The one time of year that almost all gardeners look forward to is the arrival of the first new garden catalogs of the year. These usually start arriving right in December with the real flood of colorful catalogs showing up in our mailboxes after the beginning of the New Year.
How to Grow It
How to Grow It: Beets
Beets are commonly grown for their bulbous roots, but their tops can also be harvested for greens, and they are an excellent source of Vitamin A as well as calcium. They grow best in the cooler temperatures of spring or fall.
How to Grow It: Carrots
Carrot is a hardy, cool-season vegetable. Carrots are eaten both raw and cooked and they can be stored for winter use.
How to Grow It: Cucumbers
Some cucumber varieties form long vines that may ramble or be trellised. Others are bush types that fit more easily into a small garden or even a large container.
How to Grow It: Green Beans
Snap beans, also called “green beans” or “string beans” (although most modern varieties do not have strings) are harvested when the pods contain immature seeds, and the pods are still succulent.
How to Grow It: Peas
The most common type of pea in American gardens is the shelling pea, also called the “garden pea” or “English pea.” Tender, sweet peas are removed from thin, tough pods before eating.
How to Grow It: Peppers
Peppers are heat-loving vegetables that require a long, frost-free season and full sun. Peppers can be sweet or hot, and range in color from green, yellow, orange, red and purple to brown.
How to Grow It: Salad Greens
Salad greens, grown for their leaves, are cool-season crops. Most salad greens can be planted very early in the spring, and many will germinate in soil temperatures as low as 40° Fahrenheit.
How to Grow It: Summer Squash
There are many types of summer squash, including the familiar zucchini (which can be green, green-striped, or yellow), crookneck, straightneck, patty pan and more.