Vegetable Seeds
The current scientific opinions on diet are always changing -- low fat? only good fats? high protein? -- but one thing remains constant: veggies are good for you! Rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants, and other stuff that's firmly parked at the top of any nutritionist's list, veggies are an anytime food by everyone's standards. Nothing makes vegetables taste better than when they come from your own garden -- and when you grow them yourself, you'll have more fun eating them, too. If you are looking to plant some of these yourself, take a look at the National Gardening Associations guide to planting veggies. Make sure to look at these regional reports for information specific to your area. Happy gardening!
Click here for general information on planting veggies.
Flowers, Stems and Leaves
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Amaranth  Amaranthus gangeticus - Amaranth needs a long growing season; does well in warm climates.
- Leaves are cooked like spinach.
- Related A. caudatus, aka Love-lies-bleeding, can also be eaten this way.
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Artichoke Cynara scolymus - What most people think of as an artichoke is properly the "globe artichoke. "
- Can be grown as annuals or perennials, depending on climate.
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Asparagus Asparagus officinialis - Asparagus can become a perennial if properly cultivated and not heavily harvested for the first year or two.
- One of the oldest cultivated vegetables; the Romans ate it over 2000 years ago!
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Bok Choy Brassica rapa - Also known as pak choi (and various other spellings) and Chinese cabbage.
- Some cultivars are both heat and drought resistant.
- Most grow fast and are ready in just 6-8 weeks.
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Broccoli Brassica oleracea - Broccoli belongs to the Italica group, just one of the many cultivars of B. oleracea.
- First cultivated in Italy; may have been eaten by the Romans.
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Cabbage Brassica oleracea - Cabbage, on the other head, is in the cultivar group Capitata.
- A number of cultivars in red, green and white.
- The tender inner leaves are eaten.
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Cauliflower Brassica oleracea - Another brassica; in cauliflower, the underdeveloped flower buds and stems are eaten.
- Grown as an annual.
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Celery Apium graveolens dulce - Celery is not an easy veggie to grow. It needs moist but well-drained soil and any sudden cold snap can cause it to bolt.
- Not advised for most home gardeners.
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Chinese Broccoli Brassica oleracea alboglabra - Also known as Chinese Kale.
- Doesn't form a head.
- Some hybrids are ready to pick 7-8 weeks after sowing.
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Chinese Celery Apium graveolens - Slimmer, stringier, more flavorful form of celery.
- Chinese celery needs similar conditions to other celery; may be somewhat easier to grow.
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Chicory Cichorium endivia |
Collards Brassica oleracea acephala - As the cultivar name indicates, these are basically headless cabbages.
- Collards are hardy and resistant to poor conditions; good for winter hardiness.
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Fennel Foeniculum vulgare azoricum - Fennel can be grown either for the delicious, anise-flavored leaves or for the seeds.
- Stress may not kill it, but the flavor is best when grown in consistenly moist conditions.
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Kale Brassica oleracea acephala - Just like collards, kale is basically headless cabbage.
- Hardy and resistant to poor conditions; good for winter hardiness.
- Prefers cooler climates.
- Feed it to your pet rabbits, they love it!
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Kohlrabi Brassica oleracea - Kohlrabi might look like a root but is actually the swollen stem of a member of the brassica group.
- Kohlrabi requires maintenance; for best results it needs very even water and soil conditions, with plenty of nutrients.
- Also prefers mild, cool weather.
- Grow quickly if conditions are favorable.
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Mustard Greens Brassica juncea - Mustard greens are the most primitive of the brassicas and the most similar to the wild plant.
- The leaves can be cooked just like other brassicas, and the seeds may be harvested to grind into mustard.
- Generally prefer moderate weather, neither too hot nor too cold.
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Swiss Chard Beta vulgaris cicla - Chard is simply another name for the stalks of beets, which can be cooked and eaten much like any leafy green.
- A number of cultivars are available, including white, red, and "rainbow."
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Salad Vegetables
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Arugula Eruca vesicaria - Ideal for cool-season growing; arugula 's flavor gets hotter along with the weather to the point of being inedible.
- It's peppery flavor is great in salads, on pasta or as a pizza topping.
- E. sylvatica is a more wild-growing perennial form; the leaves can get very hot but the spicy flowers make a wonderful edible garnish.
