February 23, 2025
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What is your favorite veggie? Did I miss anything?

Here’s a comprehensive list of all vegetables you can grow regardless of Kentucky’s climate. This includes cold-hardy, warm-season, tropical, greenhouse, hydroponic, and perennial vegetables from around the world. 🌱🥕🍆

🥕 Root Vegetables (Edible Roots & Tubers)

  • Carrots (Orange, Purple, White, Yellow)
  • Beets (Red, Golden, Striped)
  • Radishes (Daikon, Watermelon, Black Radish)
  • Turnips (Purple Top, Hakurei, Tokyo Cross)
  • Parsnips (Sweet root vegetable)
  • Sweet Potatoes (Orange, Purple, White varieties)
  • Potatoes (Russet, Yukon Gold, Red, Fingerling, Blue)
  • Cassava/Yuca (Tropical root used for making tapioca)
  • Taro (Common in tropical regions, used for poi)
  • Yams (True yams, not sweet potatoes)
  • Onions (Red, White, Yellow, Shallots)
  • Garlic (Softneck, Hardneck, Elephant Garlic)

🥬 Leafy Greens & Salad Vegetables

  • Lettuce (Romaine, Iceberg, Butterhead, Leaf Lettuce)
  • Spinach (Baby, Savoy, Malabar)
  • Kale (Curly, Lacinato, Red Russian)
  • Swiss Chard (Rainbow, Red, Green)
  • Collard Greens (Heat & cold tolerant)
  • Mustard Greens (Spicy, fast-growing)
  • Cabbage (Green, Red, Napa, Savoy)
  • Bok Choy/Pak Choi (Chinese cabbage)
  • Arugula (Peppery salad green)
  • Watercress (Grows in water or wet soil)
  • Endive & Escarole (Bitter leafy greens)
  • Dandelion Greens (Edible wild green, high in nutrients)

🍅 Fruiting Vegetables (Grow on Vines, Bushes, or Trees)

  • Tomatoes (Cherry, Heirloom, Beefsteak, Roma)
  • Peppers (Bell Peppers, Jalapeños, Habaneros, Ghost Peppers)
  • Eggplant (Globe, Japanese, White, Thai)
  • Cucumbers (Slicing, Pickling, Armenian)
  • Okra (Clemson Spineless, Red Burgundy)
  • Zucchini (Green, Golden, Round)
  • Squash (Butternut, Acorn, Spaghetti, Hubbard)
  • Pumpkins (Sugar Pie, Jack O’Lantern, Giant varieties)
  • Bitter Melon (Grows in hot climates)
  • Tomatillos (Used in salsa verde)

🌽 Starchy & Grain Vegetables

  • Corn (Sweet Corn, Popcorn, Blue Corn)
  • Quinoa (Grown for its protein-rich seeds)
  • Amaranth (Used for greens and grains)
  • Millet (Drought-tolerant grain crop)

🌿 Herbs & Medicinal Plants (Used for Cooking & Health)

  • Basil (Sweet, Thai, Lemon, Holy)
  • Cilantro/Coriander (Leaves & seeds are edible)
  • Parsley (Curly & Flat-Leaf)
  • Oregano (Greek, Italian, Mexican)
  • Thyme (Common, Lemon, Creeping)
  • Rosemary (Woody herb, drought-tolerant)
  • Sage (Common, Pineapple, White Sage)
  • Mint (Peppermint, Spearmint, Chocolate Mint)
  • Dill (Used in pickling and sauces)
  • Chives (Onion-flavored herb)
  • Tarragon (French, Russian)
  • Fenugreek (Used for greens and seeds)

🥦 Cruciferous Vegetables (Brassicas – Super Nutritious!)

  • Broccoli (Calabrese, Romanesco, Sprouting)
  • Cauliflower (White, Purple, Orange)
  • Brussels Sprouts (Mini cabbage-like)
  • Kohlrabi (Edible bulb & leaves)
  • Chinese Broccoli (Gai Lan)
  • Daikon Radish (Large, white Asian radish)

🌱 Legumes & Beans (High Protein Crops)

  • Green Beans (Bush & Pole varieties)
  • Lima Beans (Fordhook, Baby Lima)
  • Black Beans (Common in Latin American cuisine)
  • Kidney Beans (Red & White varieties)
  • Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans) (Used in hummus)
  • Lentils (Green, Red, Brown)
  • Soybeans (Edamame) (High in protein)
  • Peanuts (Grow underground like potatoes)
  • Fava Beans (Cold-hardy bean variety)

🌿 Perennial Vegetables (Grow Back Every Year)

  • Asparagus (Can produce for 20+ years!)
  • Rhubarb (Edible stalks, but leaves are toxic)
  • Jerusalem Artichokes (Sunchokes) (Nutty-flavored tuber)
  • Tree Collards (Perennial leafy green)

🍠 Tropical & Uncommon Vegetables

  • Cassava/Yuca (Tropical root used to make tapioca)
  • Taro (Used in Hawaiian poi)
  • Chayote Squash (Grows on vines)
  • Yams (True yams, not sweet potatoes)
  • Malanga (Similar to taro, used in Caribbean dishes)
  • Moringa (Highly nutritious, “Tree of Life”)

🌿 Hydroponic & Indoor-Grown Vegetables

Many leafy greens and herbs grow well indoors or hydroponically year-round, including:

  • Lettuce (All types)
  • Spinach
  • Basil
  • Mint
  • Kale
  • Swiss Chard
  • Tomatoes (Dwarf varieties)
  • Peppers (Mini bell, chili peppers)

Download Kentucky Vegetable Guide ​

Not food to consume

Ginger shampoo plant