When trying to plan your home vegetable garden you may have come across the terms cool season vegetables or warm season vegetables.  The difference is rather simple.

A cool season plant grows slower in cooler temperatures but is generally harvested before it produces flowers or “goes to seed.”  Basically the part of the plant that we eat is the stem (celery), tuber (potato), leaves (lettuce, spinach) or flower buds (broccoli).  Peas are an exception since it is the seed that is eaten.  Also, some cool season plants are bred so that they don’t flower at all.

The cool season plants will continue to grow when the temperature increases during early summer months, but at that point they will rapidly begin to produce seeds or flowers and are not as palatable.  One crop that doesn’t follow that guideline is potatoes, which have long growing seasons that include the summer months.  Potatoes are still considered a cool season vegetable because they favor more northern climates, like Idaho and Maine, and are planted in cooler weather.

The following are all examples of cool season crops:asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, chard, garlic, kohlrabi, lettuce, onions, peas, radishes, spinach, and turnips.

A note on lettuce: If the lettuce plant is exposed to extremely low temperatures early in the growing season it will cause flower buds to form.  Later on, when temperatures start to increase, the lettuce will grow a tall flowered seed stalk (this is called “bolting”) and the lettuce will taste very bitter.  To prevent bolting, cover the plants with a row cover when you anticipate that the temperature will drop and harvest the plants as soon as they are ready (don’t leave it in the ground too long, giving it the opportunity to bolt).

Warm season plants require warmer temperatures when planted in the ground and for optimum growth.  The objective of the warm season plant is to produce flowers, which end up bearing the fruit we eat.  Warm season crops are generally planted in early summer, with the exception of sweetpotatoes, which are planted in early spring.  However, sweetpotatoes are still considered a warm season vegetable because the crop favors more southern climates and long, hot growing seasons.  Most warm season plants will be damaged if exposed to extremely low temperatures or frost, causing delayed fruit maturity and decreased yield.

The following are all examples of warm season crops: beans (lima, pole, snap), cantaloupe, corn, cucumber, eggplant, okra, pepper, pumpkins, squash, sweetpotatoes, tomatoes and watermelons.

In general, keep in mind that it is important to follow the planting and seeding guidelines of your area to avoid loss or damage to your garden plants that can not tolerate temperatures unfavorable to its growth.

The Difference Between a Fruit and a Vegetable

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between a fruit and a vegetable?  Well, the botanically correct answer may surprise you.

A fruit is anything that grows from a flower, or the ripened ovary (or ovaries) of a seed-bearing plant.  Everything else that is cultivated for its edible part from a plant (seed, stem, root, etc.) is a vegetable.

Some fruit examples: beans, cantaloupes, cucumber, eggplant, nuts, okra, peas, pepper, pumpkins, squash, tomatoes, and watermelons.

Some vegetable examples: lettuce, broccoli (immature flowers), onions, potatoes, radishes, spinach, and turnips.

As you may have guessed, most cool season plants are vegetables and most warm season “vegetables” are actually fruit!

Now you know a little bit more about your garden.Gardeners know all the best dirt, don’t they?