[ Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas 'Beauregard') | Posted on October 9, 2022 ] This is a long vining type, vines up to 15 feet, bush types may yield better. |
[ Wax Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris 'Dragon Tongue') | Posted on August 17, 2022 ] First try with Dragon Tongue, I am pleased. Seems high yielding and for weeks, beans are tender. Mine are mostly pale yellow, maybe because of crowding and shading by squash? I will grow them again. |
[ Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum 'German Lunchbox') | Posted on August 17, 2022 ] My first year, and two plants of German Lunchbox. Both plants growing well and healthy into mid August, still making clusters of clean, uncracked, pinkish red fruits about 1 to 1.5 ounce, mostly the middle to smaller size in that range. Skin is nice, thin and tender, flavor to me is just average. I halved some and used the dehydrator for dried tomatoes and those are tasty and a really good size for this method. |
[ Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum 'Hungarian Heart') | Posted on July 21, 2022 ] Growing my first plant of Hungarian Heart after rave review and free seeds from my friend. It is setting massive tomatoes. I cut the first yesterday and it has small seed cavities and a lot of nice pink soft flesh, looks perfect for cooking into sauce. |
[ Bell Pepper (Capsicum annuum 'Lady Bell') | Posted on May 19, 2022 ] I got a Lady Bell starter plant this year- a very green vigorous looking plant! High hopes! August update: Hopes dashed. Several fruit lost to end rot, setting very few peppers, those I got don't get very big, nowhere near the size of peppers you buy anywhere. I am not impressed. Plant looks healthy and good sized. Still, it's only one plant and one year, not a fair trial. |
[ Winter Squash (Cucurbita maxima 'Blue Hubbard') | Posted on March 20, 2022 ] Interestingly, this has been used as a trap crop to reduce pests on other cucurbits (which is also a caution for growing this plant, it apparently is VERY attractive to squash bugs and cucumber beetles). |
[ Sweet Pepper (Capsicum annuum 'Giant Marconi') | Posted on March 6, 2022 ] I grew one Giant Marconi from a store-bought starter in 2021. It grew very well for me in Maryland. Lots of peppers and tastes great. It is a larger pepper plant to hold all the fruit and I would be sure to cage or stake it to keep heavy stems from breaking. |
[ Bear's Paw Fern (Phlebodium aureum 'Blue Star') | Posted on February 23, 2022 ] I recommend this fern. My son bought one almost 2 years ago and hung it in his bedroom with western windows but no direct sun. It's lived and looks pretty good. Better yet, while it had some dead fronds, they dry up pale green and so don't look too bad, and they do not drop or make a mess. |
[ Hardy Cyclamen (Cyclamen hederifolium) | Posted on February 13, 2022 ] Leaves present in February, this plant has lived for year in my yard completely without help from me, among maple roots and other plants like liriope. |
[ Cow Pea (Vigna unguiculata 'Mitchell Family Cream') | Posted on August 16, 2021 ] First time growing these, from Baker Creek Seeds. Nice dark green leaves have been plagued with an unknown insect eating holes in them, I suspect brown beetles as I can't find any pests during the daytime. The plants are vining, finding the fence and climbing and will easily go 5 feet, maybe more? so consider trellis. |
[ Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum 'Speckled Roman') | Posted on July 20, 2021 ] Bought seed from Pinetree Garden and started my own plants. Grown well and starting to pick a few in July in Maryland zone 7b. Nice solid fruit 5 ounces, no problems. |
[ Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum 'Southern Night') | Posted on June 29, 2021 ] I am growing for the first time this year, central Maryland. I have two plants, one very vigorous, the other less so, but that was planted later (fill in for another plant that died.) So far, about the same size plant and growth rate as other indeterminates. Update July 11. Both plants have grown well, beautiful big leaves, setting good fruit and no sign of any yellow or brown lower leaf as on all other tomatoes. Picked first three fruit today from 3 to 7 ounce, ate the smallest one which was pretty ripe. Good flavor. Will sample more before deciding if its as good as other blacks. July 22, I have eaten a few more, the flavor is just OK and the texture seems a bit mealy or something. It has not gotten to peak production yet, still a lot of green fruit. One plant of the two has suddenly completely wilted and I took it out yesterday. That plant was planted out slightly later as a different start had died in that spot. |
[ Bell Pepper (Capsicum annuum 'Hunter') | Posted on June 24, 2021 ] Found one starter plant of this marked down to a buck at the grocery store. This is late for me to plant peppers, but I decided if it grew one pepper, it was a payoff. Will try to report later. I think it may be marketed more for commercial growers. |
[ Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum 'Rhode Island Early') | Posted on June 18, 2021 ] First year growing, only one plant. It is not very leafy and has few branches, not the suckering monster some of the others are. It does seem to show more fruit at this point than any others, though they are still small at about seven weeks after setting out. Update July 11- plant has good amount of fruit on but not especially early. Today I picked a few first (not fully ripe) fruits off several different plants, including this. July 22- more ripening while most other tomatoes are still very slow in coming. Sliced one today, I found a nice texture, solid, small seed cavities, good basic garden tomato flavor, good slicer at about 7 ounces. |
[ Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum 'Bush Goliath') | Posted on June 18, 2021 ] Not planning to grow again after this year of only one plant: |
[ Eggplant (Solanum melongena 'Millionaire') | Posted on May 24, 2021 ] According to Burpee, it makes Japanese type, dark purple skinned fruit about 2 inches wide and 8-10 inches long, in about 55 days from setting plants in the garden. I found starter plants at a nursery and am trying it for the first time. |
[ Swiss Chard (Beta vulgaris var. cicla 'Fordhook Giant') | Posted on May 21, 2021 ] This chard grew well for me in 2020 as a spring crop and lasted all winter, it looked a bit crinkly starting to grow again in spring but that went away. In its second spring I got the giant leaves but also some are bolting. Still, I am getting enough off a dozen or 15 plants to make a meal, and it is tender and tastes fine. I have started more seed in case the bolting kills that crop. |
[ Geranium (Pelargonium 'Brocade Fire') | Posted on May 21, 2021 ] I love the fancy zoned leaves like this but do not have the best luck with Pelargoniums in general. Still, this overwintered ok very dry in my basement and is growing and blooming for the second year. I just put it into a hanging basket pot, hoping that it likes some extra soil helping it stay moist. I will place it in partial sun, avoiding the hot deck that seemed to make it struggle. |
[ Radish (Raphanus sativus 'French Dressing') | Posted on May 17, 2021 ] Grew well for me in early spring. Nice mild crisp radishes. |
[ Devil's Walking Stick (Aralia spinosa) | Posted on April 17, 2021 ] I got this as a volunteer. It has grown easily to a large shrub. It does sucker readily, and for that reason I cut down the original and moved a sucker, where that has grown in light shade. Pollinators adore this and make the whole thing buzz when in bloom with all sizes of insect. |