Sow the difference

This text has been translated by an automatic translation software (A.I). Translation errors are possible.

Text: Hélène Baril, horticulturist, author & speaker

The time for planting has finally arrived. A visit to your gardening center Passion Jardins is essential to get your seed starting soil and quality seeds (for indoor sowing or directly in the garden). Faced with the impressive inventory available, it is easy to get lost. There are so many varieties of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, chilis, lettuces, herbs, etc., that you no longer know which ones to choose. What if, this year, you opted for vegetable seeds that you can't find in the grocery store or market? What if you dared to be different?

Here are some unique vegetable plants to add to your shopping list.

Different indoor sowings

Lemon Cucumber

Cucumis sativus ‘Lemon’

This heirloom cucumber produces yellowish fruits the size of a lemon. Softer and without bitterness, its tender flesh is slightly sweet.

Indoor sowing: late April (containers large enough for 3 to 4 seeds)
Transplanting: no. Does not like transplantation
In the garden or in containers: late May

New Zealand Spinach (Tetragonia tetragonioides)

Leafy vegetable that fears neither heat nor drought. Its taste is reminiscent of spinach. Abundant production from July to October. To be eaten fresh or cooked (like spinach).

Indoor sowing: mid-March to late April
Transplanting: yes
In the garden or in containers: late May

‘Turkish Orange’ Eggplant (Solanum aethiopicum ‘Turkish Orange’)

Pretty round fruit, first green, turning orange when mature. Its tender flesh is sweet and its skin thick. Harvest when the flesh is slightly orange. Loves warmth.

Indoor sowing: early to mid-March
Transplanting: yes
In the garden or in containers: late May, early June

‘Spoon’ Cherry Tomato (Solanum pimpinellifolium ‘Spoon’)

Tiny tomato the size of a pea. Tart and juicy, they can be eaten raw or cooked. Very productive, each plant produces dozens of fruits.

Indoor sowing: late March, early April
Transplanting: yes
In the garden or in containers: late May, early June

Delicata Winter Squash (‘Candy Stick’ Cucurbita maxima ‘Delicata Candy Stick’)

With its thick, rich, and sweet flesh, this late squash is a great discovery. It is consumed cooked with the skin (in the oven or in the pan). It can be kept fresh for several months.

Indoor sowing: late April (in groups of 3 to 4 seeds)
Transplanting: no. Does not like transplantation
In the garden: early June

Direct sowing

Salsify (Tragopogon porrifolius)

Long root vegetable with a mild flavor reminiscent of parsnip. Late harvest in the fall (like carrots and beets). Cream-colored flesh. A plant that loves compost.

In the garden or in a container: mid-May

Watermelon Radish (Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus)

A large radish with greenish skin and pink flesh, similar to watermelons (hence its name). Crunchy and less spicy than red radishes, it can be eaten fresh or cooked.

In the garden or in containers: May and August

White Avalanche Beetroot (Beta vulgaris ‘Avalanche Blanche’)

Tender and sweet, this entirely white beetroot is a delight for cooks (it doesn't stain fingers 😊). The bulb is consumed cooked and its fresh leaves in salad.