Comprehensive Plant Database
Search and filter by soil pH, sunlight, functional traits, ecology, and safety, covering every plant type.
| Name | Scientific | Family | Form | Height | pH | Zones | Sun | Water | Difficulty | Conservation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butternut Squash, Winter Squash, Gramma | Cucurbita moschata | Cucurbitaceae | climber | 1-2 feet (30-60 cm) | 6–6.8 | 3a-11b | Full Sun | Irrigate at ground level providing 1-1.5 inches per week. Exhibits higher heat and drought tolerance than Cucurbita pepo. | Easy | LC |
| Cabbage, Head Cabbage, Red Cabbage, Savoy Cabbage | Brassica oleracea | Brassicaceae | herb_non_graminoid | 1-1.5 feet (30-45 cm) | 6.2–7.2 | 2a-11b | Full Sun, Partial Sun | Apply 1 inch of water weekly; maintain consistent moisture to prevent mature heads from splitting. | Easy | LC |
| Cantaloupe, Muskmelon, Rockmelon, Sweet Melon | Cucumis melo | Cucurbitaceae | climber | 1-1.5 feet | 6–6.8 | 4a - 11b (Grown as Annual) | Full Sun | Provide 1-2 inches of deep watering per week at soil level. Avoid overhead irrigation to prevent fungal leaf spot. Reduce watering slightly prior to harvest to maximize sugar concentration. | Moderate | LC |
| Cardoon, Artichoke Thistle, Wild Cardoon | Cynara cardunculus | Asteraceae | herb_non_graminoid | 4-6 feet (120-180 cm) | 6.5–8.5 | 7a-10b | Full Sun | Deep, infrequent watering during establishment; highly drought tolerant once taproot is anchored. | Easy | LC |
| Carrot, Garden Carrot | Daucus carota | Apiaceae | herb_non_graminoid | 1-2 feet (foliage) | 6–6.8 | 3a-10b | Full Sun, Partial Sun | Provide consistent moisture, about 1 inch per week. Avoid soggy soil because waterlogging can cause root rot and cavity spot. | Easy | NE |
| Catawba Rhododendron, Mountain Rosebay, Purple Laurel | Rhododendron catawbiense | Ericaceae | shrub | 6-10 feet | 4.5–5.5 | 4a - 8b | Partial Sun, Partial Shade | Shallow root systems require consistent moisture (1 inch per week). Apply a 2-3 inch layer of pine bark mulch to conserve moisture and regulate root temperature; never let roots dry out completely or sit in waterlogged soil. | Moderate | LC |
| Faassen's Catmint, Ornamental Catmint | Nepeta × faassenii | Lamiaceae | subshrub | 1.5-3 feet (45-90 cm) | 6–7.8 | 3a-8b | Full Sun, Partial Sun | Low. Very drought-tolerant once established; avoid overwatering. | Easy | NE |
| Broadleaf Cattail, Common Cattail, Bulrush, Reedmace | Typha latifolia | Typhaceae | herb_graminoid | 5-10 feet (150-300 cm) | 5.5–7.5 | 2a-11b | Full Sun, Partial Sun | Needs saturated soil or standing water 5-50 cm deep. | Easy | LC |
| Cauliflower, Heading Broccoli | Brassica oleracea | Brassicaceae | herb_non_graminoid | 1.5-2.5 feet (45-75 cm) | 6.5–7.5 | 2a-11b | Full Sun, Partial Sun | Demands uniform moisture of 1.5 inches weekly; temperature and moisture stress cause premature buttoning (tiny unmarketable heads). | Difficult | LC |
| Celeriac, Celery Root, Knob Celery, Turnip-rooted Celery | Apium graveolens | Apiaceae | herb_non_graminoid | 1-2 feet (30-60 cm) | 6–7 | 4a-9b | Full Sun, Partial Sun | Demands consistently moist soil throughout the season; never allow root zone to dry out completely, as drought leads to hollow or fibrous roots. | Moderate | LC |
| Celery, Pascal Celery, Stalk Celery | Apium graveolens | Apiaceae | herb_non_graminoid | 1.5-2 feet (45-60 cm) | 6–7 | 2a-11b | Full Sun, Partial Sun | Demands steady, heavy watering (1.5 to 2 inches weekly); never allow soil to dry out as drought triggers tough, hollow, bitter stalks. | Difficult | LC |
| Century Plant, American Aloe, Maguey | Agave americana | Asparagaceae | succulent_leaf | 5-6 feet (flowering stalk up to 30 feet) | 6.5–8.5 | 8a-11b | Full Sun | Extremely drought-tolerant. Natural rainfall is sufficient; supplement once monthly during intense summer drought. | Easy | LC |
Beans: Soil pH, Planting Depth and Spacing (Green, Bush, Fava)
The three bean records in this database, green bean, bush bean and fava (broad bean), all sit in the same narrow soil window: pH 6.0 to 7.0, well-drained, and neither waterlogged nor droughted through pod fill. That window is not a preference, it is a biological constraint. Rhizobium nodules (the reason a bean feeds itself) stop fixing atmospheric nitrogen below about pH 6.0, and fava shows aluminium and manganese toxicity on acid ground before the common beans do. Lime to 6.0-6.5 if a test comes back under 6.0, then re-test: the correction takes months, not weeks.
| Bean | Sow depth | Spacing | Soil temperature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green bean | 1–1.5 in (2.5–4 cm) | 3–4 in in-row, 18–24 in apart | 60°F (16°C) or warmer |
| Bush bean | 1–1.5 in (2.5–4 cm) | 3–4 in in-row, 18–24 in apart | 60°F (16°C) or warmer |
| Fava bean | 1–2 in (2.5–5 cm) | 4–6 in in-row, 24 in apart | 40–50°F (5–10°C) |
Depth. Sow bean seed at about three times its own thickness and no deeper: 1 to 1.5 inches for green and bush bean, 1 to 2 inches for the larger fava seed. Sowing shallow is the safer error. Common bean will not germinate in soil still below 60°F (16°C) (seed sits and rots instead of swelling) while fava is the opposite and goes in four to six weeks before the last frost, which is why it also works as an autumn sowing. Neither wants a presoak: hydrate the bed, not the seed.
Spacing. Bush types are determinate and stop growing on their own, so 3 to 4 inches within the row and 18 to 24 inches between rows gives a canopy that closes without crowding; thinned stands dry out and crack their pods. Fava is taller and stiffer, so it takes 4 to 6 inches in the row with 24 inches between rows, and it benefits from a stake on exposed ground. Pole types are a different question: they need the trellis before the seed goes in.
After sowing. About an inch of water a week, held evenly through flowering and pod set: a dry week at first bloom drops the flower set, and a waterlogged week at harvest splits the pods. Inoculate seed if the bed has not grown a legume in the last four years, keep fresh manure out of the hole (it delays nodulation) and feed phosphorus and potash from a soil test rather than by habit. Full sun for all three. For the pH side of that, start from the soil pH by crop reference table and work out the rate with the lime requirement calculator.