Veggieville: Gardening to Fight Hunger

Plan to Plant a Row for the Hungry This Year

2012-01-26T13:34:00.000-08:00

About 20% of people in poor health report challenges getting fresh produce, compared to 5% of those in excellent health. That's according to the Food Research and Action Council's "A Half-Empty Plate" study. It's one more reason to Plant a Row for the Hungry and donate your produce to Harvesters at one of the drop off sites around the metro.

Spring planting time will be here in a few weeks and we've begun planning the 2012 Harvesters Demonstration Garden. We'll plant more peppers this year, including the Gypsy pepper pictured above.

Gypsy peppers are so easy and prolific we called them a "Vegetable Valedictorian" in an earlier blogpost at http://veggievillegardening.blogspot.com/2010/07/vegetable-valedictorians.html. Swiss Chard and Sweet Potatoes are also "Vegetable Valedictorians" and on our list to plant again.

For a list of vegetable varieties that work well in our area, check out the plant and seed list at Kansas City Community Gardens. Their 2012 list won't be out for a few weeks, but here's the 2011 list for inspiring your vegetable gardening! http://kccg.org/sites/default/files/2011%20Seed%20and%20Plant%20Edition.pdf

Green Beans - Plant Twice and Harvest Throughout the Season

2011-07-25T08:16:00.000-07:00

Vegetable gardens are at their peak in mid-summer but that's when it's time to plant for fall harvests. Since bush green beans produce a crop in only 50-55 days, they can be planted in spring as well as mid-summer, July 25 to August 10.

At the Harvesters Demonstration Garden, we are growing a variety of bush beans which are sometimes called snap beans. That's because they "snap" when broken into pieces. They grow in a bush 12" - 18" tall.

Our recent harvest included Provider green beans, Cherokee yellow wax and Royal Burgundy (all pictured above). Provider is one of the most popular green bean varieties as it is adaptable to many conditions. Cherokee yellow wax is known for vigorous and hardy plants. Royal Burgundy beans are stunning for their color but turn green when cooked.

Bush beans usually provide about 3-4 harvests before they stop producing. Plant seeds 1 inch deep in full sun with 3 inches between plants in a row. If you're planting in the summer, be sure and keep the soil moist so your seeds will sprout.

Bush beans are easy to grow but take up more space than pole beans. Pole beans are green beans that grow on a vine. They can be grown on stakes or trellises and can grow 10-15 feet tall. Because they take longer to produce a crop, they are planted only in the spring.

Besides taking up less space, pole beans produce beans over a longer period than bush beans. They also dry off quickly after rain so they are less susceptible to bean diseases. However, make sure you consider if your pole beans will shade any other vegetables that need full sun.

We grow lots of other beans at the Harvesters Demonstration Garden, including the edamame (soy) beans pictured above, pole lima beans and black-eyed peas. One of our new favorites it the yardlong bean which grows about 18 inches long and can be cooked like a green bean.

Raising the Stakes - and Trellises

2011-06-28T05:40:00.000-07:00

Vegetables need your support in many ways but staking and trellising give them physical support to prevent damage and increase harvests. Otherwise, stems can break and fruit rot on the ground. Trellises and stakes also allow you to grow more plants in a small space.

Some plants such as cucumbers, peas and pole beans will vine onto a trellis although they may need you to weave their vines through the trellis. Trellises may be wire, wood, netting or string formed into a lattice - just make sure the structure is strong enough to support lush vines and bountiful fruit!

If the vines aren't attaching to the trellis, you may need to tie them to the trellis. Here we strung twine from post to post to keep peas growing on the trellis.

Tomatoes need caging or staking not only to keep fruit off the ground but also to provide better air circulation to discourage fungal diseases. Many tomato varieties easily grow six feet tall with heavy fruit so sturdy support is critical. Small wire cages at garden centers usually are only 3 feet tall and top heavy.

At the Harvesters Demonstration Garden, we made cages from 5 foot lengths of concrete reinforcing wire which has openings big enough for your hand to pick a tomato. We formed the wire into a cylinder about 22 inches in diameter and placed over young tomatoes. The tomatoes then grow up and through the wire to get plenty of support without any ties.

Make sure to anchor tomato cages to a post so the cage doesn't blow over in a strong wind. You can also tie cages to one another to increase stability as long as you have some posts.

