What else should I try growing? - Page 3

Tormato · July 23, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by lycomania

Thanks for the latest additions! I put them in my file too. I'm very jealous that you can grow pineapples, Barb.

Hi Gary! I'm pretty open but my climate is not!

I live in New England. I don't have a lot of sun space, so I'm pretty sure I can't make room for large things such as melons or pumpkins, sadly. At least not right away.

I'm in south western New England, near the MA/CT border.

I would not recommend winter squash unless you are absolutely crazy about the finest flavored varieties (like me

). The common store purchased ones taste just like those out of the garden.

Melons can be hit or miss. A dry period for a week or two before ripening can mean fantastic flavor. Lots of rain and they can be bland.

Watermelons have always done well no matter the weather, for me. They need lots of water. I don't have the room for them other than letting them run out onto the lawn.

If you like summer squash, I recommend it. Picking in the garden at a smaller size than what's at a market means more solid, not seedy, squash. Just about all summer squash are bush types.

Pole beans, vining peas, just about anything that grows upwards, or is fairly compact, sounds like what you'd be looking for.

Gary

habitat_gardener · July 23, 2014

I love trying different varieties of pole beans. For the past couple summers I've grown 15-25 varieties or so each year. I love the variety of colors (purple, green speckled with maroon, deep green, light green, etc.) and shapes (flat, thin, crescent shaped, cutshort, etc.). I've sampled a lot of them raw in the garden, cooked them, and even dehydrated them. Some favorites I've grown at least a couple years:
purple pods = Blue Coco, Purple Peacock
speckled pods = La Vigneronne, Mennonite Purple Stripes
romano/flat = Helda
crescent shaped pods = Sultan's Green Crescent

Usually you can find 2-3 varieties in grocery stores or farmers' markets, but I've never seen any purple-podded beans for sale, or any speckled-podded beans. I'm partial to the purples because they're easy to pick.

So far this year I'm harvesting only the runner beans. In my climate, the massive root survives the winter and I don't have to replant every year. It's been an eventful spring and I planted my other beans late (and have some still waiting to be planted), so it'll be a while until I get other beans. I've cut back to about 10 varieties.

shelleybean · July 24, 2014

So many vegetables are better when you grow them yourself.

At this time of year, the first thing that comes to mind is carrots. Home grown carrots are so much sweeter than store bought. A fall grown carrot we like a lot is Red Cored Chantenay. It's a shorter carrot, 5-6 inches.

I was at the store the other day looking at their banged up summer squash. Not mine.

Mine have smooth skin and I pick them fairly small so they seeds are softer and less noticeable.

Another vegetable I'd rather eat from home is eggplant. Again, I pick smaller so they're not seedy, corky or bitter.

Lettuce! Much better texture at home and there are so many from which to choose. So many you'd never find at the store.

Same goes for beans. You can get boring, round, green beans anytime. Grow something fun!

Check out www.southernexposure.com or www.victoryseeds.com and check out all the cool varieties of things you can grow. I have a lot of things I grow every year but it's still fun to try some new things now and then.

July 23, 2014	#32
habitat_gardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: California Central Valley Posts: 2,540	I love trying different varieties of pole beans. For the past couple summers I've grown 15-25 varieties or so each year. I love the variety of colors (purple, green speckled with maroon, deep green, light green, etc.) and shapes (flat, thin, crescent shaped, cutshort, etc.). I've sampled a lot of them raw in the garden, cooked them, and even dehydrated them. Some favorites I've grown at least a couple years: purple pods = Blue Coco, Purple Peacock speckled pods = La Vigneronne, Mennonite Purple Stripes romano/flat = Helda crescent shaped pods = Sultan's Green Crescent Usually you can find 2-3 varieties in grocery stores or farmers' markets, but I've never seen any purple-podded beans for sale, or any speckled-podded beans. I'm partial to the purples because they're easy to pick. So far this year I'm harvesting only the runner beans. In my climate, the massive root survives the winter and I don't have to replant every year. It's been an eventful spring and I planted my other beans late (and have some still waiting to be planted), so it'll be a while until I get other beans. I've cut back to about 10 varieties. Last edited by habitat_gardener; July 23, 2014 at 03:14 PM.

July 24, 2014	#33
shelleybean Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 2,648	So many vegetables are better when you grow them yourself. At this time of year, the first thing that comes to mind is carrots. Home grown carrots are so much sweeter than store bought. A fall grown carrot we like a lot is Red Cored Chantenay. It's a shorter carrot, 5-6 inches. I was at the store the other day looking at their banged up summer squash. Not mine. Mine have smooth skin and I pick them fairly small so they seeds are softer and less noticeable. Another vegetable I'd rather eat from home is eggplant. Again, I pick smaller so they're not seedy, corky or bitter. Lettuce! Much better texture at home and there are so many from which to choose. So many you'd never find at the store. Same goes for beans. You can get boring, round, green beans anytime. Grow something fun! Check out www.southernexposure.com or www.victoryseeds.com and check out all the cool varieties of things you can grow. I have a lot of things I grow every year but it's still fun to try some new things now and then. __________________ Michele