The seeds and fronds are also tasty, and beneficial insects love the flower heads. Fennel (as well as anise, star anise, and some other plants), contains the compound anethole, which is widely used as a liquorice flavouring. Anethole is thought to be 13 times sweeter than sugar.
Continue ReadingOne stalk of cooked broccoli gives you 75mg of vitamin C, 1300 IU of beta carotene, 3g of protein and 5g of dietary fibre with only 40 calories. The crown portion tastes great when cooked or steamed. You can eat...
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 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 ReadingIf planted in a well-drained site, with protection for the roots from frost over the winter, runner beans can be grown as a perennial. Otherwise, enjoy them as fast-growing annuals plants. Runner beans are botanically different than regular pole beans. They prefer cool summer weather and will drop their blossoms if it gets too hot.
Continue ReadingSummer turnips are great for salads, pickles, and stir-fries. The mild, crunchy roots are a refreshing addition to salads, as are the edible leaves. Turnips are easy to grow at just about any time of the season, and they work in farm rows and patio containers. Continue reading below to learn some top tips on how to grow turnips from seed.
Continue ReadingThese big sprawling plants are easier to grow than tomatoes and do not require any protection from rain. Their fruits develop within a distinctive, paper-like wrapper that forms from the calyx of the flower. As the fruits mature and swell, they sometimes fill or split the covering. Tomatillos are prized for their tartness, and are widely used in Mexican cuisine. Ground cherries (AKA Cape Gooseberries) produce sweeter tasting fruits that are used for preserves and desserts. Continue reading below for tips on how to grow tomatillos and ground cherries from seed.
Continue ReadingTomatoes like fertile, well drained soil that is high in organic matter. Dig in finished compost and manure, and add 1 cup complete organic fertilizer beneath each transplant. The nutrition from heavy clay soils is excellent for tomatoes, but they are slow to warm, so transplanting should be done later.
Continue ReadingThe three species of squash that we offer represent a wide variety of shapes and colours. Each will cross-pollinate readily within their species. For instance, all C. pepo will cross-pollinate with each other, but not with C. maxima or C. moschata. For people who want to save their seeds, this is a very important consideration. The fruits themselves will not be affected by cross pollination, but the seeds inside will be, so squash need to be grown in isolation from other members of their species if seed saving is the goal. Continue reading below for more information on how to grow squash from seed.
Continue ReadingThe succulent leaves of Swiss chard can be used much like spinach. You can even use the big ones for wraps like cabbage rolls. The colourful stems can be cooked like asparagus. Enjoy the small leaves in salad. They grow easily and well in our climate and stand in the garden for many months, giving a long harvest from one planting. Continue reading below for some useful tips on how to grow Swiss chard from seed.
Continue ReadingEnjoy tasty, succulent, spinach-like leaves all summer, after regular spinach varieties have all bolted. This oddball's closest relatives in the family Aizoacea include some of the most familiar succulent houseplants. It is grown as an annual in most locations, but may overwinter in Zone 8 and up. Continue reading below for some of our best tips on how to grow New Zealand spinach.
Continue ReadingThe 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.
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