Eggplants, Solanum melongena, are beautiful, colorful, unique, and among the most fun crops to grow. Rich in fiber, potassium, and manganese, the eggplant is a nightshade and is related to tomato, potato, and pepper and is considered a native of India. Eggplants come in a variety of colors, including purple, white, pink, and green and can range from 12 in long to only 1 or 2 in.
Read More4 Steps to Growing Great Bulb Fennel
Annual fennel, Foeniculum vulgare, also know as “bulb” fennel, is a versatile vegetables that makes a great addition to soups, salads, pizza’s and has even been know to make an appearance in desserts (Fennel cupcakes)! It’s high in vitamin C, and is also a good source of calcium, fiber and potassium.
Read MoreSeeding Transplants for Spring
Winter hasn’t even officially started but, believe it or not, it’s time to begin thinking about buying seeds for the spring! Not only can getting your seeds early allow for a jump-start on your spring planting, but onion and leeks actually need to be seeded as transplants in January so they have enough time to size up before being planted out in the garden in the early spring. Crops that can be started early for spring harvests are: broccoli, kale, cabbage, chard, celeriac, celery, collards, scallions, parsley, peas.
Read MorePlanting Beans
Beans, one of the oldest domesticated crops, are a fantastically versatile, easy to grow, and can be highly productive in small spaces. Some beans are eaten fresh in their shell (your everyday snap bean), and some are removed from their shells and dried for long-term storage (shelling beans). Despite the difference in how we eat them, most beans are closely related and have similar growth habits. In our Seattle gardens, we tend to only plant the snap bean type because the shelling beans usually require a longer growing season.
Read MorePlant Spacing: Brassicas
Brassicas are the succulent green bones of every vegetable garden. They are loaded with nutrients and fiber and almost everyone can think of at least one Brassica that they like to eat. Some of the most popular members of the Brassica family are: broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards and kale.
Read MoreHow to Plant Onions
Onions, part of the Allium family, are a long-season crop, taking up to 8 months to mature from seed. We started our onion transplants two months ago, and they wont be ready to harvest until late-July or August. If you haven’t already started onions from seed we highly recommended that you buy transplants from your local nursery.
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