Zone 9 Garden » Vegetable Profile http://www.zone9garden.com Wed, 09 Jun 2010 15:50:23 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Eggplant – Vegetable Profile http://www.zone9garden.com/eggplant http://www.zone9garden.com/eggplant#comments Thu, 18 Feb 2010 18:15:28 +0000 Dan http://www.zone9garden.com/?p=605 Zone 9 Eggplant
Eggplant is a delicious and nutritious vegetable that is easy to grow in zone 9, here is a profile [...] Related posts:
  1. Pole Beans – Vegetable Profile
  2. Growing Eggplant for the First Time
  3. Radish – Vegetable Profile
]]> Zone 9 Eggplant

Name Eggplant
Varieties Black Beauty, Bambino, Diva, Little Fingers
Family Tomatoes
Exposure Full Sun
Size 2-5′ tall plants, wide range of sizes for fruits
Days to Harvest 85-100 days
Description An eggplant plant looks similar to that of a tomato or pepper plant, just a little bit sturdier.  The plant grows about 2-5′ tall bearing fruits that range from a light purple to dark black.
Sowing Sow seeds indoors about 6 to 8 weeks before final frost of the season.  Transplant the seedlings outdoors about 2 to 3 weeks after the last frost.
Growing Eggplant is a heavy feeder requiring a lot of nutrients to grow and produce fruit.  The amount of Nitrogen should, however, be moderate as a high amount of nitrogen will cause the plant to grow large and leafy and produce poorly.  Eggplant is very drought tolerant and should not be over watered.  1″ of water a week is often enough.

Because eggplant is a heat lover the soil should be mulched heavily to help avoid evaporation and maintain nutrients in the soil.
Harvest Eggplants should be harvest sooner than what you normally see in the market, about half the size.  Once the skin become shiny and reflective the fruit is ready to harvest.  The earlier they are harvested the more flavor they will have and the less seeds will be present.
Notes Eggplant blossoms are self pollinating.

Eggplant blossoms should be pruned off starting about 5 weeks before first frost of the season to direct all energy to ripening fruits already on the plant.

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  1. Pole Beans – Vegetable Profile
  2. Growing Eggplant for the First Time
  3. Radish – Vegetable Profile

]]> http://www.zone9garden.com/eggplant/feed 0 Okra – Vegetable Profile http://www.zone9garden.com/okra-vegetable-profile http://www.zone9garden.com/okra-vegetable-profile#comments Wed, 03 Feb 2010 19:21:16 +0000 Dan http://www.zone9garden.com/?p=565 Vegetable Garden Blog - Okra
Okra is a southern vegetable favorite! Here is a simple profile of the vegetable![...] Related posts:
  1. Eggplant – Vegetable Profile
  2. Pole Beans – Vegetable Profile
  3. Radish – Vegetable Profile
]]> Vegetable Garden Blog - Okra
Name Okra
Verities Burgundy, Cajon Delight, Emerald
Family Mallow
Exposure Full Sun
Size Up to 6′ +
Days to Harvest 55-60
Description Okra is a tall broad leafed plant that produces long green seed pods that are edible and quite tasty when harvested early.  The plant produces great looking flowers (it is in the hibiscus family) that are very attractive to bees and other pollinators.  
Sowing Okra is primarily a warm weather crop and should be sown after all threat of frost has past.  If sowing indoors it can be sown as early as 5 weeks before the final frost date.
Growing A fairly undemanding plant that has moderate nutrient requirements.  The warmer the season the better for growing Okra.  Because it loves the heat it is important to monitor moisture.
Harvest Okra pods should be harvested before they are 4 inches long.  Most are at their best between 2 and 3 inches.  If allowed to grow to long they will become stringy and loose quite a bit of flavor.
Notes Okra does not store well so it should be eaten fresh!

