Square Foot Gardening High-Value Veggies
Page 7
All lettuces prefer strong direct sun, but will grow in partly shady conditions (and a little shade may slow down the process of bolting in hot weather). Most will adapt to spacing, so although you should plant to the maximum listed spacing if you have plenty of room in your garden, you can certainly crowd more plants in if you’re dealing with a tight fit in your particular backyard (or containers).
These are thirsty plants, so make sure they get abundant water. But take care that no water sits on the leaves, because standing water can spread fungal diseases. These plants also grow from shallow roots, so their beds need to be weed free because they can’t compete with the deeper roots of weeds.
Aphids, slugs, and snails are the most common pests that attack lettuces, but all three are easy to deal with and eradicate. Either handpick, use insecticidal soap, and/or a shallow saucer of stale beer.
Harvesting techniques should be determined by how much lettuce your family will eat at one time, and your own preferences. You’ll get the most out of any lettuce plants by harvesting the outer leaves as they mature. But that may make it difficult to throw together a large salad for the whole family. You can also wait until the entire plant is mature and harvest the entire head or all the leaves at once. You’ll get the biggest harvest if you plant a lot of lettuces and start harvesting leaves as soon as they are half grown. They will still taste delicious, and the strategy will spare you the inconvenience of harvesting all the mature plants at once.
In any case, harvest the entire plant if it is threatening to bolt or daytime temperatures are rising significantly. Once a lettuce plant begins the process of bolting—sending up flower stalks that in turn become seedheads—the entire plant will become displeasingly bitter.
Value Added:
• If time is an issue or you just don’t want to start plants indoors, you can buy seedlings rather than sowing directly into your garden. Keep in mind, though, that transplants are more susceptible to early bolting.
• Get the most out of your salad greens by picking the leaves early in the morning, rinsing them in a colander and letting them air dry. They’ll be ready and waiting for the salad as soon as you start making dinner.
NAME:
Lettuce, Mesclun, #14
Lettuce, Romaine, #17
YIELD/FOOT (LB.)
2.00
9.00
COST/LB.
$5.99
$1.22
VALUE
$11.98
$10.98
INPUT
$0.36
$0.36
ROI
$11.62
$10.62
ROI%
3,228%
2,950%
NAME:
Lettuce, Green/ Red, #22
Lettuce, Butter, #25
YIELD/FOOT (LB.)
6.75
4.50
COST/LB.
$1.17
$1.37
VALUE
$7.90
$6.17
INPUT
$0.36
$0.36
ROI
$7.54
$5.81
ROI%
2,094%
1,613%
ARUGULA
Arugula is a wonderful salad green with a lot of potential uses in the kitchens. In the garden, its value is most affected by ability to grow fast with little effort on the gardener’s part. It’s considered a cool-season annual, but if your location has mild summers or you can keep it in a cool, partly shaded area, you may be able to grow this green right through summer. Usually though, you’ll get two to three harvests in spring and fall.
‘Bellezia’ has finer leaves, making it look like wild arugula and adding visual interest to any salad bowl. ‘Selvatica Organic’ is a little more heat tolerant than normal, and intensely flavorful.
If you cut the outer leaves, you may be able to get a repeat harvest from the same plant. In most cases, though, the greens will be ready to harvest two to three weeks after planting, and you can replant right after harvesting (something assumed in the calculations for this crop). Ensure against excess heat, which can result in a more bitter green. As with most salad greens, good drainage is a must, and arugula grows just as well in the ground, in raised beds, and in containers.
Value Added:
• If you value beauty in your garden, allow your arugula to bolt, and you’ll find it grows delightful white flowers. The blooms are themselves edible, and wonderful additions to salads (for more edible flowers, see the box here). Provide a mini-greenhouse over the crop and you may optimize value by having arugula into winter.
NAME:
Arugula, #15
YIELD/FOOT (LB.)
2.00
COST/LB.
$8.00
VALUE
$16.00
INPUT
$4.99
ROI
$11.01
ROI%
221%
CUCUMBER
Cucumbers are some of the most refreshing vegetables to come from the garden. They also offer the opportunity to experiment with unusual varieties—including long and short, ball and lemon, and English hothouse cucumbers with their distinctively light and floral flavor.
You’ll have to decide between bush and vine varieties. Bush cucumbers produce less of a harvest but are easier to manage in the garden. Vine cucumber plants sprawl over a large area. You can, however, grow these on trellises to better control and confine the growth and keep the plants healthier.
The vegetable itself is largely water, which means cucumber plants are thirsty garden plantings. Water at least twice weekly and make sure the plant never shows sign of wilting.
