Plants.
Gardens are filled with all sorts of plants, some desirable, some not. This section of the Burch Garden website provides an overview of what goes on in an edible garden.
Edible Plant Families.
Vegetables, like all plants, belong to families that have characteristics in common. These characteristics are important to gardeners and farmers because they are associated with certain nutritional needs, vulnerability to diseases and pests, and impact on the larger ecosystem.
There are eight major families of vegetables.
A rule of thumb in a garden is to never plant the same type of vegetable in the same place year after year. Crop rotation is recommended.
Vegetables, like all plants, belong to families that have characteristics in common. These characteristics are important to gardeners and farmers because they are associated with certain nutritional needs, vulnerability to diseases and pests, and impact on the larger ecosystem.
There are eight major families of vegetables.
- Aster: artichokes, lettuce, sunflowers>
- Brassica (a.k.a., Crucifer): broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale, kohlrabi, mustard, radishes, rutabagas, turnips.
- Carrot: parsley, carrots, celery, parsnips.
- Cucurbit: cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, summer squash, watermelons, zucchini.
- Goosefoot: beets, chard, spinach, sugar beets.
- Legume: beans, peas, peanuts.
- Onion: onions, leeks, chives, garlic.
- Solanaceous: tomatoes, tomatillos, eggplants, peppers, okra, tobacco, potatoes (but not sweet potatoes).
A rule of thumb in a garden is to never plant the same type of vegetable in the same place year after year. Crop rotation is recommended.
Weeds.
The old saw is that a weed is any plant out of place. Grass that we encourage to grow in our lawn is a weed when it grows in a garden bed.
The old saw is that a weed is any plant out of place. Grass that we encourage to grow in our lawn is a weed when it grows in a garden bed.
Planting by Season.
Vegetables to plant in spring (and fall) include leafy greens of many kinds (lettuces, cabbage, collards, turnip greens, kale) and root crops like beets, carrots, and turnips.
To help children decide what to plant, they can look on the back of seed packets and calculate from the Days to Maturity when the vegetables will be ready to eat. (If a vegetable takes 70 days from planting to harvest, and the school year ends on May 30, the vegetable must be in the ground by mid-March.)
Hot weather (summer) vegetables are usually planted in Georgia in April or May. Some of them will be ready to harvest before school is out, but many will not. Unless the summer staff plans to watch over the garden and harvest produce as it ripens, children should not plant vegetables such as squash, cucumbers, beans, okra, and tomatoes in the spring.
Some summer vegetables can be planted during June and July for harvesting in August and September. This will require teachers or the summer school staff to plant, water, and watch over the plants until the children return to school. Several varieties of peppers, some tomatoes, and beans fit into this category.
Fall planting starts in August and can occur as late as the end of September. Many of the same crops planted in the spring can be planted in the fall. In addition, some vegetables such as broccoli, turnips, and kohlrabi do better in a fall planting. Collards and turnip greens are said to taste better when harvested after a frost.
Leafy greens. Lettuces and kales come in a wide variety of shapes and flavors, grow quickly, and can be harvested by taking just one or two leaves from a plant at a time ("cut and come again" style), extending the life of the plants and maximizing the harvest. Greens also take little space, making them an excellent crop to grow in the mini-gardens.
Planting by Season.
Vegetables to plant in spring (and fall) include leafy greens of many kinds (lettuces, cabbage, collards, turnip greens, kale) and root crops like beets, carrots, and turnips.
To help children decide what to plant, they can look on the back of seed packets and calculate from the Days to Maturity when the vegetables will be ready to eat. (If a vegetable takes 70 days from planting to harvest, and the school year ends on May 30, the vegetable must be in the ground by mid-March.)
Hot weather (summer) vegetables are usually planted in Georgia in April or May. Some of them will be ready to harvest before school is out, but many will not. Unless the summer staff plans to watch over the garden and harvest produce as it ripens, children should not plant vegetables such as squash, cucumbers, beans, okra, and tomatoes in the spring.
Some summer vegetables can be planted during June and July for harvesting in August and September. This will require teachers or the summer school staff to plant, water, and watch over the plants until the children return to school. Several varieties of peppers, some tomatoes, and beans fit into this category.
Fall planting starts in August and can occur as late as the end of September. Many of the same crops planted in the spring can be planted in the fall. In addition, some vegetables such as broccoli, turnips, and kohlrabi do better in a fall planting. Collards and turnip greens are said to taste better when harvested after a frost.
Vegetables to plant in spring (and fall) include leafy greens of many kinds (lettuces, cabbage, collards, turnip greens, kale) and root crops like beets, carrots, and turnips.
To help children decide what to plant, they can look on the back of seed packets and calculate from the Days to Maturity when the vegetables will be ready to eat. (If a vegetable takes 70 days from planting to harvest, and the school year ends on May 30, the vegetable must be in the ground by mid-March.)
Hot weather (summer) vegetables are usually planted in Georgia in April or May. Some of them will be ready to harvest before school is out, but many will not. Unless the summer staff plans to watch over the garden and harvest produce as it ripens, children should not plant vegetables such as squash, cucumbers, beans, okra, and tomatoes in the spring.
Some summer vegetables can be planted during June and July for harvesting in August and September. This will require teachers or the summer school staff to plant, water, and watch over the plants until the children return to school. Several varieties of peppers, some tomatoes, and beans fit into this category.
Fall planting starts in August and can occur as late as the end of September. Many of the same crops planted in the spring can be planted in the fall. In addition, some vegetables such as broccoli, turnips, and kohlrabi do better in a fall planting. Collards and turnip greens are said to taste better when harvested after a frost.
Leafy greens. Lettuces and kales come in a wide variety of shapes and flavors, grow quickly, and can be harvested by taking just one or two leaves from a plant at a time ("cut and come again" style), extending the life of the plants and maximizing the harvest. Greens also take little space, making them an excellent crop to grow in the mini-gardens.
Planting by Season.
Vegetables to plant in spring (and fall) include leafy greens of many kinds (lettuces, cabbage, collards, turnip greens, kale) and root crops like beets, carrots, and turnips.
To help children decide what to plant, they can look on the back of seed packets and calculate from the Days to Maturity when the vegetables will be ready to eat. (If a vegetable takes 70 days from planting to harvest, and the school year ends on May 30, the vegetable must be in the ground by mid-March.)
Hot weather (summer) vegetables are usually planted in Georgia in April or May. Some of them will be ready to harvest before school is out, but many will not. Unless the summer staff plans to watch over the garden and harvest produce as it ripens, children should not plant vegetables such as squash, cucumbers, beans, okra, and tomatoes in the spring.
Some summer vegetables can be planted during June and July for harvesting in August and September. This will require teachers or the summer school staff to plant, water, and watch over the plants until the children return to school. Several varieties of peppers, some tomatoes, and beans fit into this category.
Fall planting starts in August and can occur as late as the end of September. Many of the same crops planted in the spring can be planted in the fall. In addition, some vegetables such as broccoli, turnips, and kohlrabi do better in a fall planting. Collards and turnip greens are said to taste better when harvested after a frost.