inches apart for large bulbs, 2 inches apart for smaller bulbs, or 1 inch apart for scallions. Choose bulbs no larger than ¾ inch in diameter. Large bulbs are more prone to bolting. Plant sets about 1 inch deep 2 to 4 weeks before last frost date. Space 4 inches apart for large bulbs or 2 inches apart for smaller bulbs. Onions have shallow root systems and need consistent moisture and good weed control. Water weekly if weather is dry, and mulch to retain moisture and suppress weeds.
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parsnip (Vegetable, Cool Season) Perhaps the hardiest of all garden crops, parsnips don’t develop their sweet, nutty flavor until after enduring frosts and cold weather in fall. Can be overwintered for harvest as soon as soil thaws in spring.
Sunlight:
full sun, part shade Yields best in full sun.
Soil conditions: requires welldrained soil. Prefers well-drained, loose, fertile soil, free of stones pH 6.0 to 7.0. Heavy clay soils may cause crooked and branched roots. Needs a fair amount of moisture. Plant Traits
Lifecycle: annual Biennial grown as an annual. Ease-of-care: moderately difficult Requires deep, well-prepared soil, early planting, and good early weed control. Height: 2 to 3 feet Spread: 0.5 to 1 feet Special Considerations Tolerates: frost
How to plant:
Propagate by seed Germination temperature: 50 F to 85 F Days to emergence: 10 to 21 Germination may take as long as 3 to 4 weeks with soil temperature at 50 F. Seed can be saved 1 year. - Seed does not store well.
Maintenance and care:
Sow seeds ½ inch deep, 1 inch apart, in rows 18 to 24 inches apart, in early spring. Seeds germinate slowly, usually in about 2 to 3 weeks (longer in cold soils). To speed germination, keep soil moist. Sow along with radishes to break soil crust and mark row. Thin to 3- to 4-inch spacings. Trim instead of pulling to avoid disturbing roots of remaining plants. Mulch to suppress weeds and retain moisture. Hill soil around base of plants to prevent greening of root shoulders.
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potatoes (Vegetable, Cool Season)
A nutritional mother lode, potatoes are easy to grow as long as they have full sun, moderate temperatures, and light, rich, acidic, well-drained soil. Try varieties with colors, shapes and flavors you won’t find in the supermarket.
Sunlight:
full sun- Requires at least 6 hours of sun each day.
Soil conditions:
Rnequires acid soil. Prefers well-drained, light, deep, loose soil, high in organic matter. Unlike most vegetables, potatoes perform best in acid soil with pH 4.8 - 5.5. (Scab is less of a problem at low pH. If pH is more than 6.0, use scab-resistant varieties.) Needs plentiful, consistent moisture. Special locations: outdoor containers - Sometimes grown in barrels or stacks of old tires filled with compost.
Plant Traits
Lifecycle: annual An herbaceous perennial grown as an annual in areas that receive frost. Late spring frosts can damage foliage, but growth will usually rebound quickly from underground parts. Ease-of-care: easy Growing is easy if you have the right site and soil. Pests aren’t usually as bad in garden settings as in commercial fields. Fun to grow with kids, especially if you use the deep mulching method. Height: 1.5 to 3 feet Spread: 1.5 to 3 feet
How to plant:
Propagate by division or separation - Grown from seed potatoes -- tubers grown the previous season. Germination temperature: 40 F - Do not plant seed potatoes until soil reaches 40 F. Days to emergence: 14 to 28 - Sprouts from seed potatoes should emerge in 2 to 4 weeks depending on soil temperature.
Maintenance and care:
Potatoes perform best in areas where summers are cool (65 F to 70 F), but are widely adapted. Potatoes require well-drained soil. (They will rot under prolonged cold, wet conditions.) If your soil is poorly drained or a heavy clay, consider using raised beds. Adding organic matter (compost, 40
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cover crops, well-rotted manure or leaves) is a good way to improve soil before growing potatoes. Go easy on organic matter sources high in nitrogen (such as manure) and nitrogen fertilizer as too much nitrogen can encourage lush foliage at the expense of tuber production. Unlike most vegetables, potatoes perform best in acid soil with pH 4.8 - 5.5. Use scab-resistant varieties with pH above 6.0. Because most other garden vegetables perform best at near-neutral pH, it’s usually not feasible to grow potatoes in their preferred pH range, unless you dedicate one section of your garden to growing just potatoes in rotation with cover crops. Buy certified disease-free seed potatoes from garden centers or through online or mail-order catalogs for best results. If you save your own seed potatoes, discard any that show any signs of disease. Avoid planting potatoes from the supermarket because they may have been treated with sprout inhibitors. They may also be less vigorous and more prone to disease. Cut seed potatoes that are larger than a chicken egg into pieces about 1 inch across or slightly larger. Each piece should have at least one “eye” (the bud where the stem will grow from) -preferably two eyes. Egg-sized and smaller tubers can be planted whole. Traditionally, cut seed potato pieces are allowed to cure for a few days to a few weeks before planting. This is because the cut potatoes need high humidity, plenty of oxygen and temperatures between 50 F and 65 F to heal quickly. If you have excellent, well-drained soil that meets those conditions, you can plant the seed pieces without curing. But if conditions are not right, the seed potatoes will rot in the ground. A less risky practice is to put about 5 pounds of cut potatoes into a large grocery bag and fold the top closed. Keep the bag at room temperature for 2 or 3 days, then shake the bag to unstick pieces that may have stuck together. Let sit for another 2 to 3 days and then plant. If you want fast emergence, keep the bag of cut potatoes at room temperature until sprouts appear. Some varieties are slow to break dormancy