3.00
COST/LB.
$1.42
VALUE
$4.26
INPUT
$1.50
ROI
$2.76
ROI%
184%
PEA
The fresh flavor of sugar snap and snow peas screams garden goodness. These cool-weather crops are wonderfully low maintenance.
Plant your snap peas as early in spring as possible. Seedlings don’t transplant well, so start from seed. Plant the seeds 1 inch deep, five weeks before the last frost, and provide a cold frame or solar tunnel as needed. As the plants grow, don’t let the soil dry out. In fact, water daily if need be when the pods are growing and the weather is heating up. Snow peas can be started even earlier.
Both snap and snow peas should be trained up trellises for maximum production. This is true even for “bush” varieties and those listed as “self trellising.”
Harvest the individual pods at any time, because they are delicious even when young. Carefully cut each pod off its stem. Don’t let any pods mature to the point where they begin to brown, or plant production will taper off.
These vegetables are best used as soon as after harvesting as possible. If you can’t use them right away, store them in the refrigerator, washing them right before use. Keep in mind they are absolutely delicious fresh and raw.
Value Added:
• To give your pea seeds an added boost and ensure the ultimate harvest, mix presoaked seeds with legume inoculant power.
NAME:
Sugar Snap, #38
Snow, #41
YIELD/FOOT (LB.)
0.50
0.40
COST/LB.
$4.87
$4.15
VALUE
$2.44
$1.66
INPUT
$0.64
$0.64
ROI
$1.80
$1.02
ROI%
280%
159%
KALE
Kale is a cool-weather crop similar to cabbage. This vegetable is hardy and easy to grow, and is considered by nutritionists and medical professionals to be a “superfood” because it is full of so many nutrients in such large amounts.
The vegetable’s flavor will be sweeter when grown into cold weather, making it ideal as a fall planting. Even in regions that experience very cold winters, kale can be grown under a cold frame. It will grow in warm weather, but the leaves turn bitter in temperatures above 80 degrees Fahrenheit. The seeds prefer cooler soil in which to germinate.
Producing plentiful nutrients requires nutritious soil; amend with plenty of compost and organic fertilizer prior to planting. It’s also wise to mulch the plants liberally and keep the leaves from getting wet.
Harvest the oldest leaves from the bottom of the plant, and compost any leaves that are yellowed, insect-eaten, or too old. You can harvest the entire head at the end of the season, and the kale will keep for up to a week in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.
Value Added:
• Make sure your kale thrives by planting it with ideal partners. This leafy green will do well next to beets, herbs, onions, and potatoes, but shares nutrient needs with beans, strawberries, and tomatoes, so it should be planted away from these plants.
• Boost your kale yield by using seaweed mulch around the plants. The seaweed provides a burst of usable nutrition to the feeder roots lying just under the surface of the soil.
NAME:
Kale, #40
YIELD/FOOT (LB.)
1.00
COST/LB.
$1.18
VALUE
$1.18
INPUT
$0.16
ROI
$1.02
ROI%
638%
RADISH
Radishes are a favorite vegetable in the children’s garden for the same reasons many adults love them: they are quick and easy. You can find radishes in shades of red and white, and even striped. But the real bonus for these bite-sized savory treats is that they only take about three weeks to mature.
For many gardeners, that means you have time to succession plant a second and sometimes a third crop (although you can also select carrot-shaped varieties). The crop will grow spring through early fall in most zones.
Plant seeds 1/2 inch deep in spring, and 1 inch deep in summer or early fall. If you experience fairly hot summers, you’ll need to protect the growing plants. Afternoon shade, consistent watering, and a thick layer of mulch will give radishes the best chance to thrive under hot summer temperatures.
Keep the bed well weeded to prevent weed competition. Harvest the radishes when they are about the size of a jaw breaker, although they will be a bit sweeter if you harvest before they reach the mature size listed on the seed packet. As with just about everything else concerning radishes, harvesting is easy. Just pull the radish up, rinse clean, and refrigerate. Keep in mind that radish greens are every bit as edible as the root, and some people even think they are more delicious.
Value Added:
• Optimize the value you get out of your radish plot by planting more radishes every other week for a staggered but continuous harvest.
NAME:
Radish, #42
YIELD/FOOT (LB.)
1.30
COST/LB.
