Cucumbers

Scientific NameCucumis sativus
Growing Days60-70
Varieties We GrowMarketmore, Manny (F1), Boston Pickling
Growing NotesCucumbers are vining plants, so grow them on a trellis. If it gets very hot and dry, they might taste a little bitter, so keep them well watered if you can!
Battle of the BugsOur nemesis…the cucumber beetle! These little buggers fly off before you can catch them. They spread a disease (cucumber mosaic virus) that takes out the entire plant and also spreads. It’s nasty and disheartening because that plant needs to be pulled and discarded right away. Total loss.
Fun FactA cucumber is actually a fruit!
Don’t Waste It!Eat the skin 🙂

Collards

Scientific NameBrassica oleracea
Growing Days80-90
Varieties We GrowChampion, Morris Heading
Growing Notes Collards like it cool and they do great even through most of the winter. They seem to handle our summers as well, though the leaves taste better when grown in cooler temps.
Battle of the BugsThose darned cabbage moths/worms do a number on collard greens. We inspect the leaves daily and hope to keep them under control as long as possible. Try catching a cabbage moth with a butterfly net…it is quite infuriating!
Fun FactCollards are in the same family as kale, cabbage, broccoli, and brussels sprouts…they all came from wild cabbage!
Don’t Waste It!Eat the whole plant (though the stems and veins can get tough so you might want to remove them). Steam or sautee. Try cooking it in your Instant Pot for 2 minutes…yum!

Cauliflower

Scientific NameBrassica oleracea 
Growing Days50-100
Varieties We GrowSnowball
Growing NotesCauliflower is a tough one! I’ll update this if I ever successfully grow one 🙂
Battle of the BugsCabbage moths/worms…ugh!
Fun FactWhen the white head is a few inches, it needs blanching (cover the head with the outer leaves with a rubber band or twine to keep light out). That’s a high maintenance vegetable!
Don’t Waste It!Cauliflower is delicious raw, steamed, or roasted. Try roasting a “cauliflower steak”…yum!

Carrots

Scientific NameDaucus carota
Growing Days60-70
Varieties We GrowDanvers, Scarlet Nantes
Growing Notes Carrot seeds are tiny! They take 2-3 weeks to germinate and you need to keep them moist and clear from weed competition. It’s a bit tricky!
Battle of the BugsCarrots seem to be pretty hardy once they get past the germination and early growth stage.
Fun FactCarrots are “biennial” which means they don’t produce seeds until the second year. That’s a long time to wait to collect seeds!
Don’t Waste It!Carrots are too delicious to waste! Eat them raw or cooked. Don’t forget the greens…they are edible too!

Cabbage

Scientific NameBrassica oleracea
Growing Days70
Varieties We GrowMammoth Red Rock; Golden Acre
Growing Notes Cabbage is a cool season crop. If it gets too warm too quick, it will not form a head and will instead go to seed (ask me how I know!).
Battle of the BugsThere is a moth called the cabbage moth. Enough said.
Fun FactApparently, Mark Twain once said, â€śCauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education.” (I read that on the internet, so it must be true) 🙂
Don’t Waste It!Boil, roast, saute, or enjoy it raw!

Broccoli

Scientific NameBrassica oleracea
Growing Days100-150 days…that’s a long time!
Varieties We GrowCalabrese; Early Purple Sprouting
Growing NotesSo far our broccoli has mostly lost the battle…
Battle of the BugsOh those darned cabbage moths!
Fun FactBroccoli is actually a large, edible flower.
Don’t Waste It!Try broccoli raw, steamed, or boiled. The leaves are great too! Treat them as you would collard greens.

Bok Choy

Scientific NameBrassica rapa 
Growing Days45-60
Varieties We GrowSozhou Baby
Growing NotesBok choy does not like warm days. It bolts really easily so plant it early and harvest it before it warms up too much!
Battle of the BugsFlea beetles like everything, including bok choy leaves.
Fun FactBok choy is sometimes called a “soup spoon” because of the shape of the leaves. (That seems like a bit of stretch to me though!)
Don’t Waste It!All of the plant can and should be eaten! Eat it raw, steamed, or otherwise cooked.

Beets

Scientific NameBeta vulgaris
Growing Days55-70
Varieties We GrowChiogga, Detroit Dark Red, Golden
Growing Notes Beets grow great in both spring and fall. Direct sow them every couple of weeks to keep them coming.
Battle of the BugsSo far, beets have been pretty resilient. Flea beetles like the leaves.
Fun FactBeets are super healthy (and have even been considered an aphrodisiac)!
Don’t Waste It!The beet greens are just as good as the beet root…eat it all!

Beans — Yard Long

Scientific NameVigna unguiculata
Growing Days70-90
Varieties We GrowChinese Red Noodle
Growing Notes Grow these on a cattle panel trellis. It’s the prettiest place in the garden!
Battle of the BugsThese plants have fared pretty well so far…let’s hope that continues!
Fun FactTechnically, I guess they can get to a yard long. Mine don’t…but they do get over a foot!
Don’t Waste It!These don’t taste great raw, but try them stir-fried, boiled, or in an Instant Pot!

Beans — Green/Snap

Scientific NamePhaseolus vulgaris
Growing Days50-65
Varieties We GrowBlue Lake (pole); Kentucky Wonder (pole); Fortex (pole)
Growing Notes Pole beans love to climb! If you pick them, they’ll keep producing (until the bugs get ’em).
Battle of the BugsOh the Mexican bean beetle…it’s taken out our harvest two years running. Maybe this year…
Fun FactDid you know string beans literally have a fibrous “string” you are supposed to remove before cooking/eating them? I found that out the hard way 🙂
Don’t Waste It!Beans are great raw, steamed, boiled…you name it!