and benefit from a 2- to 4-week “prewarming” before planting. Others sprout in just a few days. Plant about 2 to 4 weeks before your last frost date. The soil temperature should be at least 40 F. Do not plant where you’ve grown potatoes, tomatoes, peppers or eggplant in the past 2 years. One common way to plant potatoes is to dig a shallow trench about 4 inches deep with a hoe. Place the seed potato pieces with their eyes up (cut sides down) about 8 to 12 inches apart in the trench, and replace soil. Space trenches about 2 to 3 feet apart. Stems and foliage should emerge in about 2 to 4 weeks, depending on soil temperature. When the plants are about 6 to 8 inches tall, “hill” the potatoes by hoeing soil loosely around the base of the plants to within about an inch of the lower leaves from both sides of the row. Repeat in about 2 to 3 weeks. You may want to make additional hillings, gradually building a 6to 8-inch ridge down the row. (Hilling keeps the developing potatoes from being exposed to sun, which turns them green and bitter. Green potatoes contain a chemical, solanine, which is toxic in large amounts.) Alternatively, snuggle seed pieces shallowly into the soil and cover with a thick layer of clean straw or other weed-free mulch. Add more mulch as needed to keep light from reaching potatoes. (A foot or more of mulch may be required.) Tubers grown this way can be easily harvested by pulling back the mulch after the plants die. A third method if you have excellent potato-growing soil is to plant seed potatoes 7 to 8 inches deep and skip hilling or deep mulching. The potatoes are slower to emerge, but this method requires less effort during the growing season. Deep planting is not good in cold, damp soils and it requires more work to dig the potatoes at harvest. Potatoes need at least 1 inch of water per week from either rainfall or deep watering. Mulching helps retain moisture. Keeping the soil from drying out also helps reduce scab. Sweet potatoes require warmer temperatures and a longer season. 41
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pumpkin (Vegetable, Warm Season) With fertile soil and a long enough growing season, it’s easy to grow your own Jack-o-lanterns -- if you have enough space. Choose varieties bred for flavor if you want to make pies.
Sunlight: full sun
Soil conditions: requires welldrained soil, requires high fertility. Prefers well-drained, fertile, loose soil, high in organic matter with pH between 5.8 and 6.8. Plentiful and consistent moisture is needed from the time plants emerge until fruits begin to fill out. Plant Traits
Lifecycle: annual Tender annual Ease-of-care: easy If you have plenty of space, good soil and a long enough growing season, pumpkins are easy to grow. Height: 1.5 to 3 feet Spread: 5 to 15 feet Most varieties grow on vines that spread 8 feet or more. Even smaller bush types spread 5 feet or more.
How to plant: Propagate by seed
Germination temperature: 60 F to 105 F - Will not germinate in cold soil. Wait to plant until soil reaches at least 65 F -- preferably 70 F or more. Germinates best at 95 F. Days to emergence: 5 to 10 - Should
germinate in less than a week with soil temperature of 70 F and adequate moisture. Seed can be saved 6 years.
Maintenance and care:
Pumpkins like warm soil and are very sensitive to frost. So don’t be in a rush to plant early in spring. Wait until danger of frost has passed and soil has warmed to about 70 F, or about 2 weeks after the last frost date. Unless you are trying to grow a long-season variety in an area that gets early frosts, there’s really no need to start pumpkins inside. Instead, direct seed 1 to 1 1/2 inches deep into hills (which warm and drain earlier in the season) or rows. Sow 4 to 5 seeds per hill. Space hills about 4 to 8 feet apart, depending on the size of the vine. (Even some of the mini-fruited pumpkins grow on very large vines.) When the plants are 2 to 3 inches tall, thin to 2 to 3 plants per hill by snipping off unwanted plants without disturbing the roots of the remaining ones. In rows, sow seeds 6 to 12 inches apart in rows 6 to 10 feet apart. Snip off plants to thin to one plant every 18 to 36 inches. If you need to start plants early, plant inside in 2- to 3-inch pots or cells 3 to 4 weeks before transplanting outside. Sow 3 or 4 seeds per pot and thin to one or two plants by snipping off the weaker
plants to avoid damaging the roots of those that remain. Harden off by cutting back on water and reducing temperature before transplanting. Plant transplants out in the garden at the same final spacings above after all danger of frost has passed. Black plastic mulch can speed growth, especially in cool, shortseason areas. At the end of the season, remove or till in vines to reduce mildew. Use row covers to protect plants early in the season and to prevent insect problems. Remove before flowering to allow pollination by insects or when hot weather arrives. Mulching plants helps retain moisture and suppress weeds. Mounding soil around the base of the plants can discourage squash borers from laying eggs.
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radish (Vegetable, Cool Season, Cabbage Family) Also known as spring radishes, summer radishes, winter radishes, Oriental radishes, Daikon, Japanese radishes, Chinese radishes Easy to grow and ready to harvest in just 3 to 6 weeks. Make plantings of cool-season spring radishes every week or two for a continuous harvest until hot weather hits. Don’t forget winter varieties that produce large, fall-harvested roots.
Sunlight: full sun, part shade Yields best in full sun.
Soil conditions:
requires well-drained soil Prefers well-drained, loose soil, high in organic matter, free from stones, with pH 5.8 to 6.8. Needs plentiful, consistent moisture.
Plant Traits
Lifecycle: annual A few winter radish varieties are biennials. Ease-of-care: easy Height: 0.5 to 1.5 feet Spread: 0.5 to 0.75 feet Tolerates: frost
How to plant:
Propagate by seed Germination temperature: 55 F to 85 F Days to emergence: 3 to 4 Seed can be saved 4 years.
