Growing Vegetables
Overwintering
Over the winter growth of many plants and wildlife slows right down. Mammals often hibernate, and plants come to a stand still. Bu...
| Cloche
A cover for a plant or soil. A greenhouse, polytunnel or even a plastic bottle can all be called cloches, but they do the job of p...
| Site
This is the area you have chosen for your veg. It may be lots of areas around the garden, or one spot, or a complete allotment, or...
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Patio or Balcony Garden
If you live in an apartment, you can still have a nice balcony or patio garden. Plant vegetables in pots and make use of vertical space. Grow “up and down” – use pots with trellises to grow up, and hanging pots to grow down, increasing your growing space. You’ll be amazed at how many vegetables you can grow!
Peas
It's best to pick them early; if they're left a couple of days too long, they'll go from sweet to starchy. Gather flat-pod snow peas when you see a hint of peas forming inside. Let snap peas plump up a bit before picking. Harvest shell peas before the pods have a chance to turn waxy.
Like
beans, you can harvest peas when they're still young and immature. They're also great in salads.
Peppers
(Sweet Peppers, Hot Peppers)Sweet Peppers
Peppers are more flavorful -- and nutritious -- if you allow them to ripen beyond the green stage. Most bell peppers will turn red, orange, yellow, chocolate-brown, or purple when fully ripe.
Like tomatoes, peppers will continue to ripen after they're harvested.
Hot Peppers
Like sweet peppers, the hot varieties will have the best flavor if you let them ripen fully. They ripen best at warm temperatures -- so be patient during periods of cool weather and watch them carefully during hot spells.
Wear gloves and wash your hands after handling hot peppers; the hot oils can irritate your eyes, nose, or mouth if the oils rub on them.