Vegetable List, Fall 2021

Quick Overview

• Broccoli (early spring only)

• Cantaloupe

• Celery (early spring only)

• Corn

• Cucumbers (available starting 02/25–3/31)

• Eggplant

• Lettuce (early spring only)

• Okra (available starting 02/25–3/31)

• Onions, Bunching

• Onions, Spreading

• Roselle

• Spinach

• Squash (available starting 02/25–3/31)

• Swiss Chard (early spring only)

• Watermelon

Helpful Hints

• Most vegetables require 6–8 hours of sunlight

• Make sure to inspect your plants regularly and monitor for pests

• Caterpillars love those leafy greens as much as we do! Control them with an organic product, such as BT. BT does not harm pollinators (such as bees). Our staff is also available to help with selecting just the right product for your needs!

• Check out the garden center for a variety of different seeds, such as carrots, radishes, peas and beets!

• Amend your soil prior to planting with Happy Frog Soil Conditioner—your plants with thank you!

• Fertilize with Microlife products or Foxfarm products

• Staff pick book for the Houston area gardener:

  Year Round Vegetables, Fruits and Flowers for Metro Houston by Bob Randall (available in the gift shop). It’s a great reference book to guide you on your gardening journey!

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Fall/Cool Season Vegetables (Subject to Availability)

Artichoke 

Harvest immature flower buds before they start to open. The base of each bract & the large, fleshy base (or artichoke heart) are edible & delicious. The smaller immature heads are the most tender. Beautiful plants become large, 4-5’ tall and wide, & unharvested buds open into gorgeous thistle-like flowers. Full sun to part shade. 

Cardoon: (120 days) relatively tender perennial; leaf stalks are also edible when steamed or braised. 

Green Globe: Heirloom (78 days); purple tinged, deep green buds develop into 3-5” wide, thick flavorful heads; approx. 3-4 per plant 

Imperial Star: (80-100 days) Attractive plants with grey-green foliage grow 4 ft. tall with a similar spread. High yields of sweet, mild tasting flower buds, 4 1/2" in diameter are very slow to open when mature and are produced the first year. Perennial in zones 7-9. 

Bak Choi/Bok Choy

One of the most popular Asian vegetables; tasty leaves with slight mustardy flavor; harvest at any stage; great in stir fries, soups, noodles, meat dishes and salads. 

Green: (40-50 days) Dark Green leaves with white stems 

Beans 

Valentino: Bush Bean (55 days) Strong performer in the heat; produces concentrated clumps of tender, dark green tasty beans 

Broccoli 

Destiny: (57 days) vigorous, similar to Packman, but slightly more heat tolerant with a smaller plant size 

Green Magic: (60 days) produces well even in the heat; compact and very productive plants 

Gypsy: (60 days) Good heat tolerance and holding ability; offers better uniformity and head shape than older varieties 

Pac Man: (57 days) produces large 8” heads and continues to yield loads of smaller, tender heads on side shoots.

Brussels Sprouts 

Franklin: (80-100 days) very early maturity and premium quality; big yields of spherical, 1 to 1.5”, high quality sprouts that are firm and tightly wrapped with good mild flavor.

Redarling: (100 days) a distinctive, vivid, red-purple Brussels sprouts with a slightly sweeter flavor than most green varieties. The 1”. sprouts are a rich source of Vitamin C and folic acid.

Jade Cross: (95 days) produces high yields of deep green, flavorful 1/4 to 1″ round sprouts; more compact than other varieties

Cabbage

Copenhagen: (63-100 days) the largest early round-head cabbage variety; has good keeping ability, excellent uniformity, and rich flavor. This variety is outstanding for coleslaw.

Katarina: (45 days) produces uniform, 4” globes on compact plants; great for raised beds or containers

Napa Bilko: (63 days) the best known variety of the Chinese cabbages with large, full-size heads and good disease resistance.

Ruby Ball: (78 days) 6-8” round heads, mild, sweet flavor; stores well after harvest

Ruby Perfection: (85 days) mid-season producer of 3lb, deep purple cabbages that hold well on the plants until harvested

Stonehead: (67 days) early producer of tightly packed, short-cored. 4-6 lb. heads; pest and disease resistant

Cauliflower

Cheddar: (68 days) domed, 4-7” wide, orange-colored heads with 25x the beta carotene of plain white types; keeps color when cooked; extra healthy and colorful in raw or cooked dishes

Graffiti: (80 days) large, deep purple heads that turn a mauve color when cooked; more tolerant of rainy & humid climates than other varieties; highly resistant to powdery mildew; excellent when steamed, sautéed or boiled (add a little lemon juice or vinegar to keep color stronger)

Minuteman: (70 days) a hybrid, heat-tolerant cauliflower with large, dense, bright white heads. Early-maturing and widely-adapted with exceptional vigor.

Snow Crown: (50-60 days) mild and sweet, large white heads on a fast-growing, vigorous plant; holds up to 10 days in the garden 

Veronica Romanesco: (77-85 days) large heads with clusters of swirling lime-green spires as beautiful as they are delicious; tastes like a nuttier cross of broccoli and cauliflower; excellent raw or cooked

Celery

Utah: (90-100 days) compact variety with dark, green stalks; harvest by cutting the base at soil level with a knife; much more aromatic and delicious than store bought celery!