Staking tomatoes is another option. Use a 1 x2 inch wood stake about 6 feet long. Place it about 4 inches from the base of the tomato plant and drive it 10 inches or more into the ground. As the tomato grows, use commercial ties, cut up t-shirts or other stretchy cloth. Bring the cord under a branch on the main stem and attach it to the stake. Leave at least 1/2" play to allow room for the stem to grow and place a tie about every 12 inches up the vine.

Peppers need stakes 3-4 feet tall so you can tie the main stem to the stake. Stake or cage early in the season so plants and roots aren't damaged in the process.

Tomato cages may be left in the garden all season but wooden and metal stakes benefit from coming inside for the winter. Chimney flue tiles, available from masonry supply stores, make sturdy containers for stakes of all types.

A Pot on Every Porch!

2011-05-21T15:36:00.000-07:00

If you don't have much yard or sun, you can still grow veggies in containers. This lush container of greens provided a bountiful harvest today at the Harvesters Demonstration Garden. We have a "curbside treasure" garden where we grow in things we found on the curb to show you don't need to spend a fortune to get started gardening.

The Right Container

Vegetables don't care a lot about a pretty container as long as it is large enough and has good drainage. Avoid any chemically treated wood or containers that held chemicals. Try to use a light color to avoid heat build-up.

One of the most common reasons for wimpy container harvests is using a too-small container. Although greens and lettuces tolerate a pot that is only five inches deep, a small tomato plant really prefers a container 5 gallons or larger. We use several half-barrels that produce beautiful crops year after year.

You can even grow in the reusable shopping bags that are widely available. We sewed the tops of four bags together to create the effect of a larger container that won't dry out as quickly. At the right is a photo from planting day in early April. Below you can see how the plants are quite happy today and ready for harvesting.

Place your container where it will get at least 8 hours of sun. Although leafy vegetables tolerate less sun, any fruiting vegetables prefer more than 8 hours of sun.

The Right Soil

Don't skimp on the soil - a high-quality potting soil is best. Don't use topsoil alone as it won't drain well. Below, you can see how we made our own potting soil in early spring by mixing equal amounts of compost, topsoil and vermiculite. Plan to replace the top 12 inches or more of soil each year as it wears out quickly in containers due to frequent watering.

The Right Watering

Containers need frequent watering because the soil dries out more quickly than in-ground plants. In the height of summer, smaller containers may need to be watered twice a day. Mulching helps retain water so we heavily mulch containers with at least an inch of hardwood mulch. Grouping containers together also helps preserve moisture.

If the soil is pale or cracked, it's time to water. You can also check by sticking your finger an inch into the soil to see if the soil is dry. Use a gentle spray and make sure you are watering the soil, not just the leaves. Water until the soil is soaked and running out the drainage holes in smaller containers.

Don't over-water and make sure your container drains. If the soil stays wet too long, your plant's roots won't get air and will drown.

Because the frequent watering washes out nutrients in smaller pots, you'll need to fertilize frequently. Consider feeding your containers every two weeks once they get growing. Use organic fertilizer or a synthetic fertilizer in liquid or time release form.

There's Still Time to Plant!

Try planting themed containers of warm season vegetables before the end of May. This year we have a salsa garden of tomatoes, red onion, green pepper, hot pepper and cilantro. We're trying a new combination to make a creole garden of pepper, onions, cayenne pepper, okra and tomato. An herb garden makes it easy to add fresh flavor. Our herb container is filled with thyme, basil, oregano, parsley and sage.

Containers are the easiest way to get started with vegetables. They are easy to reach for elderly or children, require little care and provide the satisfaction of growing tasty food at your backdoor!

Spring Planting Plan and Our Favorite Varieties

2011-03-10T12:37:00.000-08:00

We're planning to plant the Harvesters Demonstration Garden on March 26 so we finalized our planting plan this week. We'll be planting varieties proven for the Kansas City area and provided by the great folks at Kansas City Community Gardens. We'll only be planting cool season plants first and then warm season plants around Mother's Day. Here are some of our top picks.

Of course, we'll plant the standard popular early green bean variety, 'Provider'. But we're adding a new type of bean called the Yard Long Bean which has a sweet flavor and beautiful color as you can see in this photo. It grows to 10' tall and has pods that are 15" to 18" long!

We grow beets for both the beets and the greens and our favorite variety is 'Early Wonder Tall Top'.