Harvesting cucumbers correctly is crucial to maintaining plant health and productivity. It’s better to harvest and compost cucumbers you aren’t ready to eat than it is to leave them on the vine. It’s also okay to pick cucumbers slightly smaller than normal—they’ll be just as delicious. In either case, cut the stem that connects the cucumber to the main vine. Do not pull the fruit or you risk damaging the plant.
Value Added:
• Never let any of the cucumbers on your plant mature to the point of yellowing and softening. If this happens, it slows down production on the whole plant, costing you overall yield.
• Get the most out of cucumbers fresh from your garden by slicing them with the peel left on. The peel holds much of the vegetable’s nutrients.
NAME:
Cucumber, #16
YIELD/FOOT (LB.)
9.00
COST/LB.
$1.23
VALUE
$11.07
INPUT
$0.36
ROI
$10.71
ROI%
2,975%
WATERMELON
You can buy seedless and seeded varieties of watermelon and pick from an amazing diversity of sizes, shapes, and appearances—from tiny two-person fruits to jumbo party pleasers.
Get your watermelons off to a good start by amending the soil to create a rich foundation. Although watermelons grow reliably from seed, the maturation period is so long—and the seed needs warm soil to germinate (the soil needs to be above 70 degrees Fahrenheit for the seeds to germinate)—that anyone gardening in cooler, northern regions will need to either start seeds indoors or plant seedlings once the soil warms.
Be aware that this is a large, sprawling vine plant that takes up space and is unruly. Plan for the growth. You can grow many smaller varieties on a well-supported, reinforced trellis. You must support each melon. Panty hose is ideal to slip over the melon and then tie to the trellis framework.
The plants can be damaged by cucumber beetles and vine borers. Use a floating row cover for young plants, and remove it when male and female flowers appear.
Determining when watermelon is ripe is as much art as science. On some varieties, the vine tendril closest to the fruit will wither and die, but that isn’t universal. A more reliable indicator�
��if you haven’t been turning the fruit—is to check the bottom spot where the melon as been sitting. When ripe, that spot will turn from white to a deep yellow.
Value Added:
• Getting the sweetest melons possible is the way to eke out the best value from your plants. When the vines begin to sprawl, dissolve 1 tablespoon borax into 1 gallon water and spray the leaves and base of the plant.
NAME:
Watermelon, #21
YIELD/FOOT (LB.)
15.00
COST/LB.
$0.58
VALUE
$8.70
INPUT
$0.99
ROI
$7.71
ROI%
779%
STRAWBERRY
It’s the rare gardener who wouldn’t enjoy a crop of this sweet, delicious fruit. But if you’re adding strawberries to your outdoor grocery store, you’ll need to decide which of the three you want to plant.
June-bearing: Produces one large crop in early, mid-, or late summer, depending on the variety. June-bearing are a good choice if you’re making jams or freezing the harvest.
Everbearing: Produces a large crop during longer days full of sunlight. That means a big crop at the start of summer, some throughout, and a smaller crop in early fall.
Day-neutral: Provides a continuous harvest peaking once each summer month. Production stops when temperatures run higher than 80 degrees Fahrenheit and the berries are a bit smaller than other types.
The easiest way to plant strawberries is from starts (plants from seeds can take up to three years to bear fruit), and you can mix types in the same bed for a more or less continuous harvest. Cut runners regularly to keep the plant’s energy directed to growing fruit. Keep the soil moist and mulch heavily to ensure the roots are kept cool.
Harvest the fruit by cutting the connecting stem when the berry is large and fully red. If you keep on eye on your plants and water at soil level, you’ll rarely have to deal with diseases. However, keep an eye out for slugs.
Value Added:
• Much as you might love birds and wildlife in your garden, protect the value of your strawberry harvest by covering plants with bird netting. These sweet fruits are just too tempting to winged garden visitors.
NAME:
Strawberry, #23
YIELD/FOOT (LB.)
3.00
COST/LB.
$3.43
VALUE
$10.29
INPUT
$2.84
ROI
$7.45
ROI%
262%
ZUCCHINI (SUMMER SQUASH)
Zucchini is famous as one of the most prolific edible plants you can grow in your garden. That big yield doesn’t come in a tidy package, though. Zucchini vines are vigorous and rambling, and tend to take up a lot of space in the garden. You can keep them a little more in control by growing zucchini up a trellis or other support.
Either way, like other squashes, zucchini loves water. Start with nutritious, compost-amended soil and keep the soil moist all through the season. Water at the base of the plants and try to avoid getting the leaves wet, which can lead to disease.
