Peppers are a popular crop for the home gardener.
The idea of walking to a backyard garden to pick fresh vegetables for lunch is an appealing one to many individuals. Having a vegetable garden requires care and work, but the rewards are worth it in the end. There are several vegetables that are popular to grow due to the ease of cultivation, ability to survive in a variety of conditions and the taste.
Tomatoes
According to the Texas Cooperative Extension, tomatoes are the most popular garden vegetable crop in the United States. Tomatoes come in a wide variety including cherry, grape, Roma, beefsteak, plum and cluster. Start plants from seeds indoors in late winter or purchase starter-size tomato plants at your local nursery in the spring. Plant your tomato crop in a spot where the plants will receive at least six hours of sunlight each day. Pick the tomatoes when they are at full color for the best taste.
Peppers
Peppers are a popular vegetable for gardeners due to their wide varieties of color and flavorful tastes. Bell peppers are most popular in the United States and are a sweet variety of the crop. All pepper types are warm-seasoned and require higher temperatures to grow. The University of Illinois Extension recommends hybrid bell pepper varieties such as lady bell, purple bell and chocolate bell, and hot peppers such as jalapeno, red chili and cayenne. Plant pepper seeds indoors in late winter and transplant them to your garden in the spring when the air and soil is warmer, or you may purchase young plants at your local garden center.
Asparagus
While it may not be a favorite of everyone, asparagus earns the spot as the most popular vegetable garden perennial according to the University of Missouri Extension. The crop takes two to three years to establish itself, but once this initial phase passes, the asparagus patch should continue to provide the gardener with fresh vegetables for a decade or more. Plant your asparagus in the spring in a sunny spot with soil at least one foot deep. Avoid planting the asparagus in a location where vegetables from the onion family previously grew, as disease is transmittable this way.
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