Like most gardeners, I like to try new vegetables. This year I'm trying pigley pigeon peas. I had 25 seeds to plant, but can't remember where I planted the first 17. So, about 2 weeks ago, I planted 4 of what was left in a pot, and 2 have sprouted already!






So, added my last four seeds to the pot. I can bring it into the sun room this winter. Next spring, I'm going to plant them on the west side of the house for shade. Since they are tall, I can grow them there without the chickens eating them, thus saving garden space for smaller veggie plants.

I've never heard of them. Post some pictures when they get big.

This made me realize that I don't actually have ANY new things this year, other than the gourds on my hoop trellis! This is kind of a shocking revelation because I always have something that I've never grown before... (no wonder I have a little more space to get around my garden this year)

I am trying my hand with cantaloupe, honey dew melon, Irish and Vardaman sweet potatoes. These plants have taken over the garden. The cantaloupe and honey dew vines are loaded with flowers but no fruit showing yet.

I rarely grow a new vegetable. Lots of variety trials but pretty standard vegetables. I am growing edamame this year for the first in about 50 years so maybe that qualifies as a "new" vegetable

I haven't grown edamame in about 10 years. Thanks for the reminder. The only new thing I have this year is white-stemmed pak choi.

Moth beans and Tatsoi here. Oh a friend asked me to grow butter peas for her. I had never even heard of butter peas before, perhaps because i am a yankee?

New for me: I'm growing butter beans, Chinese yard long beans and trionfo violetta beans, tromboncino summer squash, a new variety of melon (Joseph's landrace) and cukes. Already harvested a mess of beans and squash for many meals...and a few cukes. Plus some heirloom tomatoes: Virginia sweets, goldrush, Kellogg's breakfast.

Oh yes: potatoes in a sack and sweet potatoes in a pillowcase.

Will do that, tom. I'm hoping I like them. Don't like green peas much. There' s still time SandyB, didn't you just start planting up north? I'm trying to grow a variety of melons (again!) this year. If iI don't succeed this year, I'll give up and grow something that works for me in that space. Farmerdill, after 50 years, I say its a new veggie, as you probably can't remember what they taste like. All you others, let us know if anything tastes good.

I am growing Collard Greens this year, a first for me, got some plants given to me so I stuck them in. I read where they are better after a frost. Is that true, I tried some of the leaves already, and they are good the way they are now. Any good ways to prepare them would be appreciated. I'm trying some Sausage tomatoes, It's the first time I've had that variety. The plants are nice, and the little green tomatoes are starting to appear. I guess I'll find out if I like them in time.

Just realized that I actually DO have some new things... turnips, and mache. Forgot about them because I haven't planted them yet, I'll be growing them in an unheated hoop house for a late fall (maybe early winter) crop, along with some other relatively cold hardy stuff. (Always a challenge here, to extend the seasons... as they say, we have 9 months of winter and 3 months when the ice is too poor to play hockey! )

I have the Ichiban and other eggplant I forgot the name of because it is still so small and hasn't flowered yet. Three of the Ichiban I hope to harvest on Friday for July 4th, so I can grill them. Yummy.

Growing black-eyed peas for the first time. I have a lot of those little plants happily growing fast. Some beans I can't remember the name of that I planted along the fence. Planted butternut squash but not sure if they are growing as they are surrounded by the spaghetti squash. So, I'm waiting to see the different shapes, so far none.

I've grown peppers before, but this is the first time I've grown Anaheim peppers. Specifically so I can finally learn to make one of my favorite dishes, chili rellenos. There are 8 peppers that should be ready for harvest next week. I'm so very excited. Although already thinking that next year I would like to grow two different types of peppers for that dish. Also growing banana peppers for the first time.

Still have time to consider the fall planting, but don't know yet what will be new.

ckatNM, I love chili rellenos! I use Pablano (Ancho) peppers, they are a bit hotter. There are some good U-tube video's that show you how to make them, they aren't to difficult. None of my Hatch chili seeds germinated this spring, so no Anaheim peppers for me this year. I guess they are getting too old. I'll have to have one of my friends down your way send some more next spring. I have about 10 Pablano plants growing. I should have lots of them to roast this fall. I roast them, peel them, cut them up and freeze a lot of them to use during the winter. I also let some ripen and dry them.

Yeah, I'm totally excited about the Anaheim's growing. It looks like I am going to have chili rellenos for my birthday next week!

I have room in my row of hot peppers for three more pepper plants, but I'd be happy just getting two more plants. I didn't buy the Poblano peppers because I think they are smaller than the Anaheim and I want to make big fat chili rellenos. I also read at wikipedia that the Poblanos grow better in zones 10-12. Although I'm sure I remember growing them at least once back in Denver at zone 5 many years ago. My late husband had a fit about me using so much garden space for peppers - he wanted more tomatoes. Only harvested a couple - think there was sabotage involved that year.

I'll look to see if there are Poblano plants on sale in the next couple weeks. I know they can be really big plants, but I want to grow some in a pot, if I can, because the roommate has the cold frame finished so we can extend our growing season for a few plants, and I definitely want to try one or two peppers in there, along with one or two tomato plants. And possibly some sugar snap beans. I think I'd get too bored just having a bunch of lettuce in there in the fall.

I've already bookmarked a few youtube videos of chili relleno recipes. One of my bible study friends told me that she makes them a lot, and suggested Iuse muenster cheese as an alternative. I don't think I've ever had rellenos made with that cheese, but making my own lets me experiment. I'm definitely going to need more pepper plants!

Munster works well, as does mild brick, and I use low sodium Farmer cheese. My pablano's can get as long as 4 inches and are wider then anaheims, I've seen imported ones in the grocery that are even larger. I'd guess down there you should be able to grow them quite large. I use tomato cages on them to keep them upright, otherwise they wind blows them over and the stems sometimes break. I do the same with the anaheims. Here's some pictures from two years ago. Mine are only about a foot high right now. Well, they may be larger, I've had the flew for a few days and haven't been out there for a while. Not the best picture, but you get the idea.


some pablano's from that year.

What lovely rows of peppers you have. I don't do rows of most of my vegetable plants, because I usually have just a few. But for tomatoes and peppers, I have rows because I planted more than four or five of them. Most of the peppers are along a hog panel fence. The others will have to be staked or trellised a little creatively because I have them sandwiched between tomatoes on one side and cherry tomatoes growing up a wooden trellis on the other side. I suspected the ones sandwiched would grow better later in the season because of the humidity that they should get between the tomato plants as they fill in. I should go out and get some photos of the peppers and tomatoes before it gets dark.

What are you growing in the row next to the peppers?

Well that was a picture from 2 years ago. There are Artichokes in the next row. That was an experiment too, but I got some to enjoy. I went out and checked my peppers after posting the last post. They sure grew a lot in the last 3 days while I was sick. Some of them are over 2 feet tall now. Those are old tomato cages that were way to small for tomatoes, so I use them for the peppers, and got bigger ones for the tomatoes. I see I have two hot banana peppers ready to pick. I will have a couple of bell peppers soon too. I'll have to take a picture of this years garden soon. It's way behind other years, but doing OK.

Current picture of my pigley pigeon peas. For some reason, I expected them to be shrub-like, but they seem to be vines.

I grew a Pak Choy this year instead of broccoli. My broccoli has never done very well, and took up a lot of space for the tiny little heads and spriglets I harvested. The pak choy did great. At this point it has all bolted, but I had some tasty meals from it while it lasted.