What Should I Plant???

All the vegetables I'm going to talk about are warm-weather plants.  That means they need to be planted after the danger of frost has passed.  Where I live in southern middle Tennessee that could be after April 15^th and sometimes a bit later.  (Update:  I now live in Texas, and I am still figuring out the last frost date.  So far it looks like about the third week in March.)  Also, this is a “quicky.”  I'm not going to go into great detail about each vegetable in this article.  I just want you to get off to a good start.  

First, think about what you like to eat.  What tastes best homegrown or is expensive to buy?  Tomatoes is usually the number one answer.  They only taste good homegrown.  So grow some tomato plants.  Buy plants to put in your garden.  Don't try to grow these from seed unless you can start in February and until you get more experience.   (Which Tomato Should I Grow?)

Next, think about getting a lot of bang for your buck.  These are things that give you a lot of food.  Here's what I do.  

I grow zucchini because I can get lots of food from them.  Pick them small so you don't have 2 foot long ones that have big ol' seeds in the middle that have to be scooped out and so that you are not overrun with them.  

Butternut squash, spaghetti squash, pumpkins and other “winter” squash are very expensive in the store.  (Note: they are called “winter” squashes because they are good for storing through the winter in a slightly cool place.  They all have a thick rind.  Don't try to store them in the fridge.  They just won't last as long.)  They have to grow a long time until they are ripe, and they have long vines, so keep those things in mind when planning your garden.  There are some bush varieties available.  Grow these from seed. 

I grow peppers.  I am most passionate about peppers.  That is for another day.  For right now, you need to know that peppers, both sweet and hot are easy to grow and don't have problems with pests or diseases.  You might occasionally find a tomato hornworm, but they are easily hand-picked and fed to the birds.  Do you want those sweet red peppers?  Then let the green ones stay on the plant long enough to get ripe.  Regular bell peppers ripen to red.  If you buy yellow or orange varieties, they will start out green too and will ripen to red, yellow, or orange.  I'll write more about that later, but that's enough to get you started.  Don't try to grow these from seed unless you start in January or February.  Buy plants. 

Cucumbers are a good choice for quick results.  The seeds are a nice size for kids to help plant and you'll have yields fairly quickly.  I like to let them run up on something so they don't take up so much room.   If you want to make pickles, then you need to buy seeds for "pickling" cucumbers.  The others will be soft when they are pickled. You'll know they are good for pickling because it will have "pickling" in the name.  Picklers are good for slicing AND pickling.  This is what I buy.

In the south, we like okra.  Nothing bothers okra.  To grow okra, soak the seeds overnight and plant when the soil is warmed up.  Give each plant plenty of room.  I would say to give each plant a square of about 2-3 feet.  I like Clemson Spineless because they don't get tough as quickly, but I am growing Lousiana Green Velvet this year at the recommendation of a friend.  

I would suggest that you don't try to grow corn in your small garden.  Yes, I know you like corn.  I do too.  But here's what you need to know about corn.  It is wind-pollinated.  You have to plant several short rows so they can pollinate each other.  Here's the quick botany lesson.  All those tassels are the male part and have all the pollen.  Those silks are the female parts and a pollen grain has to make it to the end of each silk to make each individual kernel of corn.  You just have to have more room to grow corn.  

Roasted Butternut Squash

Butternut squash is a wonderful vegetable, and I would love to see everyone use it more.  Many people think of it as a sweet food, but I prefer it to be savory.  My favorite way to prepare it is to roast it.  I then eat it in a pasta dish or in a pot pie type dish

Winter squashes include Butternut Squash, Hubbard Squash, and others with a thick skin.  They are called "winter squash" not because they grow in the winter but because they store well for eating during the winter.  You can use any winter squash for this recipe.  Summer squashes are yellow squash and zucchini, etc.

In Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House in the Big Woods, Laura writes of her ma cutting Hubbard squash into chunks with an ax!  I've never had to resort to that with Butternut.  :)

The easiest way I have found to peel butternut is to just use a good vegetable peeler and peel the squash before you cook it.  Then using a good sharp knife, cut off the ends and cut the whole thing in half lengthwise and then into about 1 inch pieces.  Butternut squash is not easy to cut at first.  If you can cut it into chunks that are shorter than your knife, it goes easier.  Oh, do scoop out the seeds and pulp first!

Preheat the oven to around 425.  (You can use a lower temperature if you're cooking something else.  Just cook longer.)

In a bowl toss with a little olive oil and rosemary, salt and pepper, and garlic.  You can use any other savory spices that sound good to you.

Place on a big sheet pan and cook until the edges are brown and the pieces are fork tender.  This will take around 30 - 45 minutes.  You want the edges to be browned.  That brown stuff is caramelization and is what makes roasted vegetables so good.

Using a wide spatula, take up the cooked squash and place in a big bowl.  I love to then add a bit of broth (chicken or vegetable) or water to the pan to get up the brown bits and let it reduce to make it a little saucy.  Pour this reduced liquid into the bowl with the squash.

My favorite way to eat this is over wide noodles or bow tie pasta with blue cheese on top!  A cheddar cheese will work just as well.  If you eat this with pasta, mix the cooked pasta into the bowl and mix together before serving.  

Add some crusty bread and you have a feast!