Seed Any new vegetable/fruit/herb you are going to try to grow this year?

[AlaskaSue]

Amaranth, just as an experiment

That’s one I want to try too - I have a good spot for an experiment if I can find amaranth seed.

I also decided to attempt to grow okra (cue hysterical laughter). Again, just as an experiment and just my smallest and warmest raised bed for the fun of it. I will have to start the seed indoors along with some other slow germinators the end of February.

 

[Freeholder]

There are a couple of things I'd like to try next year (if it's possible): cotton, and rice. This is the first time we've ever lived where there was the climate for either of these crops. Even if it's just a couple of cotton plants and a small square of rice, it will be a good experiment.

Kathleen

 

[parsonswife]

We grow sweet potatoes in large containers. Put a little wood ash in the container and some 6-24-24 fertilizer. Have had good results with this way of growing them.

How large? Are you in the south USA? Would like to grow in oregon

 

[Freeholder]

How large? Are you in the south USA? Would like to grow in oregon

Where in Oregon? Oregon has one of the widest ranges of growing zones of any of the states, probably only exceeded by California!

Kathleen

 

[JenL]

We put three sweet potatoes in a half barrel. We are in southern Ohio.

 

[parsonswife]

Where in Oregon? Oregon has one of the widest ranges of growing zones of any of the states, probably only exceeded by California!

Kathleen

Medford. I know you used to bd in k f right?

 

[Freeholder]

Medford. I know you used to bd in k f right?

Yes, we were in Klamath County for about fifteen years.

You should be able to grow sweet potatoes in Medford without any problems, though. They'll need water and fertilizer, but it's warm enough there in the summer for them to do well.

Kathleen

 

[seraphima]

In addition to Stuttgarter onion sets, this year I am going to buy Stuttgarter seeds and grow my own sets for next year, a first for me. This is a great onion for long-day Northern gardens, and a staple of our diet; if I couldn't get sets next year, I would definitely be in trouble!

 

[ioujc]

I am trying tomatillos this year for the first time.

And several different types of new melons.

 

[summerthyme]

OMG... tomatillos and amaranth... the two biggest weed problems I ever had to deal with!

The tomatillos were a total accident... my Dad was helping me plant (and he HATED gardening... something about growing 2 acres of ttomatoes when he was a teen). Gurney'sseeds sonehow mixed up tomatillos seeds with zinnias... and Dad didn't know the difference.

We didn't find them to be any use, and they came up in the form of thousands of volunteers for years!

And amaranth... I can't really claim the weed problem started when I planted it... a major weed, Redroot Pigweed *is* amaranth. So, it already was a problem. But after I grew some decorative varieties for dried flower wreaths, the Pigweed was a lot more noticeable... it crossed, and was much more colorful!

The other major "weed" I have to deal with is Sweet Annie... Artemesia annual. It self seeds everywhere!

Summerthyme

 

[Freeholder]

Amaranth/pigweed is a good leafy green vegetable. When I was little and we had a big garden in Alaska, we always had a really good crop of lambsquarter/pigweed, and we ate lots of it. (Not sure if that one is an amaranth -- should look it up, I guess.) Mom grew spinach, too, but it bolted quickly because of the long days; the pigweed lasted longer.

Kathleen

 

[John Deere Girl]

OMG... tomatillos and amaranth... the two biggest weed problems I ever had to deal with!

The tomatillos were a total accident... my Dad was helping me plant (and he HATED gardening... something about growing 2 acres of ttomatoes when he was a teen). Gurney'sseeds sonehow mixed up tomatillos seeds with zinnias... and Dad didn't know the difference.

We didn't find them to be any use, and they came up in the form of thousands of volunteers for years!

And amaranth... I can't really claim the weed problem started when I planted it... a major weed, Redroot Pigweed *is* amaranth. So, it already was a problem. But after I grew some decorative varieties for dried flower wreaths, the Pigweed was a lot more noticeable... it crossed, and was much more colorful!

The other major "weed" I have to deal with is Sweet Annie... Artemesia annual. It self seeds everywhere!

Summerthyme

We have issues with these two as well!

 

[John Deere Girl]

The only new thing I will plant this year is lemon squash.

 

[SackLunch]

I’m going to seriously try corn this year. I’ve grown small patches with little to no success. I’m going to try a larger square to see if that helps.

This past summer my first corn patch was a surprising success. Four 8-foot rows of sweet corn about 10 inches apart in a raised bed.

Next year I'll thin the plants in the rows more aggressively, but we had three weeks of sweet corn delight!

