As you garden more, you will discover that plants of similar varieties have similar traits. This will enable you to identify seeds quickly, determine whether they need to be directly planted or raised as seedlings, and determine which conditions each prefers.
Gathering vegetables by family simplifies crop rotation, helping prevent disease build-up.
Grass Family
Poaceae (pronounced poU’e’as) is an incredible family of grasses that make up some of the most important crop plants on the planet. From lawn grass to naturalized grassland and everything in between, these grasses serve both forage for livestock and wildlife and soil-forming purposes – not forgetting they provide human food sources! Corn, rice, and wheat all fall within this family, though we think of them more as grains than grasses!
Like orchids and palms, members of the grass family are monocotyledons: flowering plants that produce one embryo leaf at their base compared to dicots’ two cotyledons. Wind-pollinated grass flowers lack petals or other features that attract insect pollinators for pollination; their leaves are long and narrow with parallel veins, while most common grasses can be herbaceous or even perennial species.
Grasses can be found worldwide in open habitats such as arctic tundra and alpine regions, steppes and prairies, tropical savannas, deserts and salt pans, and high mountains. They often serve as dominant vegetation within these environments and represent one of the world’s most widely distributed plant species.
There are over 11,000 known species of grass, and some taxonomists believe there may be as many as 13,000. Grass species are the world’s most utilized forage plants, essential to regenerative agricultural systems. Their wide use includes pasture for grazing animals and fodder crops to provide prescribed feed. They’re also grown for lawn care or erosion control in agricultural areas.
Cereal grains, divided into warm-season and cool-season categories, are the primary crops in the grass family. Major cereal crops in the US include barley, buckwheat, oats, rice, rye, and wheat, as they are seed-bearers in this group of crops; other legumes like amaranth or quinoa that reproduce via pods instead of seeds belong to either the broadleaf or eudicot families and should not be considered true cereals.
Bean Family
The bean family (Fabaceae) includes favas, lentils, peas, chickpeas, lima beans, pinto beans, and soybeans – making them easy for gardeners of all ages and climates. Furthermore, members of this group often form beneficial ecological relationships with Rhizobia bacteria in their roots to form nodules that release nitrogen back into the soil.
This family is ideal for planting in gardens where children are encouraged to get their hands dirty and participate in growing. Youngsters will be mesmerized at how quickly the bean seedlings appear after sowing them in clear plastic cups with paper or fabric covering them for protection from direct sunlight, then remove the covering to see how fast their sprouted seedlings have grown! For even greater understanding, have them plant one type of bean seed per clear plastic cup covered with fabric protection; once planted, they can remove this covering to observe when their seedlings start appearing – an excellent way for kids to learn what happens underground!
Beans thrive in soil that drains well and has plenty of organic matter, though the plants themselves require heavy fertilizer feedings regularly to thrive. Since beans are cool-season crops, planting may start as early as Spring for an August or September frost harvest, or in certain regions of the country, fall planting may take place again in March/April for another harvest cycle.
Beans are an excellent vegetable in a garden that uses crop rotation techniques. Most home gardeners rotate vegetables from different families yearly in their garden space to give diseases and pests time to die off before reintroducing similar family members the following year. A handy chart such as this one listing joint vegetable families can make creating an effective crop rotation plan much simpler for gardeners of all ages.
Tomato Family
Tomatoes, peppers, tomatillos, white potatoes, and eggplants belong to the Solanaceae family, one of the most popular vegetable families for home gardening. These plants thrive in our climate because of several common traits—liking warm weather, increasing, and needing lots of organic matter in the soil for health. Furthermore, crop rotation should always be considered when gardening with these species.
At first glance, this family can be challenging to recognize due to its striking visual similarity among plants—even 10-day-old seedlings will resemble each other, and their true leaves will have similar shapes. Flowers from these plants also look alike, with tomatillo blossoms resembling tomato ones, while eggplant and potato ones seem like smaller versions. This leads many to become easily confused between each vegetable group. But with continued attention, remembering which veggies belong in each group becomes much more straightforward.
All members of this family, except potatoes, require plenty of organic matter in the soil for optimal growth. For best results, plant them in rich, loose, well-draining soil with bone meal added at planting time to each hole. Full sun conditions are ideal; for more relaxed beds, cover them first with black plastic for several weeks before sowing seeds.
Keep a chart of vegetable families handy to assist in planning out your garden each year. For instance, if tomatoes were grown in bed “A” last year, they could use another location this time (or rotate into another family). A chart can also help remind you which vegetables have been planted where so that repeat crops don’t appear again; one such free chart can be downloaded here.
Cucurbitaceae
The Cucurbitaceae, or gourd family, encompasses squashes, pumpkins, cucumbers, and melons. All members of this plant family grow climbing or trailing from thick central stems. Heavy feeders that need lots of organic matter and consistent watering and are sensitive to root disturbance should be directly seeded or transplanted within four weeks of starting. Therefore, indoor starting or undercover outdoor starting is ideal so they can become established before summer arrives.
Most of the 33 members of this family that are cultivated are grown for their fruit, which can be eaten raw (gourds), cooked and pickled (cucumbers, squashes, and melons), roasted or dried (gourds), or juiced as needed. They provide food security benefits while offering fiber, vitamins A & C, minerals, phytochemicals, phytosterols, and more! Because crops are susceptible to disease infestation in soil environments, crop rotation should be implemented regularly to protect against pests and disease infestation.
These plants come from diverse backgrounds, but they all share similar characteristics that make them easy to cultivate. All require warm and sunny locations with fertile, well-draining soil. Most should be planted directly or transplanted undercover four weeks after sowing. Many produce long taproots that must be grown in rows at least 3 feet apart. They’re perfect for smaller gardens or raised beds.
Cucumbers contain high concentrations of soluble fiber, which has been shown to significantly decrease cholesterol and blood sugar levels. They also contain vitamin K, which promotes bone health and may help prevent osteoporosis. Furthermore, their potassium content also regulates blood pressure and heart rate.
Domesticated cucurbits appear to have undergone early selection during domestication for their non-biting pulps, and their genetic pathways are being explored using genomic data. Red or orange pulp color, fruit size and shape, and other characteristics of these cucurbits are being examined in concert with archaeological and herbarium collections.