Collards

Georgia Collards: (45 days) prized for sweet, cabbage-like flavor; can be harvested leaf by leaf or whole head; grows 24-36” tall; plant 2 feet apart

Kale

Nero di Toscano: Heirloom (50 days); superior Italian variety (aka Lacinato or Dinosaur Kale) dark green, heavily blistered leaves have a softer texture than curly types; productive plants can reach up to 2-3’ tall; heat tolerant

Prizm: (50-60 days) AAS Vegetable Award Winner; grows well in raised beds or containers; very heat tolerant; produces large, tender, tightly ruffled leaves

Redbor: (50 days) densely curled, blue green leaves with a superb flavor and texture; compact growth habit

Russian Red: (50-60 days) Stems are purple; leaves are flat and toothed with purple veins; tender for fresh eating. Flavor becomes sweeter after the first frost.

Kohlrabri

Gourmet Purple: (50 days) slightly flattened, lilac purple, crisp bulbs with a delicate sweet flavor; slow to bolt

Lettuce

All-Star Gourmet: (30 days) specially-designed salad mix with reds, greens, ruffles & other uniquely-shaped leaves (Green and Red Oakleaf, Green and Red Romaine, Lolla Rossa & Redleaf)

Al Fresco Mix Lettuce: (45 days) this colorful and nutritious mix includes red and green leaf lettuce, with arugula, endive and radicchio, creating a Mediterranean combo

Black Seeded Simpson: (45 days) a very early and dependable lettuce. This large, upright, compact leaf-type lettuce produces delicious wide, light green, curled leaves.

Buttercrunch: (65 days) Award winner; heat-tolerant, Bibb-type with luscious, buttery texture; rich green leaves form a beautiful rosette in the garden that holds well under stress and has good bolt resistance

Cosmic Crimson: (50 days) a blazing blend of rich red and purple varieties, this lettuce blend is full of anthocyanin-rich varieties to make the most colorful salad blend possible

Global Gourmet: (35 days) a mix of Asian flavors and herbs for use in salads or stir-fry. The mix includes lettuces, brassicas, and Asian herbs to offer different leaf textures in shades of green and bronze.

Heatwave Blend Lettuce: (45 days) a collection of heat-tolerant varieties that includes romaine, oak-leaf, crisp-frilled, loose-leaf and bronze fern-leaf lettuces

Little Caesar Lettuce: Perfect for Caesar salads; tall heads have sweet crisp leaves that are perfect for small pots or small gardens

Mascara: (65 days) red, frilly, oak-shaped leaves that keep their color in warm weather. One of the brightest and most beautiful oak-shaped types

New Red Fire: (55 days) Large, loose heads are green at the base and very dark red at the ruffled leaf edges. Retains its crisp fresh flavor throughout the season.

ProSan Mix: (25-45 days) a mixture of Mizuna and Komatsuna with umami flavor perfect for salads or braising. Late to bolt and uniform in growth; the leaves are attractive bright purple and green shades; excellent for container gardening and baby greens

Red Salad Bowl Lettuce: (45 days) long-standing, slow-to-bolt, early maturing lettuce that makes a pretty addition to salads and can be harvested all season long

Romaine: (65-70 days); thick, crisp, elongated leaves that hold well after harvest; sweet and delicious; very heat-resistant and slow to bolt

Siamese Dragon Stir Fry: (25-45 days) all the best Asian greens for stir-frying and steaming.

Simpson Elite: (53 days) like Black-Seeded Simpson, but can be harvested a month longer; crisp texture and fine flavor; early maturing and tolerant of hot weather

Mizuna

Beri Houshi: (40 days) bright purple stems are rich in antioxidants; greens are excellent raw in salads and add a bright umami flavor

Red Streaked: (40 days) eaten fresh, these maroon colored greens add a wild mustardy flavor to salads and sandwiches

Mustard

Florida Broadleaf: (45 days) fast growing, mild flavored; produces large, broad leaves; will tolerate heat better than most other mustards

Red Giant: (40 days) bold, spicy flavor with beautiful maroon leaves; great container plant; frost improves flavor and color

Onions, Bunching

Ishikura Bunching Onion: (40-60 days) vigorous and hardy winter variety; excellent mild flavor; Japanese bunching (non-bulbing) onions best used like scallions

Pak Choi

Rosie: (21-42 days) attractive purple/red-leaved variety with bright green stems; flavor is sweet with a hint of mustard; can be used as a baby leaf vegetable or as whole heads (cut off just above ground level and allow to re-sprout) shredded into stir-fries

Toy Choi: (30 days) a miniature variety; flavor is mild, tender and succulent; perfect single serving vegetable; eat fresh, steamed or add to soups and stir-fries

Peas

Patio Pride: (40 days) AAS Winner. This compact beauty produces sweet, uniform pods that are very tender when harvested early.

Super Sugar Snap: (61 days) resistant to powdery mildew; vines average 5’; heavy early yields; remove string from pod before eating.

Sorrel

Red Veined: (50 days); beautiful perennial with red streaked leaves; citrusy, rhubarb like flavor; great for salads or lettuce wraps

Spinach

Monstreaux di Viroflay: (50 days) a gourmet French heirloom spinach; fast growing with flavorful, smooth leaves that get up to 10” long

Perpetual: (50 days) Belongs to the same species as chard and beets, but the taste is more like a true spinach. Very longstanding in the garden and seldom bolts during its first year.

Swiss Chard

(60 days) a close relative of garden beets; tangy, colorful leaves and stems are an excellent cooked vegetable and a tremendous source of vitamins; eat like spinach or beet greens; best harvested young for salads; tolerant of hot weather and easy to grow!

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