Do you love fresh vegetables? There are many benefits to starting your own vegetable garden. Flavor is just one of the many benefits when it comes to growing your own food. Nothing tastes better than a ripe tomato plucked from the vine. You can control the growing environment and avoid the use of harsh chemicals and pesticides. You will know exactly where your vegetables are coming from, save money at the grocery store, and relish your time spent outdoors. If you are ready to eat fresh, in-season vegetables, here are some tasty selections to plant now!
CLASSIC TOMATOES
Fresh and juicy tomatoes are a delight. They are excellent sources of fiber and vitamins A and C. You can enjoy them as a tasty snack or in your favorite sauces. At Calloway’s and Cornelius, we have a wide variety of tomatoes available from premium growers like Chef Jeff’s® and Proven Winners®.
Choose from popular selections like Beefsteak, Celebrity, or Salsarific® Salsa Roma Tomatoes! Beefsteak are ideal for sandwiches or sliced with a little salt and pepper while Salsa Roma are meatier which makes them perfect for salsas, soups, and sauces. Tempting Tomatoes® Goodhearted® from Proven Winners® are compact, cherry-sized tomatoes with tender skin and a perfect sweet to acid balance. Plus, they are even shaped like hearts!
Tomato plants need full sunlight to thrive. Select a planting site that receives up to 6 hours of sunlight per day. Light, afternoon shade will help, especially with our Texas heat. Always keep the soil moist during warm weather to help your tomatoes thrive. In your garden bed, space tomatoes at least 18-36 inches apart. They can take about 50-80 days to reach maturity, depending on the variety.
HEIRLOOM TOMATOES
Check out our various heirloom selections from Chef Jeff’s® like Caspian Pink, Mr. Stripey, and Old German. The organic shapes, colors, and smooth textures will give your dishes an elegant touch.
Heirloom tomatoes are prized for their unique colors, texture, sizes, and flavors. Their seeds are passed down from season to season and taken from the plants that produced the best fruit. They are open pollinated which means they are naturally pollinated by birds, insects, and wind. Heirloom tomatoes can provide a wildly colorful display in any dish.
SPICY PEPPERS
Do you need a little spice in your life? Plant peppers! Peppers are popular in many of our Texas dishes. Chef Jeff’s® knows what spicy is all about! They have exceptional varieties of all types of spicy peppers like Hungarian Hot Wax, Habanero, and Cayenne. Proven Winners® Fire Away® Hot and Heavy Hot Peppers are the perfect choice for your vegetable garden. The fruit sets and matures quickly once ripe. The peppers have quite a spicy kick, equal to a mild jalapeno.
Hot Peppers need to be planted in a location that gets 6 to 8 hours of sunlight per day. These peppers need a well-draining soil and cannot tolerate standing water. Space your plants about 18 inches apart and cover the planting area with Calloway’s Premium Organic Mulch to help keep the soil warm for ideal growth.
BELL & SWEET PEPPERS
If you prefer a milder option, plant Bell Peppers and Sweet Peppers like Better Bell and California Wonder. Bell Peppers are delicious when paired with tasty dips, and they can even be stuffed and baked for a healthy and flavorful meal.
When your Bell Peppers are ready to harvest, they should feel firm and will be about 3-4 inches long. Red, Yellow, or Orange Bell Peppers need a bit longer to mature than green Bell Peppers. These varieties will start out green, but they will gradually take on color and thicken up for a delightful harvest.
EGGPLANT
Growing your own eggplants can be a delicious and rewarding experience. Eggplants are versatile and can be a healthy substitute in many recipes like stir fry’s, Eggplant Parmesan, and so much more! Plus, they product beautiful and delicate small purple flowers, making this vegetable a delicious and ornamental addition to your garden.
Eggplants should be planted in an area with full sunlight throughout the day. Space at least 18 inches apart. They need a well-draining soil as they cannot tolerate standing water. Water regularly so your plant can develop strong roots. Avoid overhead watering as much as possible and focus watering directly into the soil. Overhead watering can impact the health of your plant making it more susceptible to disease.
There are so many types of vegetables available at a Calloway’s and Cornelius near you! We recommend visiting to explore the selection! Have fun and experiment with all the different flavors in your garden!
PLANT CARE TIPS
Keep your garden all-natural with the proper planting mix. For raised gardens and garden beds, use Calloway’s Organic Garden Compost. Our Organic Compost is made from the highest quality ingredients, and it replenishes and conditions your soil naturally. The organic ingredients help promote aeration of the soil for rapid root growth and provides organic matter to enhance water and nutrient retention.
When growing vegetables in containers, use Calloway’s Organic Container Potting Soil. It contains organic ingredients including composted rice hulls, pine bark, earthworm castings, and peat moss to add good aeration and organic matter to the soil for rapid root growth. It also has beneficial ingredients like silicon, lime, and organic fertilizer to improve overall health and to feed your plants naturally.
When planting vegetables, some varieties need extra support like tomatoes and other top-heavy plants. Help them grow strong stems and use tomato cages, trellis, or stakes. This will give your plants support to flourish while keeping them nicely contained.
Feeding your vegetables is extremely important to the health of your plants as well as the quality of the produce. For a tomato-focused garden, use Espoma® Organic® Tomato-tone® Tomato & Vegetable Food. It is a natural & organic granular fertilizer for plump, juicy tomatoes. It can also be used on fruiting crops like peppers, squash, and melons. It contains 100% natural & organic ingredients with no fillers.
Another great option for your edible garden is Espoma® Organic® Garden-tone® Herb & Vegetable Food. This product can be used on delicious cool and warm season vegetables like lettuce, kale, tomatoes, peppers & squash. This granular fertilizer has 100% natural & organic ingredients and gives a long-lasting, slow-release feeding with the exclusive Bio-tone Microbes.
SHOP FOR PLANTS WITH EASE
At Calloway’s and Cornelius, we have everything you need to start your own vegetable garden! Shop our neighborhood plant stores or shop online for Curbside Pickup or Delivery!
Stop by today and explore our entire selection of premium vegetable plants, soils, and more! Have questions? Ask our Texas Certified Nursery Professionals; they are here to help!
