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Easy Okras for Hot Summer Gardens

Red, burgundy, and purple okra varieties are extra pretty in the garden.

Okra is a southern staple crop for several reasons. The tasty podded vegetable thrives in heat and even drought, and it is so easy to grow. Newer varieties are more tender, prolific, and lack painful spines. As an added bonus, you can let the pods mature and become woody at the end of the season, and then cut them and bring them indoors. They last for years and add an architectural flair to everlasting arrangements.

About Okra

Okra flowers are quite pretty and attract bees.

Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) is a tender perennial with native roots extending from Africa to Southeast Asia. Historically, it was brought to the Americas through the slave trade in the late 1600s and is noted as becoming a southern staple crop in the United States by the early 1800s. It is a nutritious vegetable (technically a fruit) that requires little nurturing to produce pods, so it certainly helped feed those with little resources early on in the South. It is an essential ingredient of Louisiana gumbo and is also enjoyed fried, pickled, and added to mixed meat and vegetable dishes.

Okra is an essential ingredient in Louisiana gumbo.

The plants are tall, upright, and have large, lobed, palm-shaped leaves. They are members of the hibiscus or mallow family, so their purple-centered, mallow-like flowers of pale yellow, ivory, or pink, are quite pretty when in bloom. Bees are the primary pollinators, so refrain from using pesticides around okra, not that they should be needed. The plants don’t have many severe pest and disease problems, aside from Japanese beetles where these pests are present (click here to learn how to manage Japanese Beetles). Aphids also cause occasional, but not severe, problems. The upright pods should be harvested when they are tender and young. Once they are woody, you can no longer eat them.

Good Okra Varieties

Large okra varieties, like ‘Bowling Red’ need lots of space to grow.

There is a surprising amount of variability in okra forms. Pods may be purple, red, or various shades of green. The most essential traits to seek out are cultivated varieties with numerous tender pods and continuous production. Height is another factor to consider. Some varieties can reach 8 feet high, while compact forms may only reach 3 feet. Here are seven exceptional varieties to try.

  1. Annie Oakley‘ (53 days from seed to harvest) is the first okra that I ever grew, and it sold me on okra for life. The compact plants produce lots of small to mid-sized okra pods that are green and very tender.
  2. Bowling Red‘ (57 days from seed to harvest) is a large okra (7-8 feet) that bears lots of long, slender, tasty pods of deep purplish-red. Pods are noted for remaining tender at a larger stage. The variety dates back to 1920s Virginia.
  3. Carmine Splendor‘ (51 days from seed to harvest) is a high-yielding heirloom with somewhat small, uniform, reddish pods and are fast-to-produce. It should bear fruit from midsummer to late summer or early fall.
  4. Clemson Spineless‘ (60 days from seed to harvest) is a 4-5-foot heirloom that is noted for being one of the first spineless types developed. Its pale green, pods are tasty and prolific.
  5. Heavy Hitter‘ (55 days from seed to harvest) is a 5-foot okra that appears to be on steroids because its crops are so large. Single plants are reported to produce as many as 250 pods over a season! Give the large plants plenty of space.
  6. Jambalaya‘ (50 days from seed to harvest) is compact, early, and bears smaller pods heavily through summer. This is the okra to try if you have little space.
  7. Louisiana 16 inch‘ (60 days from seed to harvest) has long, palest-green, extra flavorful pods that remain tender for a long time. If you like to eat lots of okra, choose this variety! Keep in mind, it becomes huge (to 8-feet). Some report it growing into the trees, so plan to give it lots of space.
‘Clemson Spineless’ Okra is truly spine-free! (Please note the aphids on the fruit. They can be problematic but are easily spritzed off with a jet of water from the hose before harvest.)

Planting and Growing Okra

Okra grows best in full, hot sun for a minimum of 8 hours per day. It will tolerate poor to average soil, but adding fertile amendments to the garden will boost performance and production while reducing the need to water as often. Fafard Garden Manure Blend is a great amendment for okra planting.

Okra seeds are large, so it is a good direct-sow crop, meaning you can seed them in on-site. Plant them when the soil is warm and the threat of frost has passed. Topping the seeds off with added organic matter provides extra moisture and light cover to help them germinate more readily.

Space plants according, based on their final estimated plant size, and expect them to grow large quickly. Wayward branches can be pruned off to keep plants in bounds. Large plants may require staking, especially if you live in an area where high winds are common.

Harvesting Okra

Harvest pods with a sharp knife, pruners, or shears.

When it comes to harvest, timing is everything. The pods develop so quickly that they can turn from tender to woody in just a day or two, so plan to pick them daily during harvest season. Harvest them then they are small, tender, and bendable, or squeezable. Cut them from their tender base, and store them in the refrigerator to keep them fresh. The faster you cook the pods, the better they will taste!

As fall becomes chilly, okra stops producing. At this time, I recommend leaving a stem or two to fully mature and dry. The woody stems and fruits add decorative flair to dry arrangements. It is also the perfect time to collect seeds for the following season.

The Ten Most Beautiful Edibles

Ornamental vegetables look pretty when planted in tidy, geometric arrangements.

The traditional French potager, or kitchen garden, combined both edible and ornamental elements to create beds that were both beautiful and productive. Given the array of fruit, vegetable, and herb varieties available now, just about anyone can do the same thing. 

Grow The Edibles That You Love

Where should you start?  As always, grow what you love, starting with edible varieties that you most want to eat.  There is no point in raising a beautiful zucchini if you hate that vegetable.  Once you know what you want to grow, search through garden centers, online, and catalog vendors to find the most beautiful varieties.  Remember that some plants have lovely leaves, others sprout gorgeous flowers, and still, others boast flashy stems.  A few combine all of those things.

Next, decide whether you want to grow from seed or buy as small starter plants. Starter plants get larger sooner, but the selection of varieties may be smaller. Growing from seed requires more patience, but the choices are larger.  Your potager can be beautiful either way.

The Ten Most Beautiful Edible Crops

Bushy Blueberries

Jelly Bean® is beautiful and produces lots of delicious berries. (Image by Bushel and Berry®)

Blueberries are three-season stunners, sporting bell-shaped pinkish-white flowers in spring, glaucous blue fruits in early summer, and bright red fall leaves.  The most widely grown and hybridized type is the highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum), including the popular large-fruited ‘Chandler’, but these tend to be leggier and less bushy. For tidy, attractive landscape shrubs with loads of berries, the better option is lowbush (Vaccinium angustifolium) types, like ‘Top Hat’, which is compact, bushy, and has nice, dense, foliage.  Container and small-space gardeners may prefer designer varieties, like the boxwood-like Jelly Bean®, which grows only 12 to 24 inches tall and wide, bears lots of small berries, and has flame-red fall color.  All crave fast-draining, acid soil, and full sun.

Personnel at your local garden center can help you choose species and varieties suitable to your region and space situation.

Feathery Fennel

Bulb fennel is delicious and its feathery foliage and white bulbs look striking in a garden or container.