This Carrot 'Mokum' is in our planting plan because it is very sweet and very early.

We'll plant a 2002 All-America winner (the Oscars of the veggie world), 'Cucumber 'Diva'. It has a smooth thin skin and a tender bitter free taste. Plus, it's resistant to mildew and has some resistance to cucumber beetles.

Our favorite Okra variety is 'Annie Oakley II" because it's productive even in cool weather. The plants are also shorter which makes them easier to pick.

Kids love Sugar Snap peas and we love the 'Super Sugar Snap' variety (above) for its earlier and higher yield. Plus, it's resistant to powdery mildew.

We'll dedicate a long row to the very early and very prolific pepper, 'Gypsy'. The plants are compact and the peppers have a zesty taste. For a traditional bell pepper, we're planting the fruity and sweet variety, 'Red Knight'.

We should have a lot of spinach early with the above pictured variety 'Space'. It's also long standing so should produce for quite a while before the summer heat kicks in.

Swiss Chard 'Bright Lights" is another favorite for its vibrant, rainbow colored stalks and its steady supply of greens from spring through fall.

We're trying watermelon for the first time this year in the Harvesters Demonstration Garden. Watermelon 'Yellow Doll' should work well in our limited space because of its small fruits and vines. We're looking forward to its sweet and juicy bright yellow flesh!

Pledge to Plant a Row for the Hungry

2011-02-22T15:11:00.000-08:00

If you're thinking about planting a spring vegetable garden, please consider planting an extra row for the hungry. In the Kansas City region, 1 in 8 people receive emergency food assistance. It's likely we all have someone in our address book who is food insecure.

This year, Powell Gardens is partnering with Harvesters to encourage gardeners to participate in the Plant a Row for the Hungry Program. At their plant sale on Mother's Day weekend, Powell Gardens will offer a discount to anyone who pledges to Plant a Row for the Hungry and donate it to Harvesters. Pledge and get 1 free vegetable plant with every 10 purchased and 1 free seed packet with every 10 purchased.

If you can't make it the Powell Gardens Spring Plant Sale, you can still mail your pledge to Harvesters. Just print the pledge form at the top of this page.

In Kansas City, you can plant a little extra and donate it through drop-off sites the Harvesters has available throughout the metro for fresh produce. Harvesters.org also contains a list of upcoming classes in the KC on how to get started with a vegetable gardening. To see a schedule of classes and a list of drop-off sites for your bountiful harvest, go to http://harvesters.org/GiveFood/Index.asp?x=050|030|010&~=

18Broadway Garden: High Profile City Block Demonstrates an Urban Ecosystem That Feeds the Hungry

2010-10-22T08:50:00.000-07:00

A new garden is growing out of a vacant block owned by DST Systems just one block south of the new Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts near downtown Kansas City. DST is transforming land it owns at 18^th and Broadway into a working demonstration site where the public can learn about environmentally sustainable urban development and food production.

The site, named 18Broadway, includes a rain garden perimeter and agricultural interior that together cover about 2/3 of a city block. The rainwater collected from the site irrigates the garden where food grows to feed Kansas City’s hungry.

For over 15 years, DST has operated a community garden at 10th and Jefferson in downtown Kansas City. DST employees volunteer to tend this garden and donate the produce to feeding programs for the hungry. The 18Broadway project expands these efforts to grow food for the hungry and also includes an educational component.

At 18Broadway, the interior garden has been planted entirely with edibles and includes both a demonstration area and a high-production area. The demonstration area encourages visitors to consider the benefits of growing some of their own fruits and vegetables and shows different approaches. It features in-ground gardens as well as a variety of raised beds, including raised beds at wheelchair heights. Freestanding pots show it’s possible to grow vegetables or herbs—or even miniature fruit trees—in a limited space, such as a patio or balcony.

Plants include familiar favorites such as peppers and greens but also incorporate less familiar varieties such as hardy kiwi, figs and yard long beans. Cherry trees, pear trees and apple trees are also part of the garden.

Fresh produce from the volunteer-tended 18Broadway Garden is donated to Harvesters – the Community Food Network. The opening of the garden coincides with an unprecedented need for hunger relief. A just released hunger study showed more than 37 percent of households are experiencing very low food security—or hunger—in Harvesters’ 26-county service area in eastern Kansas and western Missouri. The USDA reports that Missouri ranks 6th in the nation in food insecurity and Kansas ranks 8^th.

