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We are very fortunate to live in a climate that can provide us with delicious harvests all year round.
This gives us the opportunity to eat seasonally and enjoy the ripest and freshest food at the height
of its natural harvest time, also increasing our selection of vegetables to add to our palettes.
The following explains the different planting seasons. |
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What do the terms “warm” or “cool” season mean? |
“Warm” or “cool” season common descriptive terms for the types of vegetables and refer to the more than
necessary weather conditions for growing them. |
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Cool Season Crops |
A cool season crop is grown mostly for its vegetative parts. The roots (carrots), leaves (cabbage), stems (celery),
and immature flowers (broccoli), The food value of cool season crops is generally higher than that of warm
season crops per pound. Their natural planting and harvesting period is in the cool time of year. However,
the crops can be grown all the year in temperate zones, such as coastal areas. Further inland as the weather
gets warmer beyond their season, they like a little shade until they are ready to harvest, but not recommended
to be planted. |
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VEGETABLES FOR SEPTEMBER - MARCH
(COOL SEASON) |
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VEGETABLES/FRUITS FOR APRIL - JUNE
(WARM SEASON)
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| • Beans |
• Peppers |
• Watermelons |
| • Corn |
• Pumpkins |
• Strawberries (you can plant them all year round) |
| • Cucumber |
• Squash-summer/winter |
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| • Melons |
• Tomatoes |
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FIGURING OUT PLANTING TIME |
Our area is not subject to prolonged frost or water-saturated soil. However, this doesn’t mean that you can
plant crops all year round. Warm season crops need warm season temperatures, for example. In many cases,
you will not speed up your harvest by planting earlier than suggested. Plants grow more slowly in cool weather,
so earlier planted vegetables of the same type end up being harvested at the same time as those planted later.
For cool season crops, planting them early in their season and getting them established will give them
optimal growing conditions. |
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HOW MUCH SHOULD I PLANT?
(For a moderate planting of a family of four) |
| Artichokes |
3-4 plants |
48” |
| Asparagus |
30-40 plants |
12” |
| Beans (snap) |
15’-25’ row |
3” bush, 24” pole |
| Beets |
10’-15’ row |
2” |
| Broccoli |
15’-20’ row
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24” |
| Brussels sprouts |
15’-20’ row |
24” |
| Cabbage |
10-15 plants |
24” |
| Cantaloupes |
5-10 plants |
48” |
| Carrrots |
20’-30’ row |
2” |
| Cauliflower |
10-15 plants |
24” |
| Celery |
20’-30’ row |
5” |
| Chard |
3-4 plants |
12” |
| Corn (sweet) |
20’-30’ row |
15” hill/12” single |
| Cucumbers |
6 plants |
24” |
| Eggplant |
4-6 plants |
24” |
| Garlic |
10’-20’ row |
3” |
| Kohlrabi |
10’-20’ row |
3” |
| Leeks |
10’ row |
Head 12”/Leaf 6” |
| Onions |
30’-40’ row |
3” |
| Peas |
30’-40’ row |
2” |
| Peppers |
5-10 plants
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24” |
| Potatoes |
50’-100’ row |
12” |
| Pumpkins |
1-3 plants |
48” |
| Radish |
4’ row |
1” |
| Rhubarb |
2-3 plants |
36” |
| Spinach |
10’-20’ row |
3” |
| Squash (summer) |
2-4 plants |
24” |
| Squash (winter) |
2-4 plants |
48” |
| Tomatoes |
10-20 plants |
24” bush/12” stake |
| Watermelons |
6 plants |
60” |
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