Plant Families

Organization…it is important to me in everything I do. I could have made a career out of organizing things, documents, clothing, cabinets, etc. But I didn't. LOL!

One thing I also like organized are my plants. Whether it is the seed storage, my planting plan, where my tools are stored, it doesn't matter. But one HUGE help in my garden organization is plant families.

Every single plant, edible or not, belongs to a plant family. This is the way they are organized.

There are so many plant families that exist, but today we are only going to talk about a few popular edible plant families.

So, most plants in the same family have the same or similar characteristics and growing requirements, which is why it is good to learn them. For instance, knowing that cauliflower and broccoli are in the same family, you can plant and care for them in the same manner. Knowing this information allows you to know that you can plant several plants from that family without doing extensive research.

Let's start alphabetically, to stay organized ;).

goosefoot (Chenopodiaceae)

Beet, chard, spinach

Characteristics: annual or biannual; large, simple leaves

Growing conditions and needs: cool season vegetables; need well-drained soil + well rotted compost; does not do well in acidic soil; water deeply

Gourds (cucurbitaceae)

Cucumbers, melons, watermelon, winter squash, zucchini, gourds

Characteristics: climbing, some with little hairs; with tendrils; large, lobed leaves; grows fast

Growing conditions and needs: need to be kept moist, not wet; use lots of compost

legume family (Fabaceae)

Peas, green/string beans, fava beans, cowpea, peanut

Characteristics: splits open, seeds along one side

Growing conditions and needs: avoid adding too much nitrogen, use small amounts of well rotted compost

Mint family (Lamiaceae)

Mint, rosemary, sage, thyme, oregano, basil

Characteristics: aromatic herbs, many are perennial, invasive (spreads easily)

Growing conditions and needs: drought tolerant; grows ok in poor soil

mustard family (brassicaceae)

Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, mustard, Pak choi, radish

Characteristics: simple leaves with a cross shape

Growing conditions and needs: best grown in cool weather, needs pH balanced soil

Nightshade (solonaceae)

Tomato, eggplant, bell pepper, chili pepper, tobacco, and potato

Characteristics: many are perennials but they are generally grown as an annual; smooth, angular leaves

Growing conditions: rich damp soil with tons of organic matter

Onion

Onion, garlic, leek, and chive.

Characteristics: long thin leaves; under ground shoots, long life cycle, most biennial/perennial, shallow roots

Growing conditions and needs: Warm season; loamy soil

Parsley Family (apiaceae)

Carrot, parsley, coriander, fennel, celery.

Characteristics: slow germinating; long stem

Growing conditions and needs: cool season; needs well drained soil

Sunflower (asteraceae)

Lettuce, artichoke, calendula, zinnia, marigold, sunflower.

Characteristics: grows fast; shallow roots; small disk flowers; wide open central vein; attracts pollinators

Growing conditions and needs: grow lettuces in cool season or shade with larger plants; needs lots of organic matter.

One thing to note, some plants are in a family but don’t seem like they belong (there is always one in each family). For instance, broccoli’s family likes cooler weather, but the are some varieties than can tolerate warmer weather or will do okay with a shade cover.

to summarize

Since gardening in Fayetteville, NC I have found that learning and growing by plant families has saved time and frustration. Families have similar characteristics and growing needs, so I didn’t have to do a bunch of research to tend to each plant. I already know because it’s cousin needs the same thing.