What am I growing this year?

That is a question opens wide a door for hours of conversation about why I grow the varieties I’ve chosen and why I grow so many. The short version of that is simple. I believe in developing a balanced ecosystem. This means planting a wide variety of crops that attract a equally wide range of wildlife. Having balanced ecosystem means that at least one variety of my tomatoes will produce an abundant crop, even if a different one succumbs to disease. It also means I don’t have a need to use pesticides and chemicals. Not only is this a healthier way to grow your food but it also provides more diverse food for the table. Which, in turn, gives you a wider range of vitamins and minerals. Not to mention it keeps your dinner plate from becoming boring.

Below you will find what I am growing for 2019. I have no doubt I will add or subtract from this as the season progresses. Nevertheless, if they don’t make it into the soil this year, they will next year. Not all of these have I grown before and to be honest, many are new to me. This year is quickly becoming a year of exploration for me. That being said, I rarely have been disappointed with any variety I have grown in the past and if you plant diversely it shouldn’t be an issue if one beet doesn’t grow as big as the next. 

Provider Bush

Gold Mine Bush Yellow Wax

Blue Lake F1 Pole Bean

Dragon Tongue Bush Bean |New

Urizun Japanese Winged |New

Benchmaster Runner |New

Scarlet Runner |New

Sunset Runner

Golden Sunshine Runner |New

Slippy Silks Pole Shelling |New

Cherokee Trail of Tears Pole Shelling

Good Mother Stallard Pole Shelling

Haricot Tarbais Pole Shelling |New

Masterpiece Fava |New

Kurzer’s Calico Travelers Lima |New

Christmas Pole Lima |New

BEANS

Detroit Dark Red Beet

Early Wonder Beet

Rhonda F1 Beet

Touchstone Gold Beet

Bull’s Blood Beet

Shiraz Beet |New

Subeto Beet |New

Ruby Queen Beet |New

Golden Beet |New

Tokinashi Turnip |New

Navone Yellow Rutabaga |New

Champion Purple Top Rutabaga |New

Hamburg Rooted Parsley |New

BEETS | TURNIPS | RUTABAGA

Belstar Broccoli

Waltha 29 Broccoli

Covina F1 Broccoli |New

Red Rubine Brussels Sprouts

Long Island Improved Brussels Sprouts

Impala F1 Cabbage

Passat F1 Cabbage |New

Brunswick Cabbage

Deadon F1 Cabbage |New

Buscaro F1 Cabbage |New

Champion Collards

Blaver Speck Kohlrabi |New

Kossak F1 Kohlrabi

Azur Star Kohlrabi |New

Superschmelz Giant White Kohlrabi |New

Goodman Cauliflower

Durgesh 41 Cauliflower |New

BRASSICAS

Oxheart Carrot |New

