UNITED PLANT GROWERS
"Southern California's Bedding Plant Specialist"
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Vegies/Herbs
All of our vegetables are available in Pony Packs , Color Packs , 4 Inch and 1 Gallon.
Fall Vegetables
PLANT TYPE: Annual LIGHT: Full Sun in spring/fall, partial shade in summer SOIL TYPE: Rich, well-drained, loose loam. pH RANGE: 6.2 - 6.8 MOISTURE/WATERING: Keep moist, not waterlogged, frequent short watering is best MATURITY IN DAYS: 45 - 55 KNOWN PESTS: slugs, aphids, flea beetles and leaf hoppers.
(28 days baby, 55 days full) A standard salad mix variety, more ruffled and lobed than standard Red Oak Leaf. Tender leaves mature to a deep red. Mild, non-bitter flavor holds, and it's slow to bolt. Forms a large, loose full size head. Suitable for spring, summer or fall, with most intense color and best performace in cooler weather. Planting Depth: 1/4" Soil Temp. for Germ.: 40-80°F Days to Germ.: 2-15 Plant Spacing: 8-10" Days to Maturity: 55 Full Sun/Partial Shade Water Often
Features: Romaine has a distinctive tall semi-heading rosette. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Harvest Size: 8-inches (semi-heading), Plant Size: 1 foot tall and wide. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 18 inches apart. Comments: Likes sun but can also grow in light shade.
Features: Romaine has a distinctive tall semi-heading rosette. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Harvest Size: 8-inches (semi-heading), Plant Size: 1 foot tall and wide. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 18 inches apart. Comments: Likes sun but can also grow in light shade.
Features: Romaine has a distinctive tall semi-heading rosette. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Harvest Size: 8-inches (semi-heading), Plant Size: 1 foot tall and wide. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 18 inches apart. Comments: Likes sun but can also grow in light shade.
PLANT TYPE: Annual LIGHT: Full Sun in spring/fall, partial shade in summer SOIL TYPE: Rich, well-drained, loose loam. pH RANGE: 6.2 - 6.8 MOISTURE/WATERING: Keep moist, not waterlogged, frequent short watering is best MATURITY IN DAYS: 45 - 55 KNOWN PESTS: slugs, aphids, flea beetles and leaf hoppers KNOWN DISEASES: N/A
PLANT TYPE: Annual LIGHT: Full Sun in spring/fall, partial shade in summer SOIL TYPE: Rich, well-drained, loose loam. pH RANGE: 6.2 - 6.8 MOISTURE/WATERING: Keep moist, not waterlogged, frequent short watering is best MATURITY IN DAYS: 45 - 55 KNOWN PESTS: slugs, aphids, flea beetles and leaf hoppers KNOWN DISEASES: N/A
Mustard greens are very easy to grow and grow very fast. It is a self-seeding plant. This means that if the seeds are allowed to grow, they may pop up in the unexpected areas in the garden. This plant grows better in cool weather, rather than a sunny one. They grow to an average height of up to the knee in about 40 to 45 days. Once the plant starts bearing flowers, it is pointless to snap off its tops hoping that new crops of leaves will form. In fact, flowering acts as a signal to plant a yet another new batch of seeds. To plant this crop, the soil selected should be reliably cool. The soil can be prepared in early spring, and the seeds need to plant about ½ inch deep in the soil and should be at least 1 to 2 inches apart. The plant needs regular watering and proper care to grow properly into a good and healthy plant.
Mustard reds are very easy to grow and grow very fast. It is a self-seeding plant. This means that if the seeds are allowed to grow, they may pop up in the unexpected areas in the garden. This plant grows better in cool weather, rather than a sunny one. They grow to an average height of up to the knee in about 40 to 45 days. Once the plant starts bearing flowers, it is pointless to snap off its tops hoping that new crops of leaves will form. In fact, flowering acts as a signal to plant a yet another new batch of seeds. To plant this crop, the soil selected should be reliably cool. The soil can be prepared in early spring, and the seeds need to plant about ½ inch deep in the soil and should be at least 1 to 2 inches apart. The plant needs regular watering and proper care to grow properly into a good and healthy plant.
Features: Okra grows in an elongated, lantern shape vegetable. It is a fuzzy, green colored, and ribbed pod . Exposure: Full sun. Size: Harvest Size: 3-inch pods, Plant Size: 2 to 3 feet wide, 4 to 8 feet tall. Uses: Edible Landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 10 inches apart in rows 3 feet apart. Comments: Okra is a powerhouse of valuable nutrients. It is a good source of vitamin C. It is low in calories and is fat-free.
Features: Bunching onion does not form a real bulb . Oriental bunching onion has a green leaf portion and a long blanched white stalk portion. Exposure: Full sun. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 1-1½” apart. Comments: Can be grown from seed or as sets.
Features: Red onions are a mild and sweet short-day variety, Sometimes called hamburger onion. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Bulb Size: 3 inches, Plant Size: 3-inch bulb, up to 2-foot tops. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 6 inches apart in rows 12 inches apart for full sized bulbs. Comments: Set seedlings 1 to 2 inches deep, covering roots, but don’t bury the necks or they’ll rot.
Features: Sweet sweet—and juicy. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Bulb Size: Up to 2 pounds, Plant Size: 6-inch bulbs, 2-foot tops. Uses: Edible Landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 6 inches apart in rows 12 inches apart for full sized bulbs. Comments: Onions create a flavorful base for soups, stews, pasta dishes, salads.
Features: Easy to peel, taste mild, and store well. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Harvest Size: 8 ounces to 1 pound, Plant Size: 3-inch bulb, up to 2-foot tops. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 6 inches apart in rows 12 inches apart for full sized bulbs. Comments: These popular cooking onions are often called for in Hispanic dishes, since they have a cleaner, more tangy flavor than yellow onions.
Features: Globe-Shaped green fruit with purplish base, productive and good-tasting. Exposure: Full Sun. Size: 1.5 to 2 m tall. Uses: Are known to aid liver function, arteriosclerosis and supports the effectiveness of gall secretions. Planting Guide: Space 4 feet apart. Comments: The flowers develop in a large head from an edible bud about 8–15 cm diameter with numerous triangular scales; the individual florets are purple.
Prefers rich humusy soil with pH of 6 to 6.8, but will tolerate wide variety of conditions. Evenly moist soil will help slow bolting. Growth is low and compact until heat causes plant to bolt. Forms a rosette of deeply lobed leaves. Plants become erect when heat induces bolting. Flowers are edible. MAINTAINING Seeds germinate quickly even in cold soil. Plant as soon as soil can be worked in spring. Avoid planting after other cabbage family crops. Plant ¼ inch deep and 1 inch apart in rows, or broadcast alone or mixed with other greens. Gradually thin to 6-inch spacings using thinnings for salads. Make new plantings every 2 to 3 weeks for a continuous supply until about a month before your average first frost date. Slow bolting by reducing heat and moisture stress. Provide some shade for warm-season plantings.
Grow beets in full sun or partial shade in warm regions. Plant beets in well-worked loose soil rich in organic matter. Be sure to remove all stones and clods from planting beds so as not to impede or split growing roots. Add aged compost to growing beds in advance of planting. Beets grow best where the soil pH is 6.0 to 6.8. Planting time. Sow beets in the garden 2 to 3 weeks before the last average frost date in spring. Continue succession plantings every 3 weeks until temperatures reach 80°F. Beets can again be planted in late summer or early autumn 6 to 8 weeks before the first average frost in autumn. Beets require 45 to 65 days to reach harvest. Beets can tolerate frost but will go to seed if temperatures are too cold. Grow beets as a winter crop in mild-winter regions. In hot weather, beet roots will become woody. Water and feeding. Keep beets evenly watered. Do not let the soil dry out. Lack of water will cause roots to become stunted, stringy, and tough.
Features: Bok Choy is an annual which is quick and easy growing, prefers cool weather and tolerates light frost. Exposure: Full sun to part shade. Size: 30cm height. Uses: Containers and vegetable beds. Bok choy is also suitable for window boxes as it is shallow rooted. Planting Guide: Space 30-45cm apart. Comments: Grow two batches of bok choy crops each year, one in Spring and one in Autumn. Leaves, stems and flowers can all be eaten.
Broccoli is a hardy vegetable that performs best in cooler weather although heat tolerant varieties such as green comet and green goliath will grow in all but the hottest months of the year. Broccoli is a member of the cabbage family and produces two crops per season that can be harvested in the spring and fall. Plant transplants for spring planting since the plant is already developed to the point where it can prosper in the summer heat. Direct seeding works well in the fall since the cooler weather is kinder to the plants.
Choose a site that gets at least 6 hours of sun a day and has moist, rich soil with a pH of 6.0 to 6.5 (see "How to Have Your Soil Tested"). Ensure moisture retention by enriching the soil with plenty of compost or well-cured manure. Sprinkle the planting area with wood ashes to increase its potassium content.
Features: Hardy, slow-growing, long-season vegetable belonging to the cabbage family. Exposure: Full sun. Size: 2.5–4 cm (0.98–1.6 in). Uses: Edible Landscaping. Planting Guide: Plant 18 to 24 inches (45 to 60 cm) apart; 2 to 3 feet (.61 to 1 m) between rows. Comments: Brussels sprouts are best after a frost or two.
Features: Vigorous plants. Pick firm heads. Good source of vitamin C and potassium. Matures in about 55-100 days. Exposure: Plant in sun. Tolerates cool soil. Size: Grows 12″ tall. Uses: Excellent in salads or try steamed, sauteed, or in stir-fry. Planting Guide: Plant 18″ apart in rows 36″ apart. Cool season vegetable. Comments: Very healthy, cool season vegetable.
Features: Round, compact and heavy for its size, red cabbage boasts dark-red thick and pliable shiny leaves. Exposure: Plant in sun. Tolerates cool soil. Size: 2 inches tall. Uses: Often used for salads and coleslaw, this vegetable can be eaten raw or cooked. Planting Guide: Spaced about 12-26 inches. Comments: Low maintenance plants.
Features: Choice white heads are round and compact. Matures in about 50-70 days Exposure: Full sun. Size: Grows 9-12″ tall. Uses: Enjoy fresh or try steamed or in backed dishes. Can use for freezing, Planting Guide: Plant 18″ apart in rows 36″ apart. Cool season vegetable. Comments: Very healthy, cool season vegetable.
Features: Upright, dark green, waxy plant. Exposure: Full Sun. Size: 6 to 10 in. . Uses: Edible Landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 18 in. apart. Comments: More heat tolerant than cabbage.
Features: A smaller butterhead lettuce with soft leaves. Exposure: Full sun. Size: 9 - 15 inches. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 6 inches apart. Comments: Bibb lettuce thrives in cooler weather.
Lettuce grows well under cooler conditions and needs plenty of water. If you plant your lettuce when low temperatures are around 40 degrees F and high temperatures are around 60 degrees F, your lettuce should do fine. Be aware that a hard freeze will still damage your lettuce. However, lettuce can survive light freezes, so not to worry. This makes lettuce an ideal crop to grow either during the fall or the early spring. Keep reading more for specific tips on how to grow great lettuce.
Features: Green head, has a very short stem. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Harvest Size: 6-inch head, Plant Size: 8 to 10 inches tall and wide. Uses: Edible lanscaping. Planting Guide: Space 1 foot apart in rows 1 foot apart. Comments: Lettuce is used as a food plant.
Features: Large bulbs with medium-firm flesh, brownish yellow skin. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Harvest Size: 8 ounces to 1 pound, Plant Size: 3-inch bulbs, up to 2-foot tops. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space inches apart in rows 12 inches apart for full sized bulbs. Comments: Easy to peel, taste mild, and stores for months.
