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Luffa

Scientific Name	Luffa aegyptiaca
Growing Days	150-200 to get a fully dried luffa sponge…that’s a long time!
Varieties We Grow	There’s just luffa…
Growing Notes	Luffa plants produce the prettiest, long-living yellow flowers well into late summer. The native bees love them! Even if we didn’t harvest luffas, it would be worth it to grow just to keep the bees happy.
Battle of the Bugs	So far, the luffa plants haven’t had much trouble with bugs…hopefully it will stay that way 🙂
Fun Fact	Which is it…”loofah,” “loofa,” or “luffa”? Who knows! They all seem right, though the luffa plant’s scientific name spelling is “luffa” so that’s what we stick with.
Don’t Waste It!	The young luffa fruits are actually edible (up to about 6″ long) (peel them then treat them like zucchini). It’s way more fun to let them dry, peel them, remove the seeds, and use them as luffa sponges.

Lettuce

Scientific Name	Lactuca sativa
Growing Days	65-70
Varieties We Grow	Red Romaine, Gourmet Leaf, Black Seeded Simpson, Newham, Red Speckled
Growing Notes	Lettuce bolts quickly even with just a few warm days.
Battle of the Bugs	Lettuce does pretty well; it gets munched on by slugs and aphids but is generally hardy.
Fun Fact	Lettuce and sunflowers are relatives…they both belong to the Asteraceae (“daisy”) family.
Don’t Waste It!	Lettuce is great raw. If it gets a bit wilted, put it in a bowl of cold water and it might perk up. Eat it up before it gets all wet and yucky 🙂

Leeks

Scientific Name	Allium ampeloprasum
Growing Days	120-150…that’s 4-5 months!
Varieties We Grow	American Flag
Growing Notes	Leeks take a long time to grow; the seeds are super tiny so they are tricky to germinate outside without getting washed away. Be patient with leeks!
Battle of the Bugs	There’s a leek moth, but I’ve not seen one yet (maybe because our leeks have failed miserably so far).
Fun Fact	If you cut a leek and leave the roots/stem, plant it and it might re-grow for you!
Don’t Waste It!	Enjoy leeks as you would the other alliums.

Kohlrabi

Scientific Name	Brassica oleracea
Growing Days	55-60
Varieties We Grow	Early White Vienna
Growing Notes	Kohlrabi grows similar to the rest of the brassicas. It likes cool weather!
Battle of the Bugs	All the usual brassica suspects show up…cabbage loopers/worms/slugs/aphids.
Fun Fact	Kohlrabi is named from German Kohl (“cabbage”) and Rübe (“turnip”).
Don’t Waste It!	Peel the outer skin then enjoy it raw (or only slightly cooked).

Kale

Scientific Name	Brassica oleracea
Growing Days	50-65
Varieties We Grow	Red Russian, Siberian, Lacinato
Growing Notes	Kale is a hardy plant and if you keep cutting it, it will keep growing!
Battle of the Bugs	Cabbage loopers/moths/worms are terribly destructive. We check the leaves daily and try to remove any of the buggers as soon as we see them. Miss a day and you’ll lose those great leaves…even checking we still do.
Fun Fact	Kale can survive temperatures well below freezing and it gets sweeter from a frost or two (it gets bitter in hot temps), so it’s a great winter veggie!
Don’t Waste It!	Steam, roast, bake, stir-fry…it’s all delicious!

Herb — Basil

Scientific Name	Ocimum basilicum
Growing Days	60-90
Varieties We Grow	Genovese
Growing Notes	Basil likes it warm! Also, if you pinch off the top set of leaves, it will grow bushier and more productive.
Battle of the Bugs	Basil is pretty hardy. Slugs and Japanese beetles might chomp on the leaves, but there is usually enough to share.
Fun Fact	Basil can be grown year round indoors with the proper lighting. (We’ll have to try that!)
Don’t Waste It!	Use basil to flavor all sorts of dishes. Use it fresh or dry the leaves. Yum!

Eggplant

Scientific Name	Solanum melongena
Growing Days	100-120 days…that’s 4 months!
Varieties We Grow	Black Beauty
Growing Notes	Eggplant likes it hot; we treat them like tomatoes (they are in the same family, after all).
Battle of the Bugs	Flea beetles love young eggplant leaves. Hopefully they outgrow them.
Fun Fact	The plants can have thorns on the stem…that was a surprise!
Don’t Waste It!	Enjoy it fried, sauteed, baked, breaded, stuffed, or roasted.

Daikon Radish

Scientific Name	Raphanus sativus
Growing Days	45-60
Varieties We Grow	Japanese Minowase
Growing Notes	Daikon radish are pretty self sufficient (hurray!); once seeded, they pretty much take care of themselves. It’s a good idea to thin the seedlings so they don’t compete.
Battle of the Bugs	These guys are pretty hardy and we’ve had pretty good luck avoiding serious damage, at least so far!
Fun Fact	Daikon radish is also called “tillage radish” because it grows so deep (over 12″!) and helps to break up soil. We do that here at Trippy Acres!
Don’t Waste It!	Eat it raw, steamed, or sauteed. No need to peel unless you want to. The greens (and seed pods) are also edible!

Cucumbers

Scientific Name	Cucumis sativus
Growing Days	60-70
Varieties We Grow	Marketmore, Manny (F1), Boston Pickling
Growing Notes	Cucumbers are vining plants, so grow them on a trellis. If it gets very hot and dry, they might taste a little bitter, so keep them well watered if you can!
Battle of the Bugs	Our nemesis…the cucumber beetle! These little buggers fly off before you can catch them. They spread a disease (cucumber mosaic virus) that takes out the entire plant and also spreads. It’s nasty and disheartening because that plant needs to be pulled and discarded right away. Total loss.
Fun Fact	A cucumber is actually a fruit!
Don’t Waste It!	Eat the skin 🙂

Collards

Scientific Name	Brassica oleracea
Growing Days	80-90
Varieties We Grow	Champion, Morris Heading
Growing Notes	Collards like it cool and they do great even through most of the winter. They seem to handle our summers as well, though the leaves taste better when grown in cooler temps.
Battle of the Bugs	Those darned cabbage moths/worms do a number on collard greens. We inspect the leaves daily and hope to keep them under control as long as possible. Try catching a cabbage moth with a butterfly net…it is quite infuriating!
Fun Fact	Collards are in the same family as kale, cabbage, broccoli, and brussels sprouts…they all came from wild cabbage!
Don’t Waste It!	Eat the whole plant (though the stems and veins can get tough so you might want to remove them). Steam or sautee. Try cooking it in your Instant Pot for 2 minutes…yum!