The unusual garden year of 2016
texasranger2
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (43)
texasranger2
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agotexasranger2
7 years agoRelated Discussions
Unusual/Odd Veggies for Next Year?
Comments (14)Without a location, not sure which Zone 7 you are in Edymnion... I will assume Southern climate for the suggestions below. Maritime climate would be a whole different ball game. There are a lot of interesting members of the gourd family: * Bitter melon - whether you eat it or not, it's really eye-catching on a trellis, has fragrant flowers, and has several health benefits if you can stomach it. * West Indian gherkins - eat like baby cukes when small; the spines then are softer than they appear, the fruit is sweet & crunchy without the bitterness so common in cukes, and the rampant vines bear forever if kept picked. * Mexican Sour Gherkin - petite climbing vine looks like ivy, tiny 1" watermelon-like fruits that taste like a sour cucumber. Not a true gherkin, but tastes great in salads with them. * Exploding gourd - climbing vine similar to Achocha, to which it is related. Can be eaten in salads when young. * Tromboncino - looks like zucchini on steroids & can be used any way you use zucchini, up to 18" long while still 1-2" wide... and oh yeah, highly resistant to SVB. Bean family: * Bi-colored edamame soybeans (I have several) * I'll second Farmerdill's recommendation for yardlong beans, they bear heavily when it is too hot for most snap beans, and are really eye catching whether hanging on the vine or served on a plate tied in knots (kids get a kick out of that). Furthermore, unlike snap beans, the purple yardlongs keep most of their color when cooked. * Winged Beans - be sure to get a "day neutral" variety. Really pretty light blue flowers. The pods are best picked very young, before they develop fiber. * Adzuki beans (there are colors other than red) * Pole limas - in your zone, you should be able to grow one of the really large-seeded varieties (such as Dr. Martin) or one of the multi-colored varieties (such as Lynch Butterbean or one of the Hopi varieties). * Peanuts (find an heirloom variety) * Hyacinth bean - rampant climber, beautiful fragrant flowers borne late, loves heat, pods eaten when young & flat taste just like snap beans. I recommend one of the purple-podded varieties for eating. The mature seeds are toxic unless properly prepared. * Sword bean - pole type, another long-season bean with beautiful, fragrant flowers, and huge pods. Pods can be eaten when young, but the mature seeds are toxic. Best used as an ornamental. There are quite a few greens that do really well in hot weather. Egyptian spinach, Malabar spinach (there are both red- and green- leaved varieties), New Zealand spinach, water spinach (if it is not banned where you live), and Moringa (tree grown as an annual). * Martynia - a.k.a. Devils Claw, unusual desert plant with pods that are edible when very young, and grow into decorative (but very sharp!) curved spiny pods. Nightshade family: * Ground cherries * Litchi tomato - thorny but attractive plants, clusters of white 1" flowers borne non stop until frost, red berries eaten raw or used like ground cherries. * Tomatillo I grow most of those mentioned above (except some of the tropical beans) and would be happy to send seed for a few. Denninmi also grows a lot of the unusual stuff, hopefully he will weigh in on this thread. You will find a lot more info useful to your quest on the Unusual Vegetables thread I posted to this forum several years ago. I'll try to bump it up, but if that fails, it is still in the archives at the link below. Here is a link that might be useful: Unusual Vegetables...See MoreUnusual things I'm growing this year
Comments (13)I grew both the Baker Creek Chichiquelite Huckleberry and the Giant Cape Gooseberry for the first time this year. Huckleberries ripened about July, and I baked them in a muffin recipe just like blueberries. There was a trick of dusting them in flour first which I think kept them from squishing or bleeding. Best muffins I ever made! Similar to blueberry muffins only better. It's late October now (Colorado) and those huckleberries just keep flourishing, even though the wasps ate about 1/4 of them. They get sweeter as the temps drop. The Giant Cape Gooseberries finally ripened so I could pick them today. Was delighted by their fresh tangy sweet flavor. I think I'll make them into a jam since I hear they have a lot of natural pectin. Yield was pretty low, so I am not sure if I will grow them again. Grew both berries in a GardenPatch grow box and each required massive amounts of water. Needed to fill the reservoirs daily in the hot dry days of summer, which was more watering than I wanted to be doing ;-) Overall, I've been really pleased by all the unique seeds I purchased from BC, so will keep trying new ones. Here is a link that might be useful: Huckleberry Muffin Recipe...See MoreTomatoes 2016 – What are you growing this year?
