Tip of the Week: A Rainbow of Vegetables

Posted in Gardening Tips on July 12 2010, by Sonia Uyterhoeven

Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education. Join her each weekend for home gardening demonstrations on a variety of topics in the Home Gardening Center.

In my blog post last week I discussed combining color and texture in the vegetable garden. This week we will look at some new introductions and some old favorites that are worthy additions to a rainbow garden.

Gardeners who grow beets are familiar with the classic heirloom, Beta vulgaris ‘Chioggia’. It is incredibly sweet and mild when cooked, but once you slice through its red skin, its outstanding feature is revealed: alternating red and white rings. It retains its impressive bull’s eyes even when baked whole. This year growers such as Johnny’s Select Seeds and Parks Seeds are touting an improved version of this Italian classic called ‘Chioggia Guardsmark’.

When we think of butterhead lettuce we generally think of hydroponically grown, buttery-smooth green heads. I grew up on this Boston-type lettuce, and it is still a favorite choice in my family’s household. Some popular green varieties are ‘Buttercrunch’ and ‘Butterking’. The red-tinged heirloom varieties ‘Pirat’ and ‘Yugoslavian Red’ have long been a staple in my garden. This year a heat tolerant red variety called ‘Skyphos’ entered the market. It looks sensational. It is not too late to try both the beet and the lettuce as fast fall crops.

To continue with the red theme, a purple carrot called ‘Purple Pak’ is new, accompanying the purple heirloom ‘Dragon’. These colorful carrots are great for enticing kids to get their vitamins the natural way.

For beginner gardeners, zucchini is a good starter plant. Easy to direct sow, the seeds sprout quickly, and before you know it, you are battling a glut of these summer squashes. I have resolved the problem of excess by purchasing The Classic Zucchini Cookbook: 225 recipes for All Kinds of Squash, by Nancy C. Ralston, Marynor Jordan, and Andrea Chesman.

Burpee Seed Company has come up with a boldly striped hybrid call ‘Green Tiger’. I also love yellow summer squashes such as ‘Burpee Golden’ or ‘Golden Zucchini’ and the warty, curvy ‘Summer Crookneck’. I usually sow zucchinis twice a season for an early and late harvest—once in spring after the frost date and then once in mid-summer.

This is just the tip of the iceberg (not the lettuce). There are many beautiful vegetables—new and old—to add to your garden. Come see many colorful choices in the various kitchen gardens at the Botanical Garden during The Edible Garden: Growing and Preparing Good Food, through October 17.