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66swiss chard ‘rainbow chard’ Five-color silverbeet, ‘Bright-lights’Beta vulgaris subsp. cicla var. flavescens

Flavor swiss chard leaves offer a tangy sweetness with a bitter spiciness when cooked. the flavor is more intense than spinach, but not as bit-ter as kale or collards. use the young, leaves fresh in salads, or sauté the greens with garlic and a splash of lemon and serve topped with parmesan cheese.

Growing notes direct sow in the garden, 2–3 weeks before the last expected frost. You can also start seed indoors about 5–6 weeks earlier and transplant the seedlings into the garden. Gardeners in frost-free areas can sow throughout the fall

and winter and probably into summer.

tiny swiss chard seeds come in clusters, similar to beet seeds. You can either gently crush the seeds apart before planting or plant the cluster and thin the seedlings later. it is usually easier to thin the seedlings, and you can add the thinnings to salads or other dishes.

once established, swiss chard requires little more than regular watering, which is espe-cially important in hot weather, when growing slows and the leaves can become bitter. the plants can handle a few light frosts, so with some protection, even gardeners in cold climates can harvest into midwinter.

swiss chard leaves fall prey to many insect pests. most insect damage can be avoided by using row covers. slugs and snails can be collected and destroyed with traps. aphids may congregate, but a good hosing off, several

Swiss chard is not really chard at all; it is in fact a type of beet. The name is derived from carde, the French word for cardoon. Something was lost in the translation, and Americans now use the name Swiss chard inter-changeably with silverbeet. You may also find it listed as sea kale beet or spinach beet.

You will have no trouble getting your family to eat cooked greens if you serve this colorful Swiss chard. The flavor is both sweet and bitter, earthy and light. Leaf stems and veins are colored deep red, pink, gold, and or-ange, and leaves are various shades of green.

Maybe it is the beauty of this Swiss chard that once made it more popular in an ornamental garden than on the dinner table. To keep the colors so bright, plants of each color have to be grown separately by seed growers; then the seeds are mixed together and sold as a blend for planting. This plant is a biennial: plants take two years to produce seed. Although it is easy to grow, a lot of effort went into preparing the seeds for you.

Exposure: Full sun to partial shade

Ideal soil temperature: 55–75°F (13–24°c)

Seed Planting depth: 1/2–1 in. (1–2.5 cm)

Days to germination: 7–14 days

Spacing: 4–6 in. (10–15 cm)

Days to maturity: 55–60 days

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days in a row, should thwart them. the worst pest is beet leaf miner, fly larvae that tunnel throughout the leaves. remove any infested leaves and protect the plants with row covers. a natural product called spinosad shows great promise for leaf miner control.

How to harvest harvest in-dividual outer leaves or slice off

the whole plant about 2 in. (5 cm) from the ground. the plant will regrow more leaves for later harvests. leaves of about 10 in. (25.5 cm) or shorter will have the best flavor.

Others to try try ‘Flamingo Pink’ (with neon pink stems), ‘oriole orange’, and ‘rhubarb chard’ (bright red stems).

‘Rainbow Chard’ is one of the earliest greens to emerge in the spring, and it keeps growing well into the fall or winter.

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Pea ‘golden sweet’ snow pea Pisum sativum

Flavor ‘Golden sweet’ is one of the crispest and most succulent snow peas, with a flavor more full-bodied than that of the aver-age pea. they can be enjoyed fresh and raw or gently cooked. along with its sugary juiciness, it offers all the flavorful character of a mature pea, with a slightly spicy aftertaste.

Growing notes Peas like cool weather, so sow seeds early in the spring, after the ground has warmed to about 45°F (7°c) and the soil is dry enough so that when you squeeze it into a ball it falls apart with a tap of your fin-ger. a second planting can occur in midsummer to late summer. Gardeners with warm springs in Zones 7 and warmer will get best results planting peas in the fall. ‘Golden sweet’ will grow tall before it starts to flower.

the vines can reach 6 ft. (2 m) tall and are full, top to bottom, with pods. attach the vines to a tall, study trellis or fence to keep them off the ground and from

collapsing. allow for plenty of air circulation or the pods will be prone to disease and rot. rotting or fungus problems can occur during unusually wet weather; good air circulation is key, and trellising and the return of sun-shine will help control these problems. aphids can also be a problem, especially if the vines get thickly entwined or collapse.