18Broadway demonstrates a wide range of practical solutions for building and living in a healthy environment. Since the Crossroads area has limited green space, the beauty of the 18Broadway Garden adds welcomed sustenance for the soul - as well as needed sustenance for Kansas City’s hungry.

Preparing the Garden for Winter

2010-10-15T08:47:00.000-07:00

Our garden continued to produce a bounty of veggies in September but begins to wind down in October. Last Saturday, a large work crew prepared the garden for closing for the season.

Closing the garden for the season means planning for next spring. Because we had a wet spring this year, we were not able to get compost into the garden. So we took advantage of the dry, sunny weather in October to have 3 cubic yards of compost delivered and then spread it to a depth of 1 1/2 to 2 inches over the garden. We'll till it in next spring although it would have been fine to till it in this fall. Next year, our plants will appreciate the nutrients and improved soil structure that compost provides.

Three cubic yards doesn't sound like much, but it's a lot as you can see in this picture. It's best to spend some time doing the math anytime you order garden materials by the cubic yard. There are several bulk material calculators available online; we used our compost supplier's at http://www.missouriorganic.com/quote.html

Before we spread the compost, we removed the plants that were done for the season and took them to the compost pile. But because tomatoes can harbor diseases that can wipe out our crop next season, we took them elsewhere for composting. The tomato vines are also slow to compost which is another reason to not put them in your garden compost pile.

Many of our cool season crops will continue to produce through the light frosts of fall. The broccoli and cabbages we planted in early August are not quite ready but the mustard greens we planted in the heat of summer have been prolific for several weeks.

Okra - Happy In Heat and Drought

2010-08-21T14:20:00.000-07:00

In these dog days of summer, okra seems to be the happiest plant in the garden. The tomato plants are stressed from the heat and the squash plants dead from squash bugs, but the okra plants need to be picked several times a week.

The Jack-in-the-Beanstalk story may have been inspired by the growth rate of okra pods as they reach full size within 6 days of flowering! The pods are most tender when they're 2-4" long. Larger pods become stringy and tough but may still be tender and edible in good growing conditions

Okra is a tropical plant that loves the heat and tolerates brief periods of drought. It's relatively problem free and any pests bother the leaves, not the pods. The only growing challenge is getting the seeds to sprout as okra seeds don't germinate well in cool soils.

One of the downsides to okra is the prickly spines on the plant. Gloves and long sleeves make harvesting more pleasant as do scissors or pruners to cut off the pods. Okra does does not store well so use it within two or three days.

Okra's beautiful flowers resemble hibiscus as it's in the same family. It grows to over six feet tall with leaves and structure that look similar to a schefflera house plant. In winter, the stalks add nice structure to the barren vegetable garden.

It's August - Time to Plant for Fall Harvests

2010-08-08T12:23:00.000-07:00

Despite our hot August weather this week, it's time to plant for the fall garden. On Saturday at the Harvesters Demonstration Garden, we planted seeds for cilantro, bush beans and mustard greens. We planted seedlings of cabbage and broccoli.

Most of these vegetables will take 60 days to mature so we'll be harvesting them in early October. "Cole" crops like mustard greens, broccoli and cabbage will tolerate a light frost. Another member of the cole family, collards, has been producing all summer long at our garden and will continue to provide collard greens through the fall.

Cilantro is another excellent fall crop as it likes cool weather better than hot weather. Many gardeners who plant cilantro in the spring think they have a failed crop when the weather warms up. Their cilantro fails to thrive because heat causes cilantro to flower. When it flowers, it doesn't produce large green leaves for picking.

For a detailed planting calendar for what you can plant now, visit http://kccg.org/gardening/calendar on the website of the Kansas City Community Gardens.

Basil Begs for Butchering

2010-07-17T15:28:00.000-07:00

Harvesting basil too little is one of the most common mistakes made by gardeners. Cutting the plant back produces lots more basil by encouraging branching and more leaves. More importantly, frequent harvesting keep the flavor of the basil sweet by preventing flowering. Once basil plants begin to bud or flower, the leaves turn bitter and rather unpleasant.

You can cut basil very quickly (as shown here) by grasping the leaves at the top and cutting several stems at once. Harvesting basil can resemble butchering as long as fingers and dog noses are out of the way!

