Gardening and Landscaping Stack Exchange
Gardening and Landscaping Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [root-vegetables]

Use this tag for questions on plants with an underground edible part that is used as a vegetable. Examples: Carrots, beets, potatoes, onions, ginger, etc.

In horticulture, agriculture, and culinary usage, the term "root vegetable" refers to any plant with an edible part below ground. However, botany distinguishes between true roots (tuberous roots and taproots) and non-roots (tubers, rhizomes, corms, bulbs).

Here are some examples of this classification:

True root vegetables:

  • Taproot Carrot, parsnip, radish
  • Tuberous Root Sweet potato, cassava

Non-roots eaten as vegetables:

  • Corm Chinese water chestnut
  • Rhizome Turmeric, root ginger
  • Tuber Potato, yams
  • Bulb Onion, garlic

Corms, Rhizomes, and Tubers are considered "modified stems" rather than true roots.

80 questions
8
votes
1 answer

What to do about carrots that don't seem to be growing?

It's my first time growing carrots and the leaves don't seem to have grown in the last fortnight. I'm worried that there's something wrong but there're no obvious problems as the leaves are still green and there's no wilting. The soil is mostly…
Alpar
  • 935
  • 7
  • 13
7
votes
2 answers

Should I remove the flower shoots of shallots?

I planted some shallots (clumping onions) which I had saved over winter. They are looking really healthy but some started to grow flowering shoots. I wonder if removing these shoots will improve the quality of the shallots since I don't want to save…
Organic
  • 544
  • 3
  • 8
7
votes
2 answers

What are the best garden uses for 5 gallons of used coffee beans?

I asked a local coffee shop to save up their used coffee beans for my garden, and was wondering what the best uses for all the beans would be. In my garden I have: Apple tree 4 blueberry bushes Sunchokes Garlic Turmeric (experimental for zone 4a) 2…
black thumb
  • 8,786
  • 2
  • 30
  • 67
7
votes
2 answers

Cleaning homegrown vegetables prior to consumption

I grow vegetables and fruit in my backyard. Everything is grown organically so I don't have any concerns with pesticide or chemicals on my edible fruits and vegetables. However, they do get exposed to insects and other animals (squirrels). I am…
JStorage
  • 7,844
  • 6
  • 32
  • 72
7
votes
1 answer

Right time to move vegetable plants outdoors

I have started germinating seeds indoors and they are starting to sprout. Once they have their true leaves I am planning to move them to 4" pots and still keep them indoors. I am growing different types of vegetables ranging from kale, lettuce,…
JStorage
  • 7,844
  • 6
  • 32
  • 72
6
votes
1 answer

Zone 4b: When should I start planting vegetable garden seedlings?

When should I start planting seedlings for the vegetable garden that we're going to start this year? As the question says, I live in zone 4b and we're planning on zone specific vegetables & gourds, but want to know the best time to start growing…
Rebecca Dessonville
  • 235
  • 1
  • 2
  • 5
6
votes
1 answer

How do I start sweet potatoes off?

Do you have to plant the sweet potatoes first and make sprouts, then cut vines off of these sprouts and put them in water? Can you just cut your potatoes in half and put them into water and grow slips from these?
Donna Bentkowski
  • 61
  • 1
6
votes
3 answers

Why don't people cultivate sarana (Kamchatka Lily)?

Cultures around the far northern Pacific rim enjoy the lily root, sarana. Supposedly its slight bitterness is satisfying in both sweet and savory preparations. My information is not complete, but in the linked article, no one grows it on purpose --…
Aaron Brick
  • 977
  • 6
  • 14
6
votes
1 answer

How can I grow ginger in my backyard?

I have never grown ginger and want to try to in my raised beds in my backyard. I don't have ginger seeds to grow from but can I cut sections of ginger I buy from the store and grow it? Any other guidelines to how to start growing ginger would be…
JStorage
  • 7,844
  • 6
  • 32
  • 72
6
votes
1 answer

How often do you get a sunchoke that looks like ginger?

I was watching some videos on gardening, and was wondering how often a sunchoke will look like a ginger root system (a giant clump of one tuber). Example:
black thumb
  • 8,786
  • 2
  • 30
  • 67
6
votes
1 answer

What USDA zones can I grow Yacon in?

I heard about Yacón, a tuberous vegetable cultivated in the Andes, and was wondering if I can grow Yacón in Minnesota.
black thumb
  • 8,786
  • 2
  • 30
  • 67
6
votes
1 answer

Carrots grown in my backyard look different

I just removed a carrot that I grew in my backyard. It is very different from the carrot you get in the supermarket. Wondering why the core is yellow instead of orange. The taste is not great either. See pictures below.
JStorage
  • 7,844
  • 6
  • 32
  • 72
6
votes
2 answers

Gardening calendar for vegetable beds

I have 3 raised beds in my backyard that I want to maximize use for. Does someone have an approximate calendar (does not have to be perfect) which outlines what activities (growing, harvesting and maintaining) should be during different months of…
JStorage
  • 7,844
  • 6
  • 32
  • 72
6
votes
1 answer

Rollie pollies - are they harmful to vegetables?

I have a vegetable raised box where I grow various vegetables in spring and summer. I noticed quite a few Rollie pollies in the box. Wondering if they will harm my vegetable crop this year and what if anything I can do to prevent that.
JStorage
  • 7,844
  • 6
  • 32
  • 72
6
votes
1 answer

Growing seeds outdoors

I live in the San Francisco / Bay Area and have a few raised vegetable beds. I have tried growing seeds outdoors (recently I sowed carrot, beet and cilantro) but have not had any luck with germination. I have done this indoors in a heating mat…
JStorage
  • 7,844
  • 6
  • 32
  • 72
1 2
3
4 5 6