The plant does well from seeds if they are planted about a week after the last frost, when the temperature outside is above 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
If the plants grow flowers but don’t fruit, it may be that insects are not transferring pollen from the male to the female flowers. You can do this manually with a cotton swab. Swab a bit of pollen from inside the male, and then rub the pollen on the stigma in the center of the female flowers.
Err on the side of an early harvest, because zucchini are more flavorful and tender while they’re young. Start removing individual fruits as soon as they are 4 inches long.
Value Added:
• Female squash blossoms are a delicacy and a way to get more out of each zucchini. Harvest a few while they’re young (you’ll be sacrificing a few zucchini) and then batter them and deep fry for a wonderful treat.
NAME:
Zucchini, #24
YIELD/FOOT (LB.)
4.50
COST/LB.
$1.55
VALUE
$6.98
INPUT
$0.18
ROI
$6.80
ROI%
3,775%
RADICCHIO
This unique and beautiful leafy vegetable is cultivated much like cabbage. It’s a cool-weather crop that can actually be grown as a perennial in some locations if proper care is taken to prevent freezing. No matter when you grow it, it is a pleasantly bitter addition to salads.
Plant in spring as early as the soil is workable. For fall harvest, plant mid-to late summer unless you experience mild winters, in which case early fall is fine. Provide shade against strong summer sun. Water consistently regardless of season, because dry spells can make the leaves unpleasantly bitter. Water even more heavily just as the heads are maturing.
You can harvest the leaves any time during the season, for accents with other greens. Cut off the entire head at soil level when it is as firm as iceberg lettuce. Don’t let the head get too mature or the leaves will become too bitter.
Radicchio can bolt (although you’ll find many “bolt-resistant” varieties on the market), which will be evident when a hard core starts to form in the head. That will be followed by a flower stem growing up. Radicchio is less likely to bolt in the fall, and a light frost will add sweetness to the leaves.
Value Added:
• Coax your radicchio into returning as a perennial by cutting the stem slightly higher than soil level, then providing protection against freezing weather. Some gardeners use an overturned plant pot, or you can mulch with several inches of straw or similar mulch.
NAME:
Radicchio, #26
YIELD/FOOT (LB.)
1.50
COST/LB.
$5.19
VALUE
$7.79
INPUT
$2.00
ROI
$5.79
ROI%
289%
KOHLRABI
Kohlrabi is an unusual relative to cabbage, with similarities to turnips and other roots. Although home gardeners may not be well-acquainted with the vegetable, there’s good reason to include it in a backyard garden. Kohlrabi provides both an edible tuber and edible leaves—both with a pleasant, mild, and sweet flavor. It also offers the same high level of nutrition present in cabbage and related leafy greens—all in a package that matures much quicker than its relatives. Plant ‘Azur Star’ for a stunning purple root and stems that will liven up any dinner table.
This is a cool-weather crop that doesn’t do well in heat. It’s regularly grown in fall and spring, and needs only about two months from sowing to harvesting. Like similar crops, a light frost will improve the flavor of both the leaves and the bulb.
Kohlrabi is generally less susceptible to insect attack and is resistant to most diseases that affect leafy greens.
Harvest the entire bulb and leaves at the same time. It’s better to err on the side of immaturity when it comes to kohlrabi, because young bulbs will be a bit more tender and flavorful. The greens should be used immediately, but the bulb, trimmed of stems and leaves, can be wrapped in plastic and stored in the refrigerator for more than a month.
Value Added:
• Like many members of the cabbage family, kohlrabi is a thirsty plant. Ensure the tastiest, healthiest bulb by supplying 1 to 2 inches of water per week continuously throughout the growing season.
NAME:
Kohlrabi, #27
YIELD/FOOT (LB.)
4.00
COST/LB.
$1.50
VALUE
$6.00
INPUT
$0.60
ROI
$5.40
ROI%
900%
FENNEL (BULB)
Fennel has a long and storied history as a sturdy Mediterr
anean vegetable. Although it will grow in many zones, it will survive as a perennial only in the warmest parts of the country, usually Zones 9 and 10. In either case, the vegetable is a worthy addition to your garden.
Ancient Romans revered the plant for its curative properties, as an aid to digestion, and a weight-control food. It is valued in modern times for the delicate licorice flavor. To get the most out of the plant, use the bulb as a vegetable, the foliage as a herb and garnish, and the dried seed as spice.
Sow seed after the last frost in spring. Fennel can tolerate drought conditions, but does need rich, well-drained soil. Cut the fronds as needed, once they are 8 inches long (as long as at least half the foliage is left, the bulb will continue to develop). Harvest the bulb after three months, as soon as it is about 3 inches across. Dig down and slice under the bulb to separate it from the long taproot.