Pea roots fix nitrogen and plants do not require supple-mental fertilizer. cut the spent vines at the soil line to allow the roots to remain and continue to feed the soil.

How to harvest ‘Golden sweet’ is tolerant of some heat and should produce well into summer. it is best when har-vested before the peas start to plump up. if you harvest them young, they are virtually string-less, but even if you miss a few, older pods will be crisp with good flavor.

Tip ‘Golden sweet’ peas can be left on the vine to mature; shell, dry, and store the peas to use in soups throughout the winter.

Others to try ‘mammoth melting sugar’ has shorter vines with a large yield and truly sweet pea pods. ‘oregon sugar Pod’ is

When the sun hits these peas, the translucent, lemon-yellow pods show a hint of the tiny peas inside. This gorgeous plant has vivid lilac flowers and golden stems cupped by leaves ringed in a rosy magenta. It is also a prodigious producer of the peppiest, most scrumptious and crunchy golden pea pods.

Perhaps the coloring should be a hint that ‘Golden Sweet’ hails from India, land of colorful spices and dyes, where it has been traced back to the 1600s. A fringe ben-efit of all that color is that the plentiful pods are easy to find among the leaves.

Exposure: Full sun

Ideal soil temperature: 65–75°F (18–24°c)

Planting depth: 1–11/2 in. (2.5–4 cm)

Days to germination: 7–14 days

Spacing: 2 in. (5 cm)

Days to maturity: 65–75 days

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a popular bushy plant with sweet peas that stay tender even as they plump up, but it is not heat

tolerant. ‘sugar snap’ is very sweet and quick to yield.

‘Golden Sweet’ stays crisp, even as the tiny peas begin to fill out.

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Pea ‘tall telephone’ Pole pea, ‘alderman’ Pisum sativum

Flavor this pea offers a sweet, succulent, juicy burst of flavor when eaten fresh and holds its flavor and texture well when fro-zen. the peas themselves are the wrinkled type, which means less starch and more pleasant sweet-ness to soften their savory flavor.

Growing notes ‘tall tele-phone’ produces best after a long, cool season, so start seeds as soon as the ground has warmed to about 45°F (7°c) and the soil is dry enough that it does not stick to your tools. Peas give out quickly in heat, so keep them cool with plenty of water. a fall crop can be seeded in mid-summer to late summer. Garden-ers with warm springs in Zones 7 and warmer will get best results planting peas in the fall.

as you plant the seeds, erect a sturdy trellis to keep the vines off the ground and allow for plenty of air circulation or the pods will be prone to disease and rot.

this pea produces a heavy crop in a short time and is a fairly easy grower, but it will

stop producing when the tem-peratures warm and stay above 80°F (27°c). in damp seasons, rotting or fungus diseases can be problematic, but these can be controlled by good trellising and the return of sunshine.

Pea roots fix nitrogen and do not require additional fertilizer. cut the spent vines at the soil line and allow the roots to re-main and feed the soil.

How to harvest harvest peas as soon as the pods feel full. Gently squeeze the pods to test for plumpness. the younger they are harvested, the sweeter they will be. harvest regularly to encourage the vines to produce more peas.

Tip ‘tall telephone’ sets most of it pods high on the vines and can get top heavy and droop when loaded with pods. harvest often and secure the vines to a strong trellis or other support.

Others to try ‘British Won-der’ vines are shorter and produce prolifically. ‘carlin’ (or ‘carling’) grows on tall vines and is usually dried for later use. ‘Prince albert’ produces tall vines with yellow-tinged peas and is popular for soups.

Pleasantly sweet, plump, and prolific, ‘Tall Telephone’ peas are so tantalizing, you may eat them before you reach the house. Although they are considered shelling peas, they make a wonderful cool snack to be enjoyed straight off the vine as you work in the garden.

