Plant These 9 Vegetables in Autumn and You'll Never Need to Buy Vegetables Again
Leaf Lettuce
Leaf lettuce is a non-heading type of lettuce. Heading lettuce, which forms a head, takes about 50 days from planting to harvest and is somewhat difficult to grow. So if you are growing in pots at home, leaf lettuce is recommended~ Because you grew it yourself, you can confidently pick fresh leaves for salad without worrying about pesticides!
Planting Steps:
Step 1: Sowing
1. Add potting soil to the pot until it is about 70-80% full.
2. Scatter the seeds on the soil surface, remembering not to scatter too many or too densely.
3. Use a small trowel to cover the seeds with a thin layer of soil.
4. Water thoroughly; water generously every time the soil dries out. During the seedling-raising process, using a watering can with a shower head is more suitable, as it won't wash away the soil. After the seedlings have grown for about one month, they can be transplanted into a larger pot.
Step 2: Transplanting
1. Place bottom stones in the pot until the entire bottom of the pot is covered.
2. Fill with soil until the soil surface is about 2 cm from the rim of the pot; this reserves space for water.
3. At intervals of about 20-25 cm, dig small holes in the soil and plant the lettuce seedlings.
4. After all are planted, water generously with a shower-head watering can.
5. After about two weeks, grab a handful of about 10 g of organic fertilizer and scatter it evenly over the soil surface.
6. About two weeks after fertilizing, which is roughly one month, the lettuce will have grown to about 25-30 cm, and it can then be harvested.
Step 3: Harvesting
When harvesting, you can start by picking the outer leaves, or you can pull up the whole plant.
Notes:
1. Needs a spot with plenty of sunlight and good ventilation.
2. Wait until the soil dries out, then water generously.
3. Fertilizing: fertilize once every two weeks after planting.
Peas
Peas are one of the plants we commonly eat and are very good for the body~ Peas contain relatively high amounts of trace elements such as copper and chromium. Copper supports blood formation and the development of bones and the brain; chromium supports the metabolism of sugar and fat and helps maintain normal insulin function. The choline and methionine contained in peas help prevent arteriosclerosis, and so on and so forth~
Planting Steps:
Step 1:
A container 15 cm deep, bottom stones, potting soil (with base fertilizer), scissors, a transplanting trowel, compound fertilizer, supports (for growing bush peas, supports need to be 1 m long; for climbing peas, supports need to be 2 m long), string.
Step 2:
Add potting soil to the container, and use your finger to poke planting holes in the potting soil -- about the depth of the first knuckle of your finger. Make 3 holes per 3-inch pot, place 3 seeds in each hole, then loosely cover the seeds with potting soil and water.
Step 3:
After about 15-30 days, the seeds take root and sprout. Once the roots are established, they can be transplanted into prepared soil mixed with coarse sand.
Step 4:
When transplanting, use your hand to push the whole seedling out from the bottom of the pot, being careful not to damage the roots of the young seedling, then place the whole plant with its soil into the ground.
Step 5:
Then add potting soil to the pot until it is almost level with the rim, press down with your hands around the plant to stabilize it. Then water thoroughly.
Step 6:
After 30-45 days, when the seedlings have grown to about 20 cm, it is time to set up supports for training -- pull the stems to the supports and gently secure them with string.
Step 7:
For growing climbing peas, the supports need to be 2 m long. After setting up the supports, apply additional fertilizer, then add a thin layer of soil on the surface.
Step 8:
After about 45 days. Counting from when the peas flower, they can be harvested in 2-3 weeks: snow peas are picked while tender, green peas are harvested after the beans have grown larger, and sweet peas are harvested when the pods look plump.
Cherry Radish
The advantage of cherry radishes is that they can be harvested about 20-30 days after sowing, which is why they are also called "twenty-day radishes" in Japan. Colorful cherry radishes also come in a variety of shapes, such as round, cylindrical and so on, making them a vegetable that can be grown easily without requiring too much effort.
Planting Steps:
1. Spread bottom stones on the bottom of the pot until the bottom is no longer visible.
2. Pour in potting soil for vegetables. When pouring in the potting soil, leave about 3-4 cm of watering space, and water thoroughly until water flows out from the bottom of the pot.
