Choose sweet onion varieties for enjoying raw or cooked within a couple of months of harvest. Storage types keep much longer, and will last until the following spring in the right conditions. All onions are photoperiodic – day length triggers...
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 ReadingThe chicory family includes the food plants endive and radicchio, which range 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...
Continue ReadingBeets are incredibly healthy eating. Both the roots and the leaves are an excellent source of antioxidants, minerals, and vitamin C. They also contain betaine, a compound that is essential for cardiovascular health. Eat them raw, cooked, pickled – you...
Continue ReadingFresh Brussels sprouts are a superb fall and winter treat. Like broccoli, these little “cabbages” are full of beta-carotene, vitamin C, and fibre. And after frost, they become sweet, as the plants create sugar for antifreeze. Keep your plants moist and...
Continue ReadingTime your radish plantings a week apart for a longer harvest period. The secret to growing a great radish is to plant when the weather is cool, to not plant too close together and to harvest promptly before the roots...
Continue ReadingThe immature seeds of the edible soya bean are a nutritious snack. Steam or boil the whole pods for 3-5 minutes and set out, salted or unsalted, as a fun finger-food. This treat is called edamame. The small, slightly fuzzy...
Continue ReadingThe humble rutabaga is often called a turnip, but rutabagas are much more useful in the kitchen, are more nutritious, and store well. Amazing yields of flavourful roots are possible in a small space. Introduce rutabagas on dip trays (like...
Continue ReadingCover cropping is a seasonal process in every well-managed sustainable garden or farm. Planting cover crop seeds is easy. Useful in weed suppression, they are important in building soil structure and add nutrients and organic matter to soils. Many of the...
Continue ReadingCabbage is another member of the Brassica family that is full of nutrients, including vitamins A, B1, B2, and C, as well as various antioxidants. The American Cancer Society strongly urges an increased intake of cabbage and other Brassicas in...
Continue ReadingPotatoes are important to the self-sufficient gardener and the gourmet gardener. Easy to grow, highly nutritious and there is a variety for every use in the kitchen. Kids of all ages love to grow potatoes. Some are for baking, some...
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! Follow along with this handy how to...
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...
Continue ReadingCelery is a refreshing treat from the garden. Children love the stalks with some natural peanut butter. Celery is also great when juiced. Celeriac is a variety of celery that is grown for its root, which can be used in...
Continue ReadingMany people feel that pole beans have a richer bean flavour than bush beans. The effort of trellising them is more than repaid by the ease of picking and their extended, abundant harvest. Pole beans are a good choice for...
Continue ReadingThese cool-season vegetables are incredibly easy to grow and very tasty. The leaves can be used raw in salads, but the whole plant can be steamed or stir-fried. Both types require regular watering and a watchful grower – plant repeated...
Continue ReadingThe thick walls of some pumpkins are wonderful for cooking and store well all winter. Pumpkins for carving are thinner walled so kids can decorate them easily. Follow along with this handy How to Grow Pumpkins from seed Guide and have some Halloween...
Continue ReadingThis close relative of the cabbage was bred over centuries to develop a flattened meristem. Sometimes referred to as German turnips, kohlrabis are very rich in vitamin C, and a great source of potassium. The flavour is like a very...
Continue ReadingAll bush and pole beans are high in starch, protein, dietary fibre, and a host of minerals such as potassium, iron, selenium, and molybdenum. Green beans, whether grown on a bush or a vine, are very high in vitamin C...
Continue ReadingLettuce can be harvested from the garden from late spring to the late fall, and sometimes (given a bit of protection) all winter. The high protein chlorophyll in the dark-green leaves is highly nutritious. Salads are not complete without these...
Continue ReadingA fresh, home-grown crown of cauliflower is a thing of beauty – crisp, nutritious, and intensely flavourful. Follow along with this handy How to Grow Cauliflower from seed guide and grow food. Latin Brassica oleracea var. botrytis Family: Brassicaceae Difficulty Moderately difficult...
Continue ReadingCheck out the blooms on these plants! If planted in a well-drained site, with protection for the roots from frost over the winter, runner beans can be grown as a perennial. Runner beans are botanically different than regular pole beans....
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