In 1881, five years after Alexander Graham Bell spoke the immortal words, “Mr. Watson, come here. I want to see you,” ‘Tall Telephone’ peas were introduced, named in honor of the invention that was sweeping the nation. This tall, old-fashioned variety is a sight to see when laden with masses of plump pods. ‘Tall Telephone’, or ‘Alderman’ as it is known in England, reaches 6–8 ft. (2–2.5 m) tall and drips with hundreds of pods.

‘Tall Telephone’ peas are seriously tall vines; do not skimp on the trellis.

Exposure: Full sun

Ideal soil temperature:

65–75°F (18–24°c)

Planting depth: 1–11/2 in. (2.5–4 cm)

Days to germination:

7–14 days

Spacing: 2 in. (5 cm)

Days to maturity: 65–75 days

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will start to bend and fall when it is time to harvest. their little bulb shoulders will also poke through the surface. Gently dig and lift the bulbs and allow them to cure in a cool, dry spot until the necks are completely dry and papery, which generally takes 2–4 weeks.

Tip onions with thicker

necks do not store well and should be eaten first.

Others to try ‘Bianca di mag-gio’ is another small onion with a delicate flavor. ‘Borettana’ is firm and sweet and great for grilling. ‘red creole’ is a bulkier, spicy, red, short-day variety that is good for gardeners in warmer climates.

onion ‘yellow Potato’ Potato onion, multiplier onion Allium cepa var. aggregatum

Flavor Young ‘Yellow Potato’ on-ions have a mild sweetness com-parable to dutch shallots and are delicious when eaten raw or slightly cooked. as they age in storage, they develop a complex flavor of peppery bite and mel-lowed seasoning. they can be used as pearl onions or as a sub-stitute for regular onions. their one drawback is they are not the easiest onion to peel.

Growing notes Potato onions can be planted in fall or early spring. Barely cover the bulbs sets with 1/2–1 in. (1–2.5 cm) of soil. in Zones 7 and cooler, you will need to mulch them for win-ter with another 2–4 in. (5–10 cm) of soil. add a 5–6 in. (12.5–15 cm)

layer of straw after the first hard frost to prevent heaving. re-move all the mulch in the spring. alternatively, plant the bulbs in spring with their pointed tips just peeking out at soil level. multi-plier onions form best when they are grown at the soil surface. the largest bulbs will result from sets planted in the fall.

Potato onions are grown much like garlic and other shallots. start with a rich, well-draining soil. they grow shallow-ly and do not require a deeply tilled soil. other than needing regular watering, the bulbs grow without fuss.

How to harvest onions sprout in early spring and you can harvest some of the green tops, but leave enough to keep the plants growing. jolly clusters of small, golden skinned onions

Potato onions are not as well known as their cousins, French shallots, but these lively morsels are far more versatile and easier to grow. After you plant a small mother bulb in either the fall or spring, the mother splits into many smaller bulbs that sprout tender, scal-lionlike leaves. ‘Yellow Potato’, which has been grown since prior to 1886, was originally prized for its green tops alone. They were called rare-ripes and were antici-pated as a springtime treat.

Exposure: Full sun

Ideal soil temperature:

70–75°F (21–24°c)

Planting depth: 1/2–1 in. (1–2.5 cm)

Days to germination:

10–14 days

Spacing: 6–8 in. (15–20 cm)

Days to maturity: 80–90 days (spring planted); 250 days

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will push their way out of the soil to tell you they are ready for harvest. When the leaves start turning brown, you can dig the bulb clumps and allow them to cure in a cool, shady, dry spot. You should get 5–10 onions per set. ‘Yellow Potato’ is an excel-lent keeper that lasts throughout the winter.

Tip First-year bulbs will not

grow large. as you save and replant bulbs, they will adapt to your garden and future genera-tions will grow into chubby 3 in. (7.5 cm) orbs.

Others to try ‘French red’ shallot is rich and spicy. ‘odetta’s White’ shallot is a tiny, mild heirloom from kansas. ‘red Potato’ is a milder, less robust multiplier variety.

Keep saving and replanting ‘Yellow Potato’ bulbs and you may never have to buy an onion again.