Maintenance and care:
Grows best in cool (50 F to 65 F), moist weather. Hot weather reduces quality and increases pungency. Late plantings may bolt before edible root forms. About 3 to 6 weeks before average last frost, direct seed ½ inch deep, 1 inch apart, in rows 12 inches apart. Thin to about 2-inch spacings. Crowded plants may not produce high-quality roots. Use thinings in salads. For continuous harvest, make additional plantings every 1 to 2 weeks until temperatures average in the mid 60s F, or plant varieties with different maturity dates in a single planting. Resume planting when weather cools in fall. Plant most winter varieties so that they mature around the first fall frost date. (Frost improves flavor and texture of most winter varieties.) Larger winter varieties need more space than spring varieties, so thin to about 6-inch spacings, depending on variety. Keep soil moist for uninterrupted growth and best quality. Adding nitrogen fertilizer or nitrogen rich manure close to planting may produce lush tops and small roots. Can be sown in the same row with carrots, parsley, parsnips and other slow germinating crops. The radishes help to break soil crust for the weaker and later-germinating crops. Because they mature quickly, radishes make a good intercrop along with slower growing crops, such as other cabbage family crops, or tomato- or squash family crops. Or follow radish harvest with summer succession crops such as beans, or fall-harvested crops. To help reduce disease, do not plant radishes or other cole crops in the same location more than once every three or four years. 44
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rhubarb (Vegetable, Cool Season) This tart, easy-to-grow perennial is great for pies and jams, especially when coupled with strawberries. It comes to life when temperatures rise into the 40s F, making it one of the earliest spring crops. Sunlight: full sun part shade Yields best in full sun. Soil conditions: requires welldrained soil Well-drained, deep, fertile soil, high in organic matter, pH 5.5 to 6.5. Yields best with plentiful, consistent moisture. Hardiness zones: 3 to 8 Needs extended temperatures below 40 F. Plant Traits Lifecycle: perennial Ease-of-care: easy Height: 2 to 3 feet Flower stalks may reach 5 feet tall. Spread: 3 to 4 feet Tolerates: frost - Hard freezes in late spring can damage leaf stems. Special characteristics: How to plant: Propagate by division or separation - All cultivars are hybrids and do not breed true from seed. Maintenance and care: Carefully consider location before planting this long-lived perennial. If possible, establish planting area and improve soil the season before planting. Plant dormant crowns, as soon as you can work the soil in spring. You can cut crowns into pieces, but make sure each has at least one strong bud. Plant 1 to 3 inches deep and 2 to 3 feet apart.
Mulch to suppress weeds and retain moisture. Plants require little or no fertilizer. Remove flower stalks as they appear the first year to give strength to developing plant. Do not harvest any leaf stems until plants are well-established the second year. Removing flower stalks helps plants channel energy into leaf stem production. Growth slows and flower stalks form when temperatures warm in summer. In cool regions, growth may continue if you have adequate moisture and remove flower stalks. In warmer areas, growth may resume in fall - sometimes enough for a light harvest. Horseradish makes a good companion crop, as both are longlived perennials. Renovate beds when plants become crowded and leaf stems small (usually in 5 to 15 years) by dividing crowns and replanting in fall or spring. To force rhubarb in winter: Dig plant in autumn after dormancy but before the soil freezes. Pot with buds 1 inch below soil surface and keep outside for at least 8 weeks with temperature below 40 F. Move pot inside to cool, dark location. Keep soil moist, and rhubarb should be ready to harvest in about 6 weeks. (Stalks will be well-developed, but leaves will be small and yellow.) Replant outside in spring.
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shallots (Vegetable, Cool Season) Also known as potato onion, multiplier onion (root) An easy-to-grow gourmet favorite, these perennial onions produce a cluster of smaller bulbs instead of one large bulb. You can replant small bulbs for next year’s crop
Sunlight: full sun, part shade Soil conditions: requires welldrained soil Well-drained, average fertility, high in organic matter, neutral pH. Optimum pH is 6.2 to 6.8. Requires plentiful, even moisture for good yields. Hardiness zones: 2 to 9 Plant Traits
Lifecycle: perennial Usually grown as an annual. Ease-of-care: moderately difficult Easy if you have rich well-drained soil and good weed control. Height: 1 to 2 feet Potato onions may grow more than 3 feet tall under optimum conditions. Spread: 0.5 to 1 feet Tolerates: frost
How to plant:
Propagate by seed, division or separation - Divide and replant at harvest, or save bulbs over winter to plant in spring. Plants seldom produce viable seed in temperate regions. Germination temperature: 45 F to 95 F
Days to emergence: 4 to 5 Seed can be saved 1 year. - Longer if stored properly in cool, dry location.
Maintenance and care:
Can be direct-seeded, grown from transplants started inside, or from sets -- small bulbs grown from seed the previous season. Choose a weed-free, well-drained location. Raised beds are ideal. Shallots are good for intercropping with other garden plants, especially early-maturing spring greens. Do not plant where other onion family crops have been grown in the past 3 years. Direct seed ½ inch deep, ½ to 1 inch apart, in rows 10 to 18 inches apart, 2 to 4 weeks before average last frost. This rate will usually produce a single bulb from each plant. To produce clusters of bulbs, increase spacings to 6 to 8 inches. Plant sets in fall or early- to midspring. Break bulbs into individual cloves and plant about 1 inch deep so that tops are just covered, 6 inches apart, rows 12” apart. You can cut large cloves into smaller pieces as long as head has some root on it. Mulch to reduce soil heaving and protect plants. Shallots have shallow root systems and need consistent moisture and good weed control. (Be careful. Grass and shallot seedlings can be difficult to distinguish.) Water weekly if weather is dry, and mulch to retain moisture and suppress weeds.