The Little Marvel pea plant is compact and does not require staking. The peas have a fine sweet flavor when picked young. Pods have 5-6 peas per pod. The Little Marvel is a great pea plant for home gardens. This hardy pea tolerates cold and light frost well. Plant Little Marvel peas very early in the spring in a sunny location as soon as the ground may be cultivated and enriched with organic material. Press soil firmly over the seeds; best when planted in blocks or rows grouped together. For an extended harvest period, plant at two week intervals until mid - spring and again in late summer for a fall crop.
'Oregon Giant' is a snow pea, generally ready for harvest 105 days after sowing. This pea has unusually large pods. The plant grows 30 to 35 inches high. It is resistant to pea enation, powdery mildew, and mosaic virus. Peas are hardy, weak-stemmed, climbing annuals. Custom has it that you can make a wish if you find a pea pod that has nine or more peas in it. Edible pea pods are grown the same way as sugar peas, just harvested much earlier, prior to filling out. Peas have always been difficult for the backyard gardener, producing yields so low, they often wonder why they bothered. New improved varieties have changed this. You'll need two things to grow peas: 1) Cool weater and 2) A 6 foot support trellis. Time planting your peas so that the crop is finished by the time hot weather rolls around. Ideal temperatures are between 60 and 65 degrees Farenheit, with plenty of moisture. Often this means starting your peas 6 weeks before the last average frost date.
Fertilize the area to be planted (approximately 2 Ibs/ 100sq. Feet) with 5-10-10 or its equivalent before sowing. High levels of nitrogen in soil will reduce pod production. If you are growing pole varieties, put up trellises or support before you plant so as not to disturb established plant roots. Plastic or nylon netting, wire fencing or single wires can be used for supports. Sow seeds 1-2" apart in wide rows or double rows. Dwarf varieties can be planted in wide rows using no supports; the vines will support each other. Single rows should be planted 2-3 feet apart with a support.
Start seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before the last expected spring frost; move hardened off seedlings to the garden 2 weeks before the last frost. Or sow seeds directly in the garden as soon as the soil can be worked. Start seeds for a fall crop 8 weeks before the first expected fall frost. In mild winter areas, sow seeds in late fall for a winter and early spring harvest. Sow seeds ¼- ½ inch deep, 4 inches apart in the row. When plants are a couple of inches tall, thin to a 12-18 inch spacing.
Planting Instructions Plant seeds outdoors 4 to 6 weeks before your last spring frost date, and again 4 to 6 weeks before the first fall frost date. Spinach bolts when days are 14 to 16 hours long; warm weather makes it bolt even faster. Sow seeds 1/2 inch deep, about 12 seeds per foot of row, or sprinkle them over a wide row or bed. Care When seedlings are 1 inch tall, thin to stand 4 inches apart. Water every few days during dry spells; mulch spinach planted in rows to retain soil moisture.
About This Plant Strawberries require a fair amount of maintenance to produce a good crop. You can maximize yields by continually renewing your strawberry bed with new plants. Plants bear in their second season. Plan to set your new plants out in early spring, just as the trees in your area leaf out. For best yields, start a new bed of plants each year and take out beds that have fruited. Site Selection Select a site that offers full sun and good drainage and air circulation. Care In spring of the first year, pick off blossoms to prevent fruiting and encourage production of healthy daughter plants. In late spring, train daughter plants to take root in a 9-by-9-inch spaced row system. In late fall, after a few freezes, mulch with 5 to 6 inches of straw or 4 to 5 inches of pine needles.
Features: Sweet and juicy. Exposure: Full Sun. Size: Harvest Size: 1 to 2 inches, Plant Size: 8 to 10 inches tall, 18 inches wide. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 18 inches in a 30-inch bed or in rows 3 to 4 feet apart; 1 to 3 per large container or a several plants per strawberry pot. Comments: Work well in containers, but move them to a protected place (such as a garage) during coldest months.
Features: Sweet and juicy. Exposure: Full Sun. Size: Harvest Size: 1 to 2 inches, Plant Size: 8 to 10 inches tall, 18 inches wide. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 18 inches in a 30-inch bed or in rows 3 to 4 feet apart; 1 to 3 per large container or a several plants per strawberry pot. Comments: Work well in containers, but move them to a protected place (such as a garage) during coldest months.
Features: The stalks of Bright Lights grow in a rainbow of colors—yellow, red, pink, white, and orange. Exposure: Full sun to part shade. Size: Leaf Size: 18 to 24 inches, Plant Size: 2 wide and tall. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 1 to 2 feet apart. Comments: Plant Swiss chard starting in spring about two to four weeks before the last frost, but be prepared to protect it from a hard frost.
Features: Swiss chard’s dark green, ruffled leaves are similar to spinach but chewier. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Leaf Size: 18 to 24 inches,P lant Size: 2 wide and tall. Uses: Swiss chard is also great in containers, either strictly for ornament or for harvest when you are ready to eat, edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Sow the Chard seed in rows around 45cm apart and about 5 cm apart. The seeds should be sown at around 1 – 1.5cm depth. Germination can take anywhere around 1-2 weeks. Comments: Like beets, chard is a unique source of phytonutrients called betalains.
Features: This chard produces good yields of dark green shiny leaves with brilliant ruby red stalks and veins. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Leaf Size: 18 to 24 inches, Plant Size: 2 wide and tall. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 1 to 2 feet apart. Comments: Swiss chard is quite frost-tolerant.
Features: Dwarf chinese cabbage, tiny bunches of crisp, white, tall stalks with tender green leaves. Exposure: Full Sun. Size: 5” tall. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space plants about 12 in. apart. Comments: Easy to harvest, When the plants begin to head up, tie the leaves together with raffia or garden twine.
Spring Vegetables
Features: Globe-Shaped green fruit with purplish base, productive and good-tasting. Exposure: Full Sun. Size: 1.5 to 2 m tall. Uses: Are known to aid liver function, arteriosclerosis and supports the effectiveness of gall secretions. Planting Guide: Space 4 feet apart. Comments: The flowers develop in a large head from an edible bud about 8–15 cm diameter with numerous triangular scales; the individual florets are purple.
Prefers rich humusy soil with pH of 6 to 6.8, but will tolerate wide variety of conditions. Evenly moist soil will help slow bolting. Growth is low and compact until heat causes plant to bolt. Forms a rosette of deeply lobed leaves. Plants become erect when heat induces bolting. Flowers are edible. MAINTAINING Seeds germinate quickly even in cold soil. Plant as soon as soil can be worked in spring. Avoid planting after other cabbage family crops. Plant ¼ inch deep and 1 inch apart in rows, or broadcast alone or mixed with other greens. Gradually thin to 6-inch spacings using thinnings for salads. Make new plantings every 2 to 3 weeks for a continuous supply until about a month before your average first frost date. Slow bolting by reducing heat and moisture stress. Provide some shade for warm-season plantings.
Features: Excellent fresh, frozen or for canning. Exposure: Full Sun. Size: 6 in. (15 cm). Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 1 to 2 feet. Comments: Extremely easy to grow.
Kentucky pole beans are popular for their taste, productivity and hardiness. These beans grow well in warm weather and are planted after frost danger has passed, according to Ohio State University Extension. Kentucky Wonder beans plants are harvestable at 65 days of growth and produce clusters of 9-inch pods. Regular harvesting encourages the growth of bean pods. Bean plants are susceptible to illnesses like bean mosaic disease and bacterial bean blight. Following recommended growing practices ensures the best health for Kentucky pole beans.
Plants grow best in warm climates but poorly in cold conditions. Soybean seed germination is relatively sensitive to water content in soil. Seeds can be easily rotted and fail to germinate if overwatered or soaked. Keep soil only moist but not soaked during the germinating period. Edible soybean produces clusters of pods with green beans. Pick the pods when they are plump but still green. All pods on the plants are harvested at the same time. It is suggested to start seedings at several different times, so you can have continuous harvests of Edamame beans.
Grow beets in full sun or partial shade in warm regions. Plant beets in well-worked loose soil rich in organic matter. Be sure to remove all stones and clods from planting beds so as not to impede or split growing roots. Add aged compost to growing beds in advance of planting. Beets grow best where the soil pH is 6.0 to 6.8. Planting time. Sow beets in the garden 2 to 3 weeks before the last average frost date in spring. Continue succession plantings every 3 weeks until temperatures reach 80°F. Beets can again be planted in late summer or early autumn 6 to 8 weeks before the first average frost in autumn. Beets require 45 to 65 days to reach harvest. Beets can tolerate frost but will go to seed if temperatures are too cold. Grow beets as a winter crop in mild-winter regions. In hot weather, beet roots will become woody. Water and feeding. Keep beets evenly watered. Do not let the soil dry out. Lack of water will cause roots to become stunted, stringy, and tough.
Features: Bok Choy is an annual which is quick and easy growing, prefers cool weather and tolerates light frost. Exposure: Full sun to part shade. Size: 30cm height. Uses: Containers and vegetable beds. Bok choy is also suitable for window boxes as it is shallow rooted. Planting Guide: Space 30-45cm apart. Comments: Grow two batches of bok choy crops each year, one in Spring and one in Autumn. Leaves, stems and flowers can all be eaten.
Broccoli is a hardy vegetable that performs best in cooler weather although heat tolerant varieties such as green comet and green goliath will grow in all but the hottest months of the year. Broccoli is a member of the cabbage family and produces two crops per season that can be harvested in the spring and fall. Plant transplants for spring planting since the plant is already developed to the point where it can prosper in the summer heat. Direct seeding works well in the fall since the cooler weather is kinder to the plants.
Choose a site that gets at least 6 hours of sun a day and has moist, rich soil with a pH of 6.0 to 6.5 (see "How to Have Your Soil Tested"). Ensure moisture retention by enriching the soil with plenty of compost or well-cured manure. Sprinkle the planting area with wood ashes to increase its potassium content.
Features: Upright, dark green, waxy plant. Exposure: Full Sun. Size: 6 to 10 in. . Uses: Edible Landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 18 in. apart. Comments: More heat tolerant than cabbage.
Plant a minimum of 10 to 15 plants per person. To extend your harvest, sow an early-maturing type every 2 weeks for 6 weeks, or plant early, mid-season, and late types at the same time. To avoid cross-pollination, keep different corn cultivars (especially supersweets) 400 or more yards apart, or plant them so they tassel 2 weeks apart. Site your corn patch in a sunny, wind-protected area. Corn is an extremely heavy feeder, especially on nitrogen, so it thrives in a place where soil-enriching crops like beans, hairy vetch, or clover grew the previous season, or add 20 to 30 pounds of compost per 100 square feet to the soil as you prepare it for planting.
Plant a minimum of 10 to 15 plants per person. To extend your harvest, sow an early-maturing type every 2 weeks for 6 weeks, or plant early, mid-season, and late types at the same time. To avoid cross-pollination, keep different corn cultivars (especially supersweets) 400 or more yards apart, or plant them so they tassel 2 weeks apart. Site your corn patch in a sunny, wind-protected area. Corn is an extremely heavy feeder, especially on nitrogen, so it thrives in a place where soil-enriching crops like beans, hairy vetch, or clover grew the previous season, or add 20 to 30 pounds of compost per 100 square feet to the soil as you prepare it for planting.
Features: Heavily ribbed, ligth green-skined fruit gows straight when tresiled, but will twist into unusual shapes is grown on the ground. Exposure: Full Sun. Size: 12- 18 in. (30-45 cm). Uses: Delicious raw in salads and soups and perfect for pickles! Planting Guide: Space 4 feet apart. Comments: This cucumber does not embody the bitterness often associated with cucumbers, instead this fruit is crunchy and mild in flavor.
Features: Sweet, dark green, many seedless. Exposure: Full Sun. Size: 6 inches. Uses: Edible Landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 2 to 3 transplants 6 inches apart in hills spaced 4 feet apart. Comments: Resist watermelon mosaic.
