The only time I do not thoroughly enjoy my work as a consulting horticulturist is when I need to compose reports in the office when the weather is so excellent. In fact, if this column seems to be of inferior quality, it is likely because I can see over the top of the monitor and out a window into the garden. It is impossible to avoid distraction.

This last weekend, my neighbor and I worked in the vegetable garden. In the Santa Clara Valley, broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage should have finished production by now. Although I have never been very successful with any of these vegetables planted this late, many garden enthusiasts plant a last phase of seedlings in early spring to exploit mild weather before summer heat.

Summer vegetables which may be sown directly into the soil include beans, cucumbers, corn, squash, beets, carrots and salad greens. Plants which only produce once, such as corn, beets and carrots, should  be planted in small groups in phases to provide over a longer season. Large groups planted at the same time may produce more than can be consumed, but only once. We normally plant beets in phases but also plant a large group to can.

Vegetables which are produced by many individual plants, such as corn, beets and salad greens, should always be sown as seed. Corn purchased in cell packs only provides six plants at nearly the cost of an envelope of seed. Because most gardens accommodate much more than six plants, several cell pack are necessary. However, a single envelope of seed can be used for more than just the first phase of corn. Plants grown from seed also grow immediately; but seedlings take a few days to adjust to their new environment.

Eggplant, peppers and tomatoes may either be sown as seed or planted as seedlings. Because only a few plants of each are normally planted, purchasing seedlings in cell packs is quite practical. For example, an envelope of seed costs about the same or a bit more than six tomato seedlings in a cell pack, which is more than enough for an average garden. Not only does seed need to be grown into seedlings, but one envelope provides much more seed than necessary.

The only vegetable plant we acquire in a four inch pot is zucchini. This is only because we only want one plant and have no use for the extra five plants of a cell pack. Because most vegetable plants grow like weeds, there is not much advantage to purchasing plants in four inch pots rather than cell packs.