3. Sow the seeds one by one, with 1-2 cm between each seed, and try not to let the seeds overlap when sowing. To prevent the soil from drying out, you can cover it with a layer of newspaper before germination to prevent moisture from evaporating.
4. They will sprout 2-3 days after sowing; after sprouting, they can be moved to a place with plenty of sunlight.
5. One week after germination, true leaves begin to grow, and the branches and shoots gradually become denser. At this point, thinning can be carried out (the young sprouts thinned during the growing period can also be eaten as pea shoots).
6. As the true leaves gradually grow, when they reach about 4-5 leaves, thinning can be done again, leaving about 5 cm of spacing between plants. After thinning, add soil around the plants to strengthen and stabilize them.
7. Leaves begin to grow and the stems gradually thicken. At this point, if the soil is dry, water thoroughly immediately, because once water is insufficient, cherry radishes will become hard and crooked.
8. After true leaves grow, liquid fertilizer can be applied every 10 days.
9. The photo below shows about 1 month after sowing. Once the swelling and exposure of the plant's roots gradually becomes obvious, they can be harvested at any time.
Baby Bok Choy
Baby bok choy contains a large amount of carotene, more than beans, tomatoes and melons, and is also rich in vitamin C. After entering the human body, it can promote skin cell metabolism, prevent rough skin and pigment deposition, make the skin bright and clean, and delay aging.
Planting Steps:
Step 1: Preparation
1. Choosing a variety: Generally, any bok choy variety can be used for pot growing. But it is best to choose four-season baby bok choy.
2. Choosing soil: Nutrient soil should be loose, breathable and good at retaining water and fertilizer. Generally, garden soil and leaf mold are mixed with organic fertilizer in a certain proportion.
3. The container depth should be 15-20 cm. You can also use bricks to build a growing trough on a rooftop, or buy a flower pot specially designed for growing vegetables.
Step 2: Sowing and Raising Seedlings
1. Soak the seeds in warm water at 50-55 degrees C for 15 minutes, then place them in water at room temperature and soak for 6-8 hours.
2. When the seeds are almost done soaking, put the nutrient soil into the container and level it, water thoroughly with a spray bottle, then evenly scatter the seeds on the soil surface, and then cover with a 1 cm layer of fine soil.
Step 3: Potting
1. For those that need seedling separation and transplanting, transplant into pots when the seedlings have 4 leaves.
2. Before and after potting, wash the flower pot clean, place tiles at the bottom of the pot, and fill with nutrient soil until it is 3-4 cm from the rim. Dig holes about 5-7 cm deep at intervals of about 10 cm.
3. Carefully dig out the bok choy seedlings with a bamboo stick. When planting, keep the root system vertical and spread it out in the hole, hold the plant upright, and cover it with soil.
4. After planting, water thoroughly to settle the soil.
Step 4: Daily Management
1. Light conditions: Baby bok choy likes a warm and humid environment. When growing, it can be placed in sunny places such as a rooftop or balcony.
2. After transplanting, before the seedlings recover, keep them moist, warm and shaded. After 4-5 days, gradually expose them to sunlight, and the seedlings will recover.
3. Fertilizer management: During the growing period, apply fertilizer 2-3 times along with watering, preferably a nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium compound fertilizer.
4. It can be harvested for eating 20-40 days after sowing.
Step 5: Notes
1. It is best to water in the morning and evening. Do not water at noon when it is too hot. After watering, wait until the water has soaked into the soil and is no longer sticky, then loosen the soil with a small rake.
2. In the south, it can be sown all year round, but it is not suitable for growth when summer temperatures are high, so spring and autumn are best for sowing; in the north, it can be sown in spring, summer and autumn, and indoors in winter as well, but the growing period will be longer.
Spinach
Spinach is known as the "model student of nutrition." It is rich in carotenoids, vitamin C, vitamin K, minerals (calcium, iron, etc.), coenzyme Q10 and many other nutrients, and is very good for the body~
Planting Steps:
Materials to prepare:
Seeds, soil, flower pot, bottom stones, trowel, long small wooden stick
Sowing:
1. Spread a layer of bottom stones on the bottom of the flower pot so that the bottom is covered.
2. Fill soil on top of the bottom stones, leaving about 2 cm of space at the top unfilled. Use a wooden stick to press grooves about 1 cm deep into the soil surface for sowing.