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squash (Vegetable, Warm Season)
Also known as zucchini, yellow squash, scalloped squash, patty pan squash. Summer squash comes in a variety of shapes and colors. Bush varieties take up relatively little space, and if kept picked will keep producing right up to frost.
Sunlight: full sun
Soil conditions: requires well-drained soil, requires high fertility. Prefers well-drained, fertile, loose soil, high in organic matter with pH between 5.8 and 6.8. Plentiful and consistent moisture is needed from the time plants emerge until fruits begin to fill out. Special locations: outdoor containers - Requires large container and frequent watering. Plant Traits
Lifecycle: annual; tender annual Ease-of-care: easy Height: 1 to 3 feet Most summer squash grow on compact vines, in contrast to the sprawling vines of most winter squash and pumpkins. Spread: 2 to 4 feet Special uses: edible flowers - Flowers are sometimes battered and fried or stuffed.
How to plant:
Propagate by seed Germination temperature: 60 F to 105 F - Will not germinate in cold soil. Wait to plant until soil reaches at least 65 F -- preferably 70 F or more. Germinates best at 95 F. Days to emergence: 5 to 10 - Should germinate in less than a week with soil temperature of 70 F and adequate moisture. Seed can be saved 6 years
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Maintenance and care:
Squash like warm soil and are very sensitive to frost. So don’t be in a rush to plant early in spring. Wait until danger of frost has passed and soil has warmed to about 70 F, or about 2 weeks after the last frostdate. Direct seed ½ to 1 inch deep into hills (which warm and drain earlier in the season) or rows. Sow 4 to 5 seeds per hill. Space hills 3 to 4 feet apart. When the plants are 2 to 3 inches tall, thin to 2 to 3 plants per hill by snipping off unwanted plants without disturbing the roots of the remaining ones. In rows, sow seeds 4 inches apart in rows 4 to 5 feet apart. Snip off plants to thin to one plant every 12 to 24 inches. For extra early crops, start inside in 2- to 3-inch pots or cells 3 to 4 weeks before transplanting outside. Sow 3 or 4 seeds per pot and thin to one or two plants by snipping off the weaker plants to avoid damaging the roots of those that remain. Harden off by cutting back on water and reducing temperature before transplanting. Plant transplants out in the garden about 1 to 2 feet apart after all danger of frost has passed. To hasten first harvest by as much as 2 weeks, use black plastic mulch to warm soil before direct seeding or transplanting. Early fruits are sometimes wrinkled, turn black or rot due to poor pollination. At the end of the season, remove or till in vines to reduce mildew. Use row covers to protect plants early in the season and to prevent insect problems. Remove cover before flowering to allow pollination by insects or when hot weather arrives. Mulching plants helps retain moisture and suppress weeds. Mounding soil around the base of the plants can discourage squash borers from laying eggs.
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swiss chard (Vegetable, Cool Season) Also known as stem chard, spinach beet, leaf beet. Grown for its tasty and nutritious leaves and leafstalks (petioles), chard is a good substitute for spinach in most recipes. Prefers cool weather, but lasts through summer without going to seed (bolting). Colorful leaves and petioles make it great for edible landscaping and ornamental plantings.
Sunlight: full sun, part shade.
Prefers full sun early in the season, part shade in summer when it’s warm.
Soil conditions: requires well-
drained soil Prefers deep, loose, fertile soil, high in organic matter, with pH 6.0 to 7.0. Needs consistent moisture, especially as plants grow large.
Plant Traits
Lifecycle: annual. Biennial grown as an annual. Ease-of-care: easy. Requires thinning, but is otherwise relatively trouble-free. Height: 1 to 3 feet Spread: 0.5 to 2 feet Tolerates: frost - Tolerates moderate frosts, but don’t plant in very early spring. Some varieties will bolt (go to seed) prematurely if exposed to prolonged freezing temperatures.
Germination temperature: 40 F to 95 F - Optimum 85 F. Days to emergence: 5 to 7 Seed can be saved 4 years.
Maintenance and care:
Start planting about 2 to 3 weeks before last expected frost. Sow seeds ½ to 1 inch deep, 2 to 6 inches apart, in rows 18 to 24 apart. Like beets, chard “seeds” produce more than one plant, and so will require thinning. Thin to 6- to 12-inch spacings. If you plan to harvest whole plants, make succession plantings through late summer. Delay planting of ‘Ruby Red’ or ‘Rhubarb’ chard until after last frost. These varieties may go to seed (bolt) if seed is exposed to freezing temperatures. Start seed inside for earlier crops, or if you want to arrange different colored plants of the variety ‘Bright Lights.’ Mulch plants to retain moisture and suppress weeds. You can begin harvesting when leaves reach usable size. Remove a leaf or two from each plant, or cut plants an inch or two above the soil for cut-and-come-again harvest. Avoid damaging the growing point in the center of the plant at harvest. As plants age, older leaves get tough. Cut plants back to about 3 to 5 inches tall to encourage a flush of new, tender growth.
How to plant:
Propagate by seed
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The most popular garden vegetable crop, tomatoes come in a wide range of sizes, shapes and colors. Choose determinate varieties for early harvest or cool conditions. Compact varieties are also good choices for containers and planting in flower beds.
Sunlight:
full sun. Tomatoes need at least 8 hours of direct sun daily.
