My Summer Heirloom Vegetables and Crops List

I’m so excited about this season's collection of plants I’m growing! From left to right in the photo, the teepees are filled with beans, lemon cukes, more beans, more lemon cukes and melons.

I also have all different sorts of heirloom tomatoes I planted from seed- GREEN GRAPE, ISIS CANDY, KENTUCKY BEEFSTEAK, ANANAS NOIRE, HILLBILLY, NYAGOUS, BLACK KRIM, and some red one my mom got from Home Depot, and a BRANDY BOY hybrid I got from someone on Craig’s List. In between the tomatoes I’m planting a couple varieties of heat- tolerant heirloom lettuces- MIGNONETTE BRONZE and CIMARRON. Of course there’s ITALIAN SWEET BASIL from seeds I smuggled in from Italy, PURPLE OPAL BASIL I started from seed, ARUGULA from saved seed, (which is so easy to grow) and perennial herbs- CHIVES, CITRUS THYME, MARJORAM, and a YELLOW VARIEGATED SAGE. Thyme is so essential in the garden- a fantabulistic ground cover and excellent for cooking. You must plant fresh herbs! You’ll never go back to those little plastic containers of $3 herbs that are slimy and wilted.

A few others are some CHINESE RED NOODLE BEANS, a long bean that is supposed to reach up to 18” and keeps it’s red color when cooked! Also, CHEROKEE TRAIL OF TEARS pole beans that I received as a gift, PURPLE JALAPENOS, LEMON CUCUMBERS, and EARLY FRAME PRESCOTT melons, which were grown before 1885 and which I’m going to try my hand and trellis for the first time. They were often grown in cold frames in Europe and are only about 2-3 pounds, and are supposed to be delicious and gorgeous. I bought most of these seeds from Seed Saver's Exchange and Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.

I was also given some sweet seedlings- EGGPLANT and PEPPERS- from one of my gardening friend’s father- in- law who starts all of his seeds with a heat pad and lights in his house in Newbury Park. I’m not even sure what varieties these are- but what the hell! Eggplant flowers are gorgeous….what a mysterious plant. Also a YELLOW BELL PEPPER from my neighbor in the coolest bright yellow plastic pony pack.

What else? Oh yes, some INDIANA GIANT COCKSCOMB- the flowers are hot pink and supposed to reach up to 14“ across! What a size queen. I started them from seed but they are lingering in pony packs in my back yard right now….ooops!


That's about it....right now...oh- also in the works is an IVORY PEAR white tomato...little tiny seedlings even now, so late...but let's try it!