Anise-flavored fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), a member of the carrot family, is a beautiful garden plant in either its green or purple-leafed (Foeniculum vulgare ‘Purpureum’) forms.  Leaf fennel is grown for its decorative, feathery, sweet-tasting leaves. Bulb fennel, like the ‘Orazio’ variety, is grown for its swollen bulbs.  In both types, all parts of the plant are edible.  The flowers will remind you of fennel’s carrot-family relative, Queen Anne’s lace or wild carrot, and will eventually provide fennel seeds for culinary use.  Swallowtail butterflies also use the fennel as a host plant, making the kitchen garden even more beautiful.

Striking Swiss Chard

The highly ornamental Swiss chard comes in shades of yellow, orange, red, pink, and white.

Spinach-like Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris var. cicla) leaves can be harvested when young or mature and eaten raw or cooked.  In the garden, the showy stems of ‘Ruby Red’ or ‘Bright Yellow’ or Bright Lights Mix light up the landscape.  These relatives of common beets grow best in sunny spots where the soil is somewhat alkaline. Swiss chard tastes sweeter as fall temperatures drop and will continue to ornament your garden and provide culinary ingredients well into late fall. Plants may even overwinter in mild- to warm-winter climates.

Colorful Winter Squash

Striped ‘Delicata’ squash are beautiful as are the deepest orange kabocha squash (far left).

The cucurbit family of plants includes all kinds of squashes, melons, and cucumbers. Most are edible, though a few, like ornamental gourds, are grown mostly for decorative value. All start with large, funnel-shaped blooms, and some yield fruits pretty enough to ornament even the most lavish potager. Among the showier cucurbits is delicata squash (Cucurbito pepo ‘Delicata’), a winter squash that features cylindrical fruits striped in cream, yellow, and green. The skin is thin and the flesh is sweet and especially good baked. Another winter squash for bright color in the garden and on a harvest table are Japanese kabocha squashes. The deepest red ‘Red Kuri’ (C. maxima ‘Red Kuri’) has very sweet flesh and is an excellent winter keeper.

Plant squash in hills—8- to 10-inch tall soil mounds—provide plenty of water, and make sure the plants have enough sunny space, as they tend to sprawl.  The vines can also be trained to grow up sturdy supporting structures like trellises or fences.

Flashy Cabbage

Purple cabbages can be very striking in fall gardens! This is also when they taste best.

Some gardeners grow ornamental cabbages and kales purely for fall decorations.  But edible cabbage varieties (Brassica oleracea Capitata Group) can be just as lovely.  One beauty is ‘Deadon’, a Savoy-type cabbage with brilliant magenta-purple leaves.  Another is ‘Red Express’, an early-yielding variety with purple and grey-green leaves.  In both varieties, the color deepens as fall weather cools off.

Cabbages like rich soil, full sun, and regular moisture, and benefit from soil amended with a product like Fafard Premium Natural and Organic Compost.

Colorful Okra

If you don’t grow okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) for its tasty pods, you might be tempted to grow it for the flowers alone or the attractive dried winter pods. The blooms and leaves betray okra’s membership in the mallow family (Malvaceae), which is also home to hibiscus and hollyhocks.  The main stalks grow somewhat slowly, but the flowers–pale yellow trumpets accented by maroon centers—are worth the wait.  Eventually, the edible pods appear. The red pods of ‘Bowling Red‘ are especially pretty. The bold plants reach a whopping 7-8 feet tall.

Okra loves warmth, so plant it when day and nighttime temperatures are above 60 degrees Fahrenheit.  While not as thirsty as some other edible plants, they appreciate at least one inch of water per week, along with enriched soil.

Scarlet Runner Beans

Scarlet runner beans are delicious, pretty, and great for kids’ gardens.

Hummingbirds, butterflies, and humans are all drawn to the brilliant red flowers of scarlet runner beans (Phaseolus coccineus).  The flowers are edible, but leaving them on the fast-growing vines yields tender beans after about 45 days. Picking the beans triggers more blooms and fruits, so harvest often. Trained up teepees, trellises, or other supports located in sunny spots, scarlet runner beans make great focal points for the vegetable garden.

Purple Cauliflower

Purple cauliflower can be so bright it does not even look real.

Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea Botrytis Group) is showing up everywhere these days, from pizza crusts to cauliflower “rice”.  Those who really prize the cruciferous vegetable, like it best straight from the garden.  That garden can be much more beautiful when adorned with a purple cauliflower variety, like ‘Grafitti’ or ‘Purple of Sicily‘.

Cauliflower is a cool-season species that should be planted in early spring or early fall and receive consistent moisture.  Harvest when the heads are 6 to 8 inches wide.

Pink-Flowered Strawberries

Berried Treasure Pink has double-pink flowers and delicious red berries. (Image by Proven Winners)

Strawberry flowers are normally white and winsome, but for a little more color in containers or at the edges of beds, try one of the pink-flowered varieties, like ‘Toscana’, with its deepest magenta flowers, or the double-pale-pink flowered Berred Treasure Pink. Both plants produce pink flowers followed by juicy, red berries.  For best results, plant in a sunny spot with well-drained soil and water regularly. Strawberries are also right at home in pots filled with Fafard Natural & Organic Potting Mix. Like many strawberries, the plants reproduce by means of runners.

Variegated Lemon Thyme

Variegated lemon thyme is absolutely beautiful and has explosive lemon and thyme flavor!

Delectable and beautiful, variegated lemon thyme (Thymus x citriodorus ‘Variegata Aurea’) is another plant that works equally well as an edger, or a rock garden or container subject. The tiny fragrant leaves are green edged in creamy yellow and lemon-scented. Clusters of purple tubular flowers appear in July and beckon pollinators.  Harvest sprigs of leaves regularly to keep stems from becoming woody.  Like other thymes, the variegated variety prefers full sun and well-drained soil.

Hot New Vegetable Varieties for 2021

Hot New Vegetable Varieties for 2021 Featured Image
Chinese-cabbage lovers wishing for a little more excitement will relish the purple-leafed ‘Merlot’.

With the holidays in the rearview mirror and the New Year launched, it is time to check out the new vegetable varieties from seed vendors.  Most 2021 catalogs are up now online, and many companies still send paper editions as well.  Whether you aim to grow a simple pot of cherry tomatoes on the balcony or an acre of diverse vegetables, the New Year brings an array of hot new choices.

The trends are easy to spot.  Tomatoes of all shapes, sizes, and colors are still champion sellers.  Color, in the garden and on the plate, is in fashion, with vendors offering old standard vegetables in new, often brilliant hues.  Heirloom varieties remain popular, as are compact plants suitable for small spaces and containers.  Micro-greens abound.  Ease of preparation (think stringless green beans and thin-skinned squash) are also frequent features of this year’s new varieties. 