Soil conditions: tolerates acid soil- requires well-drained soil Prefers well-drained, fertile soil, high in organic matter. Clays and loams produce the highest yields. But lighter soils that drain and warm quickly can produce earlier harvests -- particularly if they are on a slight slope to the south or southeast. Can tolerate slightly acid soils, as low as pH 5.5. But produces best when pH is 6.0 to 6.8. Consistent moisture needed to prevent blossom end rot, but does not tolerate waterlogged soils. Special locations: outdoor containers - Small, determinate or miniature varieties work best. Requires frequent watering. Plant Traits
Lifecycle: annual. Tender annual Ease-of-care: moderately difficult Requires good soil, even moisture. Very labor intensive if you stake, prune or use plastic mulch and row covers. Easier if you purchase plants. Difficult if you start from seed. Height: 2 to 6 feet Staked and pruned plants can grow to well over 6 feet tall in favorable growing seasons. Spread: 2 to 6 feet Staked and pruned plants can be trained to narrow spreads. Plants left to sprawl can spread 6 feet or more. If space is limiting, use smaller determinate varieties. Unstaked determinate varieties
can form an upright bushy plant. Indeterminate varieties will sprawl in a mass over the ground, or can be trained into an upright vine when tied to a stake.
How to plant:
Propagate by seed Germination temperature: 60 F to 95 F - Germinates best at 75 F to 90 F. Germinates very slowly at cooler temperatures. Days to emergence: 6 to 12 - About 1 week at 75 F.
Maintenance and care:
If you purchase transplants, look for sturdy, short, dark green plants. Avoid plants that are tall, leggy, or yellowish, or have started flowering. Transplants that are too mature often stall after transplanting while younger, smaller plants pass them by, producing earlier and more fruit. Starting your own plants from seed gives you more choices of which variety to grow. But if you start your own plants, be sure you have a place where they can get enough light. Even a sunny, south-facing window is barely adequate. Consider using a grow light to supplement sunlight. Don’t start plants too early. Sow seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before transplanting outside. Plant them 1/8 inch deep in sterile seed starting mix in flats or cells. Seeds germinate best at 75 F to 90 F. Then grow transplants at about 70 F. Don’t rush to transplant, either. Cold soil and air temperatures can stress plants. Wait at least a week or two after the last frost. Nighttime temperatures should be consistently above 45 F. Use black plastic mulch to warm soil and/or row covers, hot caps or other protection to keep plants warm early in the season. Remove covers whenever temperatures exceed 85 F. Harden off plants before transplanting by reducing water and fertilizer, not by exposing to cold temperatures, which can stress
them and stunt growth. Transplants exposed to cold temperatures (60 F to 65 F day and 50 F to 60 F night) are more prone to catfacing. Space transplants: 12 to 24 inches apart for determinate varieties, 14 to 20 inches apart for staked indeterminate varieties. 24 to 36 inches apart for unstaked indeterminate varieties Unlike most plants, tomatoes do better if planted deeper than they were grown in containers. Set them in the ground so that the soil level is just below the lowest leaves. Roots will form along the buried stem, establishing a stronger root system. To reduce root disease risk, don’t plant on soils that have recently grown tomatoes, potatoes, peppers or eggplant for at least two years. Mulch plants after the soil has warmed up to maintain soil moisture and suppress weeds. Tomatoes need a consistent supply of moisture. If it rains less than 1 inch per week, water to make up the difference. Many factors (in addition to your choice of variety) affect total yield, first harvest and fruit quality. Raised beds, black plastic mulch and providing consistent moisture by watering or through drip irrigation are good ways to improve all three. How you provide support to plants can also affect performance. Determinate varieties do not need staking. But staking and pruning indeterminate varieties can hasten first harvest by a week or more, improve fruit quality, keep fruit cleaner, and make harvest easier. Staking and pruning usually reduces total yield, but fruits will tend to be larger. Staked and pruned plants are also more susceptible to blossom end rot and sunscald. Allowing indeterminate varieties to sprawl reduces labor, but takes up more space (contd) are more prone to disease.
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Tomatoes (Vegetable, warm season)
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Wooden tomato stakes are typically about 6 feet long and 1 ½ inch square, but you can use similar materials. Drive stakes at least 8 to 10 inches deep at or soon after transplanting so as not to damage roots. Prune tomatoes to one or two vigorous stems by snapping off “suckers” (stems growing from where leaf stems meet the main stem) when they are 2 to 4 inches long. Tie stems to stake with soft string, twine or cloth, forming a figure-8 with the stem in one loop and the stake in the other. This gives the stem room to expand without being constricted. Start about 8 to 12 inches above the ground and continue to tie at similar intervals as the plant grows. As an alternative to using individual stakes, grow several plants in a row between heavy-duty stakes or posts spaced about 4 feet apart, and use twine to weave in and out around posts and plants. Growing tomatoes in cages is a good compromise between labor-intensive staking and just letting them sprawl. You can purchase tomato cages at your local garden center, or simply bend a 6-foot-long piece of 4- to 6-inch wire mesh into a cylinder about 22 inches in diameter. (Cattle fencing or concrete reinforcing wire mesh work well for this.) Place cage around plants soon after transplanting and anchor with stakes. Avoid excessive N applications, which can cause excessive foliage and poor fruit set. Also avoid using fresh manure or high nitrogen fertilizers (those with three or more times nitrogen than phosphorus or potassium). Poor fruit set can also be caused by heavy rainfall or temperatures that are either too high (above 90 F) or too low (below 55 F). On most soils, you can sidedress about 1/2 cup of 5-10-5 per plant and work shallowly into the top inch of soil when fruits are about 1 inch in diameter and again when harvest begins. To avoid other common tomato problems: Keep soil evenly moist to prevent blossom end rot. This can also help prevent cracking when fruit absorbs water too fast after heavy rain following dry conditions. Do not remove leaves that shade fruit to prevent sunscald. Catfacing (misshapen, deformed fruit) is caused by incomplete pollination, usually due to cold weather. Don’t rush to transplant until weather has stabilized and soil is warm.
