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 Plant list: Easy vegetables
Seed quality these days is so high, that getting a crop can be, literally, a matter of scattering seed onto a bit of bare earth. And there is heaps of information on the seed packet, so remember to read it.
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| Latin name: | | Lactuca sativa |
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| Common name: | | Lettuce |
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| Type of plant: | | Annual |
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| Hardiness: | | Tender |
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| Flower colour: | | N/A |
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| Leaf colour: | | Green, red |
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| Height and spread: | | 20cm to 30 cm x 20cm (8in to 1ft x 8in) |
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| Description: | |
There are heaps of lettuce types, for example Webbs, Cos, Butterhead, those with crinkly leaves. Sow at two week intervals for continual supply, and try a few different ones. Also look great planted in an ornamental border.
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| Latin name: | | Raphanus sativus |
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| Common name: | | Radish |
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| Type of plant: | | Annual |
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| Hardiness: | | Frost hardy |
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| Flower colour: | | N/A |
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| Leaf colour: | | Dull green |
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| Height and spread: | | 10cm to 20cm x 5cm to 10cm (4in to 8in x 2in to 4in) |
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| Description: | |
With radish the bit you eat is a swollen root, which can be globe or cylinder shaped in white, pink, red, black, yellow or green. Good cultivars to try are ‘Crystal Ball,’ ‘Sparkler,’ and ‘Long White Icicle.’
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| Latin name: | | Daucus carota |
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| Common name: | | Carrot |
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| Type of plant: | | Annual |
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| Hardiness: | | Hardy |
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| Flower colour: | | N/A |
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| Leaf colour: | | Bright green |
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| Height and spread: | | 20cm to 25cm x 10cm to 15cm (8in to 10in x 4in to 6in) |
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| Description: | |
What you eat is a swollen tap root, which may be orange or yellow. Carrot foliage is feathery, and looks attractive in the ornamental garden. Good cultivars are ‘Nanco’ F1, ‘Autumn King’ and ‘Nairobi.’
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| Latin name: | | Solanum tuberosum |
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| Common name: | | Potato |
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| Type of plant: | | Tuber |
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| Hardiness: | | Tender |
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| Flower colour: | | White |
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| Leaf colour: | | Kid-green |
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| Height and spread: | | 60cm x 60cm (2ft x 2ft) |
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| Description: | |
Potatoes prefer acid soil. There are many types which harvest early, for example ‘Maris Bard’; second early, for example Wilja; and maincrop, for example King Edward. Spuds are also a labour saving way of breaking up poor soil!
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| Latin name: | | Pisum sativum |
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| Common name: | | Pea |
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| Type of plant: | | Climber |
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| Hardiness: | | Tender |
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| Flower colour: | | White, pink |
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| Leaf colour: | | Dull green |
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| Height and spread: | | 45cm to 3m x 25cm (1.5ft to 10ft x 10in) |
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| Description: | |
Peas are annual tendril climbers. You can help them by surrounding the row with chicken wire to give them something to grab, and to stop them flopping. Sow every two weeks for crop succession. Good cultivars include ‘Early Onward (early), ‘Tristar’, ‘Poppet’ (maincrop)
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