My Favorite Varieties to Grow
After years of trial and error, these are some of the varieties that have proven themselves in my garden for their flavor, productivity, and resilience. Some of these links may be affiliates, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Flowers
Amaranth
Opopeo Amaranth
From Opopeo Mexico, this variety is a dual-purpose powerhouse. I love its beautiful magenta-red seed heads, and the tiny tan seeds can be used as a grain for baking or popped for a traditional Mexican snack called "alegria."
Buy Seeds →Calendula
Pacific Beauty Calendula
A beautiful mix of yellows and oranges that are perfect for adding color to the garden and salads. The petals are edible and have a slightly spicy taste.
Buy Seeds →Nasturtium
Alaska Mix Nasturtium
The variegated leaves on this variety are absolutely stunning, making it one of the prettiest nasturtiums I grow. The flowers and leaves are edible with a peppery kick.
Buy Seeds →Poppy, Breadseed
Hungarian Blue Breadseed Poppy
The crepe-like petals add a magical touch to the late spring garden. The seeds are a baker's delight, and the large seedpods are beautiful in dried floral arrangements. A must-have for any cottage garden.
Buy Seeds →Zinnia
Queen Lime Red Zinnia
A showstopper in the garden with its unique color palette of antique rose and chartreuse. It's a fantastic cut flower and the pollinators love it.
Buy Seeds →
Agave Zinnia
I'm in love with the sunset colors of this zinnia. The large, cactus-style blooms have heavily quilled petals in a gorgeous mix of buff, coral, gold, and pink. They make an absolutely stunning cut flower.
Buy Seeds →Vegetables
Basil, Holy
Kapoor Tulsi Holy Basil
This is the most aromatic basil I've ever had in my garden. The scent is absolutely incredible, and it makes a wonderful, calming tea. A must-grow for any herb lover.
Buy Seeds →Bean
Good Mother Stallard Bean
An heirloom with a great story from Virginia. The maroon and white beans are gorgeous, but the flavor is the real star. It's rich, meaty, and makes the most incredible broth for soups. A very productive plant in my garden.
Buy Seeds →Beet
Badger Flame Beet
Imagine a beet with the sweetness of a carrot! This variety is a game-changer. It's fantastic roasted and brings a vibrant yellow-orange color to the plate without staining everything pink.
Buy Seeds →Cucumber
Quick Snack Cucumber
These are the perfect little snacking cucumbers. They are incredibly productive, have a wonderful crisp texture, and a sweet flavor that's never bitter.
Buy Seeds →
Cucamelon
These adorable cucumbers look like mini watermelons. Kids love them, and I love them to garnish a martini or gin & tonic. They also make my favorite pickle!
Buy Seeds →Kale
Dazzling Blue Kale
A stunningly beautiful Lacinato-type kale with deep blue-green leaves and vibrant purple veins. It's as delicious as it is ornamental, with a sweet flavor that improves after a frost.
Buy Seeds →Onion
Red of Florence Onion
A gorgeous Italian heirloom torpedo onion. It has a mild, sweet flavor that is perfect for slicing raw into salads and sandwiches.
Buy Seeds →Utah Yellow Sweet Spanish Long Day Onion
This is my go-to for a reliable, large yellow storage onion. It's sweet enough for fresh eating but also holds up well in cooking and stores for months.
Buy Seeds →Pepper, Hot
Santaka - Japanese Hot Pepper
A fantastic hot pepper for drying and making flakes. The plants are compact but incredibly productive, covered in small, fiery red peppers.
Buy Seeds →Pepper, Sweet
Giant Marconi Sweet Pepper
This is my favorite sweet pepper for grilling and roasting. It's an Italian variety that produces huge, long peppers that are sweet and smoky.
Buy Seeds →Melrose Sweet Pepper
A true local treasure! This Italian heirloom was brought to Melrose Park, IL, right near me. They're perfect for frying up quickly. The flavor is sweet and intense, especially when they turn bright red. A must-grow for any Chicagoland gardener.
Buy Seeds →Potato
Upstate Abundance Potato
I've grown these spuds everywhere and they never disappoint. They have an incredible creamy, nutty flavor that's buttery even before you add any butter. They were specifically bred to produce a huge amount of naturally small, golf-ball-sized potatoes, which means less work for a massive, delicious harvest.
Buy Seeds →Swiss Chard
Charbell Swiss Chard
A workhorse in the garden. This variety is incredibly productive and bolt-resistant, and I love that it has strong Cercospora resistance, which can be a problem in our humid summers. It's a reliable green from spring through fall.
Buy Seeds →Perpetual Spinach
This isn't a true spinach, but a type of chard that tastes just like it! It's much more heat-tolerant and bolt-resistant, so I can harvest "spinach" all summer long.
Buy Seeds →Tomato
Blue Pear
A beautiful and unique pear-shaped tomato with deep indigo shoulders and a reddish-purple bottom. It has a rich, complex flavor, and it's a vigorous plant with strong disease resistance in my garden.
Buy Seeds →Captain Lucky
This is a truly special tomato. It's a large, beefsteak-type with green flesh and a stunning pink blush in the center. The flavor is outstanding - sweet, fruity, and complex.
Buy Seeds →Uluru Ochre, Dwarf
Perfect for small spaces or container gardening! This dwarf variety produces medium-to-large, uniquely colored tomatoes that are a mix of orange, green, and red. The flavor is rich and savory.
Buy Seeds →Emerald Flame Micro
This micro-dwarf is a powerhouse for containers and indoor growing, reaching about 2 feet tall. The striking fruits ripen to a beautiful amber green with dark green stripes and have a super sweet flavor.
Buy Seeds →Sun Gold
Super sweet orange cherry tomato that is early and easy to grow. No garden should be without it.
Buy Seeds →Taiga
A stunning large green heart-shaped tomato with beautiful marbling. It has a rich, complex flavor, very few seeds, and a texture that just melts in your mouth.
Buy Seeds →
Cowboy
When you find a breeder whose varieties just work in your climate, you stick with them. Karen Olivier's work breeding tomatoes for northern gardens consistently produces plants that thrive here in my suburban Chicago beds, and this one is no exception. A tomato with that much heart has to be tough, and it is. The flavor is a delicious, rich, intense traditional tomato.
Buy Seeds →Winter Squash
Black Kat Pumpkin
A perfect personal-sized pumpkin. The skin is a beautiful, dark green that looks almost black, which makes the bright orange flesh inside even more striking when you cut it open. Great for roasting.
Buy Seeds →
Centercut Squash
Harvest at banana diameter for zuchinni sub or allow to grow and harden to one of my favorite winter squash. Extremely prolific and squash vine borer resistant!
Buy Seeds →Tetra Squash
This is a fantastic multi-purpose delicata squash. You can pick it young and green like a summer squash, or let it mature to a sweet and tender winter squash.
Buy Seeds →