5 fun heirloom vegetables to plant in your garden

If you are going to the work of having a garden, you might as well get the added benefit of tossing a little surprise or two in there. Nature has provided us with many opportunities to marvel at the world of vegetables. Heirloom vegetables tend to be more nutritious than their newer counterparts, a point I’ve discussed here. However, they can also be a heck of a lot of fun to grow and to marvel at.

Here are some of our top picks for this season.

“Cucamelons”

Is it a cucumber? A watermelon? It is the size of a large grape and will make an excellent novelty addition to your salad, adding a cucumber and lime flavor to your dish. Sow these seeds in April and May (and even into June in warmer areas). You will have a prolific crop in 9-12 weeks. Grab some seeds at our Amazon partner site (here).

Tigger Melons

With a child in the house obsessed with Winnie The Pooh’s buddy Tigger (and often his living incarnation), we offer this awesome “Tigger melon,” a melon that needs 80 days, seed to harvest. There may be time yet in your area. Grab the seeds here through our Amazon partner.

Black Sea Man Tomato

This is a productive tomato that may also add a funky look to your dinner plates. It is rich in color and textured in green and burgundy, a 75-day tomato from seed to production.

Grab the seeds at Amazon here.

Snake Gourd

The only thing that would make these snake gourds better is if nature actually produced them in the colors in the photo. The gourds in the photo make an awesome snake shape (allowing about 100 days from seed to maturity). You supply the paint for the full effect. 😉

Grab the seeds here.

Needing No Introduction

So do you include it first or leave it for last? Grow the “Peter Pepper Red Hot Pepper” as you would any hot pepper — get the seeds here.

I have heard that the Peter Pepper is a good conversation-starter at your dinner parties. I can’t imagine why…