Features: Produce an abundant crop of nice, staright cucumbers. Exposure: Full Sun. Size: 8 to 12 inches. Uses: Garden beds and vining cucumbers in selected areas where they can climb a fence or trellis. Planting Guide: Space 12 inches apart. Comments: Bush-type cucumbers grow in small spaces.
Features: A thin, bumpy skin covers flesh with a fresh, slightly sweet flavor. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Long vine, 18 inches long. Uses: Perfect for salads. Some cooks peel them halfway for alternating stripes of green. Mix with rice vinegar and sugar for Asian cucumber salad, edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 2 to 3 plants 6 inches apart on hills 6 feet apart; If growing on a trellis, space plants 1 foot apart. Comments: Be sure to water regularly and keep the soil moist.
Features: Tender and tasty, vining plant. Exposure: Full sun. Size: 2 inches. Uses: Fence or cucumber trellis, edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Plant seeds 1/2 to 1 inch deep and thin the seedlings to one plant every 12 inches in the row or to three plants every 36 inches in the hill system. If you use transplants, plant them carefully in warm soil 12 inches apart in the row. Comments: Pickling cucumbers are usually preferred for their size, taste and texture.
Plant hybrid cucumber seeds in late spring in a sunny , well drained location when the cultivated and enriched with organic material ground is warm and all danger of frost is past. Press soil firmly over seeds. Start seeds indoors 4-6 weeks before setting outside for early crop. Care: Water hybrid seeds lightly to keep soil moist but do not over water. Control weeds with cultivation or mulch. Use loose soil to cover vines periodically so new roots will form and improve overall plant growth. Harvesting: Pick fruit before color turns to yellow. Regular picking promotes more fruiting. Nutritional Value: Good source of minerals and vitamins with low calorie benefits, an excellent salad vegetable.
These vigorous plants benefit from a vertical habit. The vegetables won’t rot like they often do on the ground and the plants will receive more even light. Small melons are another great candidate for vertical gardening.
Features: Purple, egg-shaped fruit. Matures in about 80 days. Exposure: Plant in sun. Size: Oval fruit 5’6″ on 24-28″ plants. Uses: Nutritious and great tasting vegetables used in many ethnic dishes. Planting Guide: Plant 18″ apart in rows 30″ apart. Warm season vegetable. Comments: Research eggplants before adding them to your diet as some persons should not eat them.
Size: Usually about 3' tall and bushy Exposure: Full sun Days to Harvest: Varies with variety. Most take at least 65- 70 days from transplant Description: Eggplants are in the Solanaceae family, with tomatoes, peppers and potatoes. Along with the many large, oblong varieties there are also long, thin, oriental types and small round egg-shaped eggplants. Color is even more varied with an almost black purple, blushes of lavender, green, pink and creamy white.
Germinate your eggplant seed indoors, six weeks before the last expected frost date. Plant your eggplant seeds 1/4 inch deep in flats, and keep in a warm, sunny place, keeping the soil temperature between 65 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and if possible between 80 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Place your eggplant on a radiator, or in a small room with a localized space heater to help warm the soil. Eggplant seeds will not germinate in cooler soils. Sprouting will occur in one to two weeks. Water moderately. Wait for the soil to reach temperatures above 60 degrees Fahrenheit for transplanting. Do not water your eggplant for the week before transplanting. Use a transplanting fork or flat stick to remove sprouts from flats. Plant eggplants where the will be exposed to a full day of sunlight, 1 1/2 to 2 feet apart in rows 3 feet apart, or plant two per large container.
Features: A smaller butterhead lettuce with soft leaves. Exposure: Full sun. Size: 9 - 15 inches. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 6 inches apart. Comments: Bibb lettuce thrives in cooler weather.
Plant lettuce around taller plants like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, peppers, and eggplants. The lettuce helps its neighbor by keeping the surrounding soil moist and cool and keeping weeds shaded out. As the taller plants grow, they provide needed shade for the lettuce as the days get warmer. Many varieties of lettuce are also welcome additions to ornamental beds. • Choose a sunny location (6+ hours of sun) and dig a hole about two times as wide as your pot. • Remove your plant from the pot by loosening the soil and tipping it out into your hand. Place your plant in the soil about as deep as it was in the pot. • Refill the space around your plant with soil and press lightly to compact the dirt, keeping your plant firmly in the ground. • Water immediately to settle the soil, and add more soil as needed, bringing it level to the rest of your garden.
Lettuce grows well under cooler conditions and needs plenty of water. If you plant your lettuce when low temperatures are around 40 degrees F and high temperatures are around 60 degrees F, your lettuce should do fine. Be aware that a hard freeze will still damage your lettuce. However, lettuce can survive light freezes, so not to worry. This makes lettuce an ideal crop to grow either during the fall or the early spring. Keep reading more for specific tips on how to grow great lettuce.
PLANT TYPE: Annual LIGHT: Full Sun in spring/fall, partial shade in summer SOIL TYPE: Rich, well-drained, loose loam. pH RANGE: 6.2 - 6.8 MOISTURE/WATERING: Keep moist, not waterlogged, frequent short watering is best MATURITY IN DAYS: 45 - 55 KNOWN PESTS: slugs, aphids, flea beetles and leaf hoppers.
Features: Green head, has a very short stem. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Harvest Size: 6-inch head, Plant Size: 8 to 10 inches tall and wide. Uses: Edible lanscaping. Planting Guide: Space 1 foot apart in rows 1 foot apart. Comments: Lettuce is used as a food plant.
Features: Tasty, attractive blend of herbs and greens includes arugula, mizuna, tatsai, endive, chervil, radicchio and kale. Exposure: Full Sun in spring/fall, partial shade in summer. Size: 3-4″ tall. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 6 in. apart with 12 in. rows. Comments: This lettuce is easy to grow, as seeds germinate in cool weather, even as low as 40° F.
Looseleaf. One of the best-tasting lettuces. Thick, crunchy leaves with a mild flavor. and perfect for cut-and-come-again culture. Compact and upright, slow to bolt. Harvest in 56 days. Product Details Days to Maturity: 28-48 days Sun: Full Sun Sowing Method: Direct Sow/Indoor Sow Spread: 6 inches Height: 9-15 inches Thinning: 6 inches Days to pick the first ripe fruit from the time the plant is transplanted in the garden.
Grow these leafy vegetables like lettuce in spring or fall. Some varieties are better for fall preferring the cooler nights. With fall crops the flavor mellows with the onset of cold weather. Direct sow the tiny seeds in a sunny location planting them in rich, well dug soil 1/4-inch deep and 1/2-inch apart in rows 18-inches apart. Thin the seedling 10 to 16 inches apart. Although direct sowing is most often recommended, setting out greenhouse transplants works well for me. Radicchio has a shallower root system than its other chicory cousins, preferring more frequent but not deep watering. Infrequent watering will lead to a more bitter tasting leaf. It is an easy vegetable to grow.
A standard salad mix variety, more ruffled and lobed than standard Red Oak Leaf. Tender leaves mature to a deep red. Mild, non-bitter flavor holds, and it's slow to bolt. Forms a large, loose full size head. Suitable for spring, summer or fall, with most intense color and best performace in cooler weather. Planting Depth: 1/4" Soil Temp. for Germ.: 40-80°F Days to Germ.: 2-15 Plant Spacing: 8-10" Days to Maturity: 55 Full Sun/Partial Shade Water Often
Features: Romaine has a distinctive tall semi-heading rosette. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Harvest Size: 8-inches (semi-heading), Plant Size: 1 foot tall and wide. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 18 inches apart. Comments: Likes sun but can also grow in light shade.
Features: Romaine has a distinctive tall semi-heading rosette. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Harvest Size: 8-inches (semi-heading), Plant Size: 1 foot tall and wide. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 18 inches apart. Comments: Likes sun but can also grow in light shade.
Features: Romaine has a distinctive tall semi-heading rosette. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Harvest Size: 8-inches (semi-heading), Plant Size: 1 foot tall and wide. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 18 inches apart. Comments: Likes sun but can also grow in light shade.
PLANT TYPE: Annual LIGHT: Full Sun in spring/fall, partial shade in summer SOIL TYPE: Rich, well-drained, loose loam. pH RANGE: 6.2 - 6.8 MOISTURE/WATERING: Keep moist, not waterlogged, frequent short watering is best MATURITY IN DAYS: 45 - 55 KNOWN PESTS: slugs, aphids, flea beetles and leaf hoppers.
PLANT TYPE: Annual LIGHT: Full Sun in spring/fall, partial shade in summer SOIL TYPE: Rich, well-drained, loose loam. pH RANGE: 6.2 - 6.8 MOISTURE/WATERING: Keep moist, not waterlogged, frequent short watering is best MATURITY IN DAYS: 45 - 55 KNOWN PESTS: slugs, aphids, flea beetles and leaf hoppers.
Features: Large, oval fruits with yellow-green skin when ripe. Matures in about 75-100 days. Exposure: Plant in sun. Size: Plant 2 plants per hill. Uses: Enjoy fresh or mixed with other seasonal fruits. Planting Guide: Plant on hills spaced 48-72″ apart. Warm season fruit. Comments: Firm, juicy summer fruit.
Features: Hybrid melon with very sweet, juicy orange flesh. Crenshaws are among the sweetest of melons when they are well cultivated. Exposure: Full sun. Size: 6-8 pounds and occasionally some up to 10 pounds. Uses: Edible Landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 48 in’ apart after thinning. Comments: Crenshaw melons were developed by crossing Persian and Casaba melons.
Common Name : Melon Spacing : 24 - 36" (61 - 91cm) Exposure : Sun Grower Information : Yellow, slightly rough skin and firm white flesh. Vigorous and productive. Resists Fusarium Wilt Races 0 and 1, Powdery Mildew 1 and 2. 84 days to maturity.
Features: Smooth skin and pastel green flesh. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Harvest Size: 3 pounds, Plant Size: Long vine. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 1 foot apart in rows 4 to 6 feet apart; or plant 12 inches apart and grow on a trellis. Comments: Honeydew is 90% water.
Muskmelon, also known as cantaloupe, is a tender, heat-loving vegetable. Most varieties of the muskmelon have a musk smell; thus the name muskmelon. Muskmelon originated in India.
Mustard greens are very easy to grow and grow very fast. It is a self-seeding plant. This means that if the seeds are allowed to grow, they may pop up in the unexpected areas in the garden. This plant grows better in cool weather, rather than a sunny one. They grow to an average height of up to the knee in about 40 to 45 days. Once the plant starts bearing flowers, it is pointless to snap off its tops hoping that new crops of leaves will form. In fact, flowering acts as a signal to plant a yet another new batch of seeds. To plant this crop, the soil selected should be reliably cool. The soil can be prepared in early spring, and the seeds need to plant about ½ inch deep in the soil and should be at least 1 to 2 inches apart. The plant needs regular watering and proper care to grow properly into a good and healthy plant.
Mustard reds are very easy to grow and grow very fast. It is a self-seeding plant. This means that if the seeds are allowed to grow, they may pop up in the unexpected areas in the garden. This plant grows better in cool weather, rather than a sunny one. They grow to an average height of up to the knee in about 40 to 45 days. Once the plant starts bearing flowers, it is pointless to snap off its tops hoping that new crops of leaves will form. In fact, flowering acts as a signal to plant a yet another new batch of seeds. To plant this crop, the soil selected should be reliably cool. The soil can be prepared in early spring, and the seeds need to plant about ½ inch deep in the soil and should be at least 1 to 2 inches apart. The plant needs regular watering and proper care to grow properly into a good and healthy plant.
