This refers to WHEN a vegetable can be planted for it to develop properly. The first window of opportunity for cool season vegetables is generally from mid-April to mid-May, depending on the vegetable and your elevation. Remember to acclimate (harden off) your plants prior to planting. Many cool season vegetables can be re-planted toward the end of summer to develop during the milder temperatures of Fall. Look for the types that mature in 65 days or less for secondary plantings.
Tips for Success: Our growing season is relatively short. To give you the best chance for a heathly harvest, we offer short-season vegetable varieties. For more detailed planting information, see Phelan Gardens vegetable planting guideline.
Rich loose soil is also a must for successful vegetable gardens. You can amend each year with bagged compost OR you can make your own. View our step by step guide for starting your own compost pile.
Give your vegetables a sunny spot, consistent water, and fertilizer and you will be on your way to fresh vegetables from your own backyard.
Asparagus is a perennial vegetable that can be long lived. An established asparagus plant can produce for 10+ years! We offer one year old asparagus crowns in mid-March. See our planting information for asparagus.
Using transplants is the most reliable method of growing broccoli. For the largest heads, plant them 24" apart. Our varieties offer a central head followed by secondary side shoots for later harvest.
Packman F1, large, tight heads, side shoots, compact, perfect for fall harvest, 48 days
Premier (replaces Premium Crop) F1, 62 days. Plant produces large 9" heads of broccoli with a fine texture. Mildew resistant and heat tolerant.
Brussels Sprouts produce well here but will take some time to mature. Plant in spring and harvest in fall. As sprouts begin to form, remove lower leaves. Pinch out the center growing point at the top of the plant around mid-September to help speed up the development of the sprouts at the top of the plant. Harvest from the bottom up as sprouts reach 1" in diameter. As with Kale, sprouts harvested after a mild freeze will have a sweeter taste.
Churchill This is an extra early variety (80 days) that has tasty smooth large sprouts. Adaptable to many climates.
Jade Cross: An All-American Selections choice (100 days). Hybrid type with a reliable yield.
Cabbage is quick to mature and can be planted in both spring and fall. Plant cabbage in a different location each year to avoid disease. Harvest when heads become firm.
Savoy Ace: Green, 3lb savoy head. 78 days.
Late Flat Dutch: Firm slightly flattened 6-7" head, 7-20 pounds, 90 days
Ruby Perfection: Purple-red F1, 3-4 lb round, uniform hybrid, 86 days
Golden Cross: An extra early hybrid green cabbage, 2lbs/6" heads, 45 days
Another short season vegetable that can be planted in both spring and fall. Each plant will produce one head. We carry self-blanching types that will fold up and cover the heads to protect from yellowing.
Self Blanche: pure white, fine texture 90 days
Graffiti: purple cauliflower! Produces a 7"-8" head. 80 days
Collard greens are VERY easy to grow and great for beginners. They withstand the summer heat well. Harvest tender top leaves for the best flavor (adding onion and bacon helps too;-) Use for stir fry, smoothies, or in soups and stews.
Georgia: Large open heads, thick blue-green leaf, for cooking or freezing, vitamin rich, sweet, not bitter, heat tolerant, frost hardy, 75 days
Garlic is best planted in early Fall (late September or early October) for harvest the following season. Come see us during this time period for a good selection of gourmet garlic bulb starts.
Fantastic nutritional properties! Makes wonderful kale chips (think potato chips from kale) and works well in soup recipes. Plant 8"-12" apart. Clip the leaves and leave the plant to produce more. A light frost in Fall helps sweeten the flavor.