New Tomatoes

‘Bosque Blue Bumblebee' cherry tomatoes (Image thanks to Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds)
Bosque Blue Bumblebee’, is a standard-size cherry variety that starts out blue and ripens to yellow with a blue blush. (Image thanks to Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds)

New tomato varieties are popping up everywhere, promising great taste and adaptability to small spaces–from the prolific ‘Ella Bella’ cherry variety, with sweet, firm red fruits, to ‘Thorburn’s Lemon Blush’, a large, beefsteak type with pink-blushed yellow skin, the catalogs are packed with new tomatoes.  Other notable newcomers are the sweet ‘Bosque Blue Bumblebee’, a standard-size cherry variety that starts out blue and ripens to yellow with a blue blush close to the stem, and the heavy-fruiting, sweet, compact Funnyplums varieties that grow beautifully in containers or hanging baskets and come in red, orange, or yellow-fruited forms.

'Ella Bella' cherry tomatoes
Prolific ‘Ella Bella’ cherry tomatoes are sweet, firm, and bright red.

There is nothing like a tomato sandwich at the height of the growing season, and that is only one of the many uses for large slicing tomatoes.  New varieties like ‘Marnouar’ and ‘Cubalibre’ bear large (10 to 16 ounce) fruits on vigorous, disease-resistant plants.  The tomatoes have an heirloom look, with near-black streaks on dark red skin.

If you aim to make sauce and need a plum tomato variety, try the new ‘Plum Regal’, with broad fleshy fruits and good disease resistance.

New Ornamental Edibles

'Charbell' Swiss chard
Vigorous ‘Charbell’ Swiss chard is delicious and beautiful.

Modern vegetable gardeners want horticultural daily doubles—plants that look good enough to be grown as ornamentals and taste good enough to win over even the pickiest eaters.  It doesn’t hurt that those colorful vegetables also look Instagram-ready on the plate. 

Many of the hottest new varieties come in unusual colors.  ‘Celine’ bush beans are traditional wax beans with a twist– purple pods and yellow interiors.  The ‘Snowball’ bell pepper tastes like a traditional green bell pepper but with white skin that matures to ivory.  ‘Charbell‘ Swiss chard is a potential garden brightener, with bright magenta stems, good disease resistance, and high performance. 

'Mashed Potatoes' acorn squash
‘Mashed Potatoes’ acorn squash has pale flesh that can be mashed and eaten like potatoes.

Acorn squash is normally dark green with orange flesh. Squash lovers can change things up with ‘Mashed Potatoes’ acorn squash, which boasts white rind and flesh.  Sellers suggest using the squash as a lower-calorie mashed potato alternative.

The color purple continues in fashion, sported this year by a number of new vegetables.  ‘Purple Peacock’ broccoli features tasty, small florets atop frilled leaves.  ‘Ultra Violet’ mustard bears purple stems with purplish-green leaves.  Chinese cabbage lovers wishing for a little more excitement will relish the purple-leafed ‘Merlot’.

Everything Old is New—The Heirloom Craze Continues

'Pippin's Golden Honey Pepper' (Image thanks to Hudson Valley Seed Co.)
‘Pippin’s Golden Honey Pepper’ (Image thanks to Hudson Valley Seed Co.)

By definition, heirloom varieties are not new, but some have been rediscovered or reintroduced for 2021.  The ‘Iroquois Skunk‘ pole bean looks and tastes much better than the name suggests, with mottled, blue-black pods encasing white beans.  ‘Pippin’s Golden Honey’ bell pepper is an heirloom that was long grown and used in Philadelphia’s Black community.  The lovely purple flowers develop into fruit that morphs from dark purple to yellow and finally to orange as the peppers ripen. The ‘Tall Telephone’ garden pea from the nineteenth century is a traditional variety characterized by heavy production. For something really dramatic—inside and out—try the ‘Silver Edge’ pumpkin, a Mexican heirloom that is streaked green and white on the outside, with tasty peach-colored flesh and large, edible seeds that are white with silver edges.

More Hot New Vegetables

Fruity ‘Aji Chombo’ from Panama (Image by Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds)
The fruity ‘Aji Chombo’ from Panama are also fire-hot. (Image by Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds)

Gardeners who want to turn up the culinary heat have a plethora of choices this year.  Hot peppers abound, including ‘Aji Chombo’ from Panama, which features heat comparable to Scotch Bonnet peppers with a fruity flavor to balance that heat.  ‘Black Magic’ jalapeno peppers are dark green-black with traditional jalapeno flavor and intensity.

Fafard Premium Natural & Organic Compost Blend pack

Growing from seed is one of the best ways to try out new and different vegetable varieties.  If you are starting seeds indoors, use a quality potting mix, like Black Gold Seedling Mix. For direct-sown varieties, clean and prepare planting beds by amending the soil with organic matter. Enriching your garden soil with Fafard Premium Natural and Organic Compost will get your hot new vegetables (as well as old favorites), off to a great start.

Creative Four-Ingredient Edible Gardens

Creative Four-Ingredient Edible Gardens Featured Image
Creative Four-Ingredient Edible Gardens

Now that spring is well underway, it’s time to think about interesting ideas for simple, productive gardening.  Even the most efficient gardeners tend to glaze over when confronted with a long plant list, but most of us can cope with cleverly devised, four-plant gardens. 

Below are “recipes” for three different themed planting combinations containing edible and ornamental elements that can be contained or planted in gardens as space permits. The end results combine garden multi-tasking with great flavors and high ornamental value. And, if you want more options, you can create your own!

Herbal Tea Garden

Herbal tea ingredients: Rugosa Rose, Lemon Balm, Pineapple Mint, Lady Godiva Pot Marigold
These herbal tea ingredients add a twist to the classics.

Ingredients:

  1. Variegated Pineapple Mint (Mentha suaveolens ‘Variegata’, USDA Hardiness Zones 5-9)
  2. Everblooming Pot Marigold (Calendula officinalis
    Lady Godiva® Orange)
  3. Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis, Zones 3-7)
  4. Rugosa Rose (Rosa rugosa, Zones 2-7)

Turn leaves or flowers of these easy-to-grow plants into tasty teas.  The requirements are simple: full sun (at least six hours per day for roses) and well-drained, average soil.  Make sure to avoid spraying the plants with any product not formulated for use on edible crops.

If you have a bit of space, create a dedicated four-ingredient tea garden with a rose at the center, surrounded by lemon balm, pot marigolds, and variegated pineapple mint. Container gardeners can grow the ingredients in separate pots, or mixed in a large container or two.

Rugosa roses are fragrant enough for their petals to be of value in teas, but their hips are the most common herbal tea ingredient. They will not form if the roses are cut, so let the flowers set fruit. Rugosas are noted for their large hips, which resemble cherry tomatoes. Mature hips will be bright orange-red and give slightly when pressed.

Among the best hip producers are those of fragrant hybrids, like the pink-flowered ‘Fru Dagmar Hastrup’ or the double white ‘Blanc Double de Coubert’.  They also bear thorny stems, so harvest carefully.  Use the hips fresh or dry until brittle in a slow oven (110 degrees Fahrenheit) or dehydrator.  Drying time varies depending on the size and quantity of hips.

