A GROWING CONCERN: Sow the seeds of perfect Peninsula vegetables

Published 1:30 am Saturday, March 14, 2026

WITH APRIL NOW just a few weeks away, it is time to start sewing seeds or buying frost-resistant plants for your veggie garden. So let us once again review the best group of vegetables for our climate — the brassica family!

1. Broccoli. Classified in the italica group of brassica oleracea, it derives as well from wild cabbages. The Romans cherished this plant for some 2,000 years for its high nutritional value. The word “broccoli” is actually Italian, derived from the plural form “broccolo” which means the “flowering top of a cabbage.” Like nearly all brassica, broccoli thrives in cool climates, with mild evenings and soil temperatures of less than 80 degrees, making your vegetable garden the ideal place to grow this amazing plant. Broccoli grows bi-annually but is harvested the first of the year, as the head develops. Many varieties of broccoli, especially when the head is cut off short, produce many small “floret” (mini-mini-head) around the main stock for weeks. Broccoli should be sown or planted in 10- to 14-day successions in soil not too rich in manures or nitrogen, wherein rapid vegetative growth will occur in lieu of the edible head. Weed and cultivate the soil regularly. Broccoli should be kept moist in dry spells for crisp, flavorful produce. Incredibly high in vitamin C, dietary fiber and micro-nutrients, boiling it for more than a few minutes (4 to 5) reduces the nutrient value by 30 percent to 50 percent, but other cooking methods offer smaller nutritional losses.

2. Cauliflower. Brassica oleracea is the same species and shares many structural features, but cauliflower produces an inflorescent meristem called a “curd,” ones that do not should have their inner lease tied together for sun protection, otherwise the curd will turn on an unattractive molted brown or greenish color. There are four distinct types of cauliflower.

• Italian – including the green, purple, yellow and orange cultivars and the ancestral forms.

•Northwest European – developed in France during the 19th century, these are great for winter, early spring and late fall production.

• Northern European – these varieties are used widely in Europe and America for summer and early fall production, were developed in 19th century Germany and included the ever-popular “snowball.”

• Asian – tropical color flowers used in China and India and bred in the 19th century. The orange cauliflower “cheddar” and “orange bouquet” have 25 times the vitamin C of other white types, and all curds eaten raw contain 13 different vitamins and minerals. Plant a few every 10 days in a hummus, rich, well-drained soil and keep uniformly moist during their entire growing period. They freeze very well.

3. Brussels sprouts. Believe it or not, this plant was probably first grown in Belgium (Brussels) in the 13th century and moved quickly throughout northern Europe because of its requirements of mild temperatures (45 to 75 degrees, best yields at 59 to 64 degrees) for good production. They take 90 to 100 days to mature, and are most flavorful and sweet when harvested after a good frost. Edible sprouts grow along the long stalk and ripen from the lower to the upper, so each stalk can be harvested for a few weeks. They freeze great and store well, but most people have been turned off by a sulfurous odor and bitter taste that is caused by overcooking, which releases “glucasinolate sinigrin” that causes the smell. Steam or boil for only 6 to 7 minutes, Brussels sprouts contain 15 essential vitamins and nutrients and, like most brassica, are high in dietary fiber.

4. Turnips. Brassica rapa is a temperate-climate-loving root crop originating in Asia and Europe and known in Greek and Roman times. It is produced for both human and livestock consumption, depending on the variety. The leaves sprout directly above the in-ground root with no visible crown. People also eat the very young, small turnip leaves, which are a common dish in the south, i.e. “turnip greens.” Baby turnips which don’t have multi-colored varieties, are much smaller and are eaten whole, leaf and all. In 1881, the household cyclopedia said this about turnips: “The benefits from turnip husbandry are of great magnitude, are cultivated with profit and facility, abundance of food is provided for man and Beast”.

5. Rutabaga. Brassica napus napobrassica is from Sweden and was derived from crossbreeding cabbage and turnip plants. Rutabaga means “route bag” in Swedish. You can roast them, use them in soups or eat them raw, boiled, steamed or mashed. They will thrive in your garden, with the root protruding halfway out of the ground. They are a long crop of 90-plus days, so plan accordingly.

6. Bok choy. Brassica Rapa, or Chinese cabbage. There are two groups of bok choy, also called napa cabbage, Pekinensis and Chinesensis. Both are used as leafy greens, and bok choy means “white vegetable.” Bok choy is succulent in both stem and leaf, is great steamed, boiled or stir-fried, and is abundant in vitamin A and C. It is easily grown on the Peninsula and co-mingles well in the garden with other vegetables. Plant or sow every two weeks.

7. Arugula. I must conclude this with this longtime favorite. Arugula is just so easy to grow here on the Peninsula and is a superb leafy green vegetable. It contains high amounts of manganese, magnesium, beta carotene, vitamins A, C, B and 103 percent of vitamin K recommendations. It also tastes great and can be grown all year round.

Well, there you go, plant many brassica and hold a tournament to determine your kitchen table winner.

The best to you and stay well all!

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Andrew May is a freelance writer and ornamental horticulturist who dreams of having Clallam and Jefferson counties nationally recognized as “Flower Peninsula USA.” Send him questions c/o Peninsula Daily News, P.O. Box 1330, Port Angeles, WA 98362, or email news@peninsuladailynews.com (subject line: Andrew May).