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  1. Eggplant – Vegetable Profile
  2. Pole Beans – Vegetable Profile
  3. Radish – Vegetable Profile

]]> http://www.zone9garden.com/okra-vegetable-profile/feed 0 Radish – Vegetable Profile http://www.zone9garden.com/radish-vegetable-profile http://www.zone9garden.com/radish-vegetable-profile#comments Mon, 01 Feb 2010 04:52:45 +0000 Dan http://www.zone9garden.com/?p=588 Radish Vegetable Profile
Related posts:
  1. Okra – Vegetable Profile
  2. Pole Beans – Vegetable Profile
  3. Eggplant – Vegetable Profile
]]> Radish Vegetable Profile
Name Radishes
Verities Cherry Bell, Easter Egg, Miyashige
Family Cabbage Family
Exposure Full Sun, Will tolerate partial shade
Size 6" – 12"
Days to Harvest ~ 30 Days
Description Radishes are famous for the crisp flavor that they add to a fresh salad, but they can also be eaten whole or pickled.  Most radishes are a small round red root with a white flesh inside.  
Sowing Radishes like cool weather and hate to have any interruptions while growing.  Once the seeds are sown the soil should be kept evenly moist.  Radishes grow very quickly so it is important to keep conditions ideal at all times.
Growing Although a fast grower, Radishes are fairly undemanding.  They do, however, like to have their nutrients readily available, so a well finished compost is a great amendment to soil that will grow radishes.
Harvest Once a radish is ripe it should be harvested right away.  They do not hold their flavor for long in the ground and will also split in a few days after they have ripened.  Radishes are best eaten fresh but some will store for a few days to a few weeks in a refrigerator.
Notes Radishes make a great Trap crop for those growing Broccoli, kale, turnips and pak choi.  Pest that like these crops also love radishes!

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]]> http://www.zone9garden.com/radish-vegetable-profile/feed 2 Pole Beans – Vegetable Profile http://www.zone9garden.com/pole-beans-vegetable-profile http://www.zone9garden.com/pole-beans-vegetable-profile#comments Fri, 29 Jan 2010 19:32:13 +0000 Dan http://www.zone9garden.com/?p=551 Pole Beans - Vegetable Profile
Pole Beans are the second most popular vegetable to grow in the home garden. Here is a quick profile of them! Related posts:
  1. Eggplant – Vegetable Profile
  2. How to Grow Pole Green Beans in a Container
  3. Okra – Vegetable Profile
]]> Pole Beans - Vegetable Profile
Name Pole Beans (Green Beans, Snap Beans, String Beans)
Verities Kentucky Wonder, Blue Lake, Romano Italian
Family Legume
Exposure Full sun light
Size Up to  8′ tall (Trellis required)
Days to Harvest 50-60 Days
Description Pole beans are several inches long and are a deep, full green color (some varieties are different colors).  When harvested as "green beans" they are about the thickness of a pencil.  The plant has tear shaped leaves that grow to the size of an open hand.  
Sowing Pole Beans should be sown out doors after the threat of frost has past.  Sowing in doors is possible, but Pole Beans grow fairly fast making this unnecessary.  Plant each bean about an inch deep with its eye facing down.  Space about 4-5" apart.
Growing All plants in the legume family produce their own nitrogen from a symbiosis with a bacteria that takes nitrogen from the air and puts it in the soil.  Because of this Pole beans do not require much fertilization with nitrogen, how ever, it does take a little time to get the bacteria producing so a light fertilization with nitrogen upon germination can be helpful.

Not much help is needed to get the plant started but once it starts to reach 2-3′ tall it will need more nutrients, and as such should be fertilized with a low nitrogen fertilizer.
Harvest Once the beans have reached a harvestable size (about as thick as a pencil) they should be harvested.  This size bean will be at its best flavor and will not be stringy. 

Continued harvest will cause the plant to continue to grow more beans.  When the growing season nears an end, allow a few been pods to reach full maturity to save for sowing next season!
Notes Try not to plant legumes in the same spot to many times.  It will lead to an excess of nitrogen in the soil and cause many problems!

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  1. Eggplant – Vegetable Profile
  2. How to Grow Pole Green Beans in a Container
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