Features: Okra grows in an elongated, lantern shape vegetable. It is a fuzzy, green colored, and ribbed pod . Exposure: Full sun. Size: Harvest Size: 3-inch pods, Plant Size: 2 to 3 feet wide, 4 to 8 feet tall. Uses: Edible Landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 10 inches apart in rows 3 feet apart. Comments: Okra is a powerhouse of valuable nutrients. It is a good source of vitamin C. It is low in calories and is fat-free.
Features: Bunching onion does not form a real bulb . Oriental bunching onion has a green leaf portion and a long blanched white stalk portion. Exposure: Full sun. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 1-1½” apart. Comments: Can be grown from seed or as sets.
Features: Red onions are a mild and sweet short-day variety, Sometimes called hamburger onion. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Bulb Size: 3 inches, Plant Size: 3-inch bulb, up to 2-foot tops. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 6 inches apart in rows 12 inches apart for full sized bulbs. Comments: Set seedlings 1 to 2 inches deep, covering roots, but don’t bury the necks or they’ll rot.
Features: Sweet sweet—and juicy. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Bulb Size: Up to 2 pounds, Plant Size: 6-inch bulbs, 2-foot tops. Uses: Edible Landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 6 inches apart in rows 12 inches apart for full sized bulbs. Comments: Onions create a flavorful base for soups, stews, pasta dishes, salads.
Features: Easy to peel, taste mild, and store well. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Harvest Size: 8 ounces to 1 pound, Plant Size: 3-inch bulb, up to 2-foot tops. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 6 inches apart in rows 12 inches apart for full sized bulbs. Comments: These popular cooking onions are often called for in Hispanic dishes, since they have a cleaner, more tangy flavor than yellow onions.
Features: Large bulbs with medium-firm flesh, brownish yellow skin. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Harvest Size: 8 ounces to 1 pound, Plant Size: 3-inch bulbs, up to 2-foot tops. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space inches apart in rows 12 inches apart for full sized bulbs. Comments: Easy to peel, taste mild, and stores for months.
'Oregon Giant' is a snow pea, generally ready for harvest 105 days after sowing. This pea has unusually large pods. The plant grows 30 to 35 inches high. It is resistant to pea enation, powdery mildew, and mosaic virus. Peas are hardy, weak-stemmed, climbing annuals. Custom has it that you can make a wish if you find a pea pod that has nine or more peas in it. Edible pea pods are grown the same way as sugar peas, just harvested much earlier, prior to filling out. Peas have always been difficult for the backyard gardener, producing yields so low, they often wonder why they bothered. New improved varieties have changed this. You'll need two things to grow peas: 1) Cool weater and 2) A 6 foot support trellis. Time planting your peas so that the crop is finished by the time hot weather rolls around. Ideal temperatures are between 60 and 65 degrees Farenheit, with plenty of moisture. Often this means starting your peas 6 weeks before the last average frost date.
Fertilize the area to be planted (approximately 2 Ibs/ 100sq. Feet) with 5-10-10 or its equivalent before sowing. High levels of nitrogen in soil will reduce pod production. If you are growing pole varieties, put up trellises or support before you plant so as not to disturb established plant roots. Plastic or nylon netting, wire fencing or single wires can be used for supports. Sow seeds 1-2" apart in wide rows or double rows. Dwarf varieties can be planted in wide rows using no supports; the vines will support each other. Single rows should be planted 2-3 feet apart with a support.
Features: Mild-heat, chile-style pepper, sometimes called a New Mexico or California pepper. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Harvest Size: 7 1/2 inches long, 2 inches wide, Plant size: 18 to 24 inches tall, 18 inches wide. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 18 inches apart in rows 30 inches apart; 12 to 18 inches in intensive gardens. One plant per 18-inch container . Comments: Peppers are packed with Vitamins A and C—twice the vitamin C of an orange.
Sow several seeds 1/4-inch deep in 2-to 3-inch earth-friendly containers such as peat pots filled with lightly moistened seed starting mix. Water well and place the pots in a well-lighted, warm area (80º to 85ºF) such as under fluorescent lights. To prevent the seedlings from damping off, keep the soil damp but not wet, and provide good air circulation around the plants. Feed the seedlings with half-strength water-soluble nitrogen fertilizer every two weeks. When seedlings are about two inches tall, thin to one plant per pot by cutting out the smaller ones. Once the plants are about five inches tall and the nighttime temperatures are above 60ºF, harden the plants off by slowly acclimatizing the peppers to the garden.
A delicious sweet pepper, somewhat like the Lipstick variety, having a conical but rounded shape. Fruits grow up to 4" long and have a juicy, sweet flavor. Good bearing in most types of climates. 75-80 days.
Peppers are easy to grow in any sunny, well-drained spot, and they are good candidates for roomy containers, too. Peppers have a naturally upright growth habit, so they often benefit from staking, which keeps brittle branches from breaking when they become heavy with fruit. Colorful peppers also make great additions to beds planted with flowers and other edible ornamentals, where they can easily serve as specimen plants. In beds or rows, space plants 18 to 24 inches apart.Peppers grow best in a near-neutral soil with a pH between 6.2 and 7.0, although they can tolerate slightly alkaline conditions near 7.5. Mix a 3- to 5-inch layer of compost into each planting hole, as shown in the step-by-step planting directions. A generous amount of organic matter helps the soil retain moisture, and moist soil is crucial for good pepper production. After planting, mulch each plant to keep the soil cool and moist.
Features: Firm, smooth-skinned and fairly evenly-shaped. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Harvest Size: 4 to 5 inches long, Plant size: 24 to 36 inches tall, 18 to 24 inches wide. Uses: Edible landscaping, Raw, cooked, roasted or in vegetable platters. Planting Guide: Space 18 inches apart in rows 30 inches apart; 12 to 18 inches in intensive gardens. One plant per 18-inch container. Comments: Avoid product that is soft, has wrinkled skin or is bruised or pock-marked.
Many gardeners plant transplant their seedlings too early. Wait until the soil is between 70-85 degrees. If the weather is still too cold, wait until it warms up. Cold weather can lead to the plant slowing down or becoming stunted. Determine a good spot to plant your new plants outside and prepare the soil. Bell peppers need lots of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. The area should be well-drained and receive lots of sun. Prepare the soil by adding good topsoil, compost and rotted manure. You want a pH level around 7.0 (neutral). Rake the soil, removing large rocks and leveling it out as you go. Place the seedlings that you started indoors 18-24 inches apart. Dig a small hole, about 2 inches deep, with your trowel.
Fruit size: 4 to 6 oz. Matures: 70 to 80 days Sweet, juicy, nutritious red fruits add appetizing color to fresh salads and are superb for stuffing. The big, blocky peppers ripen from dark green to bright red. High-yielding plants are well adapted throughout the US. Grow your own and avoid premium prices at the grocery store. Space plants about 18 inches apart in rows 30 inches apart.
Features: Blocky, thick-walled fruits. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Harvest Size: 4 to 5 inches long, Plant size: 24 to 36 inches tall, 18 to 24 inches wide. Uses: Edible landscaping, Raw, cooked, roasted or in vegetable platters, also work well in containers if you keep the soil evenly moist. Planting Guide: Space 18 inches apart in rows 30 inches apart; 12 to 18 inches in intensive gardens. One plant per 18-inch container. Comments: These peppers are one of the sweetest.
Peppers are an elongated sweet bell-type with 3 to 4 lobes, thick walls, and a sweet flavor as they ripen. Peppers start out green and will ripen to red if you wish to leave them on the plant until they turn, but they are perfectly good while still green. This is a big producer in our Alabama test garden, where the growing season is long and plants are very well tended. Our Big Early Bell plants can yield about 10 pounds or 40 to 50 peppers each over a harvest period that runs from mid May and to late October. Obviously, your results will depend on care and the length of the warm season in your locale. Space transplants 18 inches apart in rows 30 inches apart.
3-4 lobed, large, blocky bells, ripen from green to red. Very sweet, with thick flesh. Perfect for salads or stuffing.
Black Cobra Peppers are fuzzy, very prolific pepper. Extremely tall as well. They can grow over 4 ft. with tree-like growth. These peppers can be very hot.
Plant produces good yields of 3" long by 1 ¾" wide peach orange Habanero hot peppers. Peppers are hot with a touch of sweet, and turn from green to peach orange when mature. The strong plant has green stems, green leaves, and white flowers. This is one of the earliest maturing variety of its type on the market.
Sun to partial shade Warm weather annual in zone 8B Similar to Habanero (260,000 on the Scoville scale) but hotter, at 445n000 Scoville units
Features: Italian long hot peppers changes from green to red and, taste-wise, all pepper have a mild but somewhat spicy flavor.. Exposure: Full Sun. Size: 8 inches and width of 3/4 of an inch. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 18 inches apart in your garden and in rows with 30 inches in between. Comments: Water deeply but not too often.
Features: Wrinkled, skinny, and thin-walled. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Harvest Size: 5 to 6 inches long, Plant size: 18 to 24 inches tall, 18 inches wide. Uses: Edible landscaping, . Planting Guide: Space 18 inches apart in rows 30 inches apart; 12 to 18 inches in intensive gardens. One plant per 18-inch container. Comments: Handle all hot peppers with care; it’s best to wear disposable gloves when harvesting or handling fruit.
Features: Slender, spear-shaped peppers. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Harvest Size: 2 to 3 inches long, Plant Size: 36 to 48 inches tall, 20 to 24 inches wide. Uses: This is the pepper most frequently used to create ornamental wreaths and ristras (pepper strings), Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 18 inches apart in rows 30 to 36 inches apart; 12 to 18 inches in intensive gardens. One plant per 18-inch container. Comments: Drought stress often makes the peppers hotter, too
Big Early Red peppers are easy to grow pepper, very full of flavour leaving aweful glass grown hydroponic peppers in the shops way behind in the flavour stakes! These old traditional cultivars crop very heavily.This one is red when mature but can be eaten at the green stage, and is bell shaped.
Features: Sprawling plants with small waxy yellow peppers going to red at maturity. Exposure: Full sun. Size: 24-36 in. (60-90 cm). Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 18-24 in. (45-60 cm). Comments: Known as ‘Torrido’ when picked and pickled at the immature stage.
Features: Short, cone shaped peppers cover vigorous, disease-resistant plants in the heat of summer. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Harvest Size: 2 inches long, 1 inch wide, Plant size: 24 to 30 inches tall, 18 inches wide. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 18 inches apart in rows 30 inches apart; 12 to 18 inches in intensive gardens. One plant per 18-inch container. Comments: Peppers are very cold-sensitive.
Features: Small, lantern-shaped fruits. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Harvest Size: 1 to 2 inches long, 1.5 inches wide, Plant size: 24 to 36 inches tall, 18 inches wide. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 18 inches apart in rows 30 inches apart; 12 to 18 inches in intensive gardens. One plant per 18-inch container. Comments: Scoville units:: 100,000 to 300,000 (extreme).
Hot; 5 to 7 inches long by 0.75 to 1 inches wide; matures from green to red; pendant pods; from Portugal; Uses: Roasting, Fried/Stir-Fried, Canning/Processing; Short Season; C.annuum.
Features: Creamy-yellow translucent color, very similar to the Banana Wax Pepper, has a thin skin with a thick flesh due to its immaturity. Exposure: Full sun. Size: 18-24 inches. Uses: Great for pickling or dying, edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 16 in. apart. Comments: Hungarian wax peppers are medium hot.
