Uses: Vegetable

Asparagus

Asparagus officinalis

Asparagus is an unusual plant that is primarily cultivated for its edible tender young shoots in the spring. When mature, it has large ferny foliage that is pale green.

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Beets

Beta vulgaris

Beets are a popular root crop used for pickling, roasting, and salads. They come in an array of colors, including red, yellow, and red and white striped.

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Boston Marrows are large, bright orange squashes that can weigh anywhere between 10 and 50 lbs., although 25 lbs. is more common. They are an excellent eating squash and can be turned into soups or pies.

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Broccoli

Brassica oleracea (Italica)

Broccoli is a cool season vegetable which has been cultivated since the Roman Empire. It is grown for its tender florets which can be eaten raw or cooked.

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Bush Bean

Phaseolus vulgaris

Bush beans are compact, low growing plants that produce large crops of beans. They can be used for fresh eating or as dry beans.

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Bush Lima Bean

Phaseolus lunatus

Bush lima beans are vigorous, productive plants. Their smaller size makes them easy to grow in the home garden and they still provide a bounteous harvest. They can be used dry or fresh.

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Cabbage

Brassica oleracea

Cabbage is a cool season annual that was a staple crop in the colonial period and continues to be so today.

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Carrot

Daucus carota var. sativa

Carrots are a root crop which comes in a wide variety of colors. They can be yellow, orange, or purple. While the purple colored varieties are some of the oldest types, orange varieties of carrots were popular by the mid-1700s. They can be served fresh in salads, or cooked.

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Cauliflower

Brassica oleracea (Botrytis)

Cauliflower is a cabbage relative with broad blue-green leaves and a large white head. It is slow to harvest and benefits from a long cool season.

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Cayenne Pepper

Capsicum annuum

Cayenne peppers are large prolific plants. They produce bountiful crops of slender, spicy red peppers that can be used fresh or dried.

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Celery

Apium graveolens var. dulce

Celery is a familiar component of Bloody Marys, salads, and soups. It is grown primarily for its crisp stalks which add a mild flavor to food. Celery is a cool season vegetable and does not like the hot summers of the southern part of the country.

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Cowpea

Vigna unguiculata

The name "cowpea" was probably coined for their use as a fodder crop for cows, and while grown for their edible bean, the leaves and pods can also be consumed. Black-eyed peas can be harvested as a snap bean, or dried, and are the main ingredient in Hoppin' John, a traditional Southern dish ritually…

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Cucumber

Cucumis sativus

Cucumbers are a vining plant with yellow flowers and slightly prickly stems. There are many varieties which produce cucumbers of different sizes and shapes.

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Egyptian Walking Onions

Allium x proliferum

Egyptian walking onions are a unique plant which produces the next generation in a crown of bulblets atop their stalks in lieu of flowers. As the bulblets grow, their weight pulls them to the ground, where they take root to grow new plants. While the young bulbs are mild and can be used as scallions…

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Endive

Cichorium endivia

Endive has broad, bright green leaves and looks somewhat like a rougher-textured lettuce. It has a sharp, bitter flavor.

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Fava Beans

Vicia faba

Fava beans, a cool season plant, performs best in either the spring or the fall. They are quite robust and can grow to three feet high, producing many large pods which are best eaten shelled.

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Fish Pepper

Capsicum annuum

Fish peppers are hot peppers with variegated white leaves. The peppers themselves are often streaked with white and start green before maturing to red.

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Garlic

Allium sativum

Garlic is a popular ingredient in many types of cooking. This bulbous plant is an onion relative with fleshy green leaves and umbels of pinkish white flowers.

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Globe Artichoke

Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus

Artichokes have large silvery green leaves that make them a striking addition to the garden. Their flower buds are traditionally used for culinary purposes, but if allowed to open offer large, brilliant purple flowers.

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Horseradish

Armoracia rusticana

Horseradish is a large spreading vegetable, used primarily for its pungent roots. It should be given a confined space, as it spreads rapidly if left unchecked.

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Kale

Brassica oleracea (Acephala)

Kale is a popular leafy green that can be used cooked or in salads. It is also used as an ornamental plant in fall gardens. Historically, coarser types have been used as animal fodder.

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Leeks

Allium ampeloprasum

Leeks are an onion relative with strappy green leaves which an edible stalk which is usually blanched.

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Lettuce

Lactuca sativa

Lettuce is a cool season leafy vegetable that is most frequently used in salads. Its leaves come in a variety of colors, from green to red to splotchy.

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Long Island Cheese Pumpkin

Cucurbita moschata

The Long Island Cheese pumpkin is an excellent eating pumpkin and is well-suited for making pies. It is a beautiful tan pumpkin with deep lobes that grows on huge, sprawling vines.

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Muskmelon

Cucumis melo

Muskmelons are a trailing, vining plant with small yellow flowers which often performs better when grown on a trellis. They produce fruit in a wide variety of shapes and colors. Their fruits are frequently fragrant.

