GARDEN VEGETABLES & FRUITS

Miscellaneous vegetables that do not fit conveniently into other classifications are included in this section. These vegetables are often popular in the tropics, and some are especially nutritious and/or well adapted to a specific harsh environment.

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Beet | Cantaloupe | Cucumber | Eggplant | Egusi | Garlic Chives | Okra | Onion | Pepper | Rhubarb | Snake Gourd | Snow Peas | Sunflower | Tomatillo | Tomato | Tree Tomato | Watermelon  

Borneo: Extra long edible pods that can be 19 inches (47.5cm) long.

Burgundy: 49-60 days. Attractive 4-5 ft. plant with green leaves & burgundy stems, branches, leaf ribs; tender burgundy pods 6-8 in. (15-20 cm.), good yields. Image

Clemson Spineless: Prolific producer of dark green, spineless pods which can be harvested continuously for weeks. Pods best when 3-5 inches long. Plants grow to 4 feet in height.

Ever Lucky (hybrid): Plants are vigorous, prolific and medium-tall. The petioles are green with occasional purple stripes. Pods are five-ridged, shiny, dark green, and spineless. Image

Greenie (hybrid): Plant is early and vigorous with small, lobed leaves. Fruit is plump, dark green, and five-ridged.

Prelude: This variety of okra has an unusual lance-shaped leaf which allows sunlight and rain to pass through the leaf canopy and reach the growing plant. Harvesting from overhead is considerably easier due to the leaf shape.

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Onions thrive best in the tropics at higher elevations and can survive periods of low soil moisture. Growth is regulated through a combination of temperature and day length. Onion varieties adapted to the tropics will bulb at a day-length of 10-12 hours of daylight; for subtropical or temperate varieties a longer day length is necessary. *Day length sensitive. Soil pH: 4.3-8.3.

Copra: Long-day hybrid. 104 days. Medium-sized, dark yellow onion with a long storage life.

Also called Chinese leek. Mild, garlic-flavored leaves. Cut leaves to 1" above ground for continuous harvest. A perennial, cool season vegetable, which flowers in the hot summer. Can tolerate high temperature and a range of soils. Can reach 30-45 cm in height. Soil pH: 5.3-8.3.

An annual in which the leaves and root are edible. If it is being grown for the leaves the plants can be seeded close together as this will stunt the root growth. Beets thrive in rich, well-drained, sandy loam soil, full sun, with a steady supply of water. In tropical areas grow in the drier season. Soil pH: 5.5-7.5.

Excalibur: Uniform internal coloring and a fine crown that is easy to remove. Open pollinated. variety.

Kestrel: Develops smooth, dark red roots with a small crown. Late bolting. Hybrid variety.

Pepper varieties are described as pungent (hot) or non-pungent (mild or sweet).  Plants are typically grown as an annual in temperate climates; however, they can be perrenial where there is no frost.    Plant height varies with variety, but 1m (3.3ft) is typical.  Peppers prefer well drained, sandy or silty-loam soil. Hot, dry weather is best for fruit ripening. In humid areas it may be best to grow peppers during the dry season and water as needed.  Hot peppers tend to require a longer growing season but tolerate slightly more heat than sweet peppers.  Soil pH: 4.5-7.0.

Hot peppers 

C. annuum, ‘Jalapeno M’:  Open pollinated jalapeno.  72-75 days to maturity.  Fruit reaches 7.6cm (3in) in length and 3.8cm (1.5in) in diameter.  Fruits are dark green to red and pungent (hot) with thick walls; upright plants.  (Scoville rating of 3500-6000).

C. chinense, 'Caribbean Red': Open pollinated habanero hot pepper.  About 90-100 days to maturity; fruit reaches 5.1cm (2in) in length and 2.5cm (1in) in diameter.  Wrinkled fruits mature from green to a unique red.  An extremely hot  habanero pepper.  (Scoville Rating of 445,600). 

C. chinense, Habanero:  Open pollinated habanero hot pepper.  About 80 days to maturity. Fruit reaches 5.7cm (2.25in) in length and 3.2cm (1.25in) in diameter.  Early maturing.  Large fruits turn bright orange.  (Scoville rating of 200,000-350,000). 

C. frutescens, 'Indian Firecracker': Second generation seed has resulted in large (1.7m, 5.5ft tall), high-yielding plants at ECHO.  Produces very pungent (hot), 2.5-5cm (0.5-2in) long fruits on plants that live several years when protected from frost.

C. frutescens, ‘Serrano Chilli’:  Open pollinated hot pepper.  About 80-85 days to maturity.  Fruit size of 5.1cm (2in) in length and 1.3cm (0.5in) in diameter.  Medium-thin walled fruits are slim and club shaped, good for pickling and salsa.  (Scoville rating of 2,500-4,000).

Sweet peppers 

C. annuum, Bell Pepper, 'Lafayette': Hybrid sweet bell pepper. Midseason pepper that maintains firmness at mature yellow stage. Excellent yield potential.  May be harvested green or yellow.

C. annuum, Bell Pepper, 'Capistrano': Open pollinated sweet bell pepper. About 72-76 days to maturity. Compact plant 20 to 24 inches in height that provides basic protection from sunburning. 4.5 x 3.5 inch fruit. Fruit turns red at maturity. Resistant to Tobamovirus virus (Tobamoviruses); Pathotype P0.

Citrullus lanatus var. lanatus                                                     Elevation: 0-1000m

Egusi Melon                                                                                            SA, MS, LL, H, T

Though related to watermelon, the white, bitter fruits are inedible; however, the dehullled seeds contain 50% oil and 30% protein and can be ground into a paste to be used as a protein supplement.  Egusi melon is a fast-spreading creeper, providing effective weed suppression in mixed planting systems with crops such as yams, maize and cassava. 