85 days. Capsicum annuum. (F1) Plant produces good yields of 7" long by ¾" wide hot peppers. Peppers are very mild, just a little heat, and turn from green to red when mature. Plant has green stems, green leaves, and white flowers. Superb flavor. Excellent for salads, pizza, and grilling. Plant Height: 28" tall. pk/10
Features: Most popular chile pepper in the nation, yield dozens of small, thick-walled, medium-hot fruits. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Harvest Size: 3 inches long, 0.5 to 1 inch wide, Plant size: 24 to 48 inches tall, 18 inches wide. Uses: Edible landscaping, also adapt well to growing in containers. Planting Guide: Space 18 inches apart in rows 30 inches apart; 12 to 18 inches in intensive gardens. One plant per 18-inch container. Comments: Scoville units:: 2,500 to 5,000 (medium).
Features: Plants yield many small, rounded fruits that start green and ripen to red. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Harvest Size: 3 inches long, 2.5 inches wide, Plant size: 18 to 24 inches tall and wide. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 24 inches apart in rows 30 inches apart; 12 to 18 inches in intensive gardens. One plant per 18-inch container. Comments: The relatively small plants grow well in containers.
Pequin has a compact habit growing typically 0.3 - 0.6 meters tall, with bright green, ovate leaves and small fruits that rarely exceed 2 cm in length. Like most chiles, fruits start out green, ripening to brilliant red at maturity. Pequin peppers are very hot, often 13-40 times hotter than jalapeños on the Scoville scale (100,000-140,000 units). Flavor is described as citrusy, smoky (if dried with wood smoke), and nutty.
One of the most popular peppers grown in Mexico, the bush (of the species Capsicum annuum) is multi-stemmed and can reach 25 inches (0.64 m) in height. The fruit is 3 to 6 inches (7.6 to 15 cm) long and 2 to 3 inches (5.1 to 7.6 cm) wide. An immature poblano is dark purplish green in color, but the mature fruits eventually turn a red so dark as to be nearly black. Poblanos grow in zones 10-12 and do best with a soil ph between 7.0 - 8.5. Poblanos typically prefer full sunlight and may require additional support for the growing fruits during harvest in late summer. A poblano takes around 200 days from seed to harvest and requires soil temperatures of at least 64 degrees F to germinate.
Peppers are a rich source of Vitamin C and flavor in a diet. These warm-weather plants are available in many different shapes, sizes, colors and spiciness. The Scotch bonnet pepper is very hot; rating 80,000 to 260,000 Scoville units, while jalapeno peppers rate only 2,500 to 5,000 Scoville units. These small peppers are an adventure to eat. Scotch bonnet peppers are grown just like other, less spicy, pepper plants. A little bit of care and hot weather is all that it takes to have an abundant crop of Scotch bonnet peppers.
Features: Thin skins mean this pepper prepares quickly in the kitchen, not requiring roasting or peeling. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Harvest Size: 3 to 3.5 inches long, 0.5 inches wide, Plant size: 24 to 36 inches tall and 18 inches wide. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 18 inches apart in rows 30 inches apart; 12 to 18 inches in intensive gardens. One plant per 18-inch container. Comments: Scoville heat units: 15,000 to 30,000 (medium).
Features: Mini, mildly sweet-hot, thin-walled, slighlty wrinkled bright green peppers. Exposure: Full Sun. Size: 3 to 4 in. long. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 14 - 16 inches apart. Comments: Excellent for tempura, yakitori, and sautéed. High in vitamins A and C.
Place seeds on the surface of a free-draining compost and cover with a fine sprinkling of compost or vermiculite. Place in a propagator at 18-21C (65-70F) until after germination which takes 7-10 days. Do not exclude light as this helps germination. Transplant seedlings when large enough to handle into 7cm (3in) pots. Plant in final situation when plants are 10cm (4in) high, 45cm (18in) apart. For indoor crops plant into pots for the windowsill, or several plants into containers or growbags. For outdoor crops, acclimatise plants to outdoor conditions for a few days before planting in sunny, fertile, moist, well-drained soil, after all risk of frost has passed.
Features: Peppers ripen from yellow to orange to brilliant red. The thin-walled peppers have thin skins. Exposure: Full Sun. Size: Harvest Size: 4 to 6 inches long x 1.5 inches wide, Plant size: 18 to 24 inches tall and wide. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 18 inches apart in rows 30 inches apart; 12 to 18 inches in intensive gardens. One plant per 18-inch container. Comments: Many gardeners also dry these fruits for year-round use.
Features: Green leaf strain is the best for the South/East,smoky flavored chile-style peppers, Peppers ripen from yellow-green to orange to red, with heat increasing the redder fruits become. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Harvest Size: 2 inches long x 0.5 inches wide, Plant size: 24 to 36 inches tall and wide. Uses: Edible landscaper. Planting Guide: Space 18 inches apart in rows 30 inches apart; 12 to 18 inches in intensive gardens. One plant per 18-inch container. Comments: Scoville units: 30,000 to 50,000 (hot).
Features: Plant has green stems, green leaves, and white flowers. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Harvest Size: 1 inch long, 0.25 inches wide, Plant size: 12 to 15 inches tall, 18 inches wide. Uses: Edible landscaping, They look fantastic in hanging baskets. Planting Guide: Space18 inches apart in rows 24 inches apart; 12 to 18 inches in intensive gardens. One plant per 15-inch container. Comments: Scoville units: 50,00 to 100,000 (extra hot).
85 days. Capsicum annuum. Plant produces good yields of 3 ½" long by 2 ½" wide hot peppers. Peppers are mildly hot and turn from a glossy dark black-green color to a red brick color when mature. Plant has green stems, green leaves, and white flowers. Excellent for making chili powder, sauces, and the classic mole sauce. This is a new improved Ancho variety from the USA. Sunlight: Full Sun
Planting Depth: 1/2" inch with fine soil Spacing: Plant 10-12" inches apart and space rows at least 12" inches apart. Sun/Shade: Partial Sun Germination: 3-8 days Days to Maturity: 45 days Plant habit: Semi-erect savory leaf Color: Dark green Bolt rating: Medium slow Disease resistant: CMV Suggested season: Fall, over-winter, spring Comments: Bloomsdale is an old, dependable, open pollinated variety.
Features: Hard, yellow to tan exterior hides sweet, orange flesh inside. Exposure: Full Sun. Size: Harvest Size: 1 to 3 pounds, Plant Size: Long vine. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 4 feet apart. Comments: Give your butternut vine plenty of room to run. Save space by growing it on a fence or trellis.
Features: Easy to grow and quick to mature—characteristics that make it our favorite summer squash. Each plant bears many lemon-yellow fruit with a bent neck. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Harvest Size: 6 inches long, Plant Size: 3 feet wide, 2 feet tall. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 3 to 4 inches apart on hills spaced 4 feet apart. One per 20-inch pot. Comments: Give squash plenty of sun, food, and water.
Features: Light Green, medium-size version of the squash, but it also comes in a variety of colors – white, bright yellow and several shades of green. Exposure: Full Sun. Size: 2- 3 in. (5-7 cm). Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 12 inches apart, with 3 feet between rows. Comments: Summer squash and winter squash are close cousins, and share the same soil, fertilizer, and irrigation needs, as well as the same pests and diseases.
Features: Meaty, fine textured vegetables are yellow with a crooked neck. Matures in about 50-55 days. Exposure: Plant in sun. Size: Compact, bush habit. Uses: Versatile vegetable. Very tasty steamed or stir-fried. Planting Guide: Space hills 5-10 ft. apart. Comments: Warm season vegetable.
Features: Sweet and juicy. Exposure: Full Sun. Size: Harvest Size: 1 to 2 inches, Plant Size: 8 to 10 inches tall, 18 inches wide. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 18 inches in a 30-inch bed or in rows 3 to 4 feet apart; 1 to 3 per large container or a several plants per strawberry pot. Comments: Work well in containers, but move them to a protected place (such as a garage) during coldest months.
Features: Sweet and juicy. Exposure: Full Sun. Size: Harvest Size: 1 to 2 inches, Plant Size: 8 to 10 inches tall, 18 inches wide. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 18 inches in a 30-inch bed or in rows 3 to 4 feet apart; 1 to 3 per large container or a several plants per strawberry pot. Comments: Work well in containers, but move them to a protected place (such as a garage) during coldest months.
Features: Sweet and juicy. Exposure: Full Sun. Size: Harvest Size: 1 to 2 inches, Plant Size: 8 to 10 inches tall, 18 inches wide. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 18 inches in a 30-inch bed or in rows 3 to 4 feet apart; 1 to 3 per large container or a several plants per strawberry pot. Comments: Work well in containers, but move them to a protected place (such as a garage) during coldest months.
Features: Sweet and juicy. Exposure: Full Sun. Size: Harvest Size: 1 to 2 inches, Plant Size: 8 to 10 inches tall, 18 inches wide. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 18 inches in a 30-inch bed or in rows 3 to 4 feet apart; 1 to 3 per large container or a several plants per strawberry pot. Comments: Work well in containers, but move them to a protected place (such as a garage) during coldest months.
Features: The stalks of Bright Lights grow in a rainbow of colors—yellow, red, pink, white, and orange. Exposure: Full sun to part shade. Size: Leaf Size: 18 to 24 inches, Plant Size: 2 wide and tall. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 1 to 2 feet apart. Comments: Plant Swiss chard starting in spring about two to four weeks before the last frost, but be prepared to protect it from a hard frost.
Features: Swiss chard’s dark green, ruffled leaves are similar to spinach but chewier. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Leaf Size: 18 to 24 inches,P lant Size: 2 wide and tall. Uses: Swiss chard is also great in containers, either strictly for ornament or for harvest when you are ready to eat, edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Sow the Chard seed in rows around 45cm apart and about 5 cm apart. The seeds should be sown at around 1 – 1.5cm depth. Germination can take anywhere around 1-2 weeks.
Features: This chard produces good yields of dark green shiny leaves with brilliant ruby red stalks and veins. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Leaf Size: 18 to 24 inches, Plant Size: 2 wide and tall. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 1 to 2 feet apart. Comments: Swiss chard is quite frost-tolerant.
Tatsoi (or Tah Tsai) is a cold hardy, easy to grow member of the mustard family with dark green, spoon shaped leaves. The whole plant grows in a compact rosette form about 6 inches wide that hugs the ground in cold weather. In warmer weather, and with some varieties, the plant may be more upright. In general, tatsoi is a cool weather loving crop, and often survives the winter in a cold frame here in zone 6.
The tomatillo is closely related to the more traditional garden tomato, but it is a different vegetable even though many people consider them to just be “green tomatoes”. One unique feature is that the growing fruits are surrounded by a leafy husk that dries and splits at maturity. The look like little paper lanterns while they are growing. Days to germination: 4 to 8 days Days to harvest: 90 to 100 days Light requirements: Full sun Water requirements: Water frequently Soil: Well-drained soil
Features: Deep red, low-acid tomatoes in the middle of the season, . Exposure: Full sun. Size: Harvest Size: 10 to 12 ounces, Plant Size: 3 to 4 feet tall. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 24 to 36 inches apart in conventional rows, 18 to 24 inches in intensive gardens, 1 per large pot. Comments: The red tomato is considered a “superfood” for its wealth of vitamins and antioxidants, including cancer-fighting lycopene.
Features: Beefmaster is simply big, meaty, and delicious. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Harvest Size: 18 to 32 ounces, Plant Size: 8 to 10 feet. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 36 inches apart in conventional rows. Comments: The indeterminate vines keep producing all season for a summer of grand slices on tomato sandwiches.
Features: Heirloom. large, flat, globe-type slicing tomato has light red skin and very meaty, juicy flesh. very productive, slightly ribbed, bright-red tomatoes that have spectacularly delicious, sweet flavors. Exposure: Full sun. Size: 1 to 2m (39″-78″) in height. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Plant 76 to 90cm (30″-36″) apart. Comments: Tomatoes can be harvested when they begin to show color and then they will continue to ripen.
