The trick to growing spinach is to grow it fast and harvest it fast, and use the right varieties in the right season. Spinach bolts as the days get long and when the soil gets hot. That’s why spinach is usually grown in early spring and fall, in low temperatures and short days. Some varieties do a little better in long day, hot conditions. Pick them promptly in hot weather.
Continue ReadingSesame is commercially produced in desert settings, so when we say it’s drought tolerant, we really mean it. In fact, this is really the key to success with sesame seeds, as we will outline in the following guide on how to grow sesame from seed. Sesame is a tropical annual herb that grows to about 60cm (24″) tall. Its leaves radiate out from a stem that is square in cross section. Continue reading below for tips on how to grow sesame from seed.
Continue ReadingThe humble rutabaga is often called a turnip, but rutabagas are much more useful in the kitchen, are more nutritious, and they store well. Amazing yields of flavourful roots are possible in a small space. Introduce rutabagas on dip trays (like carrot sticks), soups and stews, and raw in lunch boxes. Continue reading below for some of our top tips on how to grow rutabagas from seed.
Continue ReadingTime radish plantings one to two weeks apart for a longer harvest period. The secret to growing a great radish is to plant when the soil is cool, to not plant too close together, and to harvest promptly before the roots get woody and bitter. Every part of the radish is edible. Before they are fully mature, radish seed pods are tender and juicy with a wonderfully sharp flavour that is excellent in stir-fries and soups.
Continue ReadingQuinoa greens are packed with vitamins and minerals, and have a nice, mild flavour. The seeds can be ground into a flour that is gluten free, or simply cooked like rice. Continue reading below for our tips on how to grow quinoa from seed.
Continue ReadingPeppers are tropical plants that need lots of heat to be productive. Well grown in a warm summer, they are the gardener’s triumph. Hot peppers often do better in a cool summer than the large bell peppers. If the hot peppers have not coloured up fully on pepper plants, pull up the whole plant and hang in a warm dry area. Continue reading below for tips on how to grow peppers from seed.
Continue ReadingSince you cannot purchase shelling peas or edible pod peas that are freshly picked, this is one vegetable every home garden should grow. The peas in the pod taste sweetest right after they have been picked. Continue reading below for our tips on how to grow peas from seed.
Continue ReadingThe flavour of parsnips becomes sweeter after frost. They are a very versatile vegetable in the kitchen to fry, roast, steam, mash, or bake. Parsnips take their time becoming large in the garden, but then they can be harvested as needed since they store in the ground so well. Continue reading below for full instructions on how to grow parsnips from seed.
Continue ReadingThese cool-season vegetables are incredibly easy to grow and very tasty. The leaves can be used raw in salads, or the whole plant can be steamed or stir-fried. Both types require regular watering and a watchful grower – plant repeated short rows, and be sure to harvest them before they bolt. Continue reading below to learn how to grow pac choi and choi sum from seed.
Continue ReadingChoose sweet onion varieties for enjoying raw or cooked within a few weeks after harvest. Storage types keep much longer, and will last until the following spring in the right conditions. All onions are photoperiodic – day length triggers bulb development. Our varieties are all “long day” types, suitable for northern US and Canada. Continue reading below for tips on how to grow onions from seed.
Continue ReadingIn the home garden, melons can be picked at full maturity, when they have the highest sugar content and best flavour. Their roots are delicate and require high nutrition and lots of water. For all that effort, you’ll be rewarded by the ripest, sweetest melons you’ve ever tasted. Continue reading below to learn how to grow melons from seed.
Continue ReadingEasy to grow, versatile in the kitchen, and packed with vitamins and minerals, these plants produce edible leaves and stalks and many can be grown year round. It’s worth getting to know these varieties better. Continue reading below to learn how to grow mustard greens from seed.
Continue ReadingLettuce grows best in cool weather in the spring and fall, but it can be grown in the summer, and all winter long in milder regions. Sow short rows every 2-3 weeks following the last average frost date for a continual harvest. Using a cloche, cold frame, or greenhouse over mid-late summer plantings can extend the harvest period right into winter.
Continue ReadingLeeks are a valuable addition to the garden because they can be used instead of pungent storage onions from October until April. Even in heavy soils, leeks are easy to grow and have lots of flavour. Continue reading to learn how to grow leeks from seed.
Continue ReadingThis close relative of the cabbage was bred over centuries to develop a flattened "meristem" over a taproot that descends into the soil. Sometimes referred to as German turnips, kohlrabis are very rich in vitamin C, and a great source of potassium.
Continue ReadingGai lan is commonly known as Chinese broccoli due to its origin in east Asian cuisine, but it is easy to grow and well suited for all vegetable gardens. Follow along with this handy How to Grow Gai Lan from Seeds Guide.
Continue ReadingBeautiful big plants for a decorative container in the sunshine, eggplants are as diverse as the cultures that cook with them – and quite easy to grow. Eggplants are a good companion for amaranth, beans, marigolds, peas, peppers, spinach, and thyme. Do not plant eggplants near fennel.
Continue ReadingFresh cucumbers taste so much better than store bought ones and each variety has a unique flavour and its own charms. Although cucumbers are fairly low in nutrients, they are surprisingly easy to grow, and very useful in the kitchen. Continue below to learn how to grow cucumbers.
Continue ReadingCorn Salad is a largely unknown leafy vegetable that has a long history in Europe, where it is know variously as mache, vit, fetticus, and so on. Harvest individual leaves or whole rosettes. These are small, but succulent and tasty....
Continue ReadingThese big plants will grow in almost any soil, but getting the cob to mature is another matter. The maturity of the ears (cobs) is not controlled by the size of the plant, nor by day-length, but by the accumulated...
Continue ReadingKale contains higher levels of beta-carotene than any other green vegetable, and is also high in vitamin C and calcium. Collards are not far behind. All are easy to grow, vigorous, nutritious, resistant to cold, and easy to harvest and...
Continue ReadingChickpeas require 90-100 days to mature. Start them indoors approximately 4 weeks before the last average frost date. Optimal soil temperature: 10°C (50°F). Seeds sprout in 14-21 days depending on conditions.
Continue ReadingThe chicory family includes the food plants endive and radicchio, which range widely in shape, and in flavour from bitter to sweet. All varieties become sweeter, and lose much of their bitterness, when cooked. Try a hot oil salad dressing over endive, or a barbecued head of radicchio.
Continue Reading