Comments (19)First off let me say that i am not a tomato person. Not because i don't like tomatoes (although i dont like bland store tomatoes anymore). But because i've had terrible luck growing tomatoes in the past. Just haven't found any good ones for my climate and soil. Although in fairness i haven't given it a lot of tries. This year i plan to change that. I have several varieties i'd like to try and i will save the best for including in my own breeding project. I will be following Joseph Lofthouse's tomato breeding progress with his adapted to Utah. I may even use his varieties in the future and probably swap any good genetics i find back with him. Breeding a tomato variety that is highly attractive to pollinators and open to natural cross pollinating would be fantastic. I am also focusing on flavor. That Burrell's Special sounds interesting. I'm always on the hunt for locally adapted varieties. Often it makes the breeding and selection much easier. These are the tomatoes i'd like to plant this year, but i don't know if i have room for all of them. It depend on how much room i save for other projects like the watermelon. Solanum Cheesmaniae Solanum Galapagense Magnus - 1900's variety Ponderosa - 1890 tomato Marhio Hillbilly vintage wine turkish striped monastary pink accordion pink berkley tie die german bicolor copia amana orange orange peach Fantome du Laos...See MoreSecret Santa Seed Swap 2016 (9th year)
Comments (413)To my gardening friends, I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas and and an even better New Year. I know I am a bit late in expressing my gratitude, but it's being an emotional roller coaster for me. Much as happened to lower my sprite, but my friends here have help tremendously to make this a great Christmas season for me. I would like to thank the following people who have so graciously shared a part of their garden with me. To Heavenlyfarm, thank you for Miss Jekyll Blue and Clematis seeds. And yes I was surprised. Your thoughtfulness was appreciated. To VA (no alias in card). Thank you for so many seeds. Some of my favorites includes Foxglove mix, Spinach, Bee Balm and Celosa Pink. I will be busier than a bed trying to plant so many seeds. Thanks again. To CH, thanks you for Bonanza Harmony Marigold, Asclepius incarnate (swamp Milkweed and Cassia Alana. You've helped to make this gardener feel so special....See Morewoodyoak zone 5 southern Ont., Canada
7 years agotexasranger2 thanked woodyoak zone 5 southern Ont., Canadatexasranger2
7 years agotexasranger2
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agofloral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agotexasranger2 thanked floral_uk z.8/9 SW UKtexasranger2
7 years agofloral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agogardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
7 years agoecholane
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agotexasranger2
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agokatob Z6ish, NE Pa
7 years agotexasranger2
7 years agowantonamara Z8 CenTex
7 years agoecholane
7 years agotexasranger2
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agowantonamara Z8 CenTex
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agotexasranger2
7 years agoandreap
7 years agoWoodsTea 6a MO
7 years agotexasranger2
7 years agoWoodsTea 6a MO
7 years agorouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
7 years agotexasranger2
7 years agorouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agotexasranger2
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoCampanula UK Z8
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agotexasranger2
7 years agoLaLennoxa 6a/b Hamilton ON
7 years ago
Related Stories
COLORColor of the Year: Off-White Is On Trend for 2016
See why four paint brands have chosen a shade of white as their hot hue for the new year
Full StoryFLOWERS AND PLANTSUnusual Totem Pole Cactus Is a Standout in Southwest Gardens
This thornless cactus makes a statement in the ground or in a container in mild-winter climates
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESGreat Design Plant: Evergreen Huckleberry Appeals All Year
Spring flowers and summer berries are only half the story with Vaccinium ovatum, a versatile Pacific Northwest native plant
Full StoryLANDSCAPE DESIGNHow Low Can Hedges Go? Discover Unusual Garden Borders
Short enough to step over, high enough to be a stretch ... check out these radically different hedge styles and tell us your opinion
Full StoryREMODELING GUIDESWhat’s on Your Design Wish List This Year?
Use winter days to begin planning your 2016 projects. Here’s a bit of inspiration to get you started
Full StoryDECORATING GUIDES10 Popular Design Trends to Carry Into the New Year
A designer shares the looks that are likely to stay in style in 2016 and beyond
Full StoryPATIOSLondon Courtyard Blooms With Year-Round Color
A once shady and dull outdoor space is transformed into a garden filled with beauty and scent in every season
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESGet Year-Round Good Looks With Matrix Planting in Your Garden
Any garden — from 100 square feet to 10,000 square feet — can apply this low-maintenance, sustainable design method
Full StoryLANDSCAPE DESIGNThe Best Winter Garden Project? Plan for Next Year
Consider these 9 ideas now for a highly personal, truly enjoyable garden come spring
Full StoryNATIVE PLANTS5 Ways to Keep Your Native Plant Garden Looking Good All Year
It’s all about planning ahead, using sustainable practices and accepting plants as living organisms
Full Story
katob Z6ish, NE Pa