Looking for some different veggies to grow? Try these new seed varieties!
I received a very fun surprise from the Burpee seed company last November: an Advent Calendar full of seeds! For a passionate gardener, there’s no better gift than new varieties of seed. It was great fun to count down the days until Christmas by opening a window to find a new variety of seed each day. Note that the Calendar photo is Burpee’s historic Seed House built in the late 1800’s at Fordhook Farm.
Last week I planted the cool season seeds that reliably germinate when directly sown outside where they are to grow. Check out Thyme to Grow’s video on ‘How to Plant Seeds in the Ground’ for detailed instructions.
New Burpee Varieties of Cool Season Seeds: (direct sown in January in my zone 9 garden)
Burpee descriptions:
- Merlin Hybrid Beet – A smooth 2-3″ round, scarlet root with a high sugar content that excels in roasted, baked, or boiled.
- Dragon’s Tail Radish – Novel radish grown for its long, tasty seedpods rather than its root. The 3-4′ leafy plant produces pink and white flowers followed by 3-6″ purple and green pods, delicious raw or cooked.
- Rido Red Hybrid Radish – Crisp, tasty 2-4″ round roots with a piquant flavor perfect for salads. Or cut into wedges, toss with oil, and roast.
- Double Take Hybrid Spinach – Excels at both baby leaf and mature stages. Flavorful variety works well in salads, steamed, or sauteed. Withstands downy mildew.
- Bend and Snap Pea – New sugar snap variety yields crunch, plump peas with a hint of sweetness.
Look for posts later in the season for an update on performance and taste of these new veggies!
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