Lemon balm and pineapple mint are vigorous members of the mint family, but both are wonderfully fragrant with leaves that maintain their flavor when dry. Lemon balm has been known to self-sow and escape garden confinement if neglected, so shear off its tiny blooms as they appear. Likewise, pineapple mint spreads by rooting stems, so it is best contained in a pot. Fortunately, the variegated form is more ornamental and less aggressive. Harvest pineapple mint and lemon balm leaves before the flowers form and air dry by arranging the leaves on trays and setting them aside for several days until dry and crumbly. 

Pot marigold is the only annual in the garden, so it will need to be planted yearly. Standard types set lots of seed and tend to self-sow, but Lady Godiva® does not. As a result, it is not messy, and it blooms all summer long, unlike the others. Gather fresh pot marigold flowers for tea. Dry them as you would balm and mint leaves.

Marinara Garden

Roma Tomatoes, Bush Basil, Greek Oregano, Flatleaf Parsley
Plant these to make fresh marinara. Just add garlic–to the sauce or your garden.

Ingredients:

  1.  Bush Basil (Ocimum basilicum ‘Spicy Bush’)
  2. Greek Oregano (Origanum vulgare ssp. hirtum)
  3. Italian Flatleaf Parsley (Petroselinum crispum var. neapolitanum)
  4. Roma Plum Tomatoes (Lycopersicum esculentum Roma varieties)

Put an Italian accent in your garden and kitchen with these four plants.  Start with the tomatoes. Bush-type (determinate) Roma tomatoes are squat, meaty, and full of flavor for sauces and paste. Provide them with at least eight hours of sunlight per day. Choose quality varieties, such as the high-yielding ‘Paisano‘ or tasty golden ‘Sunrise Sauce‘. A spacious half whiskey barrel filled with a rich potting mix, like Fafard® Ultra Outdoor Planting Mix, and a caged tomato plant in the center is a great starting point. Install the low-growing herbs around the outside edges of the barrel. Be sure to feed with a fertilizer formulated for vegetables and herbs. (Click here to learn more about growing tomatoes in pots.)

Rich, aromatic annual basil is probably the best-known herb for flavoring tomato sauce and the easiest to grow, given full sun and good soil. There are many available basils, but compact sweet basils, such as ‘Spicy Bush‘, are best for container growing.  (Click here to learn more about growing basil in containers.) Use them as an exuberant edging around tomato plants, either alone or alternating with other herbs. Pinch off the flowers before they bloom to encourage foliage, and harvest leaves regularly for best taste. Macerate them in olive oil and freeze to store.

A low-grower with good heat and drought tolerance, Greek oregano is another indispensable marinara ingredient. Grow it along with basil and parsley in beds or containers by the kitchen door, or alternate with basil and parsley in a dedicated tomato bed. Its leaves are best dried for longterm use.

Low-growing flat-leaf parsley is the fourth member of the marinara quartet. With its fresh flavor, it can stand up to the bold tastes of basil, oregano, and tomatoes. It can also stand with them in plantings, brightening up a window box or planted in a large container alongside basil and oregano. Versatile and full of vitamins, flat-leaf parsley is also a champion seasonal edging plant. Preserve it as you would basil.

Summer Fruit Salad Garden

Compact Raspberries, Compact Blueberries, Compact Melon, Everbearing Strawberries

Ingredients:

  1. Everbearing Strawberry (Fragaria x ananasa ‘Tristar’)
  2. Compact Cantaloupe (Cucumis melo ‘Green Machine’)
  3. Compact Raspberries (Rubus idaeus Raspberry Shortcake®)
  4. Compact Blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum Jelly Bean®)

You don’t have to own an orchard—or even a garden plot—to grow your own fruit.  A mixed planting of blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries will provide snacks and desserts through much of the summer. 

Blueberries bushes feature pink or white, bell-like flowers in spring, followed by tasty berries in July and lovely red leaves in the fall.  Use a compact variety, like Jelly Bean® (1-2 feet), along with a petite raspberry bush-like Raspberry Shortcake® (2-3 feet) as the centerpieces of your sunny planting scheme. The little shrubs will flourish in garden situations or large containers. Surround them with smaller pots or edge with strawberries, like the everbearing ‘Tristar’, which provides lots of berries in June and then a consistent flow of berries until fall.

A short-vined, small-fruited melon, such as the “ice cream” muskmelon ‘Green Machine’, will provide you with delectable melons in a small garden space or pot. Give them full sun and great garden soil amended with Fafard Premium Natural & Organic Compost or potting mix, and the vines will give you sweet melons that are just the right size for a scoop of ice cream. (Click here to learn more about how to grow edibles in containers.)

Your fruitful garden will need consistent moisture throughout the growing season.  Investing in netting or other protection to keep away hungry birds and guarantee you a taste of the sweet fruits of your labors.

5 Fast Cool Season Vegetables for Instant Gratification

Crunchy baby carrots grow quickly and taste the sweetest.

“Patience is a virtue,” says the old adage, but sometimes even the most virtuous gardeners long for a little instant gratification. Succulent tomatoes and winter squash are a great reward for a season of waiting, but not all edible plants require a long growing period. In the cool growing season of early to mid spring and fall, you can have your salad and eat it too—sometimes in as little as 30 days—as long as you choose the right varieties and provide them with a bit of sunny space. 

Always check the seed packets of various varieties for specific directions and the approximate number of days to harvest.  Quick-growing veggies can generally be harvested in less than 55 days from sowing.  The following is a list of five of the tastiest and most popular instant gratification crops.

Mesclun Mix

Mesclun mix and mache are very fast growing, especially if harvested as microgreens.

This widely-marketed greens seed mix usually contains an assortment of early lettuces and other fast greens.  Depending on the seed producer, mesclun is sometimes also labeled “early spring mix” or “mixed baby greens”. Some vendors offer a variety of mesclun mixes to suit different tastes and seasons. No matter what the mix, the tiny seeds produce a crop of tasty small leaves in about 30 days, which is lightening-fast by garden standards.

Mesclun is easy to grow in containers, raised beds, or conventional garden beds.  Sprinkle the seeds over moist soil, and do not cover because lettuce seeds need light to germinate.  Water deeply using gentle spray.  Sprouting should occur relatively quickly.  The young greens can be harvested when the leaves are 4 to 6 inches long.  Succession planting every two weeks in spring and fall ensures a continuous crop.

Relish the Radish

Radishes are ready to harvest in no time!

Radishes add a peppery bite to salads, sandwiches or all by themselves with a little sweet butter and salt.  Radish lovers can rejoice in the fact that they are also quick to grow.  For fast growth, select extra-early varieties, like ‘Rover’ or Easter Egg Mix.  Sprinkle seeds over the soil and cover thinly with soil or mix.  When the sprouts reach about 2 inches tall, thin to 3 inches apart.  The young radishes should be ready in about 30 days.  The best way to detect readiness is to pull one, wash it, and taste it. As with mesclun, succession sowing will provide you with a consistent radish supply.