 

[SackLunch]

Amaranth, just as an experiment

I planted red amaranth a couple years ago. I'm still "weeding" little red tasty amaranth seedlings each year as it reseeds readily.

The tall red plants were beautiful and we harvested about a cup of seed after drying the seed heads on a sheet.

 

[Dinghy]

I just learned of another type of onion. They’re called Potato Onions, grow in clusters, and are perennial. They grow to 2-4 inches, which is a size I really like. I already have Egyptian Walking onions, but I think these sound better. I ordered some to try.

 

[Bps1691]

Last year I experimented with growing potatoes. The experiment was mostly successful, and I learned that (for me, because I am a lazy gardener) growing potatoes in a raised bed with automatic irrigation gives better results than growing them in a fabric bag which needs hand watering (via a watering can, as I don't trust hoses not to leak nasty toxic stuff).

This coming season I am thinking of trying to grow some celery. I already bought seeds last fall, so all I need are some tips or pointers.

What new food plant are YOU going to grow?

I grow the Utah variety. In my growing zone I have to start it inside under grow lights then transplant. It sometime won't bunch and blanch so I tie it up with string. The first couple of times it was cool to grow, now I only do it once in every few years. I have very good soil and compost so it seems to do ok.

I tried to raise a black pepper plant last year. Bought a two year old plant last spring, nursed it through the summer and it seemed to be doing great, but lost it this winter (inside). Man was it finicky. Might try it again, but not this year.

This year will be my normal stuff in mine and daughter's gardens.

I am going to try some melon seeds I got from a friend along with my normal musk melons.

Have some pepper seeds that are supposed to be hot (neighbor says very hot).

Also trying a new early blue potato I ran across when I was ordering my seed potatoes last December and going to try some peanuts in my daughters garden for her boys.

 

[Just a Nurse 2]

I planted red amaranth a couple years ago. I'm still "weeding" little red tasty amaranth seedlings each year as it reseeds readily.

The tall red plants were beautiful and we harvested about a cup of seed after drying the seed heads on a sheet.

i’ve heard the leaves are edible too

 

[tech]

Going to see how asparagus does around here...started a couple dozen crowns last year, hopefully they'll put up some useable shoots this year.
Broccoli, too.

 

[ioujc]

I'm going to put this seed source here one more time. If you have limited funds, you can't beat these folks. NIKITOVKA Seeds - Russian and Ukrainian Heirloom Seeds

Their packet sizes hold *many* more seeds than the average American packet. The only exceptions are beans and peas... you're better off buying a bulk amount from American suppliers.

But they have an amazing assortment of pumpkins and winter squashes, melons, peppers, tomatoes, root crops...

Summerthyme

Thank you for posting this again>>>>just ordered LOTS of things from them!!

MUCH cheaper than American companies and many different and unusual varieties >>>at least to Americans.

I am SO excited!! These seeds sound like wonderful new things to try and enjoy!!

Thanks again Summerthyme!!

 

[ioujc]

OMG... tomatillos and amaranth... the two biggest weed problems I ever had to deal with!

The tomatillos were a total accident... my Dad was helping me plant (and he HATED gardening... something about growing 2 acres of ttomatoes when he was a teen). Gurney'sseeds sonehow mixed up tomatillos seeds with zinnias... and Dad didn't know the difference.

We didn't find them to be any use, and they came up in the form of thousands of volunteers for years!

And amaranth... I can't really claim the weed problem started when I planted it... a major weed, Redroot Pigweed *is* amaranth. So, it already was a problem. But after I grew some decorative varieties for dried flower wreaths, the Pigweed was a lot more noticeable... it crossed, and was much more colorful!

The other major "weed" I have to deal with is Sweet Annie... Artemesia annual. It self seeds everywhere!

Summerthyme

Really?? I thought the tomatillos would be sweet and be really good little snacks. No??

 

[Carlyblue]

Has anyone tried growing Glass Gem Indian Corn? They are so beautiful! I saw some on Etsy.

 

[philkar]

I grew glass gem Indian corn last year. Fun and pretty to look at. Just grew a little for decoration. We/I are going to try some wheat for grinding AND an old corn OP from this area...Hastings Corn. Growing it on the river away from other corn hoping to seed save without contamination.

 

[SwampMom]

I would like to start a small patch of walking onions. But it seems I will have to wait until fall to find any.

My Dad is 92 and his patch is long gone. Maybe I will get lucky and a few volunteers will show up this spring, just for me.

Wouldn't be so strange. His 30 year old cherry tomatoes do it most every spring!

