I don't grow enough yet to have much to list. In California, even annuals came back most of the time.

For me, I have two things:

Tomatoes and Pansies.

Tomatoes are my first veggie that I've grown, harvested and eaten. Well, we used to stick carrot tops in the ground when I was a kid. Taking the tomatoes inside and putting them back outside to save them from late cold spells, year-round hail storms and all that is worth the effort! Covering them with a sheet makes a big difference, too.

I love having the little pansies at the base of my roses. They give such an old fashioned charm. I try only to buy the ones that are perennials but only one of them came back this spring. This year, I did not care if they were listed as perennial or annual, I just bought the colours I liked and knew they would hold out even after a few light snows.

The petunias were very much fun last year and I almost bought them again this year, but I decided to put my money into perennials. I did get a few seedling plants from last years, though!

J

My tomatoes that must have
Kotlas- not large but early
Gold Nugget - yellow cherry - the earliest tomato that I have grown
Rainbow - bi color that produces well and early large tomatoes
Brandy - just really good and not that late
Big Beef - good producer of slicers
Black Russian - earlier black than Cherokee Purple
Sun Gold - really tasty

A couple that I tried this year that I probably will repeat
Northern Delight - a little later than Kotlas but about same size
Jerry German - egg shaped yellow and firmer than Azchoyka
DiLimone - light yellow cherry but later than Sun Gold

Then there are about 30 more. Maybe won't do so many varieties next year? But I keep getting new seed to try and I can't resist seeing what they will turn out like.

Then all the crocus and daffodills that bloom without any special care and the deer don't eat!

With this being only my second year to grow from seed with any kind of seriousness (not counting any year's before that as much more than dabbling), it's too soon to have many favorites, but here goes:

Gazanias - took a while to start blooming but are the only annual, other than the African Daisies that are still alive and blooming.

Petunias - Loved the 'Prism Sunshine' this year, a real blooming machine. Added 'Alladin Orange' to next year's list.

Portulaca - Doesn't need watering or deadheading, and comes in a wide variety of colors.

Profusion Zinnias - I've had horrible mildew issues with most varieties, but not a speck on my 'Profusion Apricot' this year. Took a long time to start blooming, but then what a show!

Marigolds - I almost forgot about them, but they are also blooming machines, and come in all of my favorite flower colors - red, yellow, and orange, and a must have around the vegetable garden. Don't know if they really repel any pests or not, but who cares.

Tomatoes - Out of the nine varieties that I actually got tomatoes from, I'm probably not repeating a single one!!! Yes, I loved the taste of Cherokee Purple, but I have seeds for at least 40 different varieties, so I feel obligated to try new ones next year. There will be more dual purpose tomatoes next year, ones that are good slicers, but also good for sauce making, and less cherries (4 of the nine were cherries, when one or two would have been plenty - I've given away bucketfuls!)

Carrots - The first year I did it all wrong, and waited to the end of the season and harvested them all. They quickly became rubbery and limp in the fridge. This year, I planted them earlier, and have been picking them as I need them all summer. Sure they are cheap at the store, but there's no waste. I'm not buying a whole bag when I need one or two. Plus mine are thicker, longer, fresher, and more colorful!

Peppers - I will grow more of them next year, several new to me varieties, but the one that will be a repeat is Revolution. It outperformed King of the North by a mile - thicker walls, earlier and more productive. There will also be some type of paprika, homemade paprika powder is way better than storebought!

Peas - first year to grow them, and they will definitely be back

Sweet Basil - I liked it best out of all of the varieties I grew this year, and is there really such a thing as too much basil?

Bonnie

J, weren't we all charmed by Swiss Giant Panies as children? Everytime I look at the new & old selection at places like Stokes, I'm charmed all over again.

Margaret, you've gotta put a little asterick on all those tomatoes telling us that you use protective growing for them to be as fine as in the photo's on that other thread.

I was amazed by Gold Nuggets a couple years ago when they were in my garden. Really, really, really early and tasty too. I'd find them in the pre-dawn darkness until . . . until, the Gold Nuggets were gone and replaced by "damaged goods!" Blight took them long before I'd harvested more than half! I felt like Silas Marner before Eppie turned up to replace his lost gold coins. But, we aren't here to talk about that.

Maybe I should grow portulaca, Bonnie, I once did but they are tiny and I'm near-sighted. The zinnia red is hard to match. And, "all of my favorite flower colors - red, yellow, and orange" - I've been looking at Florette Deep Purple China Asters! (I've always been an annoying tease ;o)

digitS'
where is that Stevation with his pink Lavatera??

OK, I'll chime in even though this was a fairly small gardening year for me.

My favorite new plant is my Rozanne geranium. Probably old news to most of you, but this was the first year I could find this plant locally. Bloomed from the day I planted it until, well, now. Everybody cross your fingers that it makes it through the winter.