Baby Carrots

Kids love to harvest baby carrots. (Image by Jessie Keith)

Veggie lovers know that the “baby carrots” you buy in bags at the supermarket were actually sculpted from regular-size carrots at a processing plant.  In-a-hurry gardeners can have the genuine article—real diminutive carrots—in about 55 days from sowing.  Little carrots are excellent choices for container growing as well.  Pick a small-size carrot variety, like ‘Caracas Hybrid’ or ‘Adelaide‘, and sow thinly in loose soil to which compost has been added.  A product like Fafard® Premium Natural & Organic Compost is perfect for this, providing the carrots with the lightened growing medium they need to produce straight roots. When seedlings emerge, thin to one inch apart.  Water consistently whenever the top of the soil feels dry.  At the 55-day point, or even a little earlier, pull one of the carrots.  If it seems big enough, you are ready for harvest.

Spinach

Picking spinach
Spinach is a very fast-growing spring green, especially when harvested in baby-leaf form.

Popeye may have eaten his spinach straight from the can, but he knew that the leafy greens are tasty and exceptionally good for you.  Spinach is also a boon for impatient gardeners.  Like other fast-growing veggies, it is also perfect for container growing, which should be music to the ears of those afflicted with deer, rabbits or other garden varmints.  For container success, pick a smaller spinach variety, like ‘Melody’ or ‘Red Kitten’.  Sow seeds about one inch apart in a planting medium that is pH neutral and enriched with plenty of compost.  When the seedlings emerge, thin to two to three inches apart.  The spinach harvest should be ready in about 40 days, depending on the variety.

Bok Choy

Mature bok choi ready for harvest. (Image by Jessie Keith)

Sometimes also known as pak choi, this Asian member of the cabbage family has become increasingly popular for home gardeners, who use the mild-flavored leaves in everything from stir-fries to salads.  For speedy results and/or container growing, choose dwarf varieties that can be harvested after about 40 days, when they are less than 10 inches tall.  As with other fast growers, sow seeds about two inches apart, cover with a thin layer of soil and keep uniformly moist.  Dwarf varieties can be thinned to three inches apart.  Harvest the entire head, as you would a cabbage.
Fast-growing vegetables are a great way to hit the ground running in spring, but most have a tendency to “bolt” as the weather warms, flowering and sprouting bitter leaves when summer’s heat sets in.  Save leftover seed for the second cool season in the fall, when you can rejoice in baby greens and radishes all over again.

Growing and Taming Jerusalem Artichoke

Growing and Taming Jerusalem Artichoke Featured Image
Jerusalem artichoke is a unique sunflower with delicious, nutty, edible tubers.

Gardeners who have grown Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus) have a love-hate relationship with it. The tall, fall-blooming sunflower puts on a big show but spreads aggressively by root and rhizome and sends up 8-10-foot stems that tend to fall over at bloom time. Its delicious edible tubers make up for any bad traits. They have a nutty, potato-like taste and can be eaten roasted, boiled, or in soups. When planted in ironclad raised beds, Jerusalem artichokes can be tamed for good fall eating.

Origins and History

Jerusalem artichokes
Jerusalem artichokes are actually native to North America and Mexico.

Despite its misleading common name, which is hazy in its inception but has European origins, Jerusalem artichoke is North American and a distant relative of artichokes but nothing like them in habit or flavor. It’s widespread across the whole of the continent, illustrating its prolific nature.

Through summer, this hardy perennial (USDA Hardiness Zones 3-9) forms tall, broad, rangy clumps of deep green, scratchy foliage. The golden blooms, which feed bees and other pollinators, appear in mid-fall atop stems that range from 6-10 feet. Wild populations favor forest margins, roadsides, disturbed ground, and meadows.

Native Americans of the Great Plains were the first to cultivate Jerusalem artichoke for food and shared it with early colonists. By the 17th century, it was brought to England and eventually cultivated across Europe and beyond for food and livestock feed. Recently, American markets have begun to sell the tubers again, which has bosted their culinary popularity once again. There are several cultivated varieties but these are most available to commercial growers.

Growing

Yellow fall flowers
It’s sunny fall flowers are good for cutting.

Jerusalem artichoke is a worthwhile garden plant if you implement management protocols from the beginning. If left to its own devices, it will run rampant and take over a vegetable or flower garden in a jiffy.

Full sun is a must, as is the case with any sunflower. It is remarkably tolerant of a wide range of soils but will not grow in wet ground. Like most garden plants, a little extra fertility helps. Fafard® Premium Natural & Organic Compost is a good amendment if your garden soil is particularly poor.

Fafard Premium Natural & Organic Compost Blend pack
Amend your soil before planting.

Plants are typically sold as tubers, though they’ll grow quickly from seed. Sow seed indoors, being sure to follow the packet’s planting instructions. Tubers should be planted several inches down into worked, loose soil in spring after the threat of frost as passed. Each has multiple protuberant eyes; plant them so most face upwards.

Management

If you don’t live in a rural area with wild space–fenceline, grassy meadow, or sprawling bed–grow one plant in a small raised bed, and expect it to fill the whole thing. The raised beds edges should be set at least 6 inches below the soil level to keep spreading roots in check.

By midsummer, cut the rangy plant stems back by two-thirds to encourage a shorter overall height and more flowers. The technique is much like pinching back a chrysanthemum; it encourages more branching and compact growth. Shorter stems also make harvest easier.

Harvest and Storage

Irregularly shaped tubers
The irregularly shaped tubers are ivory when they are first harvested.

Once the stems start to die back in mid to late fall, cut them back nearly to the ground. Then start digging. A long, sharp space is best.

Expect the tubers to extend a foot or more beyond the place where visible stems appear. Dig as deep as 8 to 12 inches to get them all. The bulbous, irregular, ivory tubers feel like potatoes. Dig most of them out, but leave one small clump in the center, if you want a crop the following year. Keep in mind that if you miss just one tiny tuber, it will sprout in spring, so you may have to dig up a few unwanted plants here and there the following season.

Store the tubers in a cool root cellar or vegetable drawer in the refrigerator. They will keep for two to five months, but as they age they will become less plump and their exteriors will turn brown.

Eating

Cooked Jerusalem artichokes with potatoes
Jerusalem artichokes cook up quickly and taste good roasted with garlic and cheese.

Due to their increasing popularity, there are lots of great recipes for Jerusalem artichokes online. Creamy bisque soups are very popular as are roasted, pan-fried, or sauteed dishes.

Grow Jerusalem artichokes, if you dare. With just a little management, they will reward you with lots of tasty roots for winter. The key is keeping them in bounds.

Vegetable Companion Plants that Repel Insect Pests

Vegetable Companion Plants that Repel Insect Pests Featured Image
Vegetable gardens with a good mix of companion plants can perform better.

Some attractive and useful companion plants really do help ward off certain insect pests from specific crops. Plant these companions in quantity, and they can serve to reduce the populations of common insect pests of vegetables.