 

[Grey]

I want to try yellow potato onions. I have never heard of them before. They are a perennial, also Egyptian walking onions they look pretty and are perrennials too. I got free Ground cherry seeds one year and tried them. They were delicious and I have grown them ever since. It's fun trying to grow new interesting type things. Can't wait to get started.

 

[philkar]

I was thinking of trying the ground cherries!

 

[skwentnaflyer]

Amaranth/pigweed is a good leafy green vegetable. When I was little and we had a big garden in Alaska, we always had a really good crop of lambsquarter/pigweed, and we ate lots of it. (Not sure if that one is an amaranth -- should look it up, I guess.) Mom grew spinach, too, but it bolted quickly because of the long days; the pigweed lasted longer.

Kathleen

We ate a lot of that too, canned it for winter

 

[CaBuckeye]

Thank you for posting this again>>>>just ordered LOTS of things from them!!

MUCH cheaper than American companies and many different and unusual varieties >>>at least to Americans.

I am SO excited!! These seeds sound like wonderful new things to try and enjoy!!

Thanks again Summerthyme!!

Just an update on Nikitovka. I communicated with Tania at Nikitovka Seeds on the 19th and placed an order for some seeds. She said everything was calm and they were safe but prepared. I placed another order a couple days later for some flower seeds and although they replied back with the order receipt, I have yet to hear back on a shipment notice. I checked the website today and there is a notice that they have closed down for the time being and evacuated their staff. I don't know what city they are in but obviously they are under the gun. Hopefully, she is in a safe place and the males on the staff make it through this preliminary war.

I never really paid attention to the 90's Yugoslav Wars in East Europe but this war is taking on a meaning when you have a relationship, however distant, with the people personally affected. I'm looking around now on how to donate $$$ to Ukraine for buying effective weapons since the US is asleep while Hitler i.e. Putin is expanding Russia for "living space".

 

[Pebbles]

I am trying potatoes this year. I have two big wooden crates that I lined with weed cloth. Once I plant I will use automatic watering. I worry about the heat during the summer here in the high desert of Arizona. I hope if I plant in the next couple of weeks I will be OK. We are still having freezing nights off an on, has been down in the mid and low 20's for the last four nights and then warms up for a week then cold again but that should stop by mid-march.

I grew garnet yams once and they were wonderfully successful!!!

 

[ejagno]

I've got several new varieties of vegetables I'm going to plant along with my old reliables. I've always grown Louisiana okra and this year I'm adding Baby Bubba. I've always grown Celebrity tomatoes and this year I'm throwing in Creole, San Marzano and Marglobe. I've usually planted just contender green beans and this year I've added Blue Lake. As for cucumbers I went wild with 4 new varieties (Muncher, Poinsett, Sumter, Nat'l Pickling) added to my tried and true straight 8 variety. I'm adding alot more peas and other vegetables as fast as I can get the raised beds together. I'm also including a load of beneficial flowers and herbs to help the plants thrive and keep weeds and pests down.

 

[philkar]

I am trying edible ginger in a raised bed that is my garlic bed and has random dill from years past.

 

[TxGal]

Not really a fruit, vegetable, or herb, but this year I'm adding loofas and birdhouse gourds to the garden. I'm thinking the loofas could come in handy, and birdhouses are getting crazy expensive in the stores so I'd like to try making our own with the gourds. Both could be tradeable, too.

I'd like to try the purple sweet potatoes, but those are really hard to find.

 

[moldy]

Just started our tomatoes - we can't plant them until at least Mother's Day. No new varieties (although I have seeds, DH wanted to go with tried and true - that's OK). Didn't start any new varieties of peppers, either (those plants just got repotted to styrofoam cups).

Herbs I will be trying that are new: German chamomile, hawthorne (ordered some plants from Strictly medicinal, since Rico says they can take up to a year to germinate, but I'll try the seeds too), not sure what all else I'll try. Maybe some calendula or poppies.

 

[Kathy in FL]

I finally found some Barbados cherry trees to replant the ones that I lost a couple of years back. Nothing new, but my carambola tree (aka starfruit) needs tending to. It had so many fruit this year that it bent the branches. My son has about 30 or so fruit trees that he is starting out in large pots and he has both sides of our yard lined with them. He got the large pots from SAMs. The trees came in as bare root seedlings and all are budding out as far as I am told. He is growing strawberries that he started in the fall and he's gotten a half-gallon or so of berries off of his plants. I think they are everbearing so we'll see how they continue as the year rolls on.

I need to get another papaya or two growing. The one we have is huge and blooms, but never bears fruit. I'm thiking of starting a papaya and mango as well but I'm not sure where we would put it. Both trees are huge when mature.

