Tried & True Garden Varieties
Giant Orange Marigolds.
In order to get you growing an amazing and fail-proof garden, I want to get you started with some of my tried and true varieties.
Since I’m a flower LOVER and flower grower this list will be flower heavy. BUT I also want you to have some of my favorite varieties for your veggie garden.
Over the years I’ve rubbed shoulders with vegetable farmers (quite literally - my husband managed a large vegetable CSA at the same time I started my flower farm) and tested different varieties myself.
Often just choosing the right varieties will set you up for success in the garden. And with SO many fun and beautiful varieties out there - how do you know what to choose?
By putting your ear to the ground and being committed to experimenting!
Wiser growers than I have told me to commit 20% of my farm to new varieties. I’m recommending this to you now too.
Don’t go overboard with new stuff - then you risk wasting too much valuable garden space to varieties that you’re not actually sure will produce well. Stick to tried and true varieties and dip your metaphorical toe into fun and exciting new ones each year.
So now on to my tried and true varieties that I know, you’ll love.
First, for the flower garden:
Ammobiom
Ammobium aka Winged Everlasting.
Centaurea - Classic Magic, Blue Boy OR Black Button
Calendula - Orange Button
Cosmos - any Double Click Variety
Cynoglossum - Chinese Forget-me-not OR Firmament
Dill - Bouquet
Ornamental Grass - Frosted Explosion
Marigold - Giant Orange
Nasturtium - Trailing
Nigella - Albion Black Pod
Poppy - Breadseed OR Shirley
Shirley Poppy.
Rudbeckia - Cherokee Sunset
Saponaria - Pink Beauty
Scabiosa - Black Knight
Snapdragon - Potomoc varieties OR Madame Butterfly varieties
Bunches of Potomac Snapdragons.
Strawflowers - Copper Red OR Purple Red
Sunflowers - Procut varieties OR Sunrich varieties
Now for the veggie patch:
Beets - Touchstone Gold & Chiogga
Broccoli - Belstar
Belstar Broccoli just starting to grow crowns.
Carrot - Yaya
Cilantro - Calypso OR Cruiser
Cucumber - Diva OR Socrates
Kale - Red Russian OR Lacinato (also called Dinosaur or Black)
Red Russian Kale co-housed with Dahlias.
Peas - Sugar Ann OR Sugar Snap
Pumpkin - Cinnamon Girl
Spinach - Corvair
Tomato - Sun Gold
Zucchini - Dunja OR Blck Beauty
There you have it! This is by no means a comprehensive list but it’s meant to get you on the right track to a highly productive garden this season.