This is what we planted for 2013 and my notes on the varieties. It was a weird year, last year. Not harsh, but the spring was long - very long - and the summer was cool.
Some of my tried-and-true varieties didn't like the cool summer. Let's hope 2014 is a more normal summer.
Beans
Fava Beans - Broad Windsor Changed my mind because of the late spring. Planted extra peas instead.- Red Chinese long beans - love these! They start fast and bear early.
- Green Chinese long beans - love these! They start slow and bear late, but are frost hardy in the fall.
- Dragon Tongue. Fantastic fresh, freeze OK.
- Freshette green bean. My favorite of all the beans we froze.
Beet
- Detroit Dark Red - the rabbits ate them to the ground. I didn't get a single one. They seemed to start OK, so I'll try them again with extra critter protection.
Cucumber
- Telegraph - long. My favorite so far.
- de Bourbonne [tiny ones] - seem to do better in a hot summer.
Eggplant: Bad year for eggplant. Lots of flea beetles, too.
- Japanese Pickling: Did OK. Usually does great and it loves hot summers.
- Florida Market Eggplant-very sensitive to cold. Lost the first
batch of starts to a late freeze, even though they were in the hoop
house. Did a second batch of starts and put them in the ground at the
end of May. Got 1 single eggplant.
Fennel: Di Firenze - likes cool weather. Plant in fall for December harvest and in late Feb for spring harvest.
Greens:
- Siamese Dragon Stir Fry Mix. I mixed this half and half with more arugula seed. Yum!
- Bibb Lettuce- Love this stuff and we had a lot of it in 2013.
Herbs, Annual:
- Basil, Genovese. Water seeds daily until they sprout.Harvest frequently.
- Basil, Lettuce Leaf.. Water seeds daily until they sprout. Harvest frequently.
- Cilantro, Slo Bolt. Mostly it self sows. Comes up everywhere. I love it.
- Dill. Self sows now.
Herbs, Perennial [planted several years ago
]
- Lavender
- Thyme
- Sage
- Horehound
- Chives
- Anise Hyssop
- Hyssop
- Chamomile [self sows]
- Alpine Strawberries
- Clary Sage
- Winter savory
- Lemon balm
- Sorrel
Leek: Autumn Giant Leek. I started them, but didn't get them in the ground in time to harvest. Will do better in 2014.
Melon
- Charentais [cantaloupe]- cat dug it up. Will try again in 2014.
- Uzbek Sweetness Melon - fantastic melon! Will do these again. Sweet!
Onions
- Egyptian walking onions - don't like damp. I hope they come up this year.
- Local starts: red and yellow sets
- Australian Brown: Started in jugs in the hoop house in February and have lots of starts now. Didn't get them in the ground in time. Will try again with fresh seeds.
Parsnip: Half Long Guernsey Parsnip
[First try at parsnips.] - didn't come up.
Peas
- Sugar Snap: Hardy and prolific. Heat tolerant. Love these!
Peppers
- Golden Marconi - Great peppers. The red ones did better.
- Red Marconi - Great peppers.
- Ozark Giant - Did OK, but not great.
- Quadrato D'Asti Rosso - Didn't do anything.
Potatoes: Kennebec. From May's [local]. Tried these in
potato towers again. Much better to just grow them in rows.
Radish:
- Early Scarlet Globe - the regular red kind. Had great success in very early cold frame planting and and late fall cold frame plantings.
Rutabaga: Laurentian Rutabaga. Did nothing.
Sweet potatoes: Georgia Jet. From our own starts. The deer liked these. I fenced them out and the sweet potatoes were good.
Squash, Summer
- Zucchino Rampicante - Used saved seed. These did fabulously!
- Golden Marbre Scallop [pattypan] - Did well and seem to be somewhat resistant to vine borers.
- Lemon Squash - Did well and seem to be somewhat resistant to vine borers.
- Castata Romanesco [zucch type]: Early set of fruit. Light. Striped. First one, June 30. Loved these.
Squash, Winter
- Australian Butter - Good fruit. Will try again.
- Black Futsu - excellent. Prolific for us in 2013. Great fruit.
- Greek Sweet Red - one of our favorite.
- Golden hubbard - didn't do so well in 2013.
- Honey Boat Delicata - Good! We liked these a lot and they're cute.
- Musquee De Provence - Gorgeous and delicious.
- Queensland Blue - I keep trying these because they're, well, blue. We usually get one.
- Rouge Vif D'Etampes - didn't get any.
Strawberries
- June bearing [from May's]
- Ever bearing [from May's]
Tomato - not a great year for tomatoes in 2013. Too cool.
- Amana Orange Tomato - Good tomato.
- Amish Paste - K2's favorite.
- Brave General Tomato - Did ok
- Black Cherry Tomato - prolific. Like these!
- Hillbilly [Flame]- Did ok.