Also new, Rosita agastache from HCG. Beautiful bright pink flowers. But the only time I had to plant was in the heat of summer, and I'm not sure it is going to survive. If not, will buy again next year. I have the felling a full grown Rosita will be gorgeous.

Tomatoes - grew my old tried and true Galina and Sweet Million. Galina will always be with me. I like Sweet Million a lot, but might trade it out to try new things. Like many others, tried Black Cherry this year. I can't remember who listed this as their tallest tomato, but it was my shortest. That was because it escaped the cage and grew horizontally more than vertically til it was like a huge octapus. An octapus whose tomatoes were very late to ripen, but came through in the end. Will plant this again next year and be a little more careful about containing it.

Tried highalt's trick of growing Jack-be-little pumpkins up a trellis. Unfortunately, with the cold spring and last week's snow, it was a short season and I only ended up with one little pumpkin. But, it's a cute little pumpkin and I will try this again next year, although maybe in a different location.

Peppers: Ace bell peppers always do well for me and I will plant again, but am open to new kinds as well.

Peas, sadly can't remember what I planted, but I'll try something different next year (that's a big help, I know).

Planted many xeric things in the front garden this fall: salvia, yarrow, irises, nepeta, sedum, etc., all pretty standard; and a Manhattan oriental poppy, but will have to wait til next year to see how they do. I am especially looking forward to the poppy; again really, really hoping it will make it through the winter.

Even though it is way late, just bought some crocus and daffodil bulbs from Bluestone on sale. Daffodils and iris are my downfall - doesn't matter if I have room or not, just have to keep buying new ones!!!

I wasn't terribly impressed by King of the North, however . . . . it did seem like a reliable bell pepper. Now these other 2, I don't even remember having seen 'em! Revolution & Ace - okay, got it.

I know this isn't about chickens but when DW asked me why I chose the 3 Amigos (now 4) rather than some of the "more prettier" ones - I told her that I didn't chose them, they chose me.

Well, if a melon chose to grow thru our cold, difficult Spring in 'o8, it was Passport. And, Passport is just great, tasty, and - one could say - interesting, as well. This is year 3, I think it is, for Passport so I'm keepin' it as one I don't want to be without. "Look what followed me home, Mom!"

Oh, and I finally found the name of those pansies I used to grow - - Padparadja! "An orange that is so deep and intense that there is nothing else in the flower kingdom to rival it." (that's HPS but New England Seed has 'em, also.) Yeah, I started Padparadja one Spring in the greenhouse and the plants lasted over the next 3 years. I should try that again!

d'S'

Digit, the Revolution pepper seed came from Fedco.

Your link didn't have a photo, but I found it at the HPS site. Wow, that's my kind of color! I may have to add that to my wishlist.

Bonnie

Here is a link that might be useful: Padparadja pansie from HPS

And Ace comes from Seeds Trust high altitude division. I've always had good stuff from this company - this is also my Galina source. A quick look reveals many new tomato varieties this year. Oh oh. Also, I spotted Minnesota Midget canteloupes - have you ever tried these? I would love to be able to grow a canteloupe here.

WW, I've grown MM cantaloupes and used to think that I just HAD to be able to come up with something better.

I think I had problems gauging ripeness but the size bothered me quite a lot, also. Global warming may have helped turn some kind of corner in my garden with regards to melon growing.

I will continue to try to grow Honey Girl Charentais. I say try because, I think there were only 3 of these melons this year after a dark, cold, windy Spring. The previous 4 or 5 years, I had good success with Honey Girl. Tolerance to the bad weather is why I'm now sold on Passport. Actually, I was leaning towards "sold" anyway. It's a fine melon but not a cantaloupe  more of a honeydew. Charentais melons are real cantaloupes, just not muskmelons . . . I'm not sure if I understand that either.

Seed Trust lists Minnesota Midgets as 75 days-to-maturity. You can't give too much credence to these DTM ideas but for comparison, it may help. Passport is supposedly also a 75 day, as is Honey Girl.

I had Sweet Granite melons a year or 2 ago and they are supposed to be 70 day melons. They were the earliest in the garden to ripen. I think that you may feel like you are taking a step down on quality from what shows up in your supermarkets with these, however.

I've no doubt that there are other melons that do well out there in gardens with challenging weather. Until a few years ago, I thought I was "stuck" without any good ideas as to what to grow. Johnny's won't be offering Passport next year but have one called Diplomat, an "earlier Passport type." It's in other catalogs, however.

di'S'

OK, I'll look into Honey Girl. Passport sounds like a good melon, but I really don't care for honeydews that much. Probably should hold off anyway as I need to redo the back yard next year (and make more garden space!!).

Don't hold off!!

There's no time like the present! Or, future . . . .

Time waits for NO gardener! Plow the entire backyard and plant, plant, plant (from here to the horizon) only limit, limit, limit the grass.

di'S'
BePeaGreen didn't read this . . .