2019 Must Grows! 10 of my favorites from the garden that YOU must try
Each year I try to take copious notes on all my varieties.
At the end of the year I pour over these and decide on what varieties were rock stars and which varieties to cut in the year to come.
There are obvious choices and often tough choices to make as I plan my garden for next year.
Lucky for you, I’ve done all the hard work! Read on to find out what varieties I absolutely LOVED.
Maybe you can try these in your garden next year!
Ferncliff Copper Dahlia after harvest
Ferncliff Copper Dahlia. This was a cheery little ball dahlia on a tall and gorgeous plant. Sort of a red-orange-copper color in a psychedelic ball shape.
The flowers just kept coming all summer! And they are great tuber producers. So before you know it, you’ll have tubers to give away.
Shirley Poppies in full bloom
Shirley Poppies. Folks, this was my first year growing poppies for cut flowers!! I’ve grown the breadseed poppies for seed heads but always felt a bit intimidated about using the flowers as they’re notorious for being short lived in the vase. No more!
These Shirley poppies were out of this world! Easy to grow from seed - I just tossed them in the garden. And prolific - they bloomed through the heat of summer until frost. I even figured out how to keep them happy in the vase for almost a week! (hint - cut just as you start to see color peeking from the bud)
Ruby Silk Grass after harvest
Ruby Silk Grass. Now an annual must-grow.
Last year was a trial year for this and I almost didn’t grow again… I planted it in a shady area with poor soil and it was not happy.
But this year, wow! It was part of my main garden and it did great! If you fancy clumps of golden red grass in your garden (which I highly recommend) you will love this.
I planted about 20 seeds per cell (started these inside) and had gorgeous bunches of colorful grass ALL summer. Plus, it dries great for everlasting bouquets or winter crafts.
Potomac Snapdragons in a variety of colors.
Potomac Snapdragons. It is always hard to decide on which snapdragons to grow each year - there are so many different varieties, colors, sizes, etc. But hands down, my two favorites this year were Potomac Red and Lavender. You can also buy Potomac mix if you prefer a mix of colors.
These guys bloomed ALL summer. They last a long time in the vase without a fuss. And once you cut them from the garden, they just keep sending up new flowers! They even bloomed through the first couple frosts in the fall.
Purple Red Strawflower in a boutonniere
Copper Red & Purple Red Strawflower. These fun flowers always remind me of my first childhood garden!
They’re easy to grow and so fun. Copper Red and Purple Red are vibrant and striking colors that would look great in any garden. And of course the great thing about strawflowers is the everlasting flower you can save and display all year!
Now on to my favorite edibles!
Sungold Tomatoes. Hands down the most prolific cherry tomato I grow.
Golden orange in color and SUPER sweet. If you can only grow one variety of tomato, grow these!
Chocolate Pear Tomatoes. I couldn’t list just one tomato, especially after this hot tomato-happy summer!! This is a fun open pollinated variety of tomato, which means they have not been hybridized so you can save the seeds!!
Sweet, pear shaped and reddish-brown in color. If you can grow two varieties of tomatoes, grow these too!!
Dunja Zucchini. If you like zucchini, you will love these! This is an easy to grow variety that will give you lots of zucchini to get you through the summer.
Red Russian Kale. Hands down this is my favorite kale. It has a smoother leaf structure and the leaf is a bit thicker which makes it a bit “meatier”.
You can grow this into a large plant to harvest big leaves or plant many seeds close together for a salad mix.
Magic Molly Potatoes. I usually let the valley farmers grow my potatoes.
But this year I decided to grow my own for 3 reasons:
1) We have a couple marginal garden beds that are a bit sandy - just perfect for potatoes;
2) Just for my 4-year-old son since nothing is more fun than digging potatoes as a kid;
3) I’m trying each year to grow a little more of my household’s food on our tiny urban lot!
So if you want to grow potatoes too, try these!! These are delicious and a unique deep purple color!