One of the great things about being a Garden Fairy is we inspire each other to try new things. I gave up on growing veggies in Florida awhile ago, but seeing Barbara’s veggies has reinvigorating an old passion of mine. Barbara, Sue and I all grew vegetables up north and have fond memories of such pursuits. Growing veggies in Florida is more of a challenge, but can be done. I will do a blog on “How to grow veggies successfully in Florida” at a later date.
If you read gardening publications, there is a trend to to plant veggies in your front yard. If done right you can add some ornamental value to your front garden. Barbara is growing three types of veggies that have ornamental appeal in her front yard (broccoli, Chinese cabbage and just plain cabbage). The rest of her mini farm is in the backyard, stuff that is not as neat in appearance. Tomatoes for instance, Barbara feels should always be in the back yard.
Last year I planted cabbages in my front yard where I have three Italian jumbo clay containers, cast offs from a client. The stars of these pots were cabbages, surrounded by petunias, firebush and sweet potato vines. I produced the most beautiful cabbages you have ever seen. So beautiful I could not bring myself to cut them, they were too ornamental. So this year, I have planted extra cruciferous vegetables, with the goal of having enough veggie to admire and eat!
Cruciferous vegetables include; Broccoli, Brussels Sprout, Cabbage, Collard Greens, Kale, Horseradish, Rutabaga, Turnip, Chinese Cabbage, Cauliflower, Broccoli Rabe, Daikon, Bok Choy, Radish, Spinach, Ornamental Cabbage (really a Kale) and Arugula.
Cruciferous vegetables pack a powerful punch when it comes to cancer prevention. Research indicates that components in cruciferous veggies has the ability to increase the capacity of the liver to detoxify harmful, cancer-causing compounds. In fact cabbages detoxifying properties go way back– the Romans used cabbage as a hangover cure!
Barbara says, “Another thing great about broccoli is it keeps on giving until our days are to hot. After you cut the first head it will branch and give you more heads. Also, blanching and freezing is a great way to have home grown broccoli all year.”
Want to start a detox program to get over any holidaze hoop-la-ing you did– Simply include one serving of crucifer veggies everyday. Plant some now, you will be able to start harvesting some of the outer leaves in a couple of weeks.
Sue Hamill put her fall veggies in late August and was able to have ripe rewards of her early planting for the holidays. She planted cabbages in the grown, as well as in some of her grande sized containers. You can plant cruciferous plants to your pots if the pots are big– keeping in mind how big some of these plants will eventually get.
Barbara's backyard is a more traditional type of garden
Barbara's front garden has lots of curb appeal
I remember Sue’s broccoli being so small and the weather so hot, I wondered if those broccoli babies would survive. Well, they more than thrived, they seemed to grown inches everyday. The bluish green leaves growing close to the lake made a stunning sight. One visitor commented, Sue had the most beautiful veggie garden she had ever seen.
Ornamental cabbage or regular cabbage can be grown in large containers
A note on the first shot– Barbara’s Bodacious Broccoli. I took this pic with my iPhone, which in some instances makes for some unusual imagery. The iphone under the right conditions renders a magical to almost halo effect. Veggies, like middle aged ladies seem to really glow with a gauzy iPhone lens effect.
Ornamental cabbages grown in Sue Hamill's front yard
Sue Hamill's lakeside garden