Amarillo Carrot

Kuroda Long 8″ Carrot

Cosmic Purple Carrot

Black Nebula Carrot|New

Koral Carrot

Purple Dragon Carrot

Danvers 126 Half Long Carrot

Yaya Carrot

Kyoto Red Carrot|New

White Satin F1 Carrot

Hollow Crown Parsnip

Harris Model Parsnip |New

CARROTS | PARSNIPS

 Pink Passion Chard

Ruby Red Chard

Orange Chard

Shanghai Green Pac Choy

Nero Di Toscana Kale |New

Red Ursa Kale |New

Red Russian Kale

Siber-Frill Kale

Darkibor F1 Kale

Scarlet Kale

Westlander Kale

Ironman Kale Mix

CHARD | KALE

Lunix Lettuce|New

Buttercrunch Lettuce|New

Landis Winter Lettuce|New

Merlot Lettuce |New

May Queen Lettuce|New

Arugula |New

Mirlo Lettuce

High Mowing DMR Blend Lettuce

Balena F1 Celeriac |New

Diamant Celeriac |New

Calypso Celery

Tall Utah Celery

GREENS | CELERY

Brightest Brilliant Quinoa |New

Cherry Vanilla Quinoa |New

Elena’s Rojo Amaranth

Golden Giant Amaranth

Papa’s Red Flour Corn

Mirage F1 Sweet Corn

Music Garlic |New

Zemo Garlic |New

German Extra Hardy Garlic |New

Chesnok Red Garlic |New

CORN | GRAINS | GARLIC

Genovese Basil

Lime Basil

Thai Hold Kaprao Basil |New

Licorice Basil

Lemon Basil

Bee Balm Lemon

Marvelous Mix Mint

Broad Leaf Sage

Thyme

Rosemary

Vulgare Oregano

Slo Bolt Cilantro

Giant of Italy Parsley

Bouquet Dill

Borage

Zloty Lan Chamomile

White Horehound

Roselle Red Hibiscus

HERBS | TEA |MEDICINAL

Japanese Long Cucumber |New

Silver Slicer Cucumber

Tendergreen Burpless Cucumber|New

Kalunga F1 Cucumber

Richmond Green Apple Cucumber |New

Chicago Pickling Cucumber|New

Mexican Sour Gherkin Cucumber |New

Little Fingers Eggplant |New

Rosa Bianca Eggplant

Ping Tung Eggplant

Mitoyo Eggplant

CUCUMBERS | EGGPLANT

Kajari |New

Collective Farm Woman |New

Ineya Asian Melon

Tam Dew

Petit Gris de Rennes

Charentais

Ananas D’Amerique A Chair Verte |New

Jyunpaku Okinawan White Bitter Melon

Janosik Watermelon

Strawberry Watermelon

Orangeglo Watermelon

MELONS

Walla Walla Sweet Onion

Rossa di Milano Red Onion

Ailsa Craig Yellow Onion |New

Yellow Sweet Spanish Onion |New

Dakota Tears Onion

Sedona F1 Onion

Evergreen Hardy Bunching Onion |New

Conservor F1 Shallot |New

Zebrune Shallot |New

Tadorna Leek |New

Bandit Leek |New

Alto Leek |New

Autumn Giant Leek |New

Giant Musselburgh Leek |New

ONIONS

Magnolia Blossom Tendril Pea

Green Arrow Shelling Pea

Sugar Ann Snap Pea

Malaga |New

Purple Plum

Early Scarlet Globe

French Breakfast |New

Sichuan Red Beauty |New

Chinese Red Meat |New

Pink Beauty

Miyashige White Diakon

 

