Grow Your Own Fresh Vegetables with Strong, Healthy Plants
There's nothing quite like the taste of fresh vegetables from your own garden! At Big John's Farm Market, we grow robust vegetable plants that give your home garden the best possible start. From classic tomatoes and peppers to specialty varieties and unique crops, our greenhouse-grown vegetable starts are nurtured from seeds right here in our climate-controlled environment, ensuring you get the strongest, healthiest plants for a successful harvest.
Why Start with Quality Vegetables Plants?
The Foundation of Garden Success
Starting your vegetable garden with quality transplants rather than direct seeding offers numerous advantages, especially in our Midwest climate with its sometimes unpredictable spring weather.
- Head Start on Season: Plants are already 6-8 weeks ahead of direct seeding
- Weather Protection: Started in controlled conditions, not subject to late cold snaps
- Stronger Root Systems: Greenhouse-grown plants establish quickly in garden soil
- Higher Success Rate: Less risk of crop failure compared to direct seeding
- Extended Growing Season: Earlier transplanting means longer harvest period
- Consistent Germination: No gaps in your garden rows from poor seed germination
- Heat-loving crops (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant)
- Crops with long growing seasons
- Gardeners who want guaranteed variety selection
- Areas with short growing seasons
- Beginning gardeners who want higher success rates
Our Growing Expertise
From Seed to Strong Transplant
From Seed to Strong Transplant
We grow our vegetable plants using the same careful attention we give our flowering plants. Our vegetables are started from seed right here in our greenhouse that we nurture to transplant size.
- Controlled Environment: Optimal temperature, humidity, and light conditions
- Proper Timing: Plants ready when soil and weather conditions are right
- Strong Root Development: Healthy root systems for quick garden establishment
- Disease Prevention: Clean growing conditions reduce disease pressure
- Variety Selection: We choose varieties that perform well in our local climate
- Optimal Size: Plants are mature enough to transplant successfully but not overgrown
Planting Timing & Success
When and How to Plant Vegetables
- April Plantings: Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, brussels sprouts
- Successive Plantings: Lettuce, spinach, radishes, kale
- Cold Tolerant: Can handle light frosts and cool soil
- Mother's Day Rule: Wait until after Mother's Day for heat-loving crops
- Soil Temperature: Wait for consistently warm soil
- Frost Sensitive: Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, beans, squash, melons
- Continuous Harvest: Plant lettuce, beans, and radishes every 2-3 weeks
- Extended Season: Multiple plantings provide harvests throughout summer
- Fresh Supplies: Always have tender, young vegetables ready to harvest
Complete Vegetable Selection
Everything You Need for a Productive Garden
We grow an extensive selection of vegetable plants to meet every gardener's needs, from traditional favorites to unique specialty varieties.
- Tomatoes - From cherry to beefsteak varieties
- Peppers (many varieties) - Sweet bells, hot peppers, specialty types
- Eggplant (5 varieties) - Traditional, Asian, and specialty colors
- Tomatillos - Essential for authentic Mexican cuisine
- Okra - Heat-loving Southern favorite
- Cucumbers (many varieties) - Slicing, pickling, burpless, specialty types
- Squash (5 varieties) - Summer squash, zucchini, winter types
- Cantaloupe/Muskmelon - Sweet, fragrant melons
- Watermelon - Classic summer treat
- Beans (3 varieties) - Bush beans, pole beans, specialty types
- Lettuce (4 varieties) - Leaf, head, romaine, specialty types
- Spinach - Cool season favorite
- Kale (3 varieties) - Nutritious superfood in multiple forms
- Swiss Chard - Colorful and nutritious
- Collards - Southern cooking staple
- Greens - Mustard & turnip varieties
- Broccoli - Classic garden staple
- Cauliflower - White and colored varieties
- Cabbage - Fresh eating and storage types
- Brussels Sprouts - Fall harvest favorite
- Kohlrabi - Unique, mild-flavored vegetable
- Onions (3 varieties) - Storage, sweet, and specialty types
- Leeks - Mild onion family member
- Beets - Roots and greens both edible
- Radishes - Quick-growing spring crop
- Celery - Homegrown freshness
- Root Celery (Celeriac) - European root vegetable
- Okra - Heat-loving, productive crop
Expert Growing Advice
Helping You Succeed in Your Garden
Our knowledgeable staff provides guidance to help ensure your vegetable garden success, from plant selection to harvest tips.
Garden Planning Help
- Space Requirements: How much room each crop needs
- Succession Planting: Timing multiple plantings for continuous harvest
- Companion Planting: Which vegetables grow well together
- Season Extension: Getting the most from your growing season
Variety Selection
- Disease Resistance: Choosing varieties that resist common problems
- Climate Matching: Varieties that perform well in our local conditions
- Harvest Timing: Coordinating maturity dates for manageable harvests
- Storage Quality: Varieties that keep well for winter use
Growing Tips
- Soil Preparation: Proper soil amendments and preparation
- Planting Depth: Correct transplanting techniques
- Support Systems: Trellising and support for climbing crops
- Harvest Timing: When and how to harvest for best quality
What Makes Our Vegetable Plats Special
The Big John's Advantage for Vegetable Gardening
- Strong Root Systems: Plants establish quickly and withstand transplant shock
- Proper Hardening: Plants are gradually acclimated to outdoor conditions
- Optimal Size: Mature enough to transplant successfully but not overgrown
- Disease Prevention: Clean growing conditions reduce disease issues
- Local Adaptation: Plants grown specifically for our climate conditions
- Variety Knowledge: We know which varieties perform best locally
- Growing Guidance: Planting, care, and harvest advice
- Problem Solving: Help troubleshooting common garden issues
- Seasonal Timing: Advice on optimal planting times
- One-Stop Shopping: Complete vegetable plant selection in one location
- Fresh Selection: Plants move quickly from greenhouse to your garden
- Reasonable Pricing: Quality plants at competitive prices
- Local Knowledge: Understanding of local growing conditions and challenges
Specialty & Heirloom Varieties
Beyond the Basic Garden
While we focus on reliable, well-performing varieties, we also offer some specialty and unique options for adventurous gardeners.
- Paste tomatoes for sauce making
- Cherry tomatoes for snacking
- Heirloom varieties for unique flavors
- Determinate vs. indeterminate types
- Sweet bells in multiple colors
- Hot peppers from mild to very hot
- Specialty peppers for ethnic cuisines
- Drying and fresh-use varieties
- Tomatillos: Essential for salsa verde
- Root Celery: European-style root vegetable
- Kohlrabi: Unusual but delicious brassica
- Multiple Eggplant Types: From traditional to Asian varieties
Garden Planning Services
Complete Support for Your Vegetable Garden
- Garden Layout: Help designing efficient garden layouts
- Succession Planning: Timing multiple plantings throughout season
- Variety Selection: Choosing the right varieties for your family's needs
- Space Optimization: Making the most of limited garden space
- Planting Guidance: When and how to transplant each crop
- Care Instructions: Watering, fertilizing, and maintenance schedules
- Problem Diagnosis: Help identifying and solving garden problems
- Harvest Advice: When and how to harvest for best quality
Getting Started
Planning Your Most Successful Vegetable Garden
Whether you're a beginning gardener or an experienced grower, we're here to help you select the right plants and varieties