Spring Vegetables P-Z

Pisum sativum

They're delicious raw, steamed or stir-fried  --  and you can eat them pod and all.  The plant produces thick, full-size, ever so sweet snap peas that are delectable in salads or appetizers as well as hot or cold soups or side dishes.

cool season / plant in full sun

Capsicum annuum

Pepper plants require somewhat higher temperatures, grow more slowly and are smaller than most tomato plants.  New colorful sweet and novelty hot varieties have recently burst onto the scene, adding to the range of peppers grown for food, spices or ornamentals.

plant in full sun / blooms in summer

Cucurbita maxima

 Long before European contact, Cucurbita had been a major food source for the native peoples of the Americas, and the species became an important food for European settlers, including the Pilgrims even featuring at the first Thanksgiving.  Other foods that can be made using members of this genus include biscuits, bread, cheesecake, desserts, donuts, granola, ice cream, lasagna dishes, pancakes, pudding, pumpkin butter, salads, soups, and stuffing. 

warm season / plant in full sun

Raphanus sativus

Extra-early, retains fine eating quality all season.  Round, smooth, scarlet beauties, 3/4" across with crisp, white flesh.  Fast and easy to grow, radishes are best in cool weather.  Proven tops for performance, flavor and adaptability.

cool season / plant in full sun

Spinacia oleracea

Whale produces good, early yields of oval, dark green, smooth-leafed spinach.  It makes an excellent item for baby leaf and bunched spinach.  The short upright plants have a large frame.  Whale can be grown for spring, summer or fall crops.

cool season / plant in full sun

Cucurita pepo

Easy to grow and often prolific, squash varieties include a wide diversity of bush and vining forms and fruit size, shape and color.  Summer squashes mature for fresh eating in the summer, while winter squashes can be enjoyed at harvest and stored for eating well into the winter months.

warm season / plant in full sun

Fragaria x ananassa

Juicy, vibrant red berries have a sweet, rich flavor; great for jellies, pies and fresh eating.  June-bearing plants produce one June crop; Everbearing plants produce two large crops, with sporadic fruiting in between.  Use young plants that form at the end of runners to replace older plants.

cool season / plant in full sun

Beta vulgaris

This stunning chard mix has stems in gold, pink and crimson.  A few plants will be white and pink striped, orange, scarlet, purple, green and white.  All are delicious to eat, though they are at their best harvested young for salads.  

cool season / plant in full sun

Solanum lycopersicum

Tomato plants typically grow as vines that have a weak stem that sprawls and typically needs support (indeterminate).  Bush plants are annuals that stop growing at a certain height and produce a crop all at once (determinate).

warm season / plant in full sun

Brassica rapa rapifera

Purple Top White Globe turnip seeds are from an old heirloom turnip dating back prior to 1880.  The roots are smooth and nearly round.  They are mild flavored and sweet, better for eating when picked at 2-3". 

cool season / plant in full sun

Citrullus lanatus

Melon plants have sparse leaves and need a lot of sunshine and heat to mature their fruit.  Their roots are delicate and require high nutrition and lots of water.  For all that effort, you'll be rewarded by the ripest, sweetest melons you've ever tasted.

warm season/ plant in full sun