Favorite Heirloom Seeds

Here is an opportunity to let us know your favorite (favourite) heirloom veggies to grow from seeds. 

I have to admit that I have a selfish reason for asking for this information. I've been going through the Baker Creek catalog and I am overwhelmed. Personally I am looking for ideas on what will grow well in the northern USA and Canada but don't limit yourselves to those regions.

Over the past year many of you have made suggestions concerning your favorites in various forum threads. But those suggestions are buried deep in those threads and across many threads. This is an opportunity to bring some of those ideas together in one place.

So far I've picked out the following in the Baker Creek catalog to try in 2017:

- Tomato - Brandywine
- Squash - Canada Crookneck
- Summer Squash - White Scallop
- Kale - Blue Curled Scotch Kale
- Peas - Sugar Ann Peas (bush)
- Beans - Beurre de Rockencourt
- Oriental Greens - Tatsoi
- Salad Blend - Siamese Dragon Stir-Fry Mix
- Purslane - Green (NOTE: Decided against this one since it is invasive)
- Amaranth - Elephant Head (outside the SFG)
- Zucchini - Golden (outside the SFG)

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Additional Information:

Among the other things I will try to grow in the SFG and other veggie garden are a variety of herbs, other type of tomatoes, peppers (sweet and hot), carrots, radishes, melons, cabbage, cucumbers, ground cherries, potatoes, strawberries, raspberries, swiss chard, lettuce, tomatillos, scarlet runner beans, sunflowers.

The maybe veggies for 2017 include kohlrabi, spinach, eggplant. I grew those things with limited success in 2016. 

Already planted are garlic, strawberries and raspberries.

Maybe I should focus on fewer things but grow more of each of those things. Looks like I will have to expand the SFG yet again!  

Categorically 

Peppers:  King of the North and Big Red and Sweet Banana

Maters:  Brandywine, Cherokee Purple. Sungold for cherry type

Peas:  Super Sugar Snaps 

Cukes:  Beit Alpha , the best I have ever eaten.  Not a pickling type

Ground cherries:  Got them from Cape Coddess; yum.

Turnips:  Tokyo Cross

Beets:  Chiogga and Detroit Red

Squash:  Patty Pan; early white, and green

Swiss Chard:  Bright Lights

Lettuce:  Black Seesed Simpson, Matchless

Radishes:  Icicle, English Breakfast, and Chinese Red Meat

Spinach:  Yeah.  Bloomsdale longstanding

Potatoes:  Yukon Gold

Melons:  WOW, unexpected surprise!  Sakatas Sweet, Minnesota Midget, and Blacktail Mountain all Justus super cool and delish....and in OHIO!?????  YES!
All of the above excellent producers.  I had some tomatoes that I did not mention that were not good producers or I just did not manage well.

SR ... I'm looking forward to trying those Sakatas Sweet melon seeds that you sent to me. 

Thanks for your list. I see in your list some that I grew last year like icicle radish and bright lights swiss chard.

The SFG Foundation posted this on their Facebook page this morning. http://www.realfarmacy.com/131-heirloom-seed-companies-by-region/

Thanks for the list. I don't do Facebook.  I sure hope that they don't get my address! I see about 6 of these that I already get. From Dec 1 til today, I have rec. 50 catalogs. The days are full of looking at cats.

I have favorites, but a lot will not do well in the north.

Jo

Gbertie tomato, San Marzanos tomato, rattlesnake beans.

bump

Snow Fairy tomato, but no one is carrying the seeds this year.

My first seeds were gifted and then I went on to buy some from Baker Creek. If I had known that there wouldn't be any seeds for sale this season, I would have definitely saved some from the tomatoes. Yes, I saw the Etsy ad but don't trust them at all. So far, 4 of 8 have germinated.

Not sure if it’s Heirloom, but I grew kohlrabi last year, and they were beautiful and delish; purple variety Kolibri!  Wonderful.

Eggplant which blew my mind because it is soooo different than grocery eggplants:
Ping Tung.  Heavy feeder, great producer in MM.  Game changer.  

I use Superseeds (Pinetree) but these varieties are pretty common!

SR, Was the ping tung sweetish? The Japanese Millionaire I like to grow is sweetish, doesn't need to be salted for a while.