At the Harvesters Demonstration Garden, we cut the basil nearly every week in July and August to make sure we don't get flowering. Wait to start harvesting until you have at least three sets of leaves so the plant will survive. You need to leave at least 2 sets of leaves so the plant can regrow.

Some gardeners even use shears to cut their basil. You'll want to cut often enough that you're only cutting about 1/3 of the plant at a time. However, a healthy basil plant readily forgives the aggressive cutting we did this morning in the photo above.

We sowed basil seed directly into the garden this year around Mother's Day. If you want a slightly earlier crop, set out basil plants once the weather is consistently warm (mid-May in Kansas City). Basil can easily die if you plant too early since cool weather readily damages it. Plant in full sun unless you'll be satisfied with spindly and wimpy plants.

One basil plant can produce a 12-20 cups of leaves through the season. Use a bountiful crop for pesto to flavor a variety of dishes or as a topping for pasta.

Basic Pesto

4 cups basil (without stems)

½ cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic

6 sprigs parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup pine nuts

½ cup fresh-grated Parmesan

Place the basic in a blender or food processor. Add the oil, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper, and pine nuts. Blend until all are chipped very fine. Remove from the blender and add the cheese.

Makes about 2 cups

Vegetable Valedictorians

2010-07-07T14:57:00.000-07:00

At the Harvesters Demonstration Garden, we grow a variety of vegetables to inspire Kansas Citians to grow food for the hungry. Through the seasons, three vegetables have proved so outstanding that they deserve to be named “Vegetable Valedictorians.”

Swiss Chard, Gypsy Peppers and Sweet Potatoes are all easy-to-grow, prolific and nutritious. And if you think a prolific vegetable must be something you need to hide behind the garage, think again about these vegetable valedictorians. These three aren’t dowdy dweebs but beautiful babes that look great all season and require minimal maintenance.

We pick bags and bags of Swiss Chard all season long. Rabbits don’t seem to like it and it tolerates heat, inattention and mild freezes. You can buy varieties with red, yellow or green stems or a mix of all three like “Bright Lights.”

It's incredibly hardy. Here's a photo of a "volunteer" Swiss Chard plant that survived last winter in the Harvesters Garden.

Swiss Chard is vitamin rich and you can eat both the stalk and leaves. It’s much easier to grow than spinach but you can cook it similarly. Sauté it with onion and garlic or mix it with scrambled eggs. With its tolerant attitude in the garden and its nutrition on the table, Swiss Chard is probably the most under appreciated of all vegetables.

Gypsy Pepper is a very prolific frying pepper that also goes great in fresh salads. It’s a beautiful plant with a mix of red, orange and yellow-green peppers ripening at different stages. The peppers taste sweet and zesty with a hint of floral aspect. The Gypsy Pepper earned its name because no other pepper changes color as quickly as the Gypsy.

The only extra care required is to stake the Gypsy Pepper plants. A voluptuous valedictorian, they appreciate some support because the sheer quantity of peppers can make the stems droop.

Of our three vegetable valedictorians, Sweet Potatoes are the most productive in pounds produced. Last year at the Harvesters Demonstration Garden, each Sweet Potato plant produced over five pounds of Sweet Potatoes. Beautiful green vines trailed broadly and choked out all weeds with the help of a little mulch.

Plant Sweet Potatoes in early summer and forget about them until fall when you dig the mother lode full of vitamins and antioxidants. It’s always an adventure to see what you dig up. Sometimes they look like a potato, being short and blocky with rounded ends; while other times it they resemble your grandfather’s big nose!

Mulch Madness

2010-06-19T14:04:00.000-07:00

Most gardeners become “mad about mulch” because it saves many hours of back-bending labor.

Mulch has so many benefits:

· Mulch reduces weeds by making it hard for weeds to sprout and emerge
· It retains moisture in the soil and helps water slowly and steadily get to the roots
· Mulch prevents soil from splashing on plants. This helps reduce the spread of soil-born diseases and keeps your vegetables cleaner
· Mulch helps prevent soil erosion (we’ve seen this in Kansas City gardens recently with heavy rains)
· Mulch can lower soil temperature by as much as 20-25 degrees which helps cool season plants keep producing.

