VEGETABLES and FRUITS

u  My very favorite foods – especially in the summer.

u  Flavorful

u  Healthy

u  Prepare many ways

u  Colorful on your plate

Summer Squash

u Summer squash are harvested when immature, while the rind is still tender and edible. Most summer squash have a bushy growth habit, unlike the rambling vines of many winter squashes.  The name "summer squash" refers to the short storage life of these squashes, unlike that of winter squash.

Zucchini

u Black Beauty – Full sun, 50 days to maturity. Best picked 6 to 8 inches (HA HA)

Yellow Straightneck

u 50 days, full sun.

Winter Squash

Summer-growing annual fruit. Differs from summer squash in that it is harvested and eaten in the mature fruit stage; the seeds within have matured fully and the skin has hardened into a tough rind. Can be stored for use during the winter.

Waltham Butternut

u Heirloom, full sun, 83 to 100 days.

Eggplant

Species of nightshade grown for its edible fruit.  It is related to both the tomato and the potato. It was originally domesticated from the wild nightshade species, the thorn or bitter apple.

Ping Tung

u 70 days. From Ping Tung, Taiwan – purple fruit - @ 18” long.

Black Beauty Eggplant

u Large-fruited black eggplant.

u Ripens early

u Height: 18-24 inches

u Full Sun

u Days to Maturity 74

White Star Eggplant

u 

u Hybrid

u A white eggplant!

u  Exposure: Full Sun - 6+ hours direct sun

u Days to harvest: 65

Cucumbers

Widely cultivated plant in the gourd family. Creeping vine that bears cylindrical fruit. Three main varieties of cucumber: slicing, pickling, and burpless. The cucumber is originally from Southern Asia, but now grows on most continents.

Marketmore

u Full sun, non bitter fruits. Produces until first frost. Virus and disease resistant. 58 days to maturity.

Lemon Cucumber

u Non bitter, heirloom. Good for salads and pickling. Full sun, days to maturity 65.

Armenian Cucumber

u Not a cucumber but a melon used as a cucumber. Full sun, days to maturity 70. Best eaten at 24”.

Suyo Long Cucumber

u Chinese variety of delicious, burpless cucumber: bright-tasting and crisp. Trellis and can be eaten raw or used for pickling. Full sun – can be picked at any stage. Days to maturity – 61

English Telegraph Cucumber

u 60 days. Fruit up to 18” long. Very crisp, tender and mild; superb flavor. Very few seeds; high-yielding vines, great for greenhouse production; also good cultured outdoors.

Lafayette Cucumber

u 52 days. Indeterminate plant, heavy yields, full sun. Pickling cucumber.

Pumpkins

u Cultivar of the squash plant. Slightly ribbed skin and deep yellow to orange coloration (and white). Native to North America. Used in food and decoration. Majority of pumpkins are grown for decoration.

Giant Pumpkin

u Fruit Weight 8000 lbs. u Additional Characteristics

Edible u Light Requirements Full Sun u Moisture Requirements Moist,

well-drained u Soil Tolerance Normal, loamy u Day to Maturity – 130

Baby Boo Pumpkin

u A unique miniature pumpkin just 3" across with white flesh and a ghostly white skin.

u Sun: Full Sun

u Spread: 4 feet

u Days to Maturity: 90-95

Jack Be Little Pumpkin

u Adorable, miniature pumpkins, just 3" across and 2" high, for fall/winter decorations.

u 3'.

u Sun: Full Sun

u Days to Maturity: 95

HiJinks Pumpkin

u 6- to 7-pound pumpkins offer deep orange color, nice grooving, and strong stems.

u Perfect all around pumpkin.

u 100 days after direct sowing

Melons

u  the melon is a botanical fruit (specifically, a berry), some varieties may be considered vegetables rather than fruits.

Tam Dew Honeydew

u 100 days. Beautiful, ivory green fruit, deep green - very sweet flesh with classic Honeydew flavor! A superb variety.