3. Sow in rows, with about 1 cm between seeds.
4. Cover the seeds with a thin layer of soil, and water generously with a shower-head watering can so that the soil is completely moistened. Tip: Using a shower-head watering can makes it less likely to wash away the topsoil.
5. At 1-2 weeks after sowing, the plants grow 1-2 leaves, and thinning should be carried out at this time, leaving 3-4 cm between plants (that is, pull out the other seedlings within those 3-4 cm). Because the spacing has been opened up, the seedlings tend to lean over, so the soil on both sides can be pushed toward the roots to stabilize them.
6. About 1 week after thinning, the plants grow about 4 leaves, and the first additional fertilizing should be done at this time. Grab a handful of about 10 g of fertilizer and scatter it around the roots.
7. Then gather the soil from both sides toward the roots.
8. One week after the first additional fertilizing, the leaves grow to 7-10 cm. Apply the second additional fertilizing in the same way. At this point, the tender leaves can be picked and eaten; they are tender and delicious.
9. 1-2 weeks after the second additional fertilizing, the leaves will grow to 20-25 cm, and they can be harvested. Harvesting method: insert scissors into the soil and cut from the base of the roots.
Garland Chrysanthemum
In ancient China, garland chrysanthemum was a delicacy of the imperial court, so it is also called the emperor's vegetable. Garland chrysanthemum has the fresh aroma of mugwort and the sweet fragrance of chrysanthemum. According to ancient Chinese medical texts: garland chrysanthemum is sweet, pungent and neutral in nature, non-toxic, and has the effects of 'calming the mind, nourishing the spleen and stomach, reducing phlegm and fluids, and benefiting the intestines and stomach.'
Planting Method:
1. Soak the seeds. Put the seeds in warm water and soak for 24 hours, then remove and drain (soaking makes germination faster).
2. Sow. Evenly scatter the seeds on the nutrient soil, then after sowing cover with a layer of soil, water thoroughly, keep moist and warm, avoid sun exposure, and water every day. They sprout in about 4-5 days.
3. Thin the seedlings. When the seedlings grow to 2-3 true leaves, thinning is needed; pull out the weak seedlings and keep the sturdy ones.
4. Fertilize. When the plants grow to 10-12 cm, apply some fertilizer appropriately.
5. Harvest. Garland chrysanthemum can generally be harvested in about 40-50 days. After each harvest, water and apply additional fertilizer once, and after 20-30 days it can be cut and harvested again.
6. Management. Garland chrysanthemum prefers relatively weak light, likes cool conditions, and cannot tolerate high temperatures; 15 degrees C is the most suitable growing temperature. During the growing period, it must not lack water; keep the soil moist.
Key Management Points:
Before sowing, apply enough base fertilizer, mainly decomposed organic fertilizer. For additional fertilizing, mainly use quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer; begin additional fertilizing when the seedlings are 10-12 cm tall. Garland chrysanthemum can be harvested continuously 2-3 times; after each harvest, apply the same amount of fertilizer.
Scallions
Scallions have the effects of reducing fever and eliminating phlegm, and stimulate the body's sweat glands to achieve sweating and cooling; scallion oil stimulates the upper respiratory tract, making sticky phlegm easier to cough up. It has a pungent flavor that can stimulate the spleen and stomach, helping to promote digestion and absorption. The greatest benefit of scallions is that they help prevent and fight cancer.
Planting Steps:
Step 1: Prepare the soil and soak the seeds
Scallions are not strict about soil; loose, breathable and fertile soil is fine. So you can dig some soil from outdoors. If you want the scallions to grow better, you can choose more fertile soil such as leaf mold.
On the evening before you plan to sow, put the prepared soil in a container and water thoroughly. Before sowing, soak the scallion seeds in warm water at about 55 degrees C for 20 minutes, then take them out and let them dry, and they are ready to sow.
Step 2: Sowing
For potted scallions, you can use all kinds of containers, such as flower pots or foam boxes, and so on; just poke a small drainage hole in the bottom of the container so that excess water can drain out smoothly.
