Heirloom vegetables are worth trying, but remember that some varieties may not have the disease resistance and wide adaptability that the hybrids generally have.
Altered genes: Genetically modified varieties are plants that have a gene from a totally unrelated species inserted into the variety of vegetable so that the vegetable exhibits a certain trait. For example, geneticists may insert a gene of a harmless-to-humans pesticide into a seed to give the plant greater pest resistance. Genetically modified varieties of a number of vegetables are just now becoming available to home gardeners, but many unanswered questions remain about whether this new type of vegetable will be better or worse for people and the environment in the long run.
Theme Vegetable Gardens
You can get creative and group vegetables by their special uses. Theme gardens don’t have to take over your entire garden; they only need a corner or one raised bed. Just remember the spacing requirements for vegetables. Following are several popular garden themes:
- Greens garden: Grow a colorful salad greens garden filled with different colors and textures of lettuce, endive, spinach, Swiss chard, and parsley.
- Mexican salsa garden: Create a special nook for your own salsa garden, complete with different varieties of tomatoes, tomatillos, cilantro, peppers, and onions.
- Asian stir fry garden: Grow all the ingredients you need for a stir fry by planting pac choi, Chinese cabbage, snow peas, garlic, and scallions.
- Pizza garden: Design a circular garden, and in triangular sections (like pizza slices), grow favorite pizza toppings such as peppers, onions, and tomatoes.
Share This Article