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Citrullus lanatus var. lanatus                                                     Elevation: 0-1000m

A vining crop that requires good drainage and drier weather to prevent diseases. Requires regular watering. Soil pH: 5.5-7.5.

Crimson Sweet: About 85 days to maturity; Fruit is near-round, 16 X 14 inches, 25 pounds; rind is medium green with dark green stripes. Flesh is crimson red and very sweet; good long distance shipper. Resistant/tolerant to anthracnose and Fusarium Wilt. Open pollinated.

Cantaloupe requires well drained soils and does poorly in heavy clay type soils. The rind is thinner and flesh more solid than that of the watermelon. Requires warm soil temperatures for good growth. Fruit ripens best under dry conditions. Soil pH: 5.0-8.7.

Honey Rock: 85 days to maturity. Can weigh up to 3 pounds and shape is slightly oval. Flesh is salmon-orange color. Resistant/tolerant to Fusarium Wilt. Has thick firm flesh that is sweet. Open pollinated.

Cucumbers originated in India where they have been cultivated for 3,000 years. There are two types of markets for cucumbers; slicing and pickling. Slicers are grown for the fresh market and are longer for market. Picklers are grown for canning to make pickles, and are therefore shorter. Cucumbers perform best in sandy soils that warm up quickly. Hot, dry weather is ideal. Irrigation is encouraged so crops do not experience water stress as this causes bitter fruit toward harvest time. Soil pH: 4.5-8.7.

Marketmore 76: Slicing cucumber. About 68 days to maturity; fruit is cylindrical with some taper to ends and has uniform dark green color. Plant is monoecious with compact vines. Resistant/ tolerant to cucumber mosaic virus, downy mildew, powdery mildew, and scab. Open pollinated.

Speedway: Slicing cucumber. Early to harvest, high yields with uniform, dark green color that holds well. 56 days to maturity. Cylindrical/ blocky shape. Resistant to anthracnose 2, angular leaf spot, cucumber mosaic virus, powdery mildew, and scab. Hybrid.

Native to the South American highlands. In the tropics, tree tomatoes do best at elevations between 1500 and 2800 meters. Frost can partially kill plants. It does not tolerate drought or water logged soil. Plant in fertile, light, well-drained soil. Fruits are edible and ready to harvest when the color is yellow or red. Plants can reach heights between 1 and 5 meters. Soil pH: 5.8-7.5.

This crop does best in temperate areas, but can also tolerate subtropical and tropical climates. Sunflowers have a deep taproot that enables them to be as drought tolerant as sorghum or millet. This crop is a heavy feeder and requires regular application of nitrogen. Once established sunflowers can shade out nearby weeds. Soil pH: 5.5-8.0.

Sunspot: Compact plants produce 20-30 cm heads filled with edible seeds. A confection sunflower.

Skyscraper: 75-80 days. Large bright yellow flowers. Confection sunflower with large edible seeds.

Mammoth/Black Russian: Giant head; edible seed.

Refer to Industrial Crops section for varieties of oil sunflowers.

Oregon Sugar Pod II: Has a sweet mild flavor and smooth pods. High yielding, low growing.

* a cool weather crop, grow in dry and/or cool season.

Mammoth Melting: Delicious succulent 4 inch edible pods. Produces abundantly on 4 foot long vines. Needs trellis. Pick 68 days after sowing. Soil pH: 4.5-8.3.

* a cool weather crop, grow in dry and/or cool season.

A semi-woody annual that can attain heights of 1.2-1.5m. This crop abounds in Mexico and the highlands of Guatemala. Grows best in conditions that tomatoes grow well in. Tropical crop, but does well in temperate regions. Soil pH: 5.0-8.0.

Leafstalks or stem used to make pie filling; can be grown from seed as an annual in Florida. Green leaf blades are toxic. This crop is a perennial in temperate regions. For best production soil should be well-drained with a high content of organic matter. Rhubarb is fairly drought tolerant, and can get root rot if over-watered. We have had good luck at ECHO with rhubarb by planting in August and harvesting in March-May.

Fruits are eaten as vegetables when young (about 2/3 of full size). Eggplant does best in well drained soils with temperatures of 28-35C (75-100F). An annual crop. Fruits come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Soil pH: 4.3-8.5.

Bride: Productive fruit in hot, humid weather. An Oriental type eggplant which has an elongated, narrow fruit. Fruit is mostly white with purple stripes, very tender and tasty.

Florida Market: 78-90 days. Vigorous erect plants with glossy dark purple-black fruits. Long harvest season. Resistant to Phomopsis blight and fruit rot.  Image

Long White: Fruit is 7 in. long.

Pingtung Long: This long, slender oriental variety is resistant to many diseases; an ECHO favorite.

Rosa Bianca: 80-90 days.  A small, round [10-15cm (4-6in)] eggplant, pale-purple skin, delicate flavor without bitterness.  A top performer in and ECHO variety trial.

Yellow: Very productive in hot, humid weather. May grow as a medium-sized shrub. Fruit green until yellow when mature. Productive at ECHO even with nematodes.

A vining annual vegetable crop. The plant produces a wavy cucumber-like fruit that is harvested immature and cooked like a squash. This crop is well suited to growth in the humid lowland tropics. The delicate vines need a trellis. The mature fruit turns orange or red when ripe and can be used in soups. The fruits do not store well after harvest. Soil pH: 6.0-8.0.