Research has shown that some companion plantings reduce the number of insect pests that attack vegetable crops. Some companion plants are trap crops that attract insect pests, luring them away from your favorite vegetables. Others are insect-repelling companion plants that produce aromatic chemicals that some pests dislike.

Trap crops take up a lot of space and are not practical for most home gardeners, while desirable repellant plants are more viable to grow. These are the plants covered. Companion with some value to gardeners, in addition to protective properties, are a win-win.

Insect-Repelling Companion Plants

Note that repelling plants will never totally protect vegetables from the pests that attack them, but they can reduce the number of pests. Here are a few good examples of protective plants (mostly herbs) and the pests they repel.

Basil

Purple Opal and Italian Genovese basils
Purple Opal and Italian Genovese basils are both good choices for planting around tomatoes.

A few key culinary herbs have been shown to offer repellent protection to specific veggies. One of these is everyone’s favorite herb, basil. Research has shown that rows of tall basil (Ocimum basilicum) around tomatoes can reduce the number of tomato hornworms on tomatoes and eggplant. Tomato hornworms are very damaging, defoliating tomatoes in no time. They are also so large, they are very unpleasant to kill.

Basil also wards off thrips from developing flowers and other plant tissues. The little insect pests suck juices from flowers, fruits, and leaves causing ugly mottled spots.

Good basil varieties for the task include the tall, Italian Genovese basil, purple ‘Opal basil, hybrid lemon basil (Ocimum × africanum), and beautiful ‘Pesto Purpetuo‘ basil, which is tall, highly fragrant, non-blooming, and has beautiful variegated leaves.

Catnip

Catnip (Nepeta cataria) can reduce damage by flea beetles, a pest that attacks eggplant, brassicas ( like collards, cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower), tomatoes, and other common crops. There is also some evidence that it wards off cabbage loopers, which also attack brassicas. A series of predating beetles, including Colorado potato beetles, cucumber beetles, and Japanese beetles, which can attack okra and beans, are also repelled. Squash bugs also avoid these plants.

Another benefit of catnip is that it repels mosquitoes very well.

Chives and Onions

Chives
Chives taste great and have protective properties against cabbage moths and aphids.

Chives, leeks, and onions (Allium spp.) are welcome additions to any garden and some vegetable pests really dislike them. The pests they deter include damaging moths (like cabbage moths), aphids, and spider mites. All three of these pests attack a wide host of vegetable plants, such as brassicas, beans, and squash, so a border of chives or onion relatives can really help in the garden.

Evergreen Culinary Herbs

Rosemary
Rosemary offers good protection against carrot flies.

There is a host of favorite culinary evergreen herbs that repel certain pests from brassicas. Many of hese effective herbs in the mint family. This should come as no surprise because they are all strongly aromatic and resinous, which is why they tend to have few to no insect predators. Three of the best include sage (Salvia officinalis), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), and thyme (Thymus vulgaris).

Sage has been shown to protect brassicas from cabbage moths as well as carrots, parsley, and parsnips from carrot flies. Rosemary also protects against carrot flies in addition to snails and slugs. Finally, whiteflies, which damage the foliage and overall health of many crops, disfavor thyme.

Daisy-Family Herbs

Collecting chamomile
Chamomile makes delicious tea and provides brassicas some protection from cabbage loopers.

Strongly aromatic herbs in the daisy family can really pack a punch against pests. Some are very large, so they need space to grow, but they are reliable companions to many vegetables.

From spring to midsummer, chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) shines in the garden providing some protection to brassicas from cabbage loopers. The dried flowers of chamomile can also be used to make a flavorful, soothing tea.

Marigolds

Marigolds of all kinds help ward off a serious underground pest of tomatoes, tomato root-knot nematodes.  These attack the roots of tomatoes, stunting the plants and reducing their productivity. Planting tomatoes and marigolds in rotation from year to year can help keep these pests away. (Click here to learn more about marigolds and root-knot nematodes.)

Wormwood
Wormwood is a big, silvery shrub-like perennial that protects against flea beetles and many other pests. (Image by Jessie Keith)

Even more effective members of this family include the non-culinary, herbs wormwood (Artemisia absinthium), the herb used to make absynthe, southernwood (Artemisia abrotanum), and tansy (Tanacetum vulgare). All are strongly fragrant and have been shown to reduce damage by flea beetles, a pest that attacks eggplant, brassicas, tomatoes, and other common crops. Southernwood and wormwood also protect against cabbage loopers and cabbage butterflies. And, Japanese beetles and Colorado potato beetles don’t like tansy.

One downside to these three non-culinary repellent plants in the daisy family is that they tend to spread and become weedy. So, be sure to clip back their flowers to keep them from setting seed.

In general, herbs grow best in fertile to semi-fertile soil enriched with compost. Companion plantings are most effective if you plant them in rows or rings surrounding the vegetables that you want to protect. And, if you plant favorite culinary herbs, you can harvest and enjoy these as well.

Traditional Asian Vegetables for the Garden

Asparagus bean
Asparagus bean

Many prized vegetables originate from or were bred in Asian countries, from India to Japan to Malaysia. Great emphasis is placed on the beans, cucurbits, greens, and root vegetables, and many are very old, select varieties collected and grown for generations. The best are flavorful and great for any home garden.
Local climate often dictates growth preference. For example, vegetables bred in Thailand, Vietnam, or Malaysia are heat and drought tolerant, while the vegetables of northern China prefer cooler climates. Many of these crops are unknown to American gardeners, but consider trying a few this season, if you like Asian cuisine or simply delicious garden-fresh food.

Beans

Yardlong bean
Yardlong bean

The asparagus or winged bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus) is both attractive and delicious—sporting red flowers and beautiful winged beans.  It is a warm season crop that produces long twining vines that produce edible beans just 75 days after planting. It is grown in tropical regions due to its marked tolerance to high heat. The unusual looking pods taste like a cross between peas and asparagus. Asparagus bean has added value because the leaves are eaten like spinach, and the edible roots have a nutty flavor.
Also well-adapted to high heat and summer growing is the yardlong bean (Vigna unguiculata ssp. sesquipedalis). Its vigorous vines bear loads of very long beans that reach 12- to 16-inches and taste delicious. They have been grown for centuries in China and are best sautéed or stir fried.

Cucurbits

Angled luffa
Angled luffa

Japanese cucumbers are unique in that they are very long, thin skinned, and crisp. They grow on rambling vines that are best trellised to accommodate the cucumbers that can reach between 8 to 12 inches. Try the open-pollinated variety ‘Sooyow Nishiki’, which has thin, warty skin and crisp, sweet flesh.
Many Asian melons exist, which are bred and selected to be remarkable sweet. The open-pollinated Japanese variety, ‘New Melon’ is golden, smooth skinned, and was developed in the 1950s for Japanese growers. Each vigorous vine produces between four to eight melons. Be sure to plant them as early as possible, because vines take between 110 to 120 days to produce fruit.

