Mar 09
Kale is one of the most dependable cool-season vegetables a home gardener can grow. It tolerates chilly weather, produces leaves over a long harvest period, grows equally well in traditional vegetable beds and containers, and can often remain productive long after summer vegetables have disappeared. It is also much more diverse than the curly green …
Mar 09
Spinach is one of the most useful cool-season vegetables for the home garden. It grows quickly, needs relatively little space, works beautifully in raised beds and containers, and can provide repeated harvests of tender leaves for salads, soups, sautés, smoothies, pasta dishes, and countless other recipes. The main challenge with spinach is timing. Unlike warm-season …
Mar 09
Peas are one of the classic cool-season vegetables, prized for their sweet flavor, quick growth, and ability to produce before summer heat takes over the garden. They are especially rewarding because freshly picked peas can taste dramatically sweeter and more tender than peas that have been stored for even a short time. Garden peas are …
Feb 16
Starting tomatoes from seed gives you access to far more varieties than you are likely to find as transplants at a garden center. Heirlooms, paste tomatoes, colorful cherry tomatoes, compact patio varieties, and unusual beefsteaks are all much easier to find when you begin with seed. The challenge is timing. Start tomato seeds too late …
Dec 21
The vegetable garden does not necessarily have to shut down with the first frost. Kale can remain standing after many summer crops have collapsed, carrots can stay protected beneath a thick layer of mulch, spinach can survive surprisingly cold conditions, and leeks may wait patiently in the soil until you are ready to harvest them. …