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Cress Nasturtium officinale - Another spicy addition to salads, cress or watercress is an easy-to-grow member of the Brassica family.
- Like most salad greens, does well in cool weather.
- Needs plenty of water -- after all, it is watercress.
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Endive Cichorium endivia - The endive group refers to curly endive, frisee, escarole, Belgian endive, radicchio, and puntarelle.
- To get the nearly white heads of endive, you need to blanch them by growing them in the dark -- best left to advanced home gardeners or the professionals.
- Others will be ready in late spring or summer. Harvest before they bolt.
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Lettuce Lactuca sativa |
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Mache Valerianella locusta - Also known as lamb's lettuce or corn salad.
- Mild flavor and soft texture adds interest to salads.
- Cool-season crop. Prefers moist conditions, as dryness will cause it to bolt.
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Microgreens - Small sprouts of many species, including lettuces, brassicas, legumes and radishes may be eaten as microgreens.
- Add variety to salads; an interesting garnish.
- Flavor will vary by species.
- Your best bet is to grow them indoors for easy harvesting when they are young.
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Radicchio Cichorium intybus - Radicchio can be used raw in salads or grilled.
- Takes about three months to mature.
- Best as a cool season crop, since it needs even watering. Drought will make the leaves very bitter.
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Spinach Spinacia oleracea - Spinach can be grown through spring, summer and fall.
- Usually planted as an annual.
- Needs fertile, well-drained soil.
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Root Vegetables
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Beets Beta vulgaris - Sweet and nutritious, beets and chard are the same plant; beet varieties have just been heavily selected for large, sweet roots.
- Beets need plenty of food; be sure to amend with lots of compost before you plant.
- Regular, even waterings will keep the roots from becoming cracked.
- Cooler temperatures produce the best beets.
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Carrots Daucus carota - Carrots are easy to grow if your soil is light and well-fertilized.
- Some varieties need to have their "shoulders" covered.
- An excellent crop for any season; plant them two weeks apart for harvest throughout the growing season.
- In cool weather can be left in the ground for a few weeks.
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Jicama Pachyrhizus erosus - Jicama is a climbing vine with an edible tuber.
- Best suited for warmer areas, since it takes a long growing season for the root to grow to a good size.
- Can be left in the ground for several years to grow.
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Leeks Allium porrum - Leeks take a long time to grow -- some varieties may take as long as five months to mature.
- Weeds may be a problem -- as with other members of the onion family, they grow straight up and don't shade out weed competitors. Give them a chance by planting them with fast-growing, broad-leaved crops throughout the season.
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Onions Allium cepa - The hardest-working plant in the kitchen, the onion is not difficult to grow in well-fertilized soils.
- Make sure to keep away weeds with quick-growing crops like lettuces around the onions.
- Plant in the spring for summer and fall harvest; if you live in a warm area, you can plant in the summer for fall and winter use.
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Parsnips Pastinaca sativum - Parsnips have been eaten for hundreds of years and are valued for their ability to withstand cold.
- Cool periods and frosts in the fall help sweeten the root.
- Plant in spring; they have a long growing season, so they'll be ready in the fall if you plant early.
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Radishes Raphanus sativus - Radishes are fast growers -- some varieties are ready for harvest just 30 days after sowing.
- You can start them when the weather is still cool for summer harvests.
- Do best in loose, fertile soil. Don't use too much nitrogen.
- The leafy greens are edible as well and make a peppery addition to salads.
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Potatoes Solanum tuberosum - Potatoes generally only do well as a cool-weather crop.
- They can be hard for the novice to grow, but "new" varieties that mature in late spring can be easy.
- Can't dry out; this will destroy the potato. Need even moisture throughout the growing season.
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Sweet Potatoes Ipomoea batatas - Sweet potatoes are the root of a vigorous, climbing vine, which is often used ornamentally.
- Grow best in warm climates, since the root takes a long time to develop.
- Some cultivars will grow in temperate climates, but they don't tolerate frost.
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Turnips Brassica rapa - Turnips are fast-growing members of the mustard family.
- Grow well in cold climates.
- Need consistent water.
- Grow best in spring and fall, but since they grow quickly you can have two crops. A light frost will sweeten them, but repeated frosts will kill them.
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Vegetables Cultivated for Fruits or Seeds
Beans
Phaseolus vulgaris (The Common Bean)
The common bean is highly varied; within this species there are numerous popular cultivars.
