I have finally managed to compile the list of vegetables we are currently planning to grow here in 2011. It is difficult to rein myself in, because I am always trying different varieties to see which ones perform best here in our climate. I also do trials on many vegetables for the various garden projects I am involved with.
One new project I will be working on this year is growing more vegetables and herbs in containers. I’ve grown both in containers for years, but I am looking to gain more experience plus take some photos for a presentation I am giving on the subject in 2012.
The following list is still somewhat a work in progress, and I’m guessing I’ve forgotten a few things. One thing that’s obvious to me is that we are growing a lot of different Asian vegetables and quite a variety of lettuces and tomatoes. We harvested almost 20 pounds of Asian greens last year, and I would like to grow even more this year. And I try to have lettuce to eat year round. Last year we got 45 pounds of it. As for the tomatoes – who can have too many kinds of tomatoes?!?
Asian Greens: Da Cheong Chae, Gai Lan Green Lance, Komatsuna Summerfest, Maruba Santoh, Mizuna Kyoto, Mizuna Ruby Streaks, Pak Choi Black Summer, Pak Choi Fun Jen, Pak Choi Mei Qing, Pak Choi Red Choi, Pak Choi Shanghai, Senposai, Tatsoi, Tokyo Bekana, Vitamin Green, Yardlong Bean Red Noodle, Yu Choy Sum, Yukina Savoy
Beans (bush): Purple Queen, Derby
Beans (pole): Blue Lake Stringless, Emerite, Fortex, Helda, Kwintus, Marengo
Broccoli: Apollo, Green Goliath, Packman, Piracicaba, Windsor
Cabbage: Earliana, Farao, Parel, Stonehead, Tendersweet
Carrots: Mokum, Nelson, Yaya
Cauliflower: Snow Crown
Chard: Bright Lights, Lucullus, Ruby Red
Cucumber: Armenian, Manny’s, Summer Top, Sweet Slice, Tasty Jade, White Wonder
Eggplant: Beatrice, Dusky, Fairy Tale, Galine, Hansel, Little Prince, Pingtung Long, Rosa Bianca, Rosita, Thai Long Green, Violette di Firenza
Endive: Bianca Riccia, Red Belgian, Tres Fine
Greens: Arugula, Arugula Even’ Star, Arugula Ice-Bred, Mache Large Dutch, Mustard Purple Rapa Pop Mix, Purslane Golden
Kale: Beedy’s Camden, Lacinato, Rainbow Lacinato, Savoy Cross, Winterbor
Kohlrabi: Gigante, Kolibri, Winner
Lettuce: Anuenue, Cracoviensis, Deer Tongue, Devil’s Ear, Gentilina, Hyper Red Rumple, Lingua di Canarino, Merlot, Oak Leaf, Magenta, Radichetta, Red Sails, Rouge d’Hiver, Ruby, Salad Bowl, Sanguine Ameliore(Strawberry Cabbage), Sierra, Simpson Elite, Spotted Trout(aka Forellenschluss), Winter Density
Okra: Burmese, Cajun Jewel
Onion: Deep Purple, Redwing, Rossa di Milano, Sierra Blanca, Walla Walla, White Spear
Pepper(hot): Anaheim, Ancho Tiburon, Ancho 211, Big Jim, Biggie Chili, Holy Mole, Jalapeno El Jefe, Pasila Bajio, Serrano Del Sol
Pepper (sweet): Carmen, Giant Marconi, Golden Calwonder, Gypsy, Gourmet, Jupiter, Orion, Quadrato d’Asti, Snapper, Yummy
Potato: German Butterball, Mountain Rose, Red Norland
Radicchio: Chioggia Red Preco #1, Indigo, Tauro, Variegata di Lusia
Spinach: Gigante Inverno, Space, Spargo, Viroflay
Squash(summer): Enterprise, Gentry, Partenon, Striato d’Italia, Tromboncino
Squash(winter): Bush Delicata, Early Butternut, Fairy, Gold Nugget, Pennsylvania Dutch Crookneck(pumpkin), Small Wonder(spaghetti), Table Queen, Tatume
Sweet Potatoes: Beauregard,Centennial
Tomatillo: Purple, Verde
Tomatoes: Amish Paste, Beam’s Yellow Pear, Better Boy, Big Mama, Black Cherry, Black Pear, Champion II, Cherokee Purple, Early Girl, Golden Rave, Golden Sweet, Green Zebra, Health Kick, Ildi, Jaune Flamme, Jetsetter, Jetsonic, Juliet, Mountain Magic, Ramapo, Red Pear, Sapho, Sun Gold, San Marzano Gigante 3, Viva Italia
Turnips: Hakurei, Oasis, Purple Top White Globe
By the looks of that list, I am going to be busy gardening in 2011! I’ll put this list up on a separate page of its own and make any updates to it there.