Sugar Cube Cantalope

u 80 days. Coarsely netted, round, 2 pound fruit have juicy, deep orange

Watermelon

u  Vine-like flowering plant originally from West Africa. Watermelon is a tender, warm-season vegetable. Watermelons can be grown in all parts of the country, but the warmer temperatures and longer growing season of southern areas especially favor this vegetable. Gardeners in northern areas should choose early varieties and use transplants

New Queen Watermelon

u  80 days. New Queen matures early and exhibits a stunning bright orange flesh that is tender, crisp, and juicy. Very few seeds, and a 12% sugar content. The melons are globe-shaped and have light green rinds with distinctive dark green stripes. Each weighs about 5-6 pounds. Hybrid.

Blacktail Watermelon

u  70 days. One of the earliest watermelons .The flesh is red and deliciously sweet. Fruit have a dark rind and weigh 8-12 lbs. each. A favorite of many gardeners across the USA.

Sugar Baby Watermelon

u  79 days. The #1 icebox sized melon! Early! 6-10 lb. melons are great for the north and have sweet deep red flesh

Carolina Cross Watermelon

u  Fruit Weight: 50-200  pounds

u  Days to Maturity: 100  days

u  Sun: Full Sun 

u 

Gourds u  Gourds have been cultivated for

thousands of years by many cultures worldwide, including Native Americans, for their usefulness as utensils, storage containers, and as ornaments. Gourds are related to melons, squash, pumpkins, and cucumbers.

u  There are three types of gourds : the ornamental gourds; large, utilitarian gourds; and the luffa, or vegetable sponge.

u  120 days (seed to after first frost), full sun

Bushel Basket Dipper

u  This gourd grows from 30-50 lbs. and the fruit is dried to make large baskets and decorations. Crafters love its unusual shape. 125 days.

Bird House Gourd

Long Neck Dipper Gourd

Sweet Peppers

Offer a wide array of colors ranging from green, red, yellow, orange, purple, brown to black. Sweet peppers are plump, bell-shaped vegetables featuring either three or four lobes. Green and purple peppers have a slightly bitter flavor, while the red, orange and yellows are sweeter and almost fruity.

Yum Yum Sweet Pepper

u  Nearly seedless peppers in a mix of tangerine, red and yellow. They keep well and maintain their crunch. Very sweet— great on kebabs, stuffed or fresh. 55 DAYS, Full Sun

 Sweet Yellow Banana

Large, pointed fruits measure 6-7" long and 1½" across. The mild yellow peppers ultimately turn brilliant red. A favorite for pickling. 72 Days, Full Sun

King of the North Sweet

Green to glossy red fruits in short seasons. Improved for a higher percentage of blocky, thick-walled, early ripening peppers each with three to four lobes. Known for its ability to produce good sized peppers in short, cool seasons. Strong plants support heavy yields. Early • Days to maturity: 57 days green, 68 red

Emerald Giant Sweet Bell Big blocky fruits with sweet, juicy taste.

Bred by experts at the USDA, and introduced in 1963, this variety produces heavy yields of large, blocky 4-5" x 3½-4" fruits. The thick-walled, dark-green to red peppers have a sweet, juicy taste and crisp texture. Vigorous and prolific, the 26-30" upright plants bear over a long season. Harvest in 72-80 days after transplant. Days to Maturity: 72-80 days

Hot Peppers ----My favorite

The chili pepper is the the fruit[1] of plants from the genus Capsicum, members of the nightshade family.

The substances that give chili peppers their intensity when ingested or applied topically are capsaicin  and several related chemicals, collectively called capsaicinoids.

Scoville Scale

Big Jim, Anaheim Pepper

u  80 days. OP. The biggest of the New Mexican Anaheim type varieties, with pods as long as 12". Plants are tall and productive - best staked. These peppers are just perfect for chili rellenos. Mild to medium heat, and does well in hot, dry weather.

Habanero .  Habanero chilis are very hot, rated 100,000–350,000 on the Scoville scale. Full Sun, 80 days green, 100 days color.

Jalapeno Hot and Early The jalapeño is a medium-sized chili pepper. Early – 60 to green, 80 to red. Regular jalapeno, 65 to green, 90 to red.