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Turnip (Vegetable,cool season)
Fast-growing spring turnip crops are best harvested while the weather is still cool. The flavor of fall crops is improved by light frost. Don’t forget the greens which are delightful raw or cooked.
Sunlight:
full sun, part shade
Soil conditions:
requires well-drained soil Prefers well-drained, fertile soil high in organic matter, pH 6.0 to 7.5. Can tolerate slightly alkaline soil. Needs plentiful, consistent moisture. Loosen soil deeply or grow in raised beds to encourage good root development. Will tolerate less-thanideal conditions, but poor soil will slow growth and hurt quality and flavor.
Plant Traits
Lifecycle: annual. Biennial grown as an annual. Ease-of-care: easy Tolerates: frost - Light frost improves flavor, but hard freezes will kill plant and damage roots.
How to plant:
Propagate by seed Germination temperature: 45 F to 85 F - Will germinate at soil temperatures as low as 40 F. Days to emergence: 4 to 7 Seed can be saved 4 years.
Maintenance and care:
From early spring to late summer, sow seeds ¼ to ½ inch deep, 1 inch apart in rows 12 to 18 inches apart. Thin plants to 4- to 6-inch spacings. Plant every 2 weeks for continuous harvest. Quality and flavor are best if harvested when whether is cool. Use floating row cover to protect crop from early pests. To help reduce disease, do not plant turnips or other cole crops in the same location more than once every three or four years.
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GARDENING OUTDOORS Containers, raised beds & Greenhouses.
In this climate, it’s probably best to start your plants indoors and move them outdoors- if theyre outside, you don’t want to put them outside before the last frost of the season. Container Gardening is a great way to grow veggies, herbs and other plants if you haven’t got a lot of backyard space or are renting. When selecting your container, find one that has holes for drainage-if not then you should carefully poke some holes in your container for drainage. Fill the bottom of your container with some rocks, top it off with your choice of soil mixture, and you’re pretty much ready to grow! Use your imagination when planting container gardens. My favourite thing to grow in containers on the back porch are saladthemed planters. Lettuce grows well in many parts of NL, and so do Juliet tomatoes. Try making a planter with a few different varieties of lettuce, a tomato vine, and some basil! Lettuce, kale, most herbs, peppers and even zucchinis are very well-suited to container gardens. Pole beans and potatoes can even be grown in containers.
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GREENHOUSES Greenhouses are great for keeping your plants in a warm and humid environment, and is great if you’re starting your plants a little late. Tomatoes, lettuce, and squash are a few plants that are often grown in greenhouses. You can build a DIY greenhouse easily- the general idea is to have a frame structure that is covered in a durable and see-through, or semi-opaque, plastic covering. I've included some plans for do-it yourself greenhouses.
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RAISED BEDS An easy guice to building your own raised garden bed
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Every time I open a plant catalog or see a television commercial for sale-priced $99 raised bed gardening kits, I cringe! You don’t need to spend that kind of money to build your own four-by-four-foot bed or even a 20-foot-long one. My husband builds mine. He buys two 1 x 8-inch cedar boards, which don’t rot with age. They come in 8-foot lengths, which is perfect for 4 x 4-foot beds. Cut each plank in half, so that it is 4-feet long. Or, you can have a home improvement/lumber store make the cuts. Many places will do it for free. Husband also buys a 3-foot length of a 1 x 1-inch pine stake; he cuts it into four pieces and uses them to nail the cedar boards to at corners for bracing. That’s all! Grouping together several raised beds makes a substantial vegetable garden that is easy to maintain, with no weeding and crops that mature fast I place the boxes on cleared ground. We cut and roll up our turf, but many gardeners do not think it is necessary. The added 6 inches of soil will bury most of the grass and weeds beneath. After I situate the boxes (four or five grouped together makes a good sized garden), I put down three layers of newspaper to suppress errant weed or grass seeds that might sprout. Paper degrades fully within weeks and feeds the soil. Another fast, cheap method of building raised beds is to use concrete construction blocks. They have a big bonus. Their holes can be
filled with soil mix and planted with herbs or strawberries. The extra gathered heat from concrete is perfect for Mediterranean-type herbs such as rosemary and lavender. Strawberry plants grow huge and fruit fast in the holes. Each block is 16 inches long by 8 inches high; I purchase mine at big box stores as find the price most reasonable. Beds of 13 feet or longer by 4 feet wide are cheaper to build using blocks than with cedar boards. Cement construction blocks are a cheap method of building raised beds. You will be planting seeds and transplants close, because the beds are smaller and the soil is richer. But, plants grown close together in raised beds mature faster, because they compete for nutrients and sunlight. Each plant senses the distance of others and adjusts its metabolism to compete. Several university studies have proven this competition syndrome by identifying how plants perceive others nearby using the green light spectrum.
(Multiply amounts to fill larger beds.)
2 bags (2-cubic-feet each) top soil
1 pail (3-cubic-feet) peat moss
1 bag (2 to 3-cubic feet) compost or composted cow manure 2-inch layer of shredded leaves or grass clipping. If you use grass, make sure the clippings are not from a lawn that has been sprayed with herbicides or been fertilized with a food that contains granular herbicides to kill weeds. Both persist and will kill plants beds up to three years after the initial application. Mix all materials with a hoe or cultivator and water well. Be sure to mulch well with organic Matter such as more leaves or clippings or straw.
