FOR THE RECORD
Fruits
Squash
Tomatoes,
Peas
Beans
Bell Peppers
Corn
Cucumber
Watermelon
Vegetables
Onions
Potatoes,
carrots
Beets
Spinach
Collards
Sweet Potatoes spinach
Radishes
Friends
Basil,
Sunflowers, Marigolds, Cilantro, Parsley
A fruit is
the fleshy body surrounding the seeds of a plant. It’s actually a ripened plant
ovary. A vegetable is the other fleshy or leafy material of a plant, like a leaf or root. You can
grow them all in your garden and we call most of them vegetables. You might
have some other plant-friends in your garden like culinary herbs or spices, or
flowers which are edible or provide some other purpose like repelling certain
unwanted insects. Or inviting certain wanted insects.
Winter Vegetable Gardening
Now through
March you can plant winter vegetables and plant seeds indoors in small
containers to get summer vegetables started.
Winter
vegetables, or ‘cold-season’ vegetables prefer cool temperatures, and will not
survive into the heat of summer in middle Tennessee. Plant now: collards, kale,
turnips, radishes, onions, potatoes, broccoli.
This past 3 weeks I have planted onion sets, beets, and spinach. I may plant some greens (collards
and kale) if I have time and space.
Planting much
later and it will get too warm for your winter greens and broccoli, which may
bolt before they are ready to eat.
Now is the
time to be planning your summer vegetable garden, which should be planted after
April 15 or May 1.
Summer, or
‘warm-season’ vegetables are not tolerant of freezing temperatures and must be
seeded or (‘starts’ set out in the garden) after the last hard frost. Make a plan for
these summer vegetables: Tomatoes, bell peppers, hot peppers, corn, squashes
and melons, beans and peas, annual herbs such as parsley and basil.
Fertilize at planting time with an all purpose organic fertilizer, or fertilize every couple of weeks with an organic liguid fertilizer like fish emulsion or compost tea.
