Trying new to you veggies this year?

[piegirl]

What new to you veggies are you planting this year? Kale will make an appearance in the garden this year, swiss chard, a different variety or two of beans. If I can find celery seedlings I may try again. Last year it was brussel sprouts and while they did grow - about 4 ft tall, and loaded with sprouts but they just turned into little, pretty ruffled cabbages - the sprout part was hardly larger than a pea. Piegirl

[Lee]

Purple Hull Cow Peas! YUMMMM!!!! They go great with a
big juicy slice of Cuostralee on the side as well.

Lee

[JimM_SC]

I'm trying a host of new-to-my-garden veggies this year. Beets, carrots, leeks, parsnips (don't know if it's cool enough here), bunching onions, spinach, turnips and 3 kinds of lettuce. I'll grow the usual tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, squash, eggplant and sweet potatoes.

Jim

[Gobig_or_Gohome_toms]

I am growing a few different peppers from seed this year for the first time. Sowed them today along with a few tomato seeds to try and get a few as a head start. I might be about 1-2 weeks too early on the peppers and 3-4 weeks early on the tomatoes but I can always start more

Craig

[BlackestKrim]

Along with the typical garden stuff (toms, cukes, basil, chard, beets, okra, etc) I am trying out red aztec spinach (amaranth) and Peruvian ground cherries.

I've been trying to diverge a bit from more 'European' style veggies (obviously, toms and corn don't count!) and try things that are either native or I think may grow better in Central Texas.

Also trying Tsoi Sim and Malabar Spinach as hot weather greens.

[b54red]

Originally Posted by piegirl

What new to you veggies are you planting this year? Kale will make an appearance in the garden this year, swiss chard, a different variety or two of beans. If I can find celery seedlings I may try again. Last year it was brussel sprouts and while they did grow - about 4 ft tall, and loaded with sprouts but they just turned into little, pretty ruffled cabbages - the sprout part was hardly larger than a pea. Piegirl

I've had that same problem with brussel sprouts before. Two things help tremendously. One: as soon as they start forming sprouts break off some of the leaves giving them more room; but not too many and hit them with a strong solution of liquid fertilizer. I use Miracle Grow 20- 20- 20 and add a little liquid household ammonia for extra nitrogen.
Two: plant a variety that will mature before temps get too high. I grow mine through the winter but where you are I don't think that is feasible. Try a variety called Bubbles. It is smaller than any variety I have ever grown but it made the sweetest sprouts and the earliest I have ever seen. Mine only got about 20 inches tall this year but we had far more sprouts than we could eat plus I don't think I'll need my shovel or an ax to get them out of the ground like I had to do last year. Another thing and it just could be this year, I have not had a single sprout in the least bitter. Mine are about through for the year as it seems to be warming up down here but I'll still make a few more before it gets too hot.
.

[heirloomer08]

I have gone completely nuts this year! I have a 1/2 acre garden and I am cutting it back to 1/4 acre just so I can keep up with it. But, I just can't stay away from new varieties?!?!? I think I have to have more! Just in tomatoes I am adding Aker's WV Black, Pearly Pink Cherry, Jean's Prize, Green Zebra Cherry, Herman's Special, Red Barn, Green Doctor's Frosted, Super Sioux, and Caspian Pink. I've got 7 more I am working on adding at this time. In peppers I am adding Fish, Cherry Bomb, Bhut Jolokia, Pablano, Florida Wild, Vietnamese Tear Jerker, Maui Purple, Zimbabwe Bird, and Tepin. In Pole beans I am adding Case Knife, Lazy House Wife, Turkey Craw, and Mennonite Purple Stripe. Just to mention a few that I have added! So much for cutting the garden back. I do a farmers market in my area and you should see the look on peoples faces when I show up with all the varieties of everything I have. Most people didn't even know there are that many types of tomaotes and I tell them I don't even have a start on what's out there. I can't wait to promote the colors of cherry tomatoes that I have this year. People will have a multicolored salad with flavor. I have to much fun in the garden just wish I had more time to do a bigger one.

heirloomer08

[cortona]

two variety of soybean and yakon and red gerusalem artichoke, lots of new tomatoes from friends in us!
i have some news this year but never stop to looking for something news....looking for some oka!

[stormymater]

I have gotten some knarly looking summer Italian squash to see if they put up a better fight against our ubiquitous squash borers (I simply DETEST this grub - waaaay too much like that movie 'Alien') - these are really ridged zucchinis, super warty yellow squash (remind me of extras for some 1950s mutant movie) & cucoozi (sp?) squash. We will see how the success goes (esp since I plan to add rotenone to my armamentarium this year. (rubbing hands in anticipation).
Growing Amaranth too though I have not decided where - outside the garden fence or in 45 gallon pots... hmmm... hope the leaves are as good as the pigweed I used to collect in Northern Orange county pasture edges.
Many more varieties of basil - plan to sell buckets of basil plants in Costco frosting buckets for patio/lanai gardeners to have with their dwarf tomato plants. The dwarves will be new to me too.

More flowers - lottsa marigolds, adding petunias, dahlias, sunflowers - big & dwarf, zinnias & sweet williams.

[garnetmoth]

trying a few different tomatoes, egyptian spinach (jute), chervil (still tiny, pretty tasty!), shungiku chrysanthemum (still tiny, not too bitter), lovage, rainbow chard again for the first time in a long time... some Asian greens, orach if I an ever get it to germinate, potato onions, bottle onions, and garlic!

Malabar spinach IMHO is pretty decent, kinda strong tasting, we liked it in quiches. we adored (and have plants this year!) New Zealand spinach (planted it in part shade so it didnt get too tough)

[puzzley]

I'm trying Broccolini for the first time. My friend in Texas raised it this year, and loved it. I also have some Bok Choy which is new to me, and my wife asked for Corn Salad, so some of that, as well.

[veggie babe]

new to me: rattlesnake beans
bloody butcher corn
La. short okra
black valentine beans
Yum Yum........can't wait

Neva

[geeboss]

Well this is my 2nd year gardening ....last year I grew tomatoes with the help of this site and GW. Now I'm looking to see if I can grow Peppers, Cucumbers, White half runner beans, Squash that saucer type, Basil, and a Pumpkin for Holloween. Will be a fun year in the back yard of my townhouse.

George

[Tormato]

Originally Posted by garnetmoth

trying a few different tomatoes, egyptian spinach (jute), chervil (still tiny, pretty tasty!), shungiku chrysanthemum (still tiny, not too bitter), lovage, rainbow chard again for the first time in a long time... some Asian greens, orach if I an ever get it to germinate, potato onions, bottle onions, and garlic!

Malabar spinach IMHO is pretty decent, kinda strong tasting, we liked it in quiches. we adored (and have plants this year!) New Zealand spinach (planted it in part shade so it didnt get too tough)

Malabar spinach...someday I might try it.
I once read an on-line description where someone said it was comparable to a mud flap on an 18 wheeler.

Tormato

[garnetmoth]

Ouch! its definitely not for eating raw for me, but a little more palatable than a mud flap! I can eat a raw dock leaf, dont mind a few lambs quarters, and enjoy young salad burnet tho....

we tried land cress Barbarea verna last year, and Ive got to say this was not tasty IMHO. its sour and flat- about as strong tasting as arugula but just doesnt sit well with DH or I....