Features: Big, glossy red fruit with a good balance of acidity and sweetness. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Harvest Size: 16 ounces, Plant Size: 5 to 8 feet. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 36 inches apart in conventional rows, 24 to 30 inches in intensive gardens. Comments: Tomatoes can be harvested when they begin to show color and then they will continue to ripen.
Features: Big, bread-slice sized tomatoes. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Harvest Size: 12 to 16 ounces, Plant Size: 5 to 6 feet . Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 36 inches apart in conventional rows, 24 to 30 inches in intensive gardens. Comments: For a big tomato, this plant is a heavy yielder.
Features: Vigorous, heavy-foliaged plants. Resitant to alternaria. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Harvest Size: 16 to 32 ounces, Plant Size: 6 to 10 feet . Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 36 inches apart in conventional rows, 24 to 30 inches in intensive gardens. Comments: This is a good tomato to get you from mid summer to frost, and especially during times when rain is on and off because the fruit resists cracking.
Features: Celebrity tomato was voted an All America Selection in 1984 because it tastes great and is a good performer in climates cool to hot. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Harvest Size: 7 to 8 ounces, Plant Size: 3 to 4 feet. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 24 to 36 inches apart in conventional rows, 18 to 24 inches in intensive gardens. Comments: This hybrid went quickly from new introduction to a family tradition, a vigorous tomato plant that gardeners depend upon year after year
Features: Large, glossy tomatoes with light green shoulders. Exposure: Full sun. Size: 8 oz. (227 g). Uses: Large containers or small space gardens they can be grown staked or left to trail, Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 60 to 90 cm (24-36″) apart, in rows spaced 120 cm (48″) apart. Comments: Use slow-release fertilizer at planting time. Tomatoes can be harvested when they begin to show color, as they will continue to ripen.
Features: Very attractive fruit that can be eaten like grapes. Exposure: Full sun. Size: 36-48 in. (90-120 cm). Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 24-36 in. (60-90 cm). Comments:Parts of plant are poisonous if ingested.
Features: This will be the first tomato that is ripe in your garden, beating the rest by a week or two. Bush Early Girl bears a surprising number of delicious tomatoes in a small garden or a pot. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Harvest Size: 6 to 7 ounces, Plant Size: 3 feet tall and wide. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 24 to 36 inches apart. Comments: Support the plants with a stake, trellis, or wire cage, even if grown in a pot. Water regularly.
The vines grow to about 3 feet and have lovely big leaves. The tomatoes are very tasty and weigh a nice 6 to 8 ounces. Heartland tomatoes can be grown in a large pot such as a 1/2 whiskey barrel size pot. It is an excellent variety for small areas and compact spaces.Tomatoes should be planted outside after the last average frost date. In warm winter/hot summer areas, tomatoes can be planted in early fall for winter harvest.Tomatoes prefer well drained soil that is high in organic matter.
Tomatoes are rich in vitamins and antioxidants, and the seeds are high in fiber. The green parts are mildly poisonous, which is not surprising, as tomatoes are closely related to both nightshade and tobacco. Tomatoes are now a tasty ingredient in many dishes, and are used fresh, canned, stewed or even sun-dried. Dwarf indeterminate - VF - 65 days-Abundant golden fruit, larger than the average cherry and very tasty. Grows only four feet tall, but bears all season long on these small sturdy plant.
Tomatoes are rich in vitamins and antioxidants, and the seeds are high in fiber. The green parts are mildly poisonous, which is not surprising, as tomatoes are closely related to both nightshade and tobacco. Tomatoes are now a tasty ingredient in many dishes, and are used fresh, canned, stewed or even sun-dried. Dwarf indeterminate - VF - 65 days-Abundant golden fruit, larger than the average cherry and very tasty. Grows only four feet tall, but bears all season long on these small sturdy plant.
Features: Yellow Lemon Boy is more than a novelty. This tomato adds welcome color to both garden and plate. The hardy vine is disease resistant and vigorous, and the sweetness of the lemon yellow slices are beautiful served beside red ones. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Harvest Size: 7 ounces,P lant Size: 6 to 8 feet. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 36 inches apart in conventional rows, 24 to 30 inches in intensive gardens.
Features: Dark pink, meaty 6-7 ounce round slicers have superb sweet and tangy flavor. Exposure: Full sun. Size: 4-6′ tall. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Plant 24-36″ apart in rows 3-4′ apart. Comments: Provide a cage or trellis.
Features: A very compact plant, this one grows only 2 to 3 feet tall. The stems are strong and stout, but some support is helpful when loaded with fruit or standing up to a summer storm. The tasty red fruit are petite like the plants, just a little bigger than golf balls. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Harvest Size: 2 inches, Plant Size: 2 to 3 feet. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Plant spacing: 18 to 24 inches. Comments: This little plant is surprisingly productive.
Features: The 3-inch, egg-shaped, thick-walled fruit is more meat than juice. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Harvest Size: 2 ounces, Plant Size: 4 to 6 feet. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 24 inches apart in conventional rows, 18 inches in intensive gardens. Comments: Roma is fine when eaten fresh, but other tomatoes are better. Save this one for the stovetop and grill.
The vines grow to about 3 feet and have lovely big leaves. The tomatoes are very tasty and weigh a nice 6 to 8 ounces. Heartland tomatoes can be grown in a large pot such as a 1/2 whiskey barrel size pot. It is an excellent variety for small areas and compact spaces.Tomatoes should be planted outside after the last average frost date. In warm winter/hot summer areas, tomatoes can be planted in early fall for winter harvest.Tomatoes prefer well drained soil that is high in organic matter.
Features: Elongated shape, large, deep red, Delicious, balanced acidic flavor, and meaty flesh. Exposure: Full sun. Size: 5-6 oz. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: 18-24″ inches between plants, 18-24″ inches between rows. Comments: San Marzano tomatoes, a variety of plum tomatoes, are considered by many chefs to be the best sauce tomatoes in the world.
Features: Smooth, deep red, 1-2 pound beefsteaks with rich meaty flavor. Exposure: Full sun. Size: 4-5′ tall. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Plant 24-36″ apart in rows 3-4′ apart. Comments: Provide a cage or trellis.
Features: Scarlet, cherry-sized fruits in long clusters right up to frost. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Harvest Size: 1 inch, Plant Size: 8 to 12 feet. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 36 inches apart in conventional rows, 24 to 30 inches in intensive gardens. Comments: These tomatoes need at least one inch (2.5 cm) of water per week and prefer six hours or more of direct sun each day.
Features: Little pear-shaped fruit, Yellow Pear is a workhorse heirloom tomato. Exposure: Full sun. Size: Harvest Size: up to 2 inches, Plant Size: 6 to 12 feet. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 36 inches apart. Comments: These fruit turn from light yellow to golden yellow as they ripen.
Features: A pretty striped melon, sweet, high-sugar watermelon. Exposure: Full Sun. Size: Harvest Size: 20 pounds, Plant Size: Long vine. Uses: Edible landscaping. Planting Guide: Space 1 foot apart in rows 4 to 6 feet apart. Comments: Melons demand 2 to 3 months of heat.
Fall Herbs
Ocimum basilicum. 'Boxwood' Type: warm-season annual Planting time: after last frost in spring Features: aromatic leaves with classic basil flavor Height: 12 to 16 inches Light: full sun Soil: fertile, moist, but well drained Spacing: 18 inches Garden use: Plant singly in containers, in mixed containers, or as an edging in garden. Culinary use: In the kitchen, tender young stems can be used with the leaves.
Greek basil (Ocimum x citriodorum "Lesbos") is easy to recognize: it has miniature green leaves. They are adorable sprinkled over freshly sliced tomatoes. It is a compact, round little bush that loves to be planted in a pot.
Features: Tender annual with deeply curled foliage. A robust sweet flavor. Exposure: Plant in full sun. Annual. Size: Grows 8-24″ tall. Uses: Leaves used to flavor salads, pasta, tomatoes, cheese, pesto, and poultry. Planting Guide: Plant 6-18″ apart. Comments: Landscape and medicinal uses.
Lemon basil (Ocimum americanum)is another green-leafed basil and is characterized by a pungent citrus flavor and aroma. Because it can be overpowering with food I prefer to use it for drinks. Add a couple of crushed sprigs to pitcher of iced water, fresh lemonade or sun tea on a hot day, or make long drink of gin, bitters, tonic and some crushed lemon basil leaves for a sultry evening's pleasure.
Features: Coppery glow and slightly licorice flavor. Exposure: Full sun. Size: 18 to 24 in. tall, 8 to 12 in. wide. Uses: Salads or preserved in oils and vinegars. Planting Guide: Space 12 in. apart. Comments: Basil is very sensitive to cold.
Features: Small, clump-forming perennial with delicate onion-like flavor. Exposure: Plant in full sun or partial shade. Size: Grows to 2 ft. tall. Uses: Use fresh chopped leaves to season cream cheese, soups, and salads. Planting Guide: Plant 12″ apart. Comments: Culinary and landscape uses.
Features: Annual. Bushy plant with dark green leaves. Slow bolting. Exposure: Plant in full sun. Size: Grows 12-24″ tall. Uses: Pungent leaves add zest to Mexican and oriental dishes. Planting Guide: Plant 12″ apart. Comments: Culinary uses.
Features: Feathery green foliage and yellow summer blooms that turn to dill seed. Exposure: Full sun. Size: 18 to 24 inches tall. Uses: Good for containers. Planting Guide: Plant 1 foot apart. Comments: Chop the fresh leaves for salads and dressings.
Features: Rich with sweet lemon flavor. Exposure: Full sun with light afternoon shade in hottest regions. Size: 4 to 6 feet tall, 6 to 8 feet wide. Uses: Fresh or dried leaves for flavoring tea, desserts, sorbet, pudding. Planting Guide: Plant 6 to 8 feet apart. Comments: In the garden, stems can soar to 6 feet on a clump up to 8 feet wide, creating a sweetly scented shrub.
Features: low-growing habit, annual outdoors, often planted in pots that can be brought indoors though winter. Exposure: Full sun. Size: 1 to 2 feet tall, 12 to 18 inches wide. Uses: Leaves for seasoning stuffing, soups, stews. Planting Guide: Space 1 foot apart. Comments: Sometimes confused with oregano because of its similar looks and related flavor.
Features: Releases its flavor with simple bruising. Exposure: Full sun to part shade. Size: 12 to 18 in. tall, 18 to 24 in. wide. Uses: Fresh or dried leaves for beverages, desserts. Planting Guide: Space 18 to 24 inches apart. Comments: Easy to grow, grows rampantly.
Mint, Orange (Mentha aquatica 'Citrata'/x piperita citrata) - Lamiaceae Other Names: Eau de Cologne Mint, Bergamot mint 2' Perennial Full to Part Sun Zone: 4-9 Soil Type: Rich, Moist Parts Used: Leaves Uses: Culinary, Aromatic Leaves: Bronzy Flowers: Lavender. Blooms July-August Notes: Leaves have citrus mint scent. Good in tea Plant: in 2 1/4" pot
Pineapple Mint is hardy to zone 6, and likes full sun in all but the hottest areas where afternoon shade is preferable. Make yourself a tea barrel and use Pineapple Mint often. It is important to keep any rogue green stems cut off. If left to grow these totally green leaved stems will outgrow the variegated ones and you will loose the variegation. The result will still be tasty but it will be Apple Mint instead of Pineapple Mint!
This very healthy Mint the Best with its bright green aromatic leaves brings a Mediterranean feel to this garden. Like all mints, Mint the Best, should be confined to a pot. Mints really do grow better in pots with lots of surface area rather than lots of depth. A 20 inch Oval Planter makes a great mint pot, at least for the first year. After that, your mint will need to be divided and repotted with fresh soil each spring.
