Growing vegetables is a popular summer trend – a perfect family activity – and our resident gardening expert Frankie Flowers stopped by Cityline to give us the low-down on growing your own vegetables.

Frank recommends beans as a great starting point for families.  They’re easy to grow and harvest, in addition to carrying great benefits for your heart health.

There is a wide range of pepper vegetables that you can grow in your backyard – like the ghost pepper.  A word of warning, the ghost pepper has the highest amount of Scoville units compared to any other hot pepper.  The “Scoville scale” is the measure of heat level of a spicy pepper.  They can take several years to grow, and require time and care for full-growth. 

Pepper Problems

Insects often pose an issue to backyard vegetables.  If you are facing that issue in your backyard, Frank recommends that you water your plants often.  If you water your vegetable garden twice a day, you’ll minimize the slug population.

Creating an insecticidal solution with soapy water can help reduce unwanted bugs, too.  The pioneers used to do it — and so can you!

So what should I grow?

If your summer is really hot in temperature – tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants are great choices.  When it comes to tomato plants, you want to be sure to remove the bottom leaves.  It gives more energy to the plants’ roots, and keeps them clean.

Tip:  If you don’t have a lot of bees to pollinate, shake your plant.  It helps to spread the pollen, and further populate your vegetable garden.