Every spring is a great time to try growing something different. Whether you are just starting out or have been gardening for years, spring gives you the perfect chance to experiment with new seeds. With so many options available, it can be tough to pick just one. Here are a few varieties we have in the store that you might want to try this year.
Tatsoi Chinese Cabbage
Also called Tat choy, this delicious and nutritious leafy vegetable is easy to grow and an excellent source of vitamins and minerals. Plants are cold tolerant and produce attractive, upright, bright green leaves with a mild, spicy flavor. Enjoy raw, steamed or cooked and serve alone or mixed with other greens. Tatsoi is used in pesto, salads, stir-fry, and as a garnish for soups. It can also be pickled.
Radish Minowase Daikon
This unique radish brings something special to any garden. A favorite in Japanese cooking, it produces long, thick, crisp white roots with a mild, sweet flavor. The roots can reach up to 24 inches long and 3 inches wide. Enjoy this sweet, crunchy radish pickled, stir-fried, steamed, or raw.
Broccoli Chinese Kailaan
Chinese broccoli is also known as Chinese kale or kailaan. It is a leaf vegetable with thick, flat, glossy blue-green leaves, thick stems, and a few small flower heads similar to broccoli. It is widely used in Asian cuisine. The florets can be substituted for regular broccoli in many recipes. The leaves and juicy stems have a more complex flavor, sweet yet slightly bitter. High in calcium, iron, and vitamins A and C. Popular for stir-fry dishes; it can also be steamed or boiled. For a gourmet treat, lightly sauté the thinned seedlings!
Swiss Chard Lucullus
Lucullus Swiss chard is an Italian heirloom variety named after Lucius Licinius Lucullus, a Roman general known for his grand banquets and gardens in Rome. This variety produces nutritious leaves from early spring until the first hard frost in fall. Introduced in 1914, Lucullus has white stalks and large, light green, fleshy leaves that are deeply crumpled and have thick white midribs. Many consider it the best-tasting chard, and it can be used in many ways. The green leaves have a mild, sweet flavor similar to spinach, while the pale green to white stems are tender and taste great cooked like asparagus and served with butter.
Tomato Moskvich
Moskvich means "inhabitant of Moscow," reflecting its origin in the region during the early 1970s. This variety is among the first to harvest after winter, as it tolerates cool weather well. It also continues to produce full-size, garden-fresh fruit late into the season as temperatures drop. The tomatoes are smooth, globe-shaped, and weigh 4 to 6 ounces. They are excellent fresh, in sauces, soups, or for processing.