The 'Oregano-Golden' Herb Plant is a slight departure from your more common varieties in that its small oval leaves are a buttery golden color. A robust grower, it tends to spread less vigorously than others in the species, though it possesses the same noteworthy flavor and aroma. In warmer climates, golden-hued leaves will be generously interspersed with yellowish-green leaves, while in cooler climes the mounds will be almost completely gold.
Features: Bright green leaves, small white flowers appear on the plant in late summer. Exposure: Full sun to part shade. Size: 8 inches; 2 feet when in bloom. Uses: Leaves in European, Latin, and Middle Eastern cuisines. Planting Guide: Space 18 inches apart. Comments: Easy to grow.
Features: Light-green leaves, cross between Sweet Marjoram and the more piquant Wild Marjoram. Exposure: Full Sun. Size: 12 to 24 in tall. Uses: Excellent for Pizza and Italian dishes. Planting Guide: Space 10 to 15 iches apart. Comments: Easy to grow, gives a pleasant accent to cheese spreads, and is often the key to a good pizza sauce.
Features: Hot & Spicy, easy-growing traits. Exposure: Full sun to part shade. Size: 18 to 24 in. tall, 12 to 14 in. wide. Uses: Fresh, dried, or frozen leaves for flavoring Mexican, Italian, or Greek cuisine. Planting Guide: Space 12 to 18 inches apart. Comments: Also thrives in gravel gardens and containers.
Features: Beautiful curly leaves of this parsley are loaded with vitamins, minerals, and an abundance of fresh flavor and color. Exposure: Full sun to part shade. Size: 1 foot tall. Uses: Leaves for garnish, seasoning, salads. Planting Guide: Space 1 foot apart. Comments: Parsley is an excellent source of vitamins C, A, and E, and iron.
Features: Leaves have intense flavor that holds up well in cooking, looks a lot like cilantro. Exposure: Full sun to part shade. Size: 1 foot tall. Uses: Leaves for garnish, seasoning, salads. Planting Guide: Space 15 in. apart. Comments: Parsley leaves are loaded with a surprising amount of vitamins and minerals.
It is a herbaceous rhizomatous perennial plant growing to 30–90 cm (12–35 in) tall, with smooth stems, square in cross section. The rhizomes are wide-spreading, fleshy, and bare fibrous roots. The leaves are from 4–9 cm (1.6–3.5 in) long and 1.5–4 cm (0.59–1.6 in) cm broad, dark green with reddish veins, and with an acute apex and coarsely toothed margins. The leaves and stems are usually slightly hairy. The flowers are purple, 6–8 mm (0.24–0.31 in) long.
Height: 4′ Spread: 4-6′ Light: Sun Seasonal Interest: On and off all year Drought Tolerance: Medium Maintenance: Prune for natural look, or shape as desired; cut back by 1/2 in winter to prevent leggy look Culinary herb, upright shrub, trailing types also available; good drainage required; prone to disease problems in wet conditions; trailing variety makes good ground cover.
One of the best and toughest ground cover plants for arid regions, Trailing Rosemary does well in poor or shallow soils. It tolerates great heat and blazing sun as well as cold climates. Small, pale blue to white flowers appear along branches in winter and spring. The low-growing, trailing form is used as a ground cover. The upright form makes a nice shrub or hedge. The trailing form grows to 2 feet high and spreads to 5 feet or wider. The foliage of trailing rosemary is fragrant.
Features: Attractive blue-green color, . Exposure: Full sun to part shade. Size: 3 feet tall. Uses: Use the dried stems of the leaves and seedpods in dried arrangements, pest-repelling cushions for your pet. Planting Guide: Space the plants 1 1/2 to 2 feet apart. Comments: Always wear gloves and long sleeves when working with this plant.
Features: Gray-green leaves with irregular gold edges that are evergreen and fragrant when lightly rubbed. Exposure: Full sun. Size: 24 to 36 in. tall. Uses: Used to flavor sausage, stuffing or butter for pasta, sage is a favorite herb in cooking. Planting Guide: Space 24 to 30 inches. Comments: Drought tolerant, once established. Deer and rabbit resistant.
Features: Burst of color like a cluster of ribbons with its striking white, purple, and green variegated foliage. Exposure: Full sun. Size: 18 to 24 in. . Uses: As a border, great in containers. Planting Guide: Space 20 in. apart. Comments: Attracts bees and butterflies, deer resistance.
So put it in the full sun. Grow it almost any kind of soil you can think of but you do have to water and baby it to get it established (well, not too much babying) It doesn't seem to put a lot of growth on the first year as it is mainly building up root strength. The second year is when you'll get your harvest.
Features: Aromatic, licorice-flavored leaves. Exposure: Partial to full shade. Size: 2 feet tall. Uses: Used in salads, seasoning mixes and vinegars. Planting Guide: Space 15 to 18 in. apart. Comments: Has antioxidant and antifungal properties.
Tarragon can be grown in containers for two or three years with no special care - water and liquid feed a little less than normal. They can also be over-wintered indoors if you have a sunny windowsill, but as mentioned above they are not attractive plants. One plant should be enough for a normal household's requirements.
Features: Small upright shrub, Produces abundant tiny dark green leaves. Exposure: Full sun. Size: 15 in. tall. Uses: Can be used as grondcover, popular flavor addition to meats, vegetables, vinegars, soups, stews, tomato sauces and cheeses. Planting Guide: Space plant 14 in. apart. Comments: Thyme is antiseptic, stimulating and cleansing, less aeromatic than summer thymes.
Foxley thyme is a hardy, evergreen, perennial herb plant which grows up to 10 cm high. It does not fall within the category of creeping thymes but nonetheless is a herb with a gently spreading habit, rather than a bushy upright thyme. This makes it a great herb plant for ground cover. Foxley thyme has attractive round variegated green and cream foliage which is followed by pink flowers in summer. In the winter the leaves have an attractive pink tinge.
The 'Thyme French' Herb Plant has pungent foliage with gray-green tiny leaves and an upright growth habit reaching 18 inches in height. Its flowers range from white to pale purple. French Thyme is a tasty addition to meat dishes, soups, stews, breads, salads and infused vinegars. It is combined with other herbs to create the European seasoning mix ‘bouquet garni.’ It grows best in full sun and well-drained soil. The shrub is hardy in many growing regions. It’s a great plant for raised beds.
Features: Green leaves ringed in yellow that emit a startlingly citrus aroma that is particularly tasty with fish. Exposure: Full sun to part shade. Size: 6 to 12 in. Uses: Great in containers, cut foliage, drought tolerant, as an edging, fragrant. Planting Guide: Space 12 in. apart. Comments: Use in clam chowder and stews, salads, meat dishes, pizza sauce and marinades, attracts honeybees.
This lime thyme started out as a 4-inch pot in 2003, and was then planted in the ground, where it became a large clump. When we had to move planters for the neighbor's fence, it turned out that the thyme was right where the fence would go. I was able to uproot it in a cluster and re-pot it.
This low-growing hardy perennial with gray leaves and lavender blooms is a must in the herb garden. Thyme not only tastes great, but it can help to alleviate cold symptoms, too. Not just an herb, Thyme makes an attractive edging plant with its woody stems and oval leaves and can add interest to a rock garden as well. Use in tea or add flavor to meats, stews, soups, tomatoes, cheese, eggs, rice, stuffing, vinegars, or oils. Spacing: Plant 6” to 12” apart. Height: Grows 4” to 12” tall. Full Sun.
This low-growing hardy perennial is a must in the herb garden. Thyme not only tastes great, but it can help to alleviate cold symptoms, too. Not just an herb, Thyme makes an attractive edging plant with its woody stems and oval leaves and can add interest to a rock garden as well. Use in tea or add flavor to meats, stews, soups, tomatoes, cheese, eggs, rice, stuffing, vinegars, or oils. Spacing: Plant 6” to 12” apart. Height: Grows 4” to 12” tall. Full Sun
Spring Herbs
Ocimum basilicum. 'Boxwood' Type: warm-season annual Planting time: after last frost in spring Features: aromatic leaves with classic basil flavor Height: 12 to 16 inches Light: full sun Soil: fertile, moist, but well drained Spacing: 18 inches Garden use: Plant singly in containers, in mixed containers, or as an edging in garden. Culinary use: In the kitchen, tender young stems can be used with the leaves.
'Floral Spires White' Basil is an herb in the One Earth Edibles line. A great ornamental and culinary herb, perfect for containers and combinations, 'Floral Spries White' Basil produces beautiful sage-like white flowers in the summer. 'Floral Spires White' Basil leaves have a distinct cinnamon Thai Basil taste, great for Asian cuisines.
Growing Basil is relatively easy as long as the growing environments has suitable light and temperature levels. Seeds can be started indoors 3-4 weeks before last spring frost date. Unlike many Mediterranean herbs, basil likes a somewhat rich soil and does not like to be kept dry. Either directly in ground or in pots, from which seedlings can be easily removed without disturbing the roots. The seeds need to be covered lightly but firmly. Plant seedlings 2-8" apart. Germination is 5-10 days.
Greek basil is easy to recognize: it has miniature green leaves. They are adorable sprinkled over freshly sliced tomatoes. It is a compact, round little bush that loves to be planted in a pot.
Features: Tender annual with deeply curled foliage. A robust sweet flavor. Exposure: Plant in full sun. Annual. Size: Grows 8-24″ tall. Uses: Leaves used to flavor salads, pasta, tomatoes, cheese, pesto, and poultry. Planting Guide: Plant 6-18″ apart. Comments: Landscape and medicinal uses.
Lemon basil (Ocimum americanum)is another green-leafed basil and is characterized by a pungent citrus flavor and aroma. Because it can be overpowering with food I prefer to use it for drinks. Add a couple of crushed sprigs to pitcher of iced water, fresh lemonade or sun tea on a hot day, or make long drink of gin, bitters, tonic and some crushed lemon basil leaves for a sultry evening's pleasure.
Basil, Mammoth (Ocimum basilicum var. "Mammoth") - Lamiaceae/Labiatae 15-20” Annual Full Sun Soil Type: Rich, Moist, Well Drained pH: 5.6-8.5 Germination: 70ºF for 2 weeks Planting: Easy to transplant. Leaves: Opposite, Oval, Crinkled, Huge Leaves, Can almost get to be as big as an adult hand. Flowers: White, 1/2", Two lipped, Flowers July-August Parts Used: Leaves, Flower Tops Uses: Culinary, Aromatic, Ornamental, Companion (Tomatoes & Peppers)
Features: Coppery glow and slightly licorice flavor. Exposure: Full sun. Size: 18 to 24 in. tall, 8 to 12 in. wide. Uses: Salads or preserved in oils and vinegars. Planting Guide: Space 12 in. apart. Comments: Basil is very sensitive to cold.
This type of basil is pretty much resilient regardless of the climate and can be grown all year round, although it does not really like the cold. Another beautiful fact about Thai basil is that it is believed to repel garden pests like aphids and mites. This is why many gardeners choose it as a companion plant to protect their more susceptible plants.If the Thai basil is to be planted at an outdoor garden, its seeds must first be prepared and allowed to germinate indoors.
This easy to grow flowering herb has clusters of little sky-blue starry blossoms and fuzzy silvery-green heaves. Pollinators love Borage. The dainty blossoms make pretty edible garnishes and decorations.
Features: Annual. Bushy plant with dark green leaves. Slow bolting. Exposure: Plant in full sun. Size: Grows 12-24″ tall. Uses: Pungent leaves add zest to Mexican and oriental dishes. Planting Guide: Plant 12″ apart. Comments: Culinary uses.
Features: Feathery green foliage and yellow summer blooms that turn to dill seed. Exposure: Full sun. Size: 18 to 24 inches tall. Uses: Good for containers. Planting Guide: Plant 1 foot apart. Comments: Chop the fresh leaves for salads and dressings.
