The following breaks down the Fruits category by plant family.
Nightshade Family:Â eggplants, peppers, tomatoes, tomatillos and pineapple tomatillos
Basically, I included the veggie members of the nightshade family except for potatoes. Even though I included pineapple tomatillos as a fruit, not a veggie under the Nightshade Family, I had to include them here because they are in my veggie garden each year.
Grass Family: Corn
Cucurbit Family: Cucumbers, melons, winter and summer squash, and zuchetta.
Even though I included melons in the fruit category, not the veggie category, under the Cucurbit Family, I had to include melons here because they are so common in the home garden. Don’t forget melons include watermelons, cantaloupe, honeydews, etc., winter squash includes pumpkins and summer squash includes yellow squash and zucchini.
Similarities: The edible part of the Fruits category is the fruit that is produced. The fruit category shines in the heat of summer. These plants like phosphorus and potassium.
Differences: As far as long term storage, tomatillos in the nightshade family and winter squash in the cucurbit family are the winners. You need to eat the rest of the members sooner rather than later or have a plan for storing. As for melons, enjoy them when you pick them for the best flavor! Tomatoes can grow in a pole or bush format, cucumbers, melons, winter squash and zucchetta will grow in a vine/pole format, and eggplants, peppers, tomatillos and summer squash grow in a bush format.
Raised Bed Ideas: Just like the Buds veggie category, the Fruits members need room to grow so they take center stage. I like to grow vining tomatoes, melons, cucumbers, winter squash and zucchetta up a trellis and interplant with vining bean plants or flowers. As for peppers, eggplants and tomatillos, I like to stake them for support and interplant lettuce, begonias etc. As for corn and summer squash, I like to interplant taller flowers like cosmos to attract pollinators. Another thing to consider is putting some bug netting over the younger plants in the Cucurbit Family until they flower to deter the bad bugs.
