Description
Sweet finishes off the vegetable beds and the worm bins the same way it finishes off supper: something worth getting excited about all summer long. Five varieties to choose from: Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Strawberries, Pumpkins, and Ground Cherries.
Watermelon and cantaloupe want room to sprawl and reward you with the kind of August dessert that needs nothing done to it but a slice and a fork. Strawberries are the one perennial in the bunch, plant them once and get a June harvest for years to come. Pumpkins double as October front-porch decoration and pie filling. Ground cherries are the surprise of the bunch, a little papery husk hides a tiny golden fruit that tastes like a cross between a pineapple and a tomato, and most folks who try one end up growing them every year after.
Getting started
- Watermelon, cantaloupe, pumpkins, and ground cherries are warm-season and want the soil good and warm before they go in the ground, usually a couple weeks after your last frost.
- Strawberries are the exception. They are perennial and get planted in early spring so the roots can settle in before summer heat arrives.
- Watermelon and pumpkins are vigorous vines that want real room to sprawl, give them more space than seems reasonable.
- Ground cherries drop their fruit when ripe, right on schedule, so check the ground underneath the plant instead of pulling fruit off the stem.
Good to know: Seeds are lightweight and ship anywhere in the country.
