The First Snowfall Makes Me Think of My Garden

As the first real snow of the season falls outside, my thoughts turn to warmer times and I’m thinking about my garden. January is the month to begin planning for the growing season ahead. It is time to order seeds, check supplies, and make sure the lights in the basement are working, so I can germinate the first spring seeds of the year, some earlier than one might think.

Every year, I start by evaluating last season’s garden. What flourished and provided us with abundance, and what failed, never germinating, producing little to no harvest, or otherwise was not worth the valuable garden real estate. There are always many successes, which are easy to gauge. Many of the varieties I grow are always plentiful and delicious, and so I plant them year after year. But there are a million reasons a crop might have failed – especially varieties new to my garden – and this evaluation is not always easy. Perhaps there was too much or too little water for that specific variety. Maybe the nutrients in the soil were lacking. Was there a predator or pest that took advantage? It could be that the particular variety I planted was not adapted to local conditions. The question becomes whether to gamble on the unsuccessful crop under different conditions, to abandon it altogether for something new and promising, or to go with something tried-and-true.

Once I decide what I am going to grow again, I get to pick new vegetables to fill in gaps in the garden and menu. Seed catalogues are always brimming with new varieties, and I am always looking for new choices to try in the kitchen.

Here is a list and evaluation of only the new plants I grew last year:

Mexican Gherkin Cucumber – This mini cucumber that looks like tiny watermelons grows on thin, wispy vines with small leaves. It grew in abundance. I was able to harvest a nice handful every week. They are beautiful and intriguing and a great conversation starter when you bring them on a crudité platter to a cookout.

Calypso Cilantro – Cilantro for guacamole, pico de gallo, salsa verde, and green chicken is a must in the garden. This variety was bred to bolt (flower and go to seed) slowly in the hot summer months, providing a longer period for harvest. This past summer I found that Calypso was true to its description and I had to replant less frequently than in years past. Since it did go to seed eventually, I was able to harvest a huge amount of seeds to sow this coming season.

NY Slicing 264 Cucumber – This cucumber is bred specifically for the Northeast and to last longer into the fall than other varieties. Unfortunately, it got lost in the sauce when its vines intermingled with vines of other types of cucumbers and I couldn’t tell them apart. While I had a good cucumber year with ample, tasty fruits, I cannot tell if 264 made the difference or not.

Beauregarde Snow Peas – These purple-podded, green-seeded snow peas from Row 7 Seeds were not particularly abundant and because of their somewhat thick pods, they had to be cooked rather than eaten raw. Nonetheless they were a beautiful, sweet addition to spring meals. Thus I will grow them again so that dinner is as beautiful as it is tasty.

Brandywise Tomato – This big, juicy, and tasty variety from Fruition Seeds, bred to combine the flavor of heirloom Brandywine with increased disease resistance, grew well this past summer. Tomatoes are one of the easiest vegetables to grow in the home garden and there is nothing like the flavor of a home-grown tomato. Brandywise was no exception. I will plant the remaining seeds from last summer’s packet this year.

Tatsoi (Asian spinach) – I have never had much luck with spinach in my garden and tatsoi from Fruition Seeds promised growth even in the heat of the summer. I found it bolted quickly, much like spinach, as summer approached, and I never got much of a harvest. The fall crop was somewhat better, although it too never grew full enough for a substantial harvest.

August Ambrosia Watermelon – This watermelon from Fruition Seeds, was bred specifically for the short growing season in the Northeast. It never grew. Perhaps it was in a poor location. I was frustrated that none of the multiple seeds sowed directly in the ground germinated. I have a few seeds left, so this year I will try to germinate seeds in pots and transplant them to see if I have more success.

Kossak Hybrid Kohlrabi – I had never grown kohlrabi in the garden before (nor cooked with it for that matter) and it grew beautifully, forming bulbous stems as expected. It was a pleasure to use the slightly sweet stems that taste faintly of broccoli to make an interesting slaw in mid-summer.

Seychelles Pole Bean –I tried pole beans again this past summer and they were wildly successful, unbelievably abundant, and delicious with a sweet, green bean snap. This coming summer when I plant them again, I need to give them more substantial support to hold up the vines.

Here is a list and description of the new plants or varieties I am going to try this year:

Red Cloud Hybrid Beets – Beets are hit and miss in my garden, so I am trying this super sweet variety to see if I can improve my success.

Yaya Hybrid Carrots – My favorite carrots – Nelson Hybrid – are no longer available, so I am trying this replacement, which is also a Nantes-type carrot. I’m hoping my harvest is as bounteous and sweet as it was with Nelson.

Fiero Hybrid Radicchio – To add a little aesthetic and taste variation to my salads, I am trying radicchio this year. The reddish-purple chicory with white veins promises to make my salads more exciting.

Cayenne Long Slim Red Pepper – Last summer my son bought some seeds to grow in pots in his college dorm and there were seeds left over. I figured it doesn’t cost me anything extra to throw a few cayenne pepper plants in the garden and perhaps dry a few fruits to add spice after the growing season is over.

Space Hybrid Spinach – As tatsoi (Asian spinach) didn’t really work out last year, I figure I’ll go back and try real spinach again. I will look closer at its growing requirements before I plant it, and maybe this time I will have more success.

SunSugar Hybrid Orange Cherry Tomato – Looking through the seed catalogues, I saw this irresistible orange cherry tomato; another color tomato is always welcome on my dinner plate…if I can harvest any before my wife eats them all directly from the vines while she is walking through the garden.

Cal Sweet Bush Watermelon – While I have never had success with watermelon before, I can’t help to try again. This AAS-winning short vined variety promises to be sweet and not take up too much precious garden space.

Superpik Hybrid Summer Squash – I have never grown true yellow zucchini; rather I have grown a yellow variant of green summer squash. This year it’s time to try a true yellow squash.

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