Add tasty new veggie varieties to the menu this growing season. Some of these best vegetables to grow are perfect for containers and raised beds!
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Capsicum Annuum ‘Pot-a-Peno
When you’re short on space, spice things up with Pot-a-Peno pepper, which is the best jalapeno to grow in tiny plots, containers or hanging baskets. The deep green, medium-hot fruits that grow 3 to 4 inches long are harvested 50 days after transplanting.
Why we love it: This pint-sized charmer grows just a foot tall, yet it still manages to pack quite a punch, offering a heavy yield of up to 50 spicy peppers per plant.
Check out the best new garden plants for 2021.
Solanum Lycopersicum ‘Green Bee’
Developed by Artisan Seeds, Green Bee is unlike any tomato you’ve tasted. Expect a tangy-sweet crunch that is delicious in salads and salsas but also perfect for grilling and roasting. Its look and feel are also remarkable: Green, cherry-sized and firm, the Green Bee ripens but never softens.
Why we love it: Ripe fruit can remain on the plant for more than two weeks without splitting or overripening. It also has a long off-the-plant shelf life at room temperature.
New to growing veggies? Check out vegetable gardening tips for beginners: 8 mistakes to avoid.
Pisum Sativum ‘First 13’
First 13, a beautiful new shell pea from Burpee, yields jumbo-sized pods packed with a record-setting 13 peas. The plants grow up to 4 feet tall and should be staked or trellised for easy picking.
Why we love it: Once the initial crop has been harvested, First 13 plants continue to produce tender peas for weeks, although later crops yield nine to 12 peas per pod.
We found 10 fast-growing vegetables you can harvest quickly.
Cucurbita Pepo ‘Lemon Sun’
This line of zucchini is a farmers market favorite vegetable to grow because of its tender, sweet, scallop-shaped fruits. Lemon Sun is a new introduction that starts to crop just 45 days from seeding. The sunny yellow fruits are best harvested when just 1 to 3 inches across.
Why we love it: Since it grows in bush form, it’s a terrific choice for small-space gardens and raised beds.
Check out the top 10 vegetables that grow well in shade.
Brassica Rapa ‘Rainbow’
Bred by Dan Brisebois of Tourne-Sol Cooperative Farm, this cold-hardy green is the perfect choice for year-round harvesting. It’s also sweet and mild, with the plants forming purple-burgundy rosettes and green hearts. Pick individual leaves as needed or harvest the entire head for stir-fries.
Why we love it: Beautiful, colorful and incredibly nutrient dense, rainbow tatsoi is a star of salads.
Don’t forget to also add these edible flowers to your garden beds.
Capsicum Annum ‘Ring Leader’
The Ring Leader truly does head the pack when it comes to ripening. It’s ready to eat earlier than most peppers, maturing in just eight weeks. This snappy green wonder is also hearty and quite disease resistant.
Why we love it: It’s the perfect finishing touch for Southwest salads, tacos and even burgers. Go ahead and pickle them for even more flavor.
Like it hot? These are the 10 best peppers to grow in your veggie garden.
Spinacia Oleracea ‘Equinox’
This new introduction from Johnny’s Selected Seeds is perfect for spring and autumn harvesting. It’s a curly leaf spinach with dark green, crinkly leaves and can be planted in garden beds or containers. Harvest as a baby green 30 days from seeding or wait a few more weeks for full-sized spinach.
Why we love it: Equinox is slow to bolt, which means you will enjoy a longer harvest of tender greens.
Cucurbita Pepo ‘Goldilocks’
This 2021 All-America Selections winner is both ornamental and delicious with glossy, deep orange fruits. The disease resistant vines grow 4 feet across, yielding an impressive 10 squash per plant. Goldilocks fruits have bright orange flesh that is sweet and mildly nutty.
Why we love it: Winter squash is an easy and productive crop to grow, making it ideal for beginner gardeners.
Looking for more veggies? Don’t forget about these seed catalogs that every gardener needs.
Solanum Lycopersicum ‘Artisan Blush
A homegrown tomato is a summer treat, especially when it’s a sweet Artisan Blush. This new hybrid yields generous golden fruits, alluringly streaked in reddish pink. Each tomato is 1 inch across and about 2 inches long but packs plenty of sweetness into each bite.
Why we love it: The plant’s small fruits are crack resistant and early to mature.
Short on space? Get the top 5 tips for growing tomatoes indoors (from a tomato expert).
Allium Cepa Var. Aggregatum ‘Creme Brulee’
Creme Brulee is the first shallot to win a coveted All-America Selections award. Also known as a banana shallot, it has oblong bulbs that grow up to 5 inches long. The coppery pink skins peel easily, revealing crisp purple-pink interiors.
Why we love it: Creme Brulee adds a meltingly sweet flavor to dishes like pasta, risotto and quiche.
The best part of growing veggies is eating them! Check out our guide to veggie-harvest times.
Don’t miss these honorable mentions for the best vegetables to grow.
Next, check out the top 10 herbs to grow for cooking.