From a gardening perspective, there are two types of beans: bush beans and pole beans. Bush beans, as the name suggests, will grow large and bushy without getting too tall. Pole beans are climbers and need trellises, poles, or other forms of support. Different cultivars of the same species can have different support needs, so be sure to check the seed packet information.
For the most part, however, beans have similar needs: plenty of sunshine and moist but well-drained soil. Martha Stewart Gardening also suggests fertilizing young plants with manure tea early on to give them a boost.
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Green Beans |
Shelling Bean |
Other P. vulgaris Varieties |
Other Phaseolus Species |
An Abundance of Beans
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Broad Bean Vicia faba - Also known as the fava bean.
- Very large beans, delicious boiled and salted.
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Vigna Beans
Large genus of beans including many familiar favorites.
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Peas Pisum sativum |
Soybeans Glycine max - Soybeans need plenty of sunshine and a bit of fertilizer, but will tolerate drought.
- Prefers the hot season.
- Delicious fresh from the pod or dried.
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Other Veggies
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Corn Zea mays - One of the oldest domesticated crops at around 6000 years.
- Corn grows very tall, so be sure to take the shade it will create into account when planning your garden.
- Prefers lots of sun and warm weather.
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Cucumbers Cucumis sativus - Cucumbers have been grown in India for about 3000 years.
- Large, spreading vines that prefer sunny areas.
- Need even watering and drainage.
- Will continue to produce if fruits are picked regularly.
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Eggplants (aka Aubergines ) Solanum melongena - Eggplants grow best in tropical and subtropical environments, but can be grown in temperate areas if they are put in the ground after any danger of frost has passed.
- Otherwise fairly hardy.
- Some round yellow-white varieties do resemble eggs; also come in green and various shades of purple.
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Okra Abelmoschus esculentus - Some older sources list it as Hibiscus esculentus.
- Okra grows best in warm to tropical climates like the southern US.
- Used in southern US cooking and Indian cooking.
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Peppers (Sweet and Hot ) Capsicum annum, C. frutescens, C. chinense - Hot weather plants; most people buy plants rather than starting from seeds.
- Need to be warm while growing; consider a plastic mulch to retain more heat.
- Peppers are measured in Scoville heat units; a sweet bell pepper measures around 0, while a jalepeño rates about 3000-6000 (depending on the pepper). A habeñero can be as high as 300,000!
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Rockmelons Cucumis melo - Includes cantaloupe, honeydew, casaba and a number of other melons.
- Needs a wide-open area, since it will spread along the ground.
- Also requires plenty of water and grows best in areas with hot summers.
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Summer Squash Cucumis pepo - Includes zucchini, crookneck, straightneck, and patty pan squashes.
- Unlike other Cucumis species, this one does ok in mild climates and is "notoriously easy" to grow. Plant them directly in the soil after it has warmed up a bit.
- Produce plenty of fruit; keep removing them and the plant will keep producing.
- The flowers are edible as well, either by themselves or still attached to immature fruits.
- If you have so many you don't know what to do with them, you may find this helpful.
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Winter Squash Cucurbita maxima
- Includes acorn, spaghetti, butternut, buttercup, turban.
- Like other Cucurbita species, need plenty of room and do best when you hold off planting until the weather is consistently warm.
- Winter squash store well; the long growing season allows for autumn harvest and use through the winter.
- Some varieties do particularly well in northern climates; check the cultivar information for the specifics.
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Tomatillo Physalis ixocarpa - Another warm-season member of the nightshade family; like the tomatoes, peppers and eggplants, tomatillos are best started indoors and transplanted in late spring.
- Need only moderate amounts of water; if soil is good, won't need much additional fertilizer.
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Tomato Solanum lycopersicum - The glorious tomato is one of the most popular garden vegetables; despite its preference for hot weather, it is very easy to grow and will generally produce more than you can eat!
- With dozens of heirloom varieties in a rainbow of colors to choose from, you will never have to feel stuck with bland beefsteaks ever again.
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Watermelon Citrullus lanatus - Have been cultivated in Namibia for 4000 years.
- Round watermelons grow up a little more quickly than long ones, so if your growing season is short, they might be a good bet.
- Need lots of space, plenty of water, and a well-drained, aerated soil for optimum growth.
- In general, take a long time to mature, so don't expect fruit until late summer.
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