We spread 2-3 inches of straw as mulch throughout the Harvesters Demonstration Garden this month. You can also use shredded leaves or newspaper as mulch in vegetable gardens. Grass clippings work well as long as you avoid grass full of seed heads or clippings treated this season with a herbicide. (Don’t spread grass clippings more than 2 inches thick as they are likely to stink! They're also unpleasant if you don't spread them within about a day after cutting the lawn.)

In the container gardens at the Harvesters Demonstration Garden, we use wood chips as mulch because wood chips stay in place better than straw. Avoid using wood chips in areas which you’ll till next season since they don’t decompose quickly.

Apply mulch after the soil warms up and plants are 4 inches or taller. Late May or June are great times to put down mulch in our climate so you minimize weeding and watering.

Salad Days: Greens Galore!

2010-06-05T15:48:00.000-07:00

Early June in Kansas City is prime harvest time for greens planted in March, including lettuce, swiss chard, spinach, mustard and beet greens. Here's part of our harvest today from the Harvesters Demonstration Garden.

To harvest lettuce, you can harvest the entire lettuce plant or cut off the leaves so it will grow again. You can harvest only the outer leaves, but it's faster to just grab the lettuce and cut off everything above the lowest leaves. If you leave some lettuce just above the root, everything will grow back. You can do this several times until the leaves start to taste a little bitter, which starts to happen with hot weather. At that point, it time to pull up the whole plant and put in the compost.

DST employees harvested lettuce last week at their group garden at 10^thand Jefferson in downtown Kansas City. Approximately 100 DST employees volunteer to tend over 50 raised beds in the garden.

The DST garden produces nearly a ton of donated vegetables each season to feed the hungry through the Kansas City Community Kitchen at Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral.

The group garden at St. Peter's Catholic Church in Brookside is bursting with greens this week, including lettuce and swiss chard. The garden provides fresh vegetables to families in need through the church's food pantry.

Warm Season Vegetables Planted at Harvesters Garden

2010-05-09T13:39:00.000-07:00

It's Mother's Day, the traditional weekend for planting tomatoes and other warm season vegetables in our area. Tomatoes need minimum soil temperatures of 50-55 degrees. Peppers like it even warmer.

Planting tomato seedlings outdoors too early can cause the plants to lag behind tomatoes planted later. That's because the plants will fail to set blossoms, or they will set and then most likely drop the blossoms. This may be a case where the early bird doesn't get the worm!

At the Harvesters Garden, we planted a variety of tomatoes in a row with plants 2-3 feet apart. We buried several inches of the stem of each tomato plant to boost the root system; tomatoes are one of the few plants that will root from the stem.

We'll mulch the tomatoes in a few weeks; mulching now would prevent the soil from warming up.

We also planted many kinds of squash in "hills" of about 7 seeds. Varieties included butternut, yellow straightneck and zucchini.
A row of pole beans was planted next to a trellis. The trellis is a "cattle panel" which we purchased at a local farm store. It's very sturdy so will easily support the pole beans that will climb on it.
This photo of the entire garden shows how the cool season plants we put in a month ago have really taken off. This weekend, we harvested lettuce for the first time this season!

Opening Day At Harvesters Demonstration Garden

2010-04-10T16:10:00.000-07:00

Many volunteers helped weed, till and plant the Harvesters Demonstration Garden today. Located at the Harvesters facility at 3801 Topping in Kansas City, Mo, the garden is intended to make individuals or agencies say “I can do that!” All food in the garden is used in Harvesters nutrition education programs.When we arrived at 9am, the garden was full of weeds and dead leaves and needed a lot of help!
The garden needs helpers besides humans; look where the finger points to see the bumblebee who pollinated our apple tree.
First, we dug out all the weeds and put them on the compost pile.
We then tilled the soil to create a nice bed for seeds to easily germinate. The garden had been weeded and tilled by 11:30am!
We created our own potting soil for our containers by mixing perlite, compost and soil together in equal amounts.
We planted "cool season" crops that can withstand a light frost as our average last frost date in Kansas City is April 15. We planted seeds of lettuce, spinach, cilantro, swiss chard, turnips, mustard greens, parsley, beets, carrots and peas. We also planted onion sets, seed potatoes (which are parts of or whole potatoes) and plants which had been started a few weeks ago in the greenhouse: lettuce, brussel sprouts, cabbage (red and green), broccoli and collards.

We'll plant "warm season" vegetables around Mother's Day, including tomatoes, peppers and beans.