Six Common Vegetables In Gardening

The six most common vegetables in gardening are:

Asparagus  

Prepare a well-drained bed the previous autumn by working in well-rotted manure or compost. The plants may be grown from seed, but that way they will take at least three years before a crop is raised. It is far better to purchase one-year-old plants, and modern varieties will allow you to take a small crop in the second year. Plant the crowns24in ( 60cm ) apart in rows that are24in ( 60cm ) apart themselves. In the autumn you must cut back the foliage (which is ideal for floral decoration) to just above ground level, and then mulch with well-rotted manure or compost. In the spring spread 2/20z/sq yd (70g /sq m) of organic fertilizer. Harvest the asparagus by cutting the shoots when they are 6-8in (l5 -20cm ) high, to1 in ( 2.5cm ) below the surface. 

Beans - Dwarf or French 

Prepare a trench l0  in  (  25cm ) wide by l0  in  (  25cm ) deep. Line the trench with newspaper followed by  2in  (  5cm ) of well-rotted manure. Fill to the surface level with the excavated soil. The beans should be raised individually in pots and started in the greenhouse or conservatory from the second week in May for planting straight out into the prepared ground. Plant two rows, with each one at the edge of the trench and the individual beans 6in  (  15cm ) apart.

For an earlier crop, plant three weeks sooner and cover with cloches. Successive sowings may be conducted until the middle of July, and with these you may plant the seeds straight into the trench. If it has not completed its cropping before the onset of the first frosts, the last sowing should be protected by the cloches. It is important that the beans (which are ready for harvesting 8-10 weeks after planting) are cropped when they are the size of a pencil, to ensure that they are not tough and that the maximum crop is obtained. 

Beans - Runner 

You can eat it fresh or for freezing. Prepare a patch 3x3ft  (I sq m), in the same way as you would for dwarf beans. Plant the bean seeds individually in pots during the first week of May, and harden off when the plants are 4in  (  10cm ) high. The beans must then be staked, and for this you should prepare wigwams of 8ft  (  2.5m ) canes.

The structure should cover the whole of the area of prepared ground, being built from eight canes - this will be very economical in terms of ground covered and a  total of two or four wigwams may be built in the corners of the vegetable plot. This method will also reduce the amount of shadow thrown as compared with the alternative way of growing beans, by constructing a row of canes. Only one sowing will be necessary and the beans must be harvested whilst they are still young and tender. Do not attempt to produce the long beans of the show bench. 

Beans - Broad 

In mild, well-drained areas the hardy 'Aquadulce' variety may be planted as the weather allows from mid-November through to January. Early plantings have the advantage in that they produce a crop which escapes the ravages of the black fly. From February onwards sow one of the 'Windsor  ' varieties and pick out the growing shoots when the flowers have set. This will not only deter the black fly which will devastate this crop but the shoots may also be cooked and eaten like cabbage.

The seeds may be sown in pots then hardened off and planted out, or the hardy vegetable can be sown straight into the ground providing that it is not waterlogged. In good soil broad beans grow to about  3ft  (  1 m  ) in height. They do not need staking, but a strong cane should be put at each end of the 6ft  (  2m ) row and two pieces of string tied around the cane in order to form a loop which will support the vegetables.  

Courgettes 

This is a miniature form of the marrow from which the fruits are harvested when they are 4in  (  10cm ) long. Prepare the bed in the early spring by digging in well-rotted manure; if space is at a premium you may use any site which has become vacant as a result of the first crops, such as lettuce or other saladings grown under glass, having been harvested.

Plant the large sunflower-­like seeds in pots during early May, and when they have developed two leaves in addition to their cotyledons (the seed leaves), place them outside during the day to harden off. When there is no longer any danger of frosts plant six plants 2ft  (  60cm ) apart in rows 2ft  (  60cm ) apart. Marrows may be grown in exactly the same way. Two to four plants should be sufficient for the average family. 

Cabbage 

There are plenty of cabbages in terms of weight in the greengrocers, but shops do tend to have only a small selection of this vast family of vegetables. Many other forms of cabbage are more interesting and present a greater variation in the diet than the ubiquitous forms presented to us on the shelf. All cabbages may be grown by the same method, with the seeds being sown in drills that are  1/  4in  (  0.5cm  ) deep.

When the young plants are about  5in  (  13cm  ) in height they are placed in rows  24in  (  60cm  ) apart, with the individual plants spaced out to a similar distance. Since the average household seeking to provide variety to its diet will not require more than a dozen plants of any single variety, it will be almost as cheap to buy the plants from the local garden centre.

Cabbages are gross feeders, and they require a rich soil that is well manured. With summer varieties, but not those which have to stand the winter as the growth which is produced will be too soft and lush, sprinkle a very light dressing of nitrate of ammonia in a circle  6in ( 15cm ) from the stem.

This will produce monster specimens. Some of the types that you might choose to grow are white sprouting broccoli, purple sprouting broccoli, Calabrese, spring greens, 'January King', 'Christ­mas Drumhead', cauliflowers and Brussels sprouts.  

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