Cook's Choice
Creative cooks will have fun with these flavorful herbs and garden-fresh veggies. Friends and family will appreciate dining on colorful salads, savory sauces and healthful greens.
Planting Guide:
Basil
- Plant seeds 1/4″ deep indoors six weeks before last frost; outdoors two weeks after last frost.
- Transplant seedlings two to three weeks after last frost or when soil reaches 70 degrees F.
- Replant if you have space and want more.
- Spacing: two plants per sq. ft.
- Days to harvest: 40-55 days from transplant. Harvest leaves as desired. Not frost-hardy.
- Hint: Pinch stems early and often to stimulate branching and bushy growth.
Onions
- Start seeds 1/4″ deep indoors 12 weeks before last frost
- Transplant plants into garden a month before last frost. If planting sets, plant them 1″ deep.
- Spacing: nine plants per sq. ft., or plant more densely and then thin and eat small onions
- Days to harvest: 100 to 120 days. Frost-hardy.
- Hint: Onions will not tolerate weeds and require consistent moisture.
Spinach
- Plant seeds 1/2″ deep directly in garden up to six weeks before last frost.
- Sow spinach every two weeks in spring and again in late summer for fall crops.
- Spacing: sow 18 seeds per sq. ft.; thin to nine plants per sq. ft.
- Days to harvest: 30 to 40 days from germination. Very frost-hardy.
- Hint: Spinach bolts in hot weather, so harvest early. Keep soil cool and moist with mulch or shade netting.
- Buy organic spinach seeds
Tomato
- Plant seeds 1/4″ deep indoors, six to eight weeks before last frost
- Transplant into garden one to two weeks after last frost or when soil reaches 65 degrees F.
- Spacing: one plant per sq. ft. Grow early season crops nearby to allow more room later.
- Days to harvest: 55 to 100 days from transplanting, depending on variety. Not frost-hardy
- Hint: Remove lower leaves before planting and bury extra stem.
Parsley
- Start seeds 1/4″ deep indoors 10 to 12 weeks before last frost.
- Transplant seedlings into garden up to a month before last frost.
- Spacing: two plants per sq. ft.
- Edible all summer and into winter.
- Biennial: plants will go to seed second year.
- Days to harvest: 75. Begin harvesting foliage at any time. Very frost-hardy.
- Hint: Parsley takes up to 21 days to germinate. Treat seeds with hot water before planting.
Peppers
- Start seeds indoors 1/4″ deep 10 to 12 weeks before last frost.
- Transplant into garden three weeks after last frost or when soil reaches 70 degrees F.
- Fruits are edible from early green to full-color maturity.
- Spacing: one plant per sq. ft.
- Days to harvest: 50 to 65 days green, 80 to 85 days to full color. Not frost-hardy.
Beans
- Sow seeds 1″ deep directly in garden after all danger of frost.
- Spacing: four plants per sq. ft. for bush beans, six to eight plants per sq. ft. for pole beans
- Plant second crop of bush beans (if needed) two weeks after first planting
- Days to harvest: 50-80 days from seed, depending on variety. Not frost-hardy.
- Hint: Add a legume inoculant when planting to increase vigor and yield.
- Buy organic bean seeds
Swiss chard
- Plant seeds 1/2″ deep indoors six weeks before last frost, or in garden two weeks before last frost
- Transplant: Around the time of last frost
- Plant a second crop to ensure a plentiful supply of tender leaves.
- Spacing: two plants per sq. ft.
- Days to harvest: 30 days from seed for baby; 50 days to full size. Frost-hardy.
- Hint: Good source of summer greens, chard is not bothered by heat.
Leaf lettuce
- Sow seed indoors 1/4″ deep, eight weeks before last frost or directly in garden when soil can be worked.
- Thin seedlings when four weeks old.
- Spacing: 16 plants per sq. ft.
- Plant more lettuce every two to four weeks for a good supply.
- Days to harvest: 28 days for baby lettuce, 45 days to full size. Frost-hardy.
- Hint: Harvest outer leaves anytime, or use scissors to harvest entire plant, leaving an inch of stem to encourage new growth.