A Look Back

As the cold of winter continues, I have time to reflect in this off season about the crops I grew in my garden last year and changes I want to make in the coming year.  During this time, I like to review the list of plant varieties I tried last year for the first time and evaluate whether I should grow them again.

Many of the seeds I grow are from traditional seed companies, but I wrote about several I used this past year from Row 7 Seeds, a new company that works with chefs to breed varieties with traits that will make the plate more exciting at meal time.

Here is the list of varieties I tried last year for the first time and some thoughts about them.

898 Squash – This mini butternut squash developed by Row 7 Seeds was crazy prolific; the squash growing in my garden looked like ornaments covering a Christmas tree. The squash themselves were the perfect size for a course in a small plates meal, and while not as sweet as promised, I will grow 898 again this year.

Robin’s Koginut Squash – This new variety of squash, also by Row 7 Seeds, grew beautifully, tasted great, and as promised, turned color on the vine when it ripened. I will be growing it again with seeds leftover from last year.

Badger Flame Beet – I often have little success with beets, and that was the case with Row 7’s orange Badger Flame. They didn’t grow well, and so they will be replaced with another variety as I plan this year’s garden.

7082 Cucumber – 7082 cucumbers sold by Row 7 Seeds were tasty and crunchy and they grew well on the vine. However, I found them no more exciting than any other cucumber I have grown.

Takara Hybrid Shishito Peppers – In the past I have grown shishito peppers without any spicy ones in the whole crop. That didn’t work for me. This year I tried Takara Hybrid and boy was I impressed. There was a perfect ratio of sweet to spicy peppers, as if I was playing a game of shishito pepper roulette, and these plants were so prolific throughout the season that I couldn’t use all of the fruits that I harvested. These shishito peppers will definitely find their way into this year’s garden, and onto my plate.

Mesilla Peppers – Sold in the supermarket as long hot peppers, Mesilla grew like a dream. There were huge numbers and beautiful fruits over the entire season. This past year I cooked these peppers with big pots of refried beans, as a topping on salt-baked shrimp, and pan fried in olive oil to add a spicy bite to sandwiches. I will make sure to grow them again so I can incorporate them into these recipes again this year.

Golden Detroit Beets – As with Badger Flame, these beets did not grow well, and the few that were big enough to eat were bitter. Needless to say, I will not be planting them again.

Chiogga Beets – While the beet roots did not grow very big, they were beautiful shaved raw on a salad. The red and white bullseye made for a stunning presentation, and so Chiogga get another chance this year.

Summer Dance Hybrid Cucumber – This Persian cucumber grew well, with flavorful, thin-skinned fruits. While they didn’t grow very large, they were abundant, and so will find their way back into my garden again this year.

Seychelles Pole Bean –I planted too much and had to wait until there was space in the garden for pole beans, but it was too late in the season. They didn’t grow. My fault. I’ll try again this year, hopefully at the right time.

Yellow Pear Tomato – While this little, yellow, pear-shaped tomato was flavorful and abundant on the vine, its main asset was that it added diversity in shape and color to my salads and other dishes. I will make sure that a few of my tomato plants are yellow pear.

Please like and share this post: