Like several of the cool season vegetables, beet, Beta vulgaris, is a root vegetable. It is, however, the same species as chard, which is leafy greens. Although beet varieties are different from chard varieties, beet foliage is also edible. Beet is biennial, so its roots are not palatable after their first year. They become tough and bitter as they bolt and bloom.
Most beet varieties produce big and round roots that are deep red. Others can be white, yellow or internally striped with red and white. Some have cylindrical roots, or roots that are shaped like carrots. Their foliage is mostly deep green, typically with red midribs like that of chard. Foliage stands only about half a foot broad and a foot high above ground.
As a root vegetable, beet should grow from directly sown seed. Transplanting damages or disfigures roots. Seed should go into organically rich and loose soil about now. Their successive planting may involve subsequent crops every two weeks until spring. Crops can be small if they are so frequent. Beet needs full sun exposure and regular watering.
Productive vegetables can become overwhelmingly abundant.
Cool season vegetables are now becoming seasonable. Regardless of warm weather, it is technically autumn, so the weather will get cooler. It might be tempting to sow all seed and plant all seedlings for vegetables at once. There should be no rush, though. Spring is half a year from now. Until then, successive planting can prolong vegetable harvests.
Successive planting entails cultivation of small crops throughout their seasons. The first vegetable crops, or groups, should begin as soon as they are seasonal. The last should finish at about the end of their seasons. Various vegetables grow at various rates. Some begin or finish earlier or later than others. Timing should not be too complicated, though.
Each crop of vegetables should ideally finish production as its subsequent crop begins. The typical duration of production should determine the frequency of subsequent crops. For example, each beet crop is productive for about two weeks. Each subsequent crop should therefore begin two weeks after its preceding crop. Production can last all winter.
Successive planting is not merely for cool season vegetables. It is as effective for warm season vegetables, and some spring and summer bulbs. The earliest cool season crops can replace the first warm season crops to finish. The process continues for weeks until the cool season vegetables replace all others. There is no rush for successive planting.
Large vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage, require more space. They also require fewer crops because they mature relatively slowly. Successive planting for them may involve only one early crop and one late crop. Each crop might be productive for more than a month. Individual plants within each crop might mature at different rates.
Cucumber and pea are actually fruits rather than vegetables. Their vines are productive until they succumb to the weather. Those that start now may produce until the middle of winter. Those that start after the middle winter may produce until spring. Therefore, two crops may be the extent of their successive planting. One may suffice for mild climates. Cucumbers are actually warm season vegetables that grow for autumn and early spring.
Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi and Brussels sprout are all of the same species. Brassica oleracea is weirdly diverse, and also includes kale and collard. All varieties are collectively the cole crops. They are cool season vegetables that grow from autumn until spring. Most are biennials that grow as annuals. Some kales and collards are perennial.
Collard does not form heads like cabbage does. It instead grows loosely on stout stalks. Most are only about two feet high. A few perennial types can grow six feet high, and can grow from cuttings. All other types grow from seed or cell pack seedlings. More varieties are available as seed than as seedlings. Online markets offer more than nurseries stock.
Although perennial collards provide greens all year, they are better during cool weather. Also, collard greens are best while young and tender, before they mature too completely. They are easy to collect from the bottoms of the foliar rosettes, upward towards the tops. They need, however, to retain enough leaves to continue growing through their season.
Cool season annuals are a clue. They are currently replacing deteriorating warm season annuals. Vegetable gardening should involve a similar process. After all, most vegetable plants are annuals. Some of those that performed through summer are now getting tired. Cool season vegetables, or winter vegetables, should replace warm season vegetables.
Just like different flowering annuals, different vegetables operate on different schedules. Some warm season vegetables finish late in summer. Others continue until autumn chill. Some cool season vegetables prefer to start early, while the weather is still warm. Others can start late to grow through winter. The transition may continue through part of autumn.
Furthermore, different phases of some vegetables begin and finish at different times. For example, most corn is finished for summer. However, some late phases can continue for early autumn. Early phases of beet can begin now. Later phases might continue through winter. Summer vegetables should relinquish space as cool season vegetables need it.
