What are you going to try for the first time this year?

[mnnice]

I want to try kale because I learned to like it from when we had a CSA share, and I like the idea of something green even after it gets cold here. Also I hide it in spagetti sauce (don't tell my kids)

[AlwaysByMySide]

I bought Stevia seeds from Baker Creek (yes, I know that they are notoriously difficult to germinate), and am going to give it a shot. I struck out when looking for anyone who carries Stevia plants in my area, or even someone nearby that I could get a cutting from.

I'm also going to give swiss chard a shot, although I've had a container with dirt and seeds in my windowsill, to see if they would sprout (I was told I'd be able to make it happen), and I've got lots of other things sprouting, but not the chard.

[mnnice]

Chard seems pretty forgiving. It would be cool to see if starting in inside and then moving the container outside would work well. Hopefully it would yield edible chard sooner.

[JessicaS]

Beets and potatoes

[Owen'nZoe]

Cardoon will be the only new-to-me thing I'm trying. My sister's MIL is Itallian, and hasn't had it in ages, so I'm hoping I'll be successful enough growing it to share with her.

I'll also be doubling my garden space by adding a community garden plot. This is the first time I'll be trying a garden outside of my own yard.

BTW, for the kale - I've usually grown Red Russian, which is great, but I just started using Lacinato kale a couple years ago, and the taste is so much nicer. Highly recommend!

[onthemove]

hmmm, not sure brussel sprouts or broccoli maybe...last year it was potatoes, leeks and black beans...

[GardenStream]

dry beans, brussel sprouts, turnips, parsnips, huckleberries, and cantaloupe

We expanded the garden this year and it's now about 1/4 acre. I've also decided to give up on sweet corn. It takes up a lot of space and the deer ate all of it last year.

[HeatherAtHome]

It's our first real garden so everything is new!

Some potatoes and corn (depending on space) tomatoes, green beans, some kind of dried bean, peas, carrots, swiss chard, lettuce, some radish, green onions, bell peppers, cucumber, squash, pumpkin, zucchini. I think that's it. We won't grow a LOT of each, just enough to get started. Each year I plan on branching out more. Oh, also basil. Maybe beets, parsley.

I've grown lettuce, some herbs and cherry tomatoes with some success in pots on our balcony when we lived in an apartment. We've also helped in our parent's garden growing up so we're not completely new to this. It's just our first *real* garden on our very own land.

[Teenytoona]

This year I'm considering doing our garden only of direct-sow items. I don't have the set-up space to start the tomatoes and peppers, even though those are just about the most favorite thing for everyone to eat fresh grown. I might do peppers and tomatoes in movable pots, though, because they are so well loved.

[earthmama369]

I'm going to try not to go overboard on the garden this year.

[maylea_moon]

tomatoes!

[Owen'nZoe]

Originally Posted by earthmama369

I'm going to try not to go overboard on the garden this year.

I always fail on this one!

[JamieCatheryn]

Spinach, snap peas, maybe peppers, tomatillos.

[deditus]

I grew tomatillos - from seed no less - for the first time last year, as well as kale. The tomatillo plants were ridiculously huge and I never even did anything w/them because I didn't have the $ for a smaller canner (mine is HUGE and won't fit on my apartment-sized stovetop) nor a freezer to store the salsa verde I planned to make. So no tomatillos this year. The kale was wonderful, though so I will grow more this year.
I also won't be growing tomatoes with the intent of canning - if I do can I will just buy them. We only have a 10 x 10 area to garden in and I would rather grow stuff that is expensive to buy organic, especially those dirty dozen. Around here, I can buy no-spray tomatoes from the Hmong farmers for a good price but stuff like beets are still ridiculously expensive.
From our csa, I decided that I love Beauty Heart radish so that's on list for this year and dd loved the mini-bell peppers and I thought pimento peppers were divine, so we're trying those, too!

[jocelyndale]

Snap peas and tomatillos will be new. Some new varieties of lettuce.

I'm going to grow more peppers and kale this year. I loved the fish peppers last year. I'm going to add tomatoes back to the garden for DS. I developed a tomato allergy two years ago and stopped growing them, but he really likes "baby" tomatoes, so I'll grow sungolds and sweet olives for him. He ate kale straight from the garden last year, so I want some nice tomatoes he can pick and eat on his own.

I plan to attempt pineapple tomatillos again. They keep getting lost under the cosmos and zinnias.

I have garlic shoots now! Garlic is new for me.

I've noticed a few things poking up/greening. The aforementioned garlic and some of my non-native bulbs (tulips, heirloom daffodils) have sent up some shoots. Lemon balm. Lemon thyme (didn't expect that--they all got wilt last year. again.). The parsley is perking up, no doubt so it can bolt this year. My tricolor sage somehow survived being buried in snow for weeks with only minor frostbite. That stuff is oddlay hardy.

My kale got a major aphid infestation last year and didn't bolt to seed. I'll replant, but I fear another infestation.

[FarmerCathy]

Good luck to all of you trying out new things in the garden. I've always got at least one new to me crop or variety. This year hopefully it will be the Peter Pepper. I've been trying to grow this the last two years and have failed. This year I'm determined to grow it. Look up a picture of it though you will not believe how close it looks like an old man peter. It's hilarious! If I get it to grow this year I will have lots of seeds next year to share.

Here's a good one:

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e7...de/Peppers.jpg

[spring978]

teehee I grew peter peppers for the first tie last year they cracked me up. I got great seeds off ebay.

[AlwaysByMySide]

Okay, I'd like to be first on the trade list for those peter pepper seeds. Crack me UP!

[DeerMother]

Oh dear peter pepper!

I'm trying pink banana from Baker Creek. Thought it would be fun for the kids. Read that germination is iffy, could be a week, could be 6 months. Hope my package has the week germination seeds.

Also, edamame. My dad grew it last year and didn't get anything, but there is a local farmer who has success, so here's hoping.

[mnnice]

We are going to try leeks too since everyone likes them and they tend to be expensive.

It's been fun hearing about others plans and helping with the winter duldrums.

The peter peppers are cracking me up.