PEAS | RADISH

Adirondack Blue Potato

Katahdin Potato

Purple Viking Potato

Red Chieftain Potato

Yukon Gold Potato

Russian Banana Fingerling Potato

Yukon Gem Potato

Diane Sweet Potato

Carolina Ruby Sweet Potato

Centennial Sweet Potato |New

Vardaman Sweet Potato |New

Beauregard Sweet Potato

O’Henry Sweet Potato

Bonita Sweet Potato |New

Molokai Purple Sweet Potato

Okinawan Purple Sweet Potato |New

POTATOES | SWEET POTATOES

Bennings Green Tint Scallop Squash

White Scallop Squash |New

Dark Star Zucchini

Yellowfin F1 Yellow Zucchini

Costata Romanesco Zucchini |New

Zucchino Rompicante Squash |New

Waltham Butternut Winter Squash

Flat White Boer Winter Squash |New

Butternut – Orange |New

Atlantic Giant Pumpkin |New

Honey Boat Delicata Winter Squash |New

Dickinson Pumpkin |New

Musquee de Provence Winter Squash

Winter Luxury Pie Pumpkin

Jarrahdale Winter Squash

Buttercup Winter Squash

SUMMER & WINTER SQUASH

Roselle Red Hibiscus |New

Borage |New

Titan Sunflower

Giant White-Seeded Sunflower

Mammoth Grey Striped Sunflower

Orange King Calendula

Tall Trailing Mix Nasturtium

Alaska Red Shades Nasturtium

Zloty Lan Chamomile

El Dorado Zinnia

Queen Lime Orange Zinnia

Queen Lime Red Zinnia

Polar Bear Zinnia

Giants of California Zinnia

Cherry Pops Bee Balm |Perennial

Solar Flare Echinacea |Perennial

Julia Echinacea |Perennial

FLOWERS | EDIBLE | MEDICINAL

GREAT FOR POLINATORS

California Wonder

King of the North

Alma Paprika

Lipstick |New

King Crimson

Ajvarski |New

Tequila Sunrise |New

Paradicsum Alaku Sarga Szentes |New

Quadrato D’Asti Rosso |New

Sweet Chocolate

Cayenne Long Thin Chili Pepper

Santa Fe Grande Chili Pepper

Craig’s Grande Jalapeno

Serrano Tampequino Chili Pepper

Tabasco Chili Pepper |New

Poblano Chili Pepper

Pasilla Bajio Chili Pepper

Seven Pot Yellow Chili Pepper |New

Fish Chili Pepper |New

Lemon Drop Chili Pepper |New

Caribbean Red Habanero Chili Pepper

SWEET PEPPERS | CHILI PEPPERS

Ananas Noire “Black Pineapple”

German Johnson

Hungarian Heart |New

Dad’s Sunset |New

Amish Paste

Amana Orange

Cherokee Purple |New

Hillbilly Potato Leaf |New

Raspberry Lyanna |New

Blue Beauty |New

Italian Heirloom

Paul Robeson |New

Abe Lincoln Original |New

Brandywine

Lucid Gem |New

Dr. Wyche’s Yellow |New

Supernova Cherry |New

Toronjina F1 Cherry

Isis Candy Cherry |New

Brad’s Atomic Grape Cherry

Tiger “Cherry-Roma” Mix |New

Blue Gold Berries Cherry |New

Black Cherry |New

Barry’s Crazy Cherry |New

Cherry Roma

TOMATOES

Mura Kumo Morning Glory

Grandpa Ott’s Morning Glory

Florist Pepperbox Poppy

Pandora Poppy

Mother of Pearl Poppy

Purple Peony Poppy

Tornado Red Celosia

Kiwi Blue Honeywort

Blue Monday Sage

Night and Day Snapdragon

Bells of Ireland

Cracker Jack Mix Marigold

Old Spice Mix Sweet Peas

Nepeta |Perennial

Purrsian Blue Nepeta |Perennial

Jose Auberquine Sedum |Perennial

Little Miss Sunshine Sedum |Perennial

Autumn Fire Sedum |Perennial

Blue Elf Sedum |Perennial

FLOWERS GREAT FOR POLLINATORS

PLANT STARTS AVAILABLE FOR 2019

Are you looking for those hard to find heirloom and naturally grown plants for your garden this year? Tired of growing the same old varieties? Wish you didn’t have to worry about your onions drying out too much before you plant them? I was too.

Diversity in your garden is important and part of that is having the ability to expand the types of plants you are growing. Not only will you have the joy of experiencing different the flavor profiles within each type of crop, but you will often be rewarded with a greater harvest over time.

How is this achieved?

We all live in microclimates that are specific to the area in which you are growing your food. These differences mean that I can grow a tomato in my garden, fall in love with it, receive amazing yields and be slightly more disease resistant. You could take that same type of tomato and have the complete opposite experience. Why is this? Well, you may have more/less sun, shade at a different time of day than I do, maybe you water more while I wait for rain, and the diseases your garden harbors may be different than mine. Simply the fact that your soil isn’t my soil will make a huge difference.

Having the ability to test diffferent varieties gives you the ability to expand the number you know will do well in your garden.

Why are you limiting your options to the seven varieties available at your local nursery? Now don’t get me wrong, I shop my local nursery every spring…. multiple times. Okay, if I’m honest I somehow manage to spend way more than I ever intend to. And if you saw the amount of things I start from seed at home, basically our entire garden, you would wonder how I find space for nursery plants. But, here’s the honest truth. Your local nurseries goal is to cater to the region as a whole, and rightfully so. Because of that, they are going to carry a handful of varieties that will grow fairly well for the entire area. That makes total sense, from a business stand point, but it’s not ideal for everyone.

Maybe it’s time to try something different. Expand the flavor profile of your dinner plate and those delicious sauces your preserving for winter. Eat an eggplant that is amazingly delicious instead of those bitter things you’ve had in the past.

So what are you waiting for? Check out the varieties available for the 2019 growing season.