The plant is a perennial that can survive winters between growing zones 5 and 10. Some varieties of common fennel will not produce the fat bulb, so if you intend to harvest that as well you should plant Florence fennel. Days to germination: 7 to 14 days Days to harvest: 80 to 90 days Light requirements: Full sun Water requirements: Regular watering Soil: Loose and well-drained soil Container: Not ideal for container gardening, but possible
Features: Powerful lemon scent and soothes the craving for fresh lemony flavor. Exposure: Full sun to part shade. Size: 20 to 24 inches tall. Uses: Lemon flavor in desserts, salads, poultry, fish, and teas. Planting Guide: 18 inches in the ground; one per 6-inch pot. Comments: Shade also promotes larger, tender leaves.
Features: Rich with sweet lemon flavor. Exposure: Full sun with light afternoon shade in hottest regions. Size: 4 to 6 feet tall, 6 to 8 feet wide. Uses: Fresh or dried leaves for flavoring tea, desserts, sorbet, pudding. Planting Guide: Plant 6 to 8 feet apart. Comments: In the garden, stems can soar to 6 feet on a clump up to 8 feet wide, creating a sweetly scented shrub.
Features: Releases its flavor with simple bruising. Exposure: Full sun to part shade. Size: 12 to 18 in. tall, 18 to 24 in. wide. Uses: Fresh or dried leaves for beverages, desserts. Planting Guide: Space 18 to 24 inches apart. Comments: Easy to grow, grows rampantly.
Sun Exposure: Morning Sun / Evening Shade, Morning Shade / Evening Sun Soil Type: Clay, Loam, Silt Soil Drainage: Well Drained Water Needs: Average Level of Care: Average Growth Rates: Fast, Very Fast Flower Color: Lavender Attracts: Butterflies, Visual Attention, Wildlife Foliage Color: Medium Green Average Height: 1' to 2' Average Width: 2' to 3' Fragrances: Fragrant Foliage Season of Color: Summer Blooms Resistant To: Deer Resistant, Disease, Heat, Insect, Mildew
Mint, Orange (Mentha aquatica 'Citrata'/x piperita citrata) - Lamiaceae Other Names: Eau de Cologne Mint, Bergamot mint 2' Perennial Full to Part Sun Zone: 4-9 Soil Type: Rich, Moist Parts Used: Leaves Uses: Culinary, Aromatic Leaves: Bronzy Flowers: Lavender. Blooms July-August Notes: Leaves have citrus mint scent. Good in tea Plant: in 2 1/4" pot
Pineapple Mint is hardy to zone 6, and likes full sun in all but the hottest areas where afternoon shade is preferable. Make yourself a tea barrel and use Pineapple Mint often. It is important to keep any rogue green stems cut off. If left to grow these totally green leaved stems will outgrow the variegated ones and you will loose the variegation. The result will still be tasty but it will be Apple Mint instead of Pineapple Mint!
This very healthy Mint the Best with its bright green aromatic leaves brings a Mediterranean feel to this garden. Like all mints, Mint the Best, should be confined to a pot. Mints really do grow better in pots with lots of surface area rather than lots of depth. A 20 inch Oval Planter makes a great mint pot, at least for the first year. After that, your mint will need to be divided and repotted with fresh soil each spring.
The 'Oregano-Golden' Herb Plant is a slight departure from your more common varieties in that its small oval leaves are a buttery golden color. A robust grower, it tends to spread less vigorously than others in the species, though it possesses the same noteworthy flavor and aroma. In warmer climates, golden-hued leaves will be generously interspersed with yellowish-green leaves, while in cooler climes the mounds will be almost completely gold.
Features: Bright green leaves, small white flowers appear on the plant in late summer. Exposure: Full sun to part shade. Size: 8 inches; 2 feet when in bloom. Uses: Leaves in European, Latin, and Middle Eastern cuisines. Planting Guide: Space 18 inches apart. Comments: Easy to grow.
Features: Light-green leaves, cross between Sweet Marjoram and the more piquant Wild Marjoram. Exposure: Full Sun. Size: 12 to 24 in tall. Uses: Excellent for Pizza and Italian dishes. Planting Guide: Space 10 to 15 iches apart. Comments: Easy to grow, gives a pleasant accent to cheese spreads, and is often the key to a good pizza sauce.
Features: Hot & Spicy, easy-growing traits. Exposure: Full sun to part shade. Size: 18 to 24 in. tall, 12 to 14 in. wide. Uses: Fresh, dried, or frozen leaves for flavoring Mexican, Italian, or Greek cuisine. Planting Guide: Space 12 to 18 inches apart. Comments: Also thrives in gravel gardens and containers.
Features: Aromatic foliage with white to pink flowers. Exposure: Full sun ot part shade. Size: Grows 6 to 12 in. tall. Uses: Italian, Greek and Mexican cuisines. Planting Guide: Space 15 to 18 in. apart. Comments: Looks good potted or in a hanging basket.
Features: Beautiful curly leaves of this parsley are loaded with vitamins, minerals, and an abundance of fresh flavor and color. Exposure: Full sun to part shade. Size: 1 foot tall. Uses: Leaves for garnish, seasoning, salads. Planting Guide: Space 1 foot apart. Comments: Parsley is an excellent source of vitamins C, A, and E, and iron.
Features: Leaves have intense flavor that holds up well in cooking, looks a lot like cilantro. Exposure: Full sun to part shade. Size: 1 foot tall. Uses: Leaves for garnish, seasoning, salads. Planting Guide: Space 15 in. apart. Comments: Parsley leaves are loaded with a surprising amount of vitamins and minerals.
It is a herbaceous rhizomatous perennial plant growing to 30–90 cm (12–35 in) tall, with smooth stems, square in cross section. The rhizomes are wide-spreading, fleshy, and bare fibrous roots. The leaves are from 4–9 cm (1.6–3.5 in) long and 1.5–4 cm (0.59–1.6 in) cm broad, dark green with reddish veins, and with an acute apex and coarsely toothed margins. The leaves and stems are usually slightly hairy. The flowers are purple, 6–8 mm (0.24–0.31 in) long.
Height: 4′ Spread: 4-6′ Light: Sun Seasonal Interest: On and off all year Drought Tolerance: Medium Maintenance: Prune for natural look, or shape as desired; cut back by 1/2 in winter to prevent leggy look Culinary herb, upright shrub, trailing types also available; good drainage required; prone to disease problems in wet conditions; trailing variety makes good ground cover.
One of the best and toughest ground cover plants for arid regions, Trailing Rosemary does well in poor or shallow soils. It tolerates great heat and blazing sun as well as cold climates. Small, pale blue to white flowers appear along branches in winter and spring. The low-growing, trailing form is used as a ground cover. The upright form makes a nice shrub or hedge. The trailing form grows to 2 feet high and spreads to 5 feet or wider. The foliage of trailing rosemary is fragrant.
Features: Attractive blue-green color, . Exposure: Full sun to part shade. Size: 3 feet tall. Uses: Use the dried stems of the leaves and seedpods in dried arrangements, pest-repelling cushions for your pet. Planting Guide: Space the plants 1 1/2 to 2 feet apart. Comments: Always wear gloves and long sleeves when working with this plant.
Features: Gray-green leaves with irregular gold edges that are evergreen and fragrant when lightly rubbed. Exposure: Full sun. Size: 24 to 36 in. tall. Uses: Used to flavor sausage, stuffing or butter for pasta, sage is a favorite herb in cooking. Planting Guide: Space 24 to 30 inches. Comments: Drought tolerant, once established. Deer and rabbit resistant.
Features: Burst of color like a cluster of ribbons with its striking white, purple, and green variegated foliage. Exposure: Full sun. Size: 18 to 24 in. . Uses: As a border, great in containers. Planting Guide: Space 20 in. apart. Comments: Attracts bees and butterflies, deer resistance.
So put it in the full sun. Grow it almost any kind of soil you can think of but you do have to water and baby it to get it established (well, not too much babying) It doesn't seem to put a lot of growth on the first year as it is mainly building up root strength. The second year is when you'll get your harvest.
Stevia plants do best in a rich, loamy soil — the same kind in which common garden-variety plants thrive. Since the feeder roots tend to be quite near the surface, it is a good idea to add compost for extra nutrients if the soil in your area is sandy. Besides being sensitive to cold during their developmental stage, the roots can also be adversely affected by excessive levels of moisture. So take care not to overwater them and to make sure the soil in which they are planted drains easily.
Features: Aromatic, licorice-flavored leaves. Exposure: Partial to full shade. Size: 2 feet tall. Uses: Used in salads, seasoning mixes and vinegars. Planting Guide: Space 15 to 18 in. apart. Comments: Has antioxidant and antifungal properties.
Tarragon can be grown in containers for two or three years with no special care - water and liquid feed a little less than normal. They can also be over-wintered indoors if you have a sunny windowsill, but as mentioned above they are not attractive plants. One plant should be enough for a normal household's requirements.
Features: Small upright shrub, Produces abundant tiny dark green leaves. Exposure: Full sun. Size: 15 in. tall. Uses: Can be used as grondcover, popular flavor addition to meats, vegetables, vinegars, soups, stews, tomato sauces and cheeses. Planting Guide: Space plant 14 in. apart. Comments: Thyme is antiseptic, stimulating and cleansing, less aeromatic than summer thymes.
Foxley thyme is a hardy, evergreen, perennial herb plant which grows up to 10 cm high. It does not fall within the category of creeping thymes but nonetheless is a herb with a gently spreading habit, rather than a bushy upright thyme. This makes it a great herb plant for ground cover. Foxley thyme has attractive round variegated green and cream foliage which is followed by pink flowers in summer. In the winter the leaves have an attractive pink tinge.
The 'Thyme French' Herb Plant has pungent foliage with gray-green tiny leaves and an upright growth habit reaching 18 inches in height. Its flowers range from white to pale purple. French Thyme is a tasty addition to meat dishes, soups, stews, breads, salads and infused vinegars. It is combined with other herbs to create the European seasoning mix ‘bouquet garni.’ It grows best in full sun and well-drained soil. The shrub is hardy in many growing regions. It’s a great plant for raised beds.
Features: Green leaves ringed in yellow that emit a startlingly citrus aroma that is particularly tasty with fish. Exposure: Full sun to part shade. Size: 6 to 12 in. Uses: Great in containers, cut foliage, drought tolerant, as an edging, fragrant. Planting Guide: Space 12 in. apart. Comments: Use in clam chowder and stews, salads, meat dishes, pizza sauce and marinades, attracts honeybees.
This lime thyme started out as a 4-inch pot in 2003, and was then planted in the ground, where it became a large clump. When we had to move planters for the neighbor's fence, it turned out that the thyme was right where the fence would go. I was able to uproot it in a cluster and re-pot it.
This low-growing hardy perennial with gray leaves and lavender blooms is a must in the herb garden. Thyme not only tastes great, but it can help to alleviate cold symptoms, too. Not just an herb, Thyme makes an attractive edging plant with its woody stems and oval leaves and can add interest to a rock garden as well. Use in tea or add flavor to meats, stews, soups, tomatoes, cheese, eggs, rice, stuffing, vinegars, or oils. Spacing: Plant 6” to 12” apart. Height: Grows 4” to 12” tall. Full Sun.
This low-growing hardy perennial is a must in the herb garden. Thyme not only tastes great, but it can help to alleviate cold symptoms, too. Not just an herb, Thyme makes an attractive edging plant with its woody stems and oval leaves and can add interest to a rock garden as well. Use in tea or add flavor to meats, stews, soups, tomatoes, cheese, eggs, rice, stuffing, vinegars, or oils. Spacing: Plant 6” to 12” apart. Height: Grows 4” to 12” tall. Full Sun