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Mustard Greens

Brassica juncea

Mustard produces a leafy green that can be used for fresh eating, or as a cooked vegetable. It produces pretty yellow flowers that are attractive to pollinators.

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Okra

Abelmoschus esculentus

Okra is a tall plant with cheerful yellow flowers that are reminiscent of hibiscus blossoms. They produce green seedpods that are best harvested when they are 2 to 3 inches long.

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Onion

Allium cepa

Onions are commonly planted in the fall for a spring harvest. Red and yellow types are available to grow.

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Parsnips

Pastinaca sativa

Parsnips are a large root vegetable which somewhat resemble white carrots and can be used in similar ways. Just like the wild parsnip, cultivated plants attract a range of pollinators and are host plants for several moths and butterflies, including swallowtails. Handling the plants should be done with…

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Peas

Pisum sativum

Peas are tender spring vegetable on short vines. They often have large showy flowers in colors like pink and white. The pods can range in color from purple to green. Peas are best direct sown outdoors in the early months of spring, and if you have a long, cool fall, a second crop can be grown.

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Pole Bean

Phaseolus vulgaris

Pole beans, such as kidney and butter or lima beans, produce long vines that do best when supported on some type of trellis. They are prolific growers and can easily cover a trellis in the course of a season while producing many beans which can be eaten fresh or dried.

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Pole Lima Bean

Phaseolus lunatus

Pole lima beans are vigorous plants that do best when grown on trellises. They are fast growing and produce beans which can be used fresh or dried.

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Potato

Solanum tuberosum

Potatoes are a tomato relative and are often mistaken for them, as their foliage is somewhat similar in appearance. They are an agricultural staple that ranks with wheat and rice as among the most important in the world. Their South American origin is often obscured by their fame as a mainstay crop…

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Radish

Raphanus sativus

Radishes are a root vegetable that add a pleasant bite (if you like that kind of thing) to salads. They come in a variety of colors including black, purple, red, and white. They are useful as a winter cover or forage crop. Radishes are incredibly easy to grow, with high germination rates and a fast…

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Rhubarb

Rheum x hybridum

Rhubarb is an old-fashioned vegetable, grown for its brilliant red stems which are often used in pies and desserts. While its stems are noted for their culinary qualities, its leaves are poisonous and must be removed before cooking.

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Rutabaga

Brassica napus

Rutabagas are a cool season root vegetable which can also be used as a fall cover crop. The large root is purple and white and the leaves are usually bluish-green. It can be boiled, baked, roasted, or mashed, as well as eaten raw in salads.

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Salsify

Tragopogon porrifolius

Salsify is a unique biennial root vegetable with grass-like leaves. In the spring it produces masses of daisy-like purple flowers followed by large seedheads that resemble those of dandelions. The root is said to taste somewhat like oysters and looks like a white carrot.

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Spinach

Spinacea oleracea

Spinach is a low-growing leafy green which is ideal in salads, but can also be prepared in soups, stews, or as a cooked green. It is a cool season crop, prone to bolting when summer temperatures get too high.

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Sweet Potato

Ipomoea batatas

Sweet potatoes are vigorous, running plants that will easily exceed their allotted space in the garden if not kept under control. They should be grown in mounds, much the way one would grow potatoes. They are extremely cold sensitive and should be planted after the soil has warmed in the spring and harvested…

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Asparagus

Asparagus officinalis

Beets

Beta vulgaris

Boston Marrow Squash

Cucurbita maxima 'Boston Marrow

Broccoli

Brassica oleracea (Italica)

Bush Bean

Phaseolus vulgaris

Bush Lima Bean

Phaseolus lunatus

Cabbage

Brassica oleracea

Carrot

Daucus carota var. sativa

Cauliflower

Brassica oleracea (Botrytis)

Cayenne Pepper

Capsicum annuum

Celery

Apium graveolens var. dulce

Cowpea

Vigna unguiculata

Cucumber

Cucumis sativus

Egyptian Walking Onions

Allium x proliferum

Endive

Cichorium endivia

Fava Beans

Vicia faba

Fish Pepper

Capsicum annuum

Garlic

Allium sativum

Globe Artichoke

Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus

Horseradish

Armoracia rusticana

Kale

Brassica oleracea (Acephala)

Leeks

Allium ampeloprasum

Lettuce

Lactuca sativa

Long Island Cheese Pumpkin

Cucurbita moschata

Muskmelon

Cucumis melo

Mustard Greens

Brassica juncea

Okra

Abelmoschus esculentus

Onion

Allium cepa

Parsnips

Pastinaca sativa

Peas

Pisum sativum

Pole Bean

Phaseolus vulgaris

Pole Lima Bean

Phaseolus lunatus

Potato

Solanum tuberosum

Radish

Raphanus sativus

Rhubarb

Rheum x hybridum

Rutabaga

Brassica napus

Salsify

Tragopogon porrifolius

Spinach

Spinacea oleracea

Sweet Potato

Ipomoea batatas

Swiss Chard