CHAPTER IX 

 GARDEN VEGETABLES 



CLASSIFICATION OF VEGETABLES 



Vegetables may be classified in many ways, but per- 

 haps the most helpful way is to divide them according to 

 the conditions under which they grow best, into (1) warm- 

 and (2) cold-climate vegetables. 



(1) Among warm-climate vegetables (often called trop- 

 ical) we have tomato, corn, beans, pepper, eggplant, cucum- 

 ber, muskmelon, watermelon, squash, pumpkin, and okra. 

 These plants all require hot weather for their growth, are 

 severely injured by the first hard frost, and should not be 

 planted in open ground until warm weather is assured. 

 They are generally at their best on a warm southern expo- 

 sure and in soil having a little sand in its composition. 

 These plants are all natives of hot climates and will not 

 survive long in cold climates when left to themselves. 



(2) Among cold-climate vegetables we have practi- 

 cally all those commonly grown not mentioned under (1), 

 such as asparagus, rhubarb, horseradish, salsify, and par- 

 snip, which stand our severest winters without injury; and 

 those that are less hardy, such as onion, leek, pea, beet, 

 spinach, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cress, kale, 

 kohl-rabi, radish, rutabaga, turnip, carrot, parsley, celery, 

 celariac, lettuce, endive, potato, strawberry, tomato, and 

 others. These all grow well at a cool temperature and 

 most of them will stand some frost without injury. They 

 may be divided into those with tops that are frost-hardy 

 and that are frost-tender, as follows: 