This 4 x 4-foot bed is crowded with productive peppers, cucumbers, a tomato plant and insect-repelling flowers that are edible. Raised Bed Soil Mix The more organic matter there is in soil, the better. Soil microbes are fed, oxygen and water readily reach roots and plants thrive. Here’s the recipe I’ve developed in the last decade that works best for my garden. For one 4 x 4-foot raised bed.
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INDOORGARDENING & GROCERY STORE REGROWING
Herb gardens do really well year-round inside. It 's also easy to grow garlic greens, green onion, micro greens, ginger, chives and lettuce indoors if you 've got enough sunlight.
SPROUTING SEEDS TO EAT Seeds can be sprouted and eaten on sandwiches, salads, or stir-fries any time of the year. They are delicious and full of vitamins and proteins. Mung beans, soybeans, alfalfa, wheat, corn, barley, mustard, clover, chickpeas, radishes, and lentils all make good sprouts. Find seeds for sprouting from your local health food store or use dried peas, beans, or lentils from the grocery store. Never use seeds intended for planting unless you 've harvested the seeds yourself—commercially available planting seeds are often treated with a poisonous chemical fungicide. To grow sprouts, thoroughly rinse and strain the seeds, then place in a glass jar, cover with cheesecloth secured with a rubber band, and soak overnight in cool water. You 'll need about four times as much water as you have seeds. Drain the seeds by turning the jar upside down and allowing the water to escape through the cheesecloth. Keep the seeds at 60 to 80ºF and rinse twice a day, draining them thoroughly after every rinse. Once sprouts are 1 to 1 ½ inches long (generally after three to five days), they are ready to eat.
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G
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FOODS THAT YOU CAN RE-GROW Lettuce Lettuce, Bok Choy and cabbage are relatively easy to grow from scraps. Instead of throwing out those leftover leaves, simply place them in a bowl with just a bit of water in the bottom. Keep the bowl somewhere that gets good sunlight and mist the leaves with water a couple of times each week. After 3 or 4 days, you will notice roots beginning to appear along with new leaves. When this happens you can transplant your lettuce or cabbage in soil.
Celery Celery is one of the easiest foods to grow from leftover scraps. Just cut off the bottom or base of your celery and lay it in a bowl with just a bit of warm water in the bottom. Keep the bowl in direct sunlight as long as possible each day and after about a week, you will begin to see the leaves thickening and growing along the base. When this happens, you can transplant your celery in soil and wait for it to grow to full length.
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Lemongrass If you love using lemongrass but have a difficult time finding it, simply regrow your own. Lemongrass will grow just like regular grass. You just place the root that is leftover in a glass bowl or jar with enough water to cover it and leave it in the sunlight. After about a week, you will notice new growth and when this happens you can transplant your lemongrass in a pot or in your herb garden.
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Bean Sprouts If you love cooking with bean sprouts you can grow them yourself as well. You just need to soak a tablespoon or so of the beans that you want to grow in a jar with shallow water. Leave this overnight and in the morning, drain the water off and put the beans back in the container. Cover the container with a towel overnight and rinse them the next morning. Keep doing this until you notice the sprouts begin to appear and then until they reach the size that you want. This works well with mung beans and wheat berries.
Avocado Avocado seeds can be used to grow a steady supply of this super food. You just have to wash the seed and use toothpicks to suspend it over water in a bowl or jar. The water should come up enough to cover the bottom inch of the seed. Keep the container in a warm place but not in direct sunlight and remember to check the water every day and add more as needed. It can take up to six weeks for the stem and roots to appear and once the stem reaches about 6 inches you will need to cut it down to 3 inches. When leaves begin appearing, you can plant the seed in soil, remembering to leave about half of it above ground.
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Potatoes Virtually everyone knows that potatoes can be grown from potato peelings. You need peelings that have eyes on them. Cut those peelings into two inch pieces, ensuring that there are at least two or three eyes on each piece. Allow them to dry out overnight and then simply plant them about four inches deep in your soil. Make sure that the eyes are facing up when planting. It will take a few weeks before you see the potato plant begin to grow.
Pineapple You can grow your own pineapple even if you don 't live in the tropics. You just cut the top off and insert a few toothpicks to hold it above a container filled with water. Keep the container in direct sunlight. If it is warm outside, sit it on the porch or deck during the day and bring it in at night. Remember to change the water every other day or so and keep the container filled so that it reaches just about the base. You will notice roots in about a week or so and once they are formed you can transplant into potting soil. If you live in a cooler area, it is best to grow your pineapple indoors.
Sweet potatoes Sweet potatoes can be grown much like regular potatoes. You just have to cut the sweet potato in half and suspend it using toothpicks above a container of shallow water. Roots will begin to appear in just a few days and sprouts will be seen on top of the potato around that same time. Once those sprouts reach about four inches or so in length, just twist them off and place them in a container of water. When the roots from this container reach about an inch in length, you can plant them in soil.
Ginger root Ginger root is very easy to grow and once you get started, you can keep your supply of ginger full. You just need to plant a spare piece of your ginger root in potting soil, making sure that the buds are facing up. You will notice new shoots and new roots in about a week or so and once this happens you can pull it up and use it again. Remember to save a piece of the rhizome so that you can replant it and grow more for the next time you need it.
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Pumpkins
Garlic Garlic is really easy to grow and can be done from just one clove. When you buy garlic, you get several cloves so just pull one off and plant it with the roots facing down in potting soil. Garlic likes plenty of direct sunlight so in warmer weather, keep it outdoors in the sun during the day. Once you notice that new shoots have established, cut the shoots back and your plant will produce a bulb. You can take part of this new bulb and plant again.