Then, every 12 to 15 cm, dig a small hole in the soil surface, scatter 3 to 5 seeds into each hole, and after all are placed, sprinkle on a layer of moist fine soil (the covering soil thickness is about 1 to 2 times the diameter of the seed; if too thin, the seeds will come up with their caps on and grow poorly, and if too thick, they will not sprout easily), press gently to level, then water a little.
Step 3: Daily Care
Daily management after sowing is very simple; just be sure to keep the soil moist. The best temperature for scallion seeds to germinate is 18 to 25 degrees C, and they will sprout after 12 to 16 days! The suitable growing temperature after germination is 18 to 35 degrees C.
Tomato
Tomato fruits are rich in nutrients and have a special flavor. They can be eaten raw, cooked, processed into ketchup or juice, or canned whole. Basically, one of the first dishes many Chinese people learn to cook is scrambled eggs with tomatoes!
Planting Method:
1. Choose direct sowing or raising seedlings
Beginners are advised to raise seedlings first and then transplant them into a growing container, or directly buy tomato seedlings to plant. Before sowing, soak the seeds in water for 6-8 hours, which helps shorten germination time.
2. Sowing method
A. Spot sowing seeds
Use a PET bottle cap to press indentations into the soil, place about 2 seeds in each indentation, with a spacing of about 20 cm or more between seeds. After sowing, cover with soil and water thoroughly.
B. Plug tray seedling raising
First place 1 seed in each cell of the plug tray, then cover with soil and water, and place in a cool, shaded area. When about 6-7 leaves have grown, transplant into the growing container to continue growing (final planting).
3. Additional fertilizing
After the tomato has grown to about 15 cm tall, it is best to set up a support to hold it upright, and tie it to the support with magic tape or hemp rope to prevent wind damage. After about 20 days, fertilizing can begin, and then apply additional fertilizer once every 7-10 days.
4. Growth
During the growing period, dry straw can be spread on the soil, which can effectively suppress weed growth and keep the soil moist.
5. Flowering and fruiting
After about 40 days of growth, the tomato will produce its first flower, and after flowering it will gradually set fruit.
6. Harvesting
They can be harvested in 45-50 days. When harvesting, it is best to cut them with scissors to avoid wound infection in the plant, and try to choose dry weather for harvesting to avoid moisture and susceptibility to disease.
Lettuce
Lettuce is sweet and cool in nature. Because its stems and leaves contain lactucin, it tastes slightly bitter and has the effects of clearing heat and refreshing the mind, relieving pain and promoting sleep, lowering cholesterol, and assisting in the treatment of neurasthenia.
Planting Method:
1. Sowing: Usually seedlings are raised first. Lettuce seeds are too small and light, so they need to be mixed with fine sand, stirred evenly in a container, then scattered onto the soil, and covered with 0.5-1 cm of soil, a thin layer.
At 15-20 degrees C they germinate in about 3-5 days. When the temperature is above 25 degrees C, germination is difficult. When growing in summer, germination must be promoted: soak the seeds for 1 night, then wrap them well in moist gauze and put them in the refrigerator's cold storage compartment (about 5 degrees C). When more than about half of the seeds have sprouted white, sow them.
2. Seedling stage: Keep the soil moist, do not let it dry out, and keep the soil well drained. Thin when there are 2-3 true leaves, with a plant spacing of 5-8 cm.
3. Transplanting: When 5-6 true leaves have grown, transplant the seedlings. Water thoroughly before transplanting, and move them together with the soil on the roots into a larger pot. For loose-leaf lettuce, plant spacing is 15 cm; for heading types, 30 cm. Water thoroughly. In summer, first place them in a cool, shaded area to recover; after about 1 week, once the roots have taken hold, give normal sunlight.
4. Fertilizing: Apply fertilizer once 1 week after transplanting (nitrogen fertilizer is main; fully decomposed organic fertilizer is best). Two weeks and four weeks after transplanting, apply 1 more application each of organic fertilizer or a compound fertilizer mainly containing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Stop fertilizing 2 weeks before harvest.
5. Watering: In high temperatures, water in the morning and evening; small amounts and frequent watering are best, but avoid waterlogging. In the early growth stage, it is suitable to control water and just keep the soil moist.