Just look at all those vegetables, it is going to be a fun gardening year at your place. I am growing the Ice-Bred aurugula for the first time this next season and am excited to see how it does for us .
Holy moly! That makes me wish I lived closer to you!
My goodnes…..you certainly have a lot of varieties!! I’m going to have my hands full getting the plots ready this year…so, I’m not going to do too much experimenting. I’m sure that it will be a different story once they are up and going.
Robin, you will likely be busy but it should be a lot of fun getting the plots whipped into shape!
WOW! WOW! You are going to be just as busy as …. most of the other crazy-gardeners I know! 😉
I have gotten more and more interested in growing more Asian veggies, too. Having the ability to grow more in cool weather is a plus, and we like the flavor of so many of the Asian brassicas. I believe the Asian veggies have not yet caught on in the US but when they do……
Will you be sharing some of your container gardening and photo project with your readers here?
Lynn, I will do my best to share my experiences with the container gardening project. And the new Canon Rebel T1i should help with the photos. We broke down and got ‘his and hers’ DSLRs for Christmas!
We made our list last week when the seed catalogues started to come in the mail. Love your list! After see how well garlic and egg plant did for you, we are adding both to our gardens (I will do the fairytail eggplant in a container). And I want to plant rainbow carrots in containers as well (we have the heavy S.IN clay soil that carrots hate). I’m also thinking of trying artichoke too.
Can’t wait till summer is back so I can go in the back yard and pick dinner fresh each night!
what a wonderful list for growing this year! can’t wait to see your pics! can you tell me where you purchased the Pac Choi Black Summer and Pac Choi Red Choi? thanks!
Bunkie, I got both those pac choi seeds at Johnny’s.
The Black Summer holds up well in the heat, and the Red Choi is beautiful in salads.
Wow, that’s a lot! I’d love to be able to grow that many vegetables, but then again, that’s a lot of work!
Have you grown Big Mama tomatoes in the past? I was excited to grow them last year, but the one’s I started from seed didn’t make it through a last frost and I wasn’t able to get more started. I’m just curious how they perform/taste.
I grew Big Mamas for the last two years. I’m quite pleased with their performance. They are a HUGE paste tomato. I can’t really say how they taste fresh because we didn’t eat any that way, but they are great for cooking, and they make a great tomato sauce!
Great list!
I have a suggestion to add to your Asian veggies, though it isn’t a green. Have you grown yardlong beans? I love Red Noodle–it’s productive, beautiful, and delicious, especially when dry fried.
I look forward to watching your garden grow through your posts this year.
Christina, I’ve grown them before, but it’s been a long time. I was a less adventurous cook back then, and I really didn’t know what to do with them. I am going to add them to the list and give them another try this year. Thanks for the suggestion!
How big is your garden, anyway? I don’t think I could cram that many varieties into ours! I share the thought that I’d like to live closer to you!
And you have your seeds already? I just started looking at the catalogs today. I’m so far behind,.
I’ve got half our seeds already. The gardens are about 1500 square feet, plus a lot of containers. We cram a lot in there! And there’s something growing 365 days a year.
That explains it. I have 640 sq ft in the veggie garden, 80 of which is an asparagus bed. But there are lots of other places available to use and I intend to use my lettuces as ornamentals this year so that will free up that space for something else.