Onions Onions are very easy to grow indoors or out. You just have to cut the root of the onion off and make sure that you leave about a half an inch of onion when you do. Cover lightly with potting soil and keep in a sunny area. For green onions, simply put the white base with the roots intact in a container of water and place in direct sunlight. Change the water out every few days and the green will continue to grow. Just snip what you need and allow it to grow as long as you like.
If you tend to carve pumpkins on Halloween, you can save those seeds and plant them. Even if you prefer toasting your seeds for a yummy snack, you can save a couple for growing new pumpkins. Just spread the seeds out in a sunny area outdoors and cover with soil. You can also plant an entire pumpkin. Once you finish displaying that Jack-O-Lantern, just fill it with soil and plant the entire thing.
Peppers You can grow a number of hot peppers from the seeds that are leftover. Just collect the seeds from your habaneros, jalapenos or any other peppers that you have on hand. Plant them in potting soil and keep in direct sunlight unless it is warm outside and then you can just plant them in your garden area. Peppers grow relatively fast and don 't require a lot of care. Once you get a new crop, just save some of the seeds for replanting again.
Fennel
Mushrooms You can grow mushrooms from cuttings, although they are a bit more difficult than many other vegetables. You will need a warm area with a lot of humidity and soil that is rich in nutrients. It is much better to grow your mushrooms in a pot as opposed to in the ground because you have a better shot at controlling the temperature and the humidity. You just have to cut away the head of the mushroom and plant the stalk or stem in the soil. Leave the very top exposed and this base will begin to grow a new head.
Growing fennel requires that you keep the roots intact. You need about an inch of the base of the fennel to get it to regrow. Just place this base in a container with about a cup of water and leave it in direct sunlight. The windowsill is the perfect place to grow fennel. When the roots grow strong and you notice new green shoots coming up from the center of the base, you can transplant into soil.
Tomatoes Tomatoes can be grown just by saving those seeds that you probably throw out anyway. You just have to rinse the seeds and allow them to dry. Plant in a good, rich potting soil until you notice growth coming in. Allow the seeds to get a few inches high before transplanting them outdoors. During cold weather you can grow your tomatoes indoors. Just remember to keep them in an area that gets plenty of sunlight and water a few times each week.
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Tip:
it's important to keep seedlings or transplanted clippings warm and humid. Try building your own mini humidity dome out of a 2L soda bottle- cut the bottle in half and poke some holes for air circulation. Place over top of your seedling after spraying with water.
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Basil Basil is relatively easy to regrow. You just have to have a stem about four inches high. Place this stem in a glass of water with the leaves well above the water line. Leave the glass sitting in a bright area but not in direct sunlight. Roots should begin to form in a few days and when those roots reach a couple of inches long, you can transplant them in soil.
Cilantro Cilantro can be grown from scraps as well. Just place the bottom of the stem in a glass of water and leave in a bright area, near a windowsill perhaps. When the roots grow a couple of inches long, you can transplant the cilantro into a pot and you will notice new sprigs in just a few weeks.
Turnips Root plants, turnips grow well from clippings or leftover scraps. You just need to salvage the tops of the turnip and place in a container of water. You should notice new green tops growing in just a few days after you begin. Just allow the root to continue growing until it 's ready to be transplanted in the ground. This works with many root vegetables such as beets, turnips and even parsnips.
Cherries You can actually grow your own cherry tree from the pit of the cherry, although it does take some time to grow an entire tree. You will need to keep the pit in cold storage for a few weeks so that they will germinate. To do this, simply clean the pit, pack it in nutrient rich soil and store it in a lidded container in your refrigerator. Leave for about twelve weeks and then transplant outdoors.
Apples You can plant seeds from those delicious apples and grow your own apple trees. These are a little difficult but they will grow although you should note that you can plant several of the seeds from a single apple and end up with different types of apple trees. Just allow the seeds to dry out and then plant them. Note that you will need at least two apple trees in order for them to grow well so save more than one seed the next time you enjoy an apple.
Peaches Peaches, nectarines and plums can all be grown from their seeds. Note that it does take a couple of years before you will be able to get any fruit from trees that you grow from seed but it will definitely be worth it if you begin now. You just have to dry the seeds out very well to prepare them for planting and plant them in a nutrient rich soil and in an area that gets plenty of sunlight.
Hazelnuts Hazelnuts can be grown from seeds, although they do need to be planted near another hazelnut tree in order to germinate. Just dry the nuts well and plant them in a rich soil. You can begin your plantings indoors and then transplant outdoors during warmer weather if you want or if you live in an area that is warm year-round, just plant them whenever you are ready. You will begin growing your own hazelnuts within just a couple of years.
Chestnuts Growing chestnuts is really easy, provided you choose a type of chestnut that is indigenous to your planting zone. Remember to dry the nuts out well before planting and note that you may have to wait a few years before your trees really begin bearing nuts. You will also need to plant more than one chestnut tree for cross pollination or you won 't get much from them.
Lemons Lemon trees can be grown from seeds and if you live in an area that gets really cold winters, you can simply grow dwarf trees indoors. Meyer lemons tend to have smaller plants so choose these if you want an indoor lemon tree. You will begin to get lemons from your tree in just a couple of years so remember that you won 't actually get lemons the same year that you plant them. Just be sure to clean and dry your seeds before planting and choose a soil that is rich in nutrients for the best results.
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All photographs sourced from www.pexels.com and www.splitshire.com. All graphics created by me. Copy from pages 10-53 sourced from the 2016 Farmer's Almanac.
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