Most cool season vegetables are true vegetables. In other words, they are not fruit which contain seeds, like tomato, squash and corn. Cabbage and Chard are distended foliage. Broccoli and cauliflower are distended floral bloom. Carrot and beet are distended roots. All initially grow slower than warm season vegetables, but then do not take time to ripen.
All cool season vegetables that are roots should grow from directly sown seed. They are susceptible to disfigurement with transplanting. Besides, they typically grow in quantities that are excessive for transplanting. They include beet, radish, turnip, carrot and parsnip. Cucumber and pea are conducive to transplanting, but also grow very easily from seed.
Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and heading lettuces are larger cool season vegetables. Since only a few are desirable, planting them as cell pack seedlings is a practical option. They happen to be more conducive to transplanting than root vegetables are. Seedlings of cool season vegetables are now available from nurseries. Seed are always available. Although seedlings start growing sooner, more varieties are available from seed.
Like most warm season vegetables, tomatoes, Solanum lycopersicum, are actually fruits. They contain seed, whereas actual vegetables are vegetative plant parts that lack seed. Although mostly red, some are orange, yellow, green, pink, brown, purple or pallid white. Some are smaller than small grapes, while ‘Beefsteak’ may grow wider than five inches.
For home gardens, the most popular varieties of tomato are indeterminate. They produce their fruit sporadically throughout their season, on lanky irregular stems. They are neater with the support of tomato cages or stakes. Determinate varieties are shrubbier and more productive, but only for a brief season. They are quite conducive to succession planting.
It is still a bit too early for small tomato plants to go into their gardens. However, seed can start inside or in a greenhouse now. It is possible to sow seed directly into a garden later, but they are vulnerable to mollusks. Nurseries can stock several varieties of tomatoes as small plants. Countless more varieties are available from mail order or online purchases. Many heirloom varieties truly are strange and unique.
Warm season annuals know what time it is. Although it is still too early for many to move directly into gardens, a few already are. A few can start from seed, either in greenhouses or directly in their gardens. Eventually, as the weather warms, they all can live outside for the summer. Warm season vegetables, or summer vegetables, are in the same situation.
After all, almost all warm season vegetables perform as annuals. The weather is still too cool for seedlings to go out into their gardens. However, it is time to start some vegetable plants from seed. Some should start inside or in a greenhouse. Others might start directly in their gardens. The weather should be warm enough for them by the time they develop.
Seed for most root vegetables can go directly into their gardens now. Root vegetables do not recover from transplanting easily, so prefer direct sowing. Transplanted seedlings are susceptible to root disfigurement. Corn, squash and beans prefer direct sowing also, but should wait for warmer weather. Seedlings grow faster than the weather becomes warm.
Tomato and pepper plants prefer to go into the garden later as seedlings or small plants. Such small plants will become available from nurseries as they become more seasonal. Alternatively, they can start to grow from seed inside or in a greenhouse now. Their fresh seedlings should be ready for their garden as the weather warms. Scheduling is crucial.
The advantages to seed are that it is less expensive and more diverse than small plants. Packets of seed cost about as much as six packs of small plants, but contain many seed. Nurseries stock only a few varieties of each type of vegetable plant. However, they stock a few more varieties of seed for the same type of vegetables. Many are available online.
Cucumber, eggplant and melon can grow either from small plants or directly sown seed. A single small plant may be more practical for melon because only one plant is sufficient. However, if several cucumber plants are preferable, seed may be more practical. If seed are preferable, they can start soon. Small plants might wait a bit longer after the last frost.
Leek, Allium ampeloprasum, is an old fashioned but traditional cool season vegetable. It is rare among home gardens, but has been in cultivation for thousands of years. It is one of the floral emblems of Wales, in conjunction with daffodil. In cooler climates, leeks may grow through summer for autumn harvest. They are only a cool season vegetable locally.
Leeks grow easily from directly sown seed, but are alternatively conducive to transplant. Therefore, they can start in flats while warm season vegetables are still producing. Then, they can transition to the garden early enough to mature before frost. Later phases which grow through winter are quite tolerant of mild frost. They might even be bigger and better.
Like several cool season vegetables, leeks are in no rush for harvest. Once mature, they can linger in their gardens for weeks without deteriorating or bolting. Like related onions, they prefer somewhat rich and loose soil. Until the winter rainy season begins, they need regular watering. Thrips can be more of a problem in other regions during warm weather.
