What We Grow

Crops are listed in groups according to companion planting and crop rotation.

2012 Summer Garden

Corn

Pennsylvania Butter-Flavored Popcorn (Southern Exposure) The kids love growing and shelling our own popcorn. 
Quickie (Pinetree) - An early corn
Incredible (Pinetree) - a hybrid super sweet - it really is incredible and it keeps on the stalk for a long time.  It's a good freezer too.
Buhl (Southern Exposure) - New variety for us - it's an heirloom, organic, open pollinated version

Legumes

Green Beans

Bush Blue Lake (Pinetree) - A new variety for us this year.
Bush Romano (Pinetree) - Italian flat beans.  We primarily freeze and eat them with garlic salt when we have pasta dishes.
Provider (Pinetree) - My favorite bean.  It's productive, straight, makes wonderful dilly beans and is great frozen. 

Shell Beans

Black Turtle (Pinetree) -Good in Mexican dishes.
Cranberry (Pinetree) - We use this anywhere we'd use Pintos.  Great in Cranberry Beans and Kale.
Jacob's Cattle (Pinetree)  - The only bean I'll use to make baked beans.  You really need to try it.
Scarlet Runner (Southern Exposure) - I grow this mostly for the flowers.  They're gorgeous.
Red Calico Lima (Monticello) - An heirloom bean from Thomas Jefferson's plantation.
Lima (Local Garden Center)
Christmas Lima (Frontier Culture Museum) - Really pretty mottled red and white beans.

Peas

Knight (Pinetree)  - A new variety this year.  I'm not in love with any pea.  It never seems to do well for me.
Cascadian (Pinetree) - a sugar snap variety. 

Three Sister's Patch (Southern Exposure)

Pungo Creek Butcher Corn  - A dent corn.  If this works I'll be grinding cornmeal this fall.
Seminole Pumpkin
Kentucky Wonder Pole Bean

Cole Crops

Giant Red Indian Mustard (Self propogating - original seed from Pinetree)
Dinosaur Kale (Southern Exposure)
Chinese Cabbage (Mowery's Orchard)
Waltham Broccoli (Pinetree)
Cheddar Cauliflower (Pinetree)
Red Russian Kale (Pinetree)
Kohlrabi (Pinetree)
Collards (Pinetree)

Sunflowers, Beets, Chard, Lettuce, Garlic and Onions

Did you know that these are great companion plants and that the first three are in the same family?

Lettuce

Pinetree Lettuce Mix -My go to lettuce mix.  I plant this one more than any other.
Buttercrunch (Park)
Drunken Woman (Southern Exposure)  - I bought this one just for its name!
Forellenschluss (Little Speckled Trout)  (Pinetree Seed Exchange from Mother Earth News Fair) - This is a very pretty lettuce.  I like to imagine that my German immigrant grandmother grew this one.
New Red Fire (Pinetree) - an oak leaf type
Green Deer's Tongue (Pinetree)  - a meaty Romaine type with a great name!

Sunflower

Giant Grey Stripe (Pinetree) - for the birds
Cherry Rose (Pinetree) - for my vases
Monet's Palet (Pinetree) - earth tones for the fall

Beets

Detroit (Pinetree)
Lutz Winter Keeper (Pinetree) - My favorite beet.  It really does store excellently.

Swiss Chard

Ruby (Pinetree) - Gorgeous Red veins
Bright Lights (Pinetree)- pinks, reds, orange, yellows
Sea Foam (Pinetree) - light green

Garlic and Onions

Egyptian Walking Onions (Pinetree) - A perennial onion - new for me this year
Yellow Onion (Pinetree)
Red Onion  (Pinetree)
Candy Onion (Mowery's)
Soft Neck Garlic (From last year's harvest)
Elephant Garlic (Southern Exposure)
Leeks (Pinetree)

Squash and Cukes

Cukes

Straight 8 (Pinetree)
Summer Dancer (Pinetree)
Pickling (Local Garden Center)
Poinsett  (Southern Exposure)
Marketmore (Page's)

Summer Squash

Gold Rush Zucchini (Pinetree)
Black Zucchini (Pinetree)
Straight Neck Yellow Squash(Local Garden Center)

Winter Squash, Pumpkins and Gourds

Autumn Harvest Mix (Pinetree) - a mix for fall displays (and then winter eating)
Dipper Gourd (Parks)
Birdhouse Gourd (Parks)
Queensland Blue (Pinetree)
Jarradale (Pinetree)
Blue Hubbard (Pinetree) - Huge and wonderful moist, creamy flesh.
Delicata (Pinetree) - Small and pretty.  Very good steamed with chili butter.
Sweet Mama (Pinetree) - A buttercup type - larger and very sweet.
Table Queen (Whetsel Inc.) - Acorn type
Waltham Butternut (Pinetree) - easy to peel
Early Butternut (Pinetree)  - not as prone to squash bugs
Carnival Acorn (Pinetree)  - a very pretty multi-colored acorn
Conneticut Field Pumpkin (Pinetree)

Root Crops

Sweet Potatoes

Beaureguard  (Pinetree)
White  (Natural Art Garden Center)

Potatoes

Kenebec (Pinetree)
Yukon Gold  (Pinetree)
Red Norland (Pinetree)

Carrots

Danvers  (Pinetree)
Chatenay (Pinetree)
Yellow (Local Garden Center)

Radish

French Breakfast (Pinetree)
Cherry Belle (Pinetree)
Easter Egg (Pinetree)
Daikon (Pinetree)

Parsnips

 

Tomatoes, Peppers and Eggplants

Cherry Type

Black Cherry (Pinetree)  - dark purple
White Cherry (Pinetree)  - light yellow
Sweet Million (Pinetree)  - produces a ton - cracks as the season goes on
Chelsea (Pinetree)  - a larger type - productive all season
Sugar Gold (Cook's Garden) - dark yellow - like eating candy.  Often doesn't even make it into the house - but lands directly in my kid's mouths.

Paste

Roma VF  (Southern Exposure) - a Virgina Strain
Opalka - Amish Heirloom - large and meaty
Polish Linguisa - good large paste type

Slicing

Golden Girl (Pinetree)
Golden Queen (Pinetree)
Pineapple (Pinetree)
Big Oaks Beefsteak (Seed from Farmer Dan)
Cherokee Purple (Pinetree)
Pruden's Purple (Pinetree)
Big Oaks OxHeart (Seed saved by Farmer Dan)
Helen's Lebanon (Seed given from Aunt Helen)

Eggplant

Dusky (Pinetree)  - a pretty light purple
Black Beauty (Fort Valley Nursery) - standard and reliable
Pitung Long (Pinetree)  - great in Asian stir fry

Peppers

Marconi (Pinetree)
California Wonder (Pinetree)
Jalepeno (Pinetree)
Hot Pepper Mix (Pinetree)
Carribean (Fort Valley Nursery)
Big Red (Pinetree)

Herbs

Stevia
Basil - Genovese
Lemon Verbena
Lemon Balm
Tansy
Sorrel
Spearmint
Peppermint
Chocolate Mint
Lavendar
Rosemary
Chives
Thyme
Sage
Oregano

Permenant Beds

Aparagus - Martha Washington (Pinetree)
Strawberry - Sparkle  (Pinetree)
Blueberry  - Top Crop and Patriot  (Pinetree)
Rhubarb
Red Raspberry - Heritage
Grape - Concord and Cascadian