Asian melons
Asian melons

Most westerners know luffa as a natural sponge for bathing, but in China the young gourds are a popular vegetable. The angled luffa (Luffa acutangula) is commonly referred to as Chinese okra and has a sweet taste (much like zucchini) when harvested young. Give the vines plenty of space, or trellis them for easier growing and harvest.

Greens & Cabbages

Chinese cabbage
Chinese cabbage

Bok choy (pak choi) is a mild, cool-season green that produces rosettes of green leaves with fleshy white bases. These are fast-growing and typically eaten stir fried. Some varieties are very small and others large. The super small variety ‘Extra Dwarf Pak Choi’ is very fast growing , reaching full size in just 30 days, and is just right for edible container gardening.
Valued as a spring vegetable across Asia, Korean minari is a leafy green that tastes much like watercress. It is closely related to celery and is a vital ingredient in Korean bibimbap bowls or can be prepared as a spicy vegetable side dish. It grows best in cool weather and slows growth in temperatures above 70 degrees F.
Chinese cabbage is a well-known, cool-season crop that produces large heads that may be barrel-shaped or loose headed. Try the old Japanese variety, ‘Aichi’, which is a large, barrel-shaped variety that produces dense heads with a sweet cabbagy flavor. These grow and taste best in the mild temperatures of spring or fall.

Root Vegetables

Watermelon radish
Watermelon radish

Radishes play an important role in the cuisine of many Asian cultures. These include watermelon, daikon, and hot radishes as well as those used for microgreens. All radishes are fast growing and best suited to growing in cool weather. When temperatures are hot, they don’t develop substantial roots and taste very hot. Watermelon radish types are some of the most beautiful with their red interiors and greenish-white exteriors. They are also fun for kids to grow. Try the Chinese radish ‘Red Meat’, which is thin skinned, sweet, and ready to harvest 60 days after planting.
Turnips are a common root vegetable, but most western gardeners are not familiar with red turnips. These fast-growing, sweet root vegetables are popular in Asia and eaten fresh or cooked. They are typically red on the outside and white or pinkish on the inside. Try the traditional Japanese turnip ‘Hidabeni‘, which has flattened roots with scarlet exteriors and white interiors.

Eggplant

Green Japanese eggplant
Green Japanese eggplant

Eggplant is essential to Asian cuisine, from India to Japan. Most are elongated, mild, thin-skinned, and have few seeds. This warm-season crop bears many fruits over the season. One of the easiest and best varieties to try is the Taiwanese eggplant ‘Ping Tung Long‘, which is very heat tolerant and has bright purple fruits that reach over a foot long. The equally large green fruits of the Japanese ‘Choryoku‘ are also firm, sweet, and delicious.
Favorite Thai eggplants are a bit different in that many are smaller and oval or round. They may be green striped or deep purple. The small, round variety ‘Petch Siam’ is grown from India to Vietnam. Its small green striped fruits are numerous, and the plants like high heat.

Squash

Kabocha squash
Kabocha squash

There are many squash grown and favored across Asian countries, but some of the sweetest and best tasting are kabocha winter squash. These somewhat flattened, globe-shaped squash typically have dark green skin and gold to orange flesh that is smooth and very sweet. The open-pollinated kabocha from Japan, ‘Kuri Winter’, has very sweet, thick, golden flesh and dark blue-green skin. Plant it early as vines take 95 to 110 days to produce good fruit.

Vegetable Care

Fafard Garden Manure Blend packFor high vegetable yields be sure to feed your crops with a granular organic vegetable fertilizer early in the season. Amendments such as Fafard Premium Natural & Organic Compost and Fafard Garden Manure Blend also ensure high soil moisture and aeration to encourage vigorous root growth. Double–digging is another great way to optimize deep root growth to help plants withstand moderate drought and high heat.

Windowsill Herbs and Vegetables for Kitchen Gardeners

Windowsill Herbs and Vegetables for Kitchen Gardeners Featured Image
A sunny windowsill is all you need to grow a variety of vegetables and herbs.

Homegrown fresh herbs and vegetables are not just a product of the warm growing months. Several can be easily cultivated along a sunny, south-facing windowsill during winter. Then when temperatures grow warmer, you can plant them outdoors to extend your summer gardening efforts.

Herbs for Indoor Growing

Pots of sweet basil and other herbs
Pots of sweet basil and other herbs grow in a sunny window.

Basil– Fresh sweet basil pesto can just be an arms-length away if you have a sunny kitchen window.  Some grocery stores or retail greenhouses sell plants in colder months, but you can also quickly grow your own from seed. Many varieties take only 40-50 days to grow to a harvestable size.

Small bush varieties, such as ‘Piccolino’ and ‘Pluto’, are the fastest-growing sweet basil types to grow from seed. The large-leaved ‘Pesto Party’ is also fast-growing and tasty. Sow seed on the surface of a small pot filled with Fafard Natural & Organic Potting Soil, which is approved for organic gardening. Keep the soil moist and place your pot in a sunny window. In just one week, the seeds should sprout. Give them even moisture, full sun, and they should thrive.

Small bush basil 'Piccolino'
The small bush basil ‘Piccolino’. (Photo by Johnny’s Selected Seeds)

Rosemary– Pruned rosemary plants are often sold in winter for home growing. New growth can be trimmed off to flavor meats and or pasta sauces. Just be sure to give rosemary lots of sun, and turn window-grown plants every few days for even growth. Refrain from overwatering them because their roots are sensitive to rot caused by excessive moisture.

Thyme– Pots of low-growing French thyme (Thymus vulgaris) or lemon thyme (Thymus x citriodorus) look pretty and taste great on vegetables, meats, or added to fresh salad dressings. If you have an outdoor plant, you can easily root cuttings for indoor growing. Simply take 6” cuttings, remove the leaves from the bottom 2-inches of the stems, and place them in a clean glass of water. Refresh the water if it starts to look murky. In just a couple of weeks, they will root and can be potted. Like rosemary, thyme requires light watering and lots of sunlight.

Cilantro in pot
Cilantro is very easy to grow indoors. (Image by Johnny’s Selected Seeds)

Cilantro-This cool-season annual herb is one of the easiest to grow indoors. Like basil, it is best grown from seed—with leaves ready for harvest in just 50 days. Try the tidy variety ‘Calypso’, which resists flowering and produces lots of edible leaves for salsa making. Start the seeds as you would basil.

Parsley-Pot-grown parsley thrives in sunny windowsills and quickly regrows new leaves as you trim fresh foliage for cooking. On occasion, plants are sold at grocery stores or in retail greenhouses, but seed-grown plants are probably your best bet. Parsley takes two months to reach a harvestable size from seed, so it is best seeded in late fall for winter growing. Start it as you would basil.

Vegetables for Indoor Growing

Salinova® Green Sweet Crisp lettuce
Salinova® Green Sweet Crisp lettuce is a cut-and-come-again variety for indoor growing.

