What to Grow?

What to Grow?

Planning a garden requires some decisions.  Most basically “What should I grow?” That depends on what you like to eat and what you want to see in your yard.  Soil & climate conditions in northern New England place constraints on our choices too.  No bananas, oranges, or mangoes, but we do have a wide selection of great fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers that do very well here.  We are in Agricultural Zone 4 or 5, depending on your location and altitude, so we need to pay attention to the “Hardiness” of what we plant, especially perennials.

Thinking long-term?  Some of the perennials that do well here and that you should establish in the spring include Asparagus, Rhubarb, Strawberries, Blueberries, Raspberries, Elderberries, & Blackberries.  If you like any of these and don’t have them growing, why not get them started this year?  They usually need 1 to 2 years to become productive but they will reward you for your effort for many years to come!

What about this year?  Annuals make of the bulk of our garden’s production and the choices are unending so you need to decide what you like.  I suggest that you consider growing things that appear on the Environmental Working Group’s “Dirty Dozen” list which includes strawberries, spinach, tomatoes, apples, pears, & potatoes.  These are all great choices to grow in our region. If you buy them they carry the highest levels of pesticide residues (unless you get USDA Organic) but you can produce your own without the added toxins.  Grow your own and get fresh, healthier food!

Based on my own garden experience in Zone 4 (1,750 ft. elevation) I recommend any of the following for your garden with my favorite varieties. (Garden centers can advise on other good varieties that are available): 

  • Any leaf or butterhead lettuces
  • All mesclun mixes
  • Kale (red or white Russian)
  • Spinach (space, olympia)
  • Arugula, mustards, & mizuna (for a little bite)
  • Broccoli (Green super, Tendergreen)
  • Cauliflower (Snowbowl)
  • Cabbage (storage)
  • Green beans (Fortex & EZ pick)
  • Sweet peas (sugar ann, sugarsnap)
  • Tomatoes (Juliet, Big Beef, Sun Gold)
  • Peppers (King of North, New Ace)
  • Cucumbers (Suyo long, marketmore)
  • Beets (robin)
  • Carrots (Napoli, bolero)
  • Onions (any sets or plants available)
  • Potatoes (green mountain, red maria)
  • Winter squash (spaghetti, butternut Walthum)
  • Zucchini (spineless beauty)

Try some herbs too:  Parsley, cilantro, basil, thyme, dill, & oregano all grow well here.

Annual flowers:  wave & regular petunias, zinnias, begonias, nasturtium, geraniums, sunflowers, snapdragons, marigolds, etc.

If you still need to buy your seeds, I suggest avoiding the “big box” & discount stores.  The online seed companies mentioned in my last posting offer high quality seeds. Good quality genetics and seeds are a smart investment.  Cheap seeds will take as much space, nutrients, and hard work but can’t yield the same as better seeds. The small savings is not worth it!

What are your favorite things to grow?

2 thoughts on “What to Grow?”

  1. Thank you for your service. I’m retired and starting my first garden. I’m working on repairing sections of my property for vegetables which means removing roots of weeds and small trees. Some of the soil looks good/ dark brown some not so good / light brown and too hard for water to penetrate. Lots a hard work.

  2. Congratulations on your ambitious gardening plans! There isn’t any better retirement activity than growing your own food & flowers. Getting started is the hardest part and it sounds like you are on your way. We’ll talk about various ways to establish new gardens in this blog but I suggest that you consider raised beds, avoid tilling your new sites, and most importantly, don’t over extend yourself in the beginning. It’s great to see progress in small areas and then expand when you’re ready. Learn from your mistakes and every season gets better.

Comments are closed.

Comments are closed.