Broccoli Essentials
Start spring transplants indoors 5 to 7 weeks before the last spring frost date, or buy nursery transplants 3 weeks before the last spring frost date. Plan to seed fall crops 85 to 100 days before the average first fall frost date. Where the ... [... more]
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Cabbage Essentials
Cabbage is grows best when the heads mature in cool weather, so plan to harvest before the onset of hot weather in summer or in the fall. Plant them in early summer in the North, mid- to late summer in central and southern areas. Chinese cabbages ... [... more]
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Brussels Sprout Essentials
Fall harvested crops are generally more successful than summer harvested crops. Brussels sprouts improve in flavor after a light frost. Date of maturity varies, depending on variety, location, and season. Count backward from the first fall frost ... [... more]
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The Cole Crop Family
Gardeners often group broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower and kohlrabi together as "cole crops". Cole is the German word for cabbage, hence the term "cole slaw". Cole crops are hardy and grow best in cool weather. An easy [... more]
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Starting Cole Crop Seeds Indoors
The only time you need to start cole crops indoors is in the spring, since you want to be sure your plants can mature before hot weather hits. If you're planning a fall garden, or if you live in an area where the summers don't get very hot, you ... [... more]
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Cole Crops and Soil
Good soil makes for healthy cole crop plants and larger and sweeter harvests. Cole crops will produce well in nearly any type of soil, as long as you take the time to till or spade the planting spot thoroughly two or three times before planting. ... [... more]
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Planning for Cole Crops
Selecting the right site will help you produce a healthy crop of cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and other cole crops. Cole crops can be planted just about anywhere in the garden. As long as they get six to eight hours of sun each day, they don't ... [... more]
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Hardening-Off Your Cole Crops
If your seedlings are to live through the shock of being transplanted outdoors, you need to gradually expose them to the sun, wind and spring temperatures. Just like people, plants can become sunburned, windburned or chilled if they aren't ... [... more]
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Fall Cole Crop Bonus
Some people think that fall cole crops taste better than spring crops. Cole crops seem to do best if they're planted in warm weather and mature when the nights are cool and the days are crisp and sunny. A fall cole crop garden is a bonus because ... [... more]
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Soil Preparation for Beans
Most of the work of growing a good crop of beans (and all other vegetables, too) comes before you put the seeds in the ground. If you get your soil into the best possible shape and prepare a smooth seedbed, you'll have the fewest problems. To get ... [... more]
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How Beans Grow
If you've ever walked by containers of bulk seed in a garden store, you may have been surprised by the many different colors, sizes and shapes of the beans -- even by the variety of designs on the seed coats and their descriptive names: ... [... more]
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Soybeans & Southern Peas
The bean family ranges far and wide. Here are two other bean-types that are easy to grow and nutritious. Soybeans are regarded as "the meat of the fields" in China. They contain about three times more protein than any other member of the legume [... more]
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