Greens—Lettuce, spinach, and arugula are all fast-growing salad greens that grow well in indoor pots. In fact, some compact varieties are specially bred for indoor growing. Lettuces in the Salinova® series are compact, cut-and-come-again varieties that grow fast and produce well in pots. Try the curly Salinova® Green Sweet Crisp and red-leaved Salinova® Red Butter. Surface sow the seeds in a rectangular windowsill pot on a sunny sill, give them light moisture, and they will sprout quickly. In just 45-55 days they will be ready to harvest. The fast-growing ‘Corvair’ spinach (21 days) and ‘Esmee’ arugula (21-40 days) can be grown the same way.

Brazilian beak pepper, ‘Biquinho’
The Brazilian beak pepper, ‘Biquinho’. (Image by Johnny’s Selected Seeds)
Fafard Natural & Organic Potting Soil pack

Peppers– Tiny pepper plants with fruits of all colors and heat levels can be grown in super sunny windows. The Brazilian beak pepper ‘Biquinho’ is a new red hot pepper that reaches only 1 to 2 feet high and yields fruits in just 60 days. Lunchbox mixed sweet pepper plants reach 2 to 3 feet, and bear small green peppers in just 55 days (75 days to turn from green to red and orange).
Start seeds in small pots of Black Gold Seedling Mix, keep them just moist and place them in a sunny window. In one to two weeks they should sprout. When they reach 6-inches high, move them into a 1-gallon pot filled with Fafard Natural & Organic Potting Soil, and add a stake to support growing plants. Feed them regularly with a water-soluble tomato and vegetable fertilizer

Tomatoes– If you have very sunny south-facing window or sunroom, you can grow tomatoes indoors. Bush-type (determinate) tomatoes bred for northern growing will grow and fruit the best. Start them indoors from seed in mid to late fall for winter fruiting. Maintaining room temperatures above 65° F will encourage fruit production. In just 60 days, ‘Gold Nugget’ cherry tomatoes bear small, golden tomatoes on short plants reaching 2-feet. For classic red tomatoes, try the high-yielding, disease-resistant ‘Polbig’, which reaches 2-3 feet. Start tomatoes as you would peppers. Support plants with stakes to manage growth, and prune back any leggy stems

Planting herbs and vegetables indoors this winter will keep fresh food on your table until spring. These attractive edibles also provide welcome indoor greenery to brighten cold, snowy days.

Delicious Gardening with Edible and Ornamental Plants

Variegated pineapple sage and golden marjoram
Variegated pineapple sage and golden marjoram will brighten up any landscape while also adding valuable flavor to dishes. (Photo by Jessie Keith)

Gardening with edible and ornamental plants makes gardening a little tastier and more valuable. Not many of us have the time and space for immense ornamental landscapes anymore, but lots of us take great pride in our shrubs, perennials, and annuals.  At the same time, we want to eat better, fresher food, and that urge has led us back to the garden.  Limited space means that we have to grow ornamentals and edibles side-by-side.  Fortunately, it is easy to do, and the results can be just as beautiful as an ornamental-only landscape.

For most of horticultural history, average people grew food from necessity, with little thought to purely ornamental plants.  Inevitably, though, some gardeners noticed that certain edible plants and herbs sported lovely flowers or foliage that added a dimension to the vegetable garden.  Others even transplanted flowering specimens from the wild into corners of their home vegetable plots.  Eventually, as great civilizations (Egyptians, Ancient Persians, and Greeks) grew wealthy, ornamental gardening came into its own, with immense ornamental landscapes designed, constructed, and documented in detail by artists and writers. Gardeners today are able to take the best from both worlds, mixing the edible and ornamental for increased garden value.

Feathery fennel
Feathery fennel is beautiful and tasty. (Photo by Jessie Keith)

Add Ornamental Vegetables

The vegetable gardener’s mantra—“Grow what you like to eat”—is a good place to start if you have decided to take the plunge and mix some edibles among your ornamental plants.  The feathery fronds of bronze or green fennel make a lovely addition to any garden and also attract swallowtail butterflies, but if you don’t like fennel, growing it may waste space that is better used for other plants.

Fafard Garden Manure Blend packJust about everyone loves fresh tomatoes and peppers, which are easy to grow and come in many varieties.  They also thrive under the same conditions as horticultural divas like roses—at least 8 hours of sunlight per day, rich soil and fairly consistent moisture.  The problem is that most tomato plants—especially indeterminate types that keep growing and producing all season–need some kind of support.  Typical wire tomato cages are not the loveliest addition to an ornamental garden.  Solve the tomato problem by training the plants up a simple bamboo stake or decorative tuteur or trellis that can hold its own among the flowering plants.

This technique not only makes a virtue out of necessity, but it works for other vining plants like beans, cucumbers, and even squash.  For a lovely garden backdrop, try scarlet runner beans trained up a trellis.  The flowers are a brilliant red and the beans are delicious either raw or cooked.

Pots of tomatoes and peppers
Pots of tomatoes and peppers show off the beauty of these valuable garden vegetables.

For a successful edible/ornamental combination, don’t neglect adequate plant nutrition.  Give both types of plants a good start by enriching your garden soil with a rich soil amendment like Fafard® Garden Manure Blend. Not only will it add needed organic matter for better water-holding capacity, but it will also enrich the soil for better overall performance.

Add Beautiful Fruits

If fruit is your idea of the perfect edible crop, and you want a beautiful ornamental plant, try growing blueberries (Vaccinium spp. and cultivars).  These shrubs feature lovely pinkish-white, bell-shaped flowers in the spring, followed by neat, green oval-shaped leaves.  The tasty blue fruits appear in early summer and scarlet leaves announce the arrival of fall.  Blueberries like the same acid soil as rhododendrons and azaleas and would complement them well in a mixed shrub or shrub/perennial border.  Smaller varieties can even be grown in containers and can hold their own among the pots of geraniums and snapdragons on a porch or terrace.  The same holds true of strawberries, with their white flowers and brilliant red fruits, grown in the pockets of decorative ceramic or terra cotta strawberry pots.

Blueberries
Blueberries are attractive, fruitful garden shrubs. Their fall foliage turns scarlet for a late-season show!

Add Ornamental Herbs

Herbs have long been used as ornamentals.  Purple basil makes a dramatic edging plant at the front of a border and would provide a perfect complement to red/orange marigolds or late summer dahlias.  The strong aroma of the basil also helps deter garden varmints like rabbits and deer.  Pineapple sage, with its variegated leaves, makes a lovely filler for a pot of flowering annuals.  The leaves are also the perfect enhancement for a glass of lemonade.

Purple-flowered cinnamon basil
Purple-flowered cinnamon basil is a dramatic beauty that looks pretty in edible and ornamental borders. (Photo by Jessie Keith)

If your ornamental landscape is mature and already filled with plants, look for “holes” where you can install a few ‘Bright Lights’ chard plants or fill in with low-growing herbs like thyme.  Start small, with a few edibles and then, when the “grow your own” bug bites, increase the number of edibles.  You will be amazed at how well it all fits together.

Bright Lights chard with Profusion zinnias
Bright Lights chard mingles with Profusion zinnias in this edible and floral border. (Photo by Jessie Keith)