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jplayland

Help me pick out what to plant in my new garden.

jplayland
10 years ago

I have planted a large number of perennial fruits over the last two years at my first home, but I have no vegi garden. I just finished constructing three 24'x6'x2' raised beds and a compost area. Two of these 24'x6' beds will be for the vegi garden. The 3rd one is for perennial fruits/vegis (garlic, rhubarb, asparagus, ...) I have filled the beds with a mostly soil-less mix of compost, composted manure, and peatmoss.

Tomatoes

I want to try a few of the best hybrids and best heirlooms. I plan to use them for:
1. Pasta/Pizza/Chili
2. Salsa
3. Sandwiches
4. Alone fresh sliced

I seem to like lower water content tomatoes with strong flavor, but without powdery texture. I would like to get a mix, most production, best taste, and good production/good taste. Odd colors welcome.

Peppers
Bell - All colors, no idea on the varieties I should choose.

Sweet Peppers - Not sure, planning on trying in recipes I usually just use bells in, open to recommendations.

Hot - Nothing crazy, just mild, medium, and hot, not really hot. Cayenne, Serrano, ???, (no jalapeno, not a fan of the bitter taste)

Squash
I like acorn and butternut, I tend to overcook them because I like them better with less moisture.

Summer Squash/Zucchini
I'm honestly not a huge fan, but want to force myself to learn to like them. Maybe I should do the best tasting ones instead of the most productive on this one.

Carrots
I only use them for three things, fresh sweet eating, roasting with roasts, and carrot cake. A bunch of small sweet ones and a few bigger ones for cooking. Some cool colored ones if they taste as good. (Maybe a parsnip variety or two as well)


Sweet Potatoes
Georgia Jet, any others worth a try?

Potatoes
Mashing, red, and fingerling. Some strange colored ones too.

Beets

Onions

Edimame (soybeans) - I love edimame, I would like at least 3 varieties and would love recommendations.

Green beans - I'm not a huge fan of green beans, I need to be converted, flavor over production.

Other beans - Would it be crazy to grow cooking beans (navy, pinto, black, kidney, ...?)

Melon -
Canary melon, a cantalop, a honeydew, and 1 or 2 watermelons. I'm going vertical with the melons so they don't use up too much space.

Broccoli

On all of these, I would love to get both hybrid and heirloom where applicable/reasonable. I want to experiment, but there are too many varieties to try in a lifetime, help me find my first attempt varieties.

I plan on starting most plants from seed. I'm setting up the space now in my basement and ordering what a don't get for Christmas presents.

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