Prizm: A 2016 All-American Selections vegetable winner. Bright green, finely curled leaf with a nutty flavor. A dwarf variety that only gets about 12"-15" tall and wide. WONDERFUL VARIETY! Easily grown in containers, 40 days
Lacinato (Dynasaur Kale, Black Kale) dark blue strap leaf, turned edges, great flavor, vigor, hardy, super seller at market, 55 days
Red Russian Gray green, purple veined, purple stem, flat, non-curled leaf, matures 50 days
White Russian: Most cold hardy, terrific taste, tolerates wet soil, dissected green leaf, white stem, veined
Blue Scotch Vates Curled: Dwarf variety with tasty blue green frilly leaves, 12"-15" high and wide, 55 days
These cool weather plants are shallow rooted so make sure you keep the soil moist to avoid damage from drought. Eat the bulb portion raw or steamed with butter. We offer the white variety. Make successive plantings in the spring to enjoy over a longer period of time.
Lettuce is quick to grow. So, you can plant in both Spring and Fall. However, it does not do well in the heat of the summer. Easily grown from both seed or plant starts. Most varieties we sell are leaf types (as opposed to head types). So, you can pick some leaves for your salad bowl and let the plant continue to grow more for a continuous harvest.
Arugula: Peppery and even bitter taste favored by many.
Buttercrunch: Compact green heads. Tender leaves and easy to grow. 65 days.
Mesclun Mix: Mix of multi-colored lettuce types, endive, and arugula for successive plantings to keep your salad bowls bountifully filled
Red Sails: Leaf lettuce. AAS, Outstanding red, slow bolting, mild taste, large heads, crumpled frilly leaf, holds color well even in heat, 57 days
Romaine Parris Island: Pick leaves early or allow head to develop in about 65 days. Classic crisp romaine type lettuce.
Romaine Freckles: Austrian heirloom, speckled green-maroon leaf, heat tolerant, slow bolting, great flavor, 68 days
Tango: Leaf lettuce. Very dark green, uniform, tight erect rosettes, deeply cut, pointed leaf, tender tangy flavor, vitamin rich, 45 days
Onions are one of the earliest vegetables you can plant. We offer onion set starts as bulbs (usually available around Mid-March) and onion set starter plants (usually available around late March). See our onion planting instructions.
Candy: Adaptable cross of long day x short day onions. Sweet and mild white onion. Slicing type. 95 days.
Copra: A mid-sized, yellow onion that is popular for its long storage time. 107 days
Red Zeppelin: Large, deep red onion that can be stored up to 6 months. Long day onion. 115 days.
Super Star: A large, sweet, white onion that is an All America Selections winner. Day neutral. 100 days
2018 Shallots: Red Gourmet
Peas may be planted thru mid-May and again in the Fall for a second crop. We offer edible pod types and garden pea types (those removed from pods) as seed in our Seed Depot section. If you plant a pea pod type--harvest often to keep the plant producing and you will be rewarded with a crop into late summer from a single planting. If you plant a garden pea type--plant at 10 day intervals for the best harvest. Provide support for vining types.
Starting in late March, we offer certified seed potatoes in red, yellow, and white. Potatoes are both a long season AND cool season crop. They need 4 months or more to produce. So, you should plant between April 1 and April 15 but will have to protect young shoots from freezes. See detailed growing instructions for potatoes.
Blue: High in flavonoids and a fun color too.
Chieftain Red: Red skinned potato. 100 days. Stores well.
Russet Norkotah: Oblong, white flesh, early maturing. Stores up to 9 months. 100 days.
Yukon Gold: Yellow flesh and smooth, eye free skin. 80 days.
Another easy crop that can be planted in both Spring and Fall.
Noble Giant: Smooth dark green, great flavor, vigorous, slow bolting for long harvest, 43 days
Santorini: Heavily Savoyed (crinkly leaves) F1 hybrid, dark green leaves, slow to bolt, 50 days
Tyee: Semi-Savoy F1 hybrid, dark green, thick leaves, slow to bolt, 42 days
Chard may be seeded directly into the garden or planted with starts. It is an easy crop to grow, producing an abundant amount since it can withstand heat from the summer sun. That tranlates to more greens for you! Harvest the outer leaves and let the centers grow on. We offer white stalked varieties and also brightly colored 'rhubarb' types.
Bright Lights: Colorful stems in bright red, pink, orange, and yellow.
Lucullus: Heirloom variety with green leaves and white stems.