What’s in the field: 2009
Here’s the 2009 crop-list-in-progress: Veggies, Herbs, Flowers, Mulch…!
NOTE: This is from planning in the pre-season, and was not updated to reflect actual production. It’s here just to give you an idea of what was on my mind at the time!
Vegetables
amaranth, grain
arugula – “rocket”, Skyrocket – Grown here for the first time last year, arugula did fairly well: the plants thrive, but the flea beetles LOVE it, so protection has to be pretty intense (well-anchored row cover) to avoid flea-beaten harvests.
bean, snap – Derby, Indy Gold, Jade, Royal Burgundy
beet - Bull’s Blood, Chioggia, Detroit Dark Red Supreme, Golden Detroit, Lutz Greenleaf, Scarlet Supreme, Taunus
bok choi – Joi Choi, Mei Qing Choi
broccoli - Early Dividend, Premium Crop, Windsor
Brussels sprouts – Jade Cross, Oliver
cabbage - Early Jersey Wakefield
carrot - Nelson, Purple Haze, Rainbow, Touchon
cauliflower - Early Dawn, Minuteman
celeriac – Dolvi (Giant Prague) – A trial first time for this.
celery – Utah-52-70 – I’ve started celery once before, but didn’t transplant it, I forget exactly why… A trial.
collard - Vates
corn – Earlivee, Polka
cucumber - Diva, Fanfare, Lemon, Patio Pickles, Raider
edamame - Taiwan 75
eggplant – Dusky, Fairy Tale, Millionaire, Vittoria
endive - Broadleaved Batavian
ground cherry – Aunt Molly’s, Yellow
Jerusalem artichoke
kale - Red Russian
kohlrabi -
leek – Giant Musselburgh, Jolant, Ramona
lettuce - Parris Island Cos, Optima
melon - Earliqueen, Fastbreak, Goldbar, Montreal, Passport
mesclun – Baby Leaf (a 9-lettuce blend), my own mixes
mizuna
okra - Cajun Delight, Little Lucy
onion - Stuttgarter, Sturon, Red Wing
onion, green – Ramrod, Red Baron, Summer Isle
parsnip - ???
pea - Sugar Ann, Sugar Sprint, Wando – I went a little crazy and bought a 50lb bag of Sugar Ann last season, so there will be a lot of those this year!
pepper, hot – Big Chili, Caribbean Red, Cayenne Slim, Early Jalapeño, Holy Mole, Hot Italian Roaster, Hungarian Hot Wax, Kung Pao, Super Chili – I didn’t do much with these peppers last season, a shame and a waste. There isn’t a big hot pepper market around here, for one. I’ll probably reduce this list…
pepper, sweet – Ace, Blushing Beauty, Gypsy, North Star, Orange Sun
potato - Gold Rush, Norland, Yukon Gold – My standards every year. Pretty basic, and it will probably remain the same this time around.
pumpkin - Connecticut Field, Kakai, Jamboree, Lumina, Neon, Small Sugar, Snack Jack
radicchio
radish - French Breakfast, Icicle, Rebel
rhubarb
rutabaga -
spinach – Bloomsdale, Spargo
squash, summer – Ambassador, Eight Ball, Flying Saucer, Golden Dawn III, Largo, Peter Pan, Sunburst
squash, winter – Cream of the Crop, Delicata, Early Butternut, Sweet Mama, Table Ace, Table Gold, Table King, Uchiki Kuri
Swiss chard – Bright Lights, Fordhook Giant, Lucullus
tomatillo – Toma Verde
tomato - Aunt Ruby’s German Green, Basinga, Big Beef, Big Rainbow, Black Krim, Bloody Butcher, Bonny Best, Brandywine, Burpee’s Longkeeper, Camp Joy, Caspian Pink, Celebrity, Chadwick’s Cherry, Cherokee Purple, Emerald Evergreen, Golden Cherry, Green Grape, Green Zebra, Grightmires Pride, Ildi, Juliet, Lemon Boy, Matt’s Wild Cherry, Mortgage Lifter, Mule Team, Old German, Oxheart, Peron Sprayless, Persimmon, Plum Lemon, Polfast, Pruden’s Purple, Purple Calabash, Red Currant, Red Pear, Riesentraube, San Marzano, Striped German, Stupice, Sugary, Sweet Baby Girl, Tangerine, Tigerella, Viva Italia, Yellow Pear, Yellow Stuffer
turnip -
watermelon - Jade Star, New Queen, Sweet Beauty, Tiger Baby, Yellow Doll
Herbs
basil – Italian, Sweet
chives
cilantro
dill
fennel, leaf
garlic – Music
marjoram
oregano
parsley – Green River, Plain Italian – A curly and a flat. The flat-leaf is definitely stronger tasting, more flavorful, my favorite, but people like both.
rosemary – Everybody loves rosemary. I’ve got some of my own, started from last year, and I’m trying a new, giant variety called Barbecue.
sage
savory
tarragon
thyme
Cut flowers
This is the second year for a cut flower garden. Last season’s trial patch did only OK, as it didn’t receive much care. But I’m hooked. It’ll be a more full-on effort this year…
amaranthus - Green Thumb, Hot Biscuits, Red Pygmy Torch
aster - Compliment Mix
calendula - Pacific Beauty Mixed
celosia - Pampas Plume
centaurea (bachelor’s buttons) – Blue Boy, Double Choice Mix
cosmos - Sensation Mix
gypsophila (baby’s breath) – Covent Garden
larkspur - Blue Cloud, QIS Mixture
lavatera - Beauty Mix
nasturtium - Jewel, Whirlybird
rudbeckia (blackeyed Susan) – Cherokee Sunset, Indian Summer
scabiosa - Ping Pong, QIS Deep Red
sunflower - Claret, Early Russian, Go Bananas Mix, Sunrich Orange
zinnia - Benary’s Giant Formula Mix, Giant Cactus, Persian Carpet
Mulch
grass-alfalfa – Depending on the success of last year’s grass mulch experiment, I’m planning to give a section of the hay special care (water!) and mow it frequently for mulch.
