Vegetable farming

Growing vegetables has traditionally been done in long rows. This allows machinery to cultivate and increase the efficiency and output. Over the past 100 years a new technique has emerged--raised bed gardening, which has increased yields from small plots of soil without the need for commercial, energy intensive fertilizers. Modern hydroponic farming yields very high

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yields in greenhouses without using any soil, but expends much more energy. In America, vegetable farms are in some regions known as truck farms after the trucks used to transport the produce, or muck farms after the dark black soil in which many vegetable grow best.

Common vegetable crops include:

Fabaceae (pea family)

• pea
• bean
• lentil

Solanaceae (nightshade family)

• tomato
• egg plant
• bell pepper
• potato

Brassicaceae (mustard family)

• cauliflower
• cabbage
• brussels sprout
• broccoli

Other plant families:

• avocado (Lauraceae, Laurales)
• carrot (Apiaceae)
• lettuce (Asteraceae)

See also: agriculture, gardening