Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Chives, okra, parsley
2-3
Beans, carrots, peas
3-4
Beets, peppers, Swiss chard, tomatoes
4-5
Basil, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumber, eggplant, lettuce, melon,
radish, spinach, squash
5-6
SEED PACKAGE TERMINOLOGY
Your gardeners may see some unfamiliar terminology as they're reading seed and plant la-
bels—specifically for beans, squash, and tomatoes. The terms bush, vine, determinate, and indetermin-
ate describe the growth habit of these plants. Understanding what these terms mean will affect which
varieties they buy, where they choose to locate the plants in their growing areas, and what devices they
use to support the plants—so be sure to dedicate time in this workshop to making sure that gardeners
understand these terms.
A bush variety is
determinate
,
meaning that it will grow to a certain size and then stop growing, at
which point it will flower and bear all of its fruit within a few weeks. A vine variety is
indeterminate
,
meaning that it will continue growing and producing fruit throughout the entire season, until the first
frost. Bush varieties grow lower to the ground (about 3 to 5 feet) and require minimal physical support,
while vine varieties can grow quite long (up to 10 or even 15 feet) and need to be trellised in order to
thrive and be productive.
Gardeners will also run into the term “pole” when shopping for beans. Pole beans are a vine variety,
as opposed to bush beans, which are low, self-supporting plants. Pole beans need support and can get
quite unruly, so, in a small-space garden, bush varieties might be a better choice.
In most cases, winter squash (such as butternut and acorn) are indeterminate in their growth habit.
Summer squash (such as zucchini and yellow crookneck) are usually determinate and have a bush
habit. Even so, summer squash plants are not small. In fact, they tend to be space hogs and often grow
wider than they are tall. These are important considerations in a small-space garden, where a gangly
plant can encroach on neighbors or crowd out other plantings.
WHEN TO PLANT SEEDS
Once you've determined your growing climate by looking up your USDA hardiness zone (or whatever
resource is commonly used where you live), you'll understand the frost bookends for your garden sea-
son. The accompanying table gives you the guidelines for what can survive best in various temperat-
ures.