$1.15
VALUE
$1.50
INPUT
$0.48
ROI
$1.02
ROI%
211%
BEET
Beets provide two beneficial crops in one. The bulb is incredibly useful in the kitchen serving as everything from a roasted side dish to a salad addition. Although the root is very nutritious, rich in phytonutrients that serve as antioxidants and alleviate inflammation, the greens are even more nutritious. Beet greens are ideal in a health shake, and can be steamed or sautéed as well.
Some varieties such as ‘Bull’s Blood’ and ‘Green Top’ bunching beets are grown specifically for their greens. Others are meant specifically for putting up such as the early maturing ‘Gladiator’. ‘Golden’ and ‘Touchstone Gold’ are gold colored with a mild, almost buttery flavor. Chioggia beets are striped inside, making a marvelous visual addition to the dinner table. You’ll also find varieties meant for storing all winter, and even miniature bulbs.
No matter what type you’re growing, beet seed pods contain multiple seeds. So you’ll need to thin your seedlings if you’re to harvest the plumpest beets possible.
Beets, like any root, require timing the harvest. Depending on variety, the growing period can be 45 to 60 days. Most cooks harvest slightly early—just when the shoulders of the beets become visible above the soil line. Although smaller, the beets will be more flavorful.
Value Added:
• Secure your investment—beets are favored by rabbits, deer, and other wildlife.
• Pickling is a classic way to preserve a larger harvest, and pickled beets are delicious all by themselves.
• Beets can be refrigerated for up to five days, but after that, flavor and firmness deteriorate rapidly.
NAME:
Beet, #43
YIELD/FOOT (LB.)
1.00
COST/LB.
$1.86
VALUE
$1.86
INPUT
$0.85
ROI
$1.01
ROI%
119%
ARTICHOKE
Artichokes won’t grow well in all zones, but can be kept healthy and productive as far north as Zone 5. The trick is to provide a base of well-draining, highly nutritious, and moisture-retaining soil. Artichokes are thirsty and hungry plants and will probably need supplemental watering even if you’re using a drip irrigation system. But they can die if waterlogged, so good drainage is key.
Artichokes are relatively pest and disease free. Snails and slugs sometimes attack young artichoke plants, but are easily combatted with
any of a number of traps.
As with a few other perennial plants on this list, the true return on investment of artichokes needs to take into account the potential harvest over several years. A healthy plant can produce artichokes for five years, and the harvest will increase as the plant ages.
Each stem will typically produce more than one bud (artichoke). The top bud will ripen first. Harvest the buds before they open—check them carefully every day—when they are about the size of an apple. Cut the stems, leaving a few inches below the bud for ease of handling, and cook within a couple of days. Always handle artichokes carefully because they are prone to bruising.
Cut the stems to the ground in the fall to protect against insects. Cover the plants with a thick layer of mulch to help them overwinter (although they will not survive severe winters in any case).
Value Added:
• Want to grow a valuable crop in colder northern regions (Zones 5 and below)? You’ll find a few artichoke varieties, such as ‘Imperial Star’ that were developed specifically to grow in colder climates.
NAME:
Artichoke, #44
YIELD/FOOT (LB.)
0.60
COST/LB.
$2.02
VALUE
$1.21
INPUT
$0.40
ROI
$0.81
ROI%
203%
CAULIFLOWER
This is a cool-weather plant like other members of the cabbage family. Unless your region experiences cool early summers, it’s best to grow this vegetable exclusively in the fall.
Cauliflower does best in nutrient-rich soil, so ensure a good return on your investment by improving the soil prior to planting. You can also give the plants a boost with a dose of fish emulsion or compost tea every few weeks. You can avoid the danger of clubfoot disease or boron deficiency by avoiding plots where other cabbage family members were previously grown.
Make sure the leaves cover the head and protect it from direct sun exposure, which will yellow the cauliflower. Use a clothespin or rubber band to secure the leaves over the head, as necessary. This can make it hard to detect common pests, such as the cabbage worm. You can prevent insect infestation with a simple home remedy: Whisk together 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour with 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper, until thoroughly incorporated. Then dust the plants with the mixture and crawling insects will head for the hills.
To harvest a cauliflower, use a very sharp knife to cut the stem, leaving a few leaves around the base of the head.
Value Added:
• Don’t make the mistake of thinking your cauliflower crop is a loss if your garden is hit by an early frost. Any unharvested heads will be fine for eating as long as they don’t thaw and freeze again. Cut the frozen head and cook it immediately.
NAME:
Cauliflower, #45
YIELD/FOOT (LB.)
2.25
COST/LB.