Cool season vegetables might seem to be a bit early while the weather is still warm. It is technically autumn, though. If the weather is a bit too warm now, it should not be for long. Cool season vegetables may soon enjoy the cool weather they prefer. Their subsequent phases of successive planting can enjoy it even more. Spring is a few months from now.
Successive planting begins early and finishes late. It entails cultivation of relatively small groups of vegetables throughout their seasons. The first groups start as soon as they are seasonable. The last groups should finish at about the end of their season. Each type of vegetable prefers particular seasons. Therefore, some begin or finish earlier than others.
Ideally, each group of each vegetable finishes production as a subsequent group begins. The expected duration of production determines the frequency of phasing. For example, if radishes produce for two weeks, each phase should be two weeks apart. Also, each of the phases should provide enough radishes for two weeks. Scheduling is very important.
Larger vegetables, such as cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower, likely need fewer phases. Successive planting for them may involve only one early group and one late group. Each group may remain in production for a month or longer. Individual vegetable plants within each group mature at different rates. Even when mature there is no rush to harvest them.
Cucumber and pea vines remain in production throughout their seasons. Those that start now might continue production until the middle of winter. Those that start after the middle of winter might continue production until spring warmth. Two such phases are the extent of their successive planting. (Cucumbers and peas are really fruit rather than vegetable.)
Successive planting also prolongs the bloom of spring bulbs that will be available soon. Of course, it is only effective for the first spring after initial planting. Bulbs synchronize for any subsequent bloom if they naturalize. Successive planting is not so effective for bulbs that bloom later in summer or recurrently. Cannas bloom late regardless of planting time. When seasonable, all dahlias should start on time.
Pumpkins are the most famous winter squash. However, they are more familiar as decor than for culinary applications. For that, butternut and acorn squash are probably the most popular. Kabocha squash, though, is becoming about as readily available. LIke so many squash, it is a variety of Cucurbita maxima. It grows very well within local home gardens.
Kabocha squash vines sprawl over the ground, and can reach more than eight feet long. Alternatively, vines can climb trellises. Because their fruits weigh only about two or three pounds, they need no support. Slings may become necessary if unusually vigorous fruits grow more than five pounds. Powdery mildew can be problematic with congested vines.
Kabocha squash look like small and dark green pumpkins. Some are striped with lighter green or ivory white. Their flesh is yellow or orange, around a hollow interior full of seed. They take quite a while to cure after harvest though, from one and a half to three months. After curing, they can last even longer, and may even be fresh as summer squash ripens.
Cool season vegetables do not include any winter squash. All squash are warm season vegetables. They all begin their growing season in early spring to grow through summer. Their foliage begins to fade by autumn, and then succumbs to winter chill. The difference between summer and winter squash is their harvest time. Winter squash ripen for winter.
Conversely, summer squash produce for summer. They produce several more individual fruit that are ready for harvest before they ripen. They produce even more in response to the harvest of their juvenile fruit. Any fruit that matures for too long can get big and tough. It also diverts resources that should otherwise sustain production of fresh young squash.
Winter squash produce fewer fruit that mature through summer to ripen by autumn. Some types produce only two or three individual fruit. Fewer fruit concentrate resources, so that individual fruit are relatively large. Pumpkin, which is a famously big winter squash, may grow singly on its vines. Once ripe, some winter squash might last for months into winter.
Ideally, some type of squash should always be available from the garden. Winter squash become available as summer squash finish. Then, summer squash become available as stored winter squash deplete. However, winter squash are supposedly better if they cure for two weeks after harvest. Summer squash might finish a while before that can happen.
Hubbard, butternut, acorn and kabocha squash are all types of winter squash. Countless others are available. Their vines are more rampant than those of typical summer squash. Those with relatively lightweight fruit can climb trellises or shrubbery to conserve space. Although they do not bloom as much as summer squash, their yellow flowers are edible.
Winter squash develop more uniformly with occasional turning as they grow. This entails turning fruit weekly so that all sides of it get exposure sometime. By now, the palest sides should face upward. Fruit should retain its short stem when cut from its vine. It is likely to mold without it. There is no rush to harvest though, since fruit can remain as vines wither. Exposure to mild frost supposedly enhances the flavor of winter squash.