 

[ioujc]

Planting some grains for the animals.....hulless barley, Milo, amaranth, and oats, clover as well as a bit of wheat. Going to try carrots.....have never been able to get them to grow....gonna try again.

As far as herbs....valerian, foxglove, and my standards....mint, yarrow, heal all, thyme,dill..all the regulars.

Going to stay with my regulars in tomatoes, peppers and eggplant, but intend to try Chinese cabbage and kale, along with chard, none of which I have grown before.

Lots of plans.....hope at least a few of them work!!

 

[summerthyme]

Just an update on Nikitovka. I communicated with Tania at Nikitovka Seeds on the 19th and placed an order for some seeds. She said everything was calm and they were safe but prepared. I placed another order a couple days later for some flower seeds and although they replied back with the order receipt, I have yet to hear back on a shipment notice. I checked the website today and there is a notice that they have closed down for the time being and evacuated their staff. I don't know what city they are in but obviously they are under the gun. Hopefully, she is in a safe place and the males on the staff make it through this preliminary war.

I never really paid attention to the 90's Yugoslav Wars in East Europe but this war is taking on a meaning when you have a relationship, however distant, with the people personally affected. I'm looking around now on how to donate $$$ to Ukraine for buying effective weapons since the US is asleep while Hitler i.e. Putin is expanding Russia for "living space".

Yes, I'm praying gor these people! I got my veggies seed order in early, and it came a couple months ago. I then decided I wanted a bunch of flowers to feed the bees- either wild hives or if we decide to buy a couple of nucs this year. So, even through the early war rumblings, I quickly placed some second order, and they came yesterday. Phew...

But I thought I should order some early greens, etc as well as a couple more packets of their giant carrots as a grain replacement, and discovered their payment system was down. I checked today, and saw the same announcement you posted. May God help all the innocents being put in harms way by a bunch of megalomaniac psychopaths!

Summerthyme

 

[Wildwood]

I'm adding Egyptian Walking Onions and Green Mtn. Potato Onions. I had to order them from a shop on Etsy and they were not cheap. I was also gifted some stringless green pole bean seeds so I'll do a small patch of those somewhere...couldn't find them anywhere last year. Last year I ordered enough heirloom speckled butter pea seeds to make a seed crop...I was only able to get ten seeds and ended up with a quart jar full of dried seeds. I will be growing those and technically, I guess, this will be my first year to grow them to eat.

I'm really torn about the stringless green beans since I always save seeds from my greasy grit green beans. I'll probably try to find an area on the other side of our property to plant them along with any winter squash I may plant. It cross pollinated with my yellow summer squash year before last and I ended up with some frankinsquash in every shape imaginable...tasted fine and made the best squash relish ever but they were very susceptible to squash borers. On the other hand, I could just buy enough yellow summer squash seeds to last a few years and grow it all in my regular garden this year.

This year is all about producing as much food as possible.

 

[onmyown30]

Last year the Chinese broccoli grew great and tasted yummy but due to family stuff I neglected the garden for a few months and it wasn’t the best it could have been.
This year we are trying some new tomato varieties. I don’t like tomatoes (not the taste the texture) most are too seedy for me so we found some meaty ones to try. Also got a really nice ginger root all ready sprouting I want to plant this week in a pot and see how that goes.
So many big plans again just hoping life doesn’t happen and take me away from it all later

 

[Wildwood]

Last year the Chinese broccoli grew great and tasted yummy but due to family stuff I neglected the garden for a few months and it wasn’t the best it could have been.
This year we are trying some new tomato varieties. I don’t like tomatoes (not the taste the texture) most are too seedy for me so we found some meaty ones to try. Also got a really nice ginger root all ready sprouting I want to plant this week in a pot and see how that goes.
So many big plans again just hoping life doesn’t happen and take me away from it all later

DH feels the same way about tomatoes so I've grown him Amish Paste the last few years and he loves them. They are the meatiest tomatoes I've ever grown so if the ones you try don't suit you, keep those in mind. I'll probably have some extra starts if you want to give them a try.

I hope you have a nice calm year and you can relax and enjoy your garden. I've thought about y'all so many times in the last several months.

 

[Babs]

One tip for those who have trouble growing celery but want the flavor for cooking... look into "cutting celery" (sometimes called "leaf celery"). It is darker green, with much smaller stalks and a strong celery flavor. It grows easily, and you can harvest individual stalks through the growing season.

Summerthyme

Or the herb Lovage! It's prolific and tastes (at least to me) exactly like celery.