$1.00
VALUE
$2.25
INPUT
$1.50
ROI
$0.75
ROI%
50%
SWEET POTATO
Sweet potatoes are not the most popular vegetable, but the rich flavor makes this a favorite among many gardeners who grow it. There are two types of sweet potato: moist and dry. Moist orange varieties are better known as “yams,” but all varieties boast incredible flavor.
This isn’t a hard plant to grow, but the vine does sprawl. That’s usually not a problem because the foliage and the flowers are both quite attractive, so much so that the sweet potato is sometimes planted as a decorative border or groundcover.
Sweet potato plants don’t require overly nutritious soil, but they do need a medium that drains well and is loose enough to allow tuber growth. For best success, plant “slips”—cut root sprouts available from nurseries and online sources. Put them in the soil in a sunny location about three weeks after the last frost.
Once the plants are established, cover the soil with black plastic or a thick layer of mulch. You can harvest the tubers when the vine leaves yellow, but the longer you wait, the larger and more nutritious they will be. Do not, however, leave them in the ground once the vine dies entirely, or you risk rot.
Dry your sweet potatoes in direct sun and then cure them for two weeks in a dark, well-ventilated location that is kept above 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Cure them completely and they’ll stay good for months.
Value Added:
• Stay away from nitrogen-rich fertilizer. Too much nitrogen will boost leaf growth at the expense of the tubers, leading to a smaller harvest and lower value.
NAME:
Sweet Potato, #47
YIELD/FOOT (LB.)
2.00
COST/LB.
$0.82
VALUE
$1.64
INPUT
$1.02
ROI
$0.62
ROI%
61%
CELERY
There’s no getting around the fact that celery can be a bit of a challenge to grow. But given how widely used it is in the kitchen, and the large yield from even 1 square foot of plants, many gardeners find it worth the effort.
Celery can take up to six months to mature. That’s why most gardeners get a jump on the season by starting with a large-potted transplant rather than seed. The calculations here include that cost, but you can increase your return on investment by starting your plants indoors from seeds.
Celery needs highly nutritious, well-draining soil, and temperatures below 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Mulch well and water on a regular basis, supplying at least 1 inch per week.
Like cauliflower, celery can be “blanched” (protected from sun exposure) or not. Blanching can keep the celery from becoming bitter. Blanching entails covering the growing stalks up to the leaves—either with soil or a manufactured partition.
As the plant matures, you can cut off individual stalks as you need them in the kitchen, or you can harvest the whole plant at once by cutting it from the rootstock, right below the soil line.
Value Added:
• Want to see your return on investment soar with your next celery crop? Start your plants inside for free. Next time you buy celery, cut the base off the bunch and sit it in a deep saucer of water, so that bottom is submerged. Once new growth sprouts out of the center, plant the celery in the garden and voila: a new crop for free!
NAME:
Celery, #49
YIELD/FOOT (LB.)
5.00
COST/LB.
$0.90
VALUE
$4.50
INPUT
$3.95
ROI
$0.55
ROI%
14%
BEAN (BUSH AND POLE)
Beans are some of the easiest vegetable garden standards to grow and are also some of the most popular. However, their low produce-department price doesn’t go far in rewarding even the modest effort it takes to grow the plants.
If you’re conflicted about which type of bean to plant, consider your space constraints and flavor. The vertical growth of pole beans are a plus where space is at a premium and most people find pole beans the more flavorful of the two.
You can also add visual interest to the garden and a different flavor to the table by planting a yellow wax bean, such as ‘Monte Gusto’ or a purple bean, like ‘Purple King’.
Although certain varieties of French beans and all “yard-longs” are meant to grow from 10 to 18 inches long, bigger is usually not necessarily better with this crop. Pick the beans when they are full-size and ripe, but do not let them get so big that they look about to burst. Harvest the beans carefully to avoid damaging the plant. Cut or snap the stem holding the bean to the plant. Remove beans as soon as they are ripe to keep the plant productive as long into the season as possible, and to maximize your output and your investment.
Value Added:
• Get extra value out of y
our bean plantings by planting at least one scarlet runner bean plant. Not only will you be adding a beautiful splash of color to your edible garden, scarlet runner beans attract bumblebees and hummingbirds to the garden.
NAME:
Bean, Bush, #50
Bean, Pole, #51
YIELD/FOOT (LB.)
0.50
0.40
COST/LB.
$1.36
$1.36
VALUE
$0.68
$0.54
INPUT
$0.79
$0.94
ROI
-$0.11
-$0.40
ROI%
-14%
-42%
OKRA
Square Foot Gardening High-Value Veggies Page 9