My Favorite Crop Varieties
Deciding which varieties of seeds to plant isn’t easy. The options are almost limitless. I’m here to help. This post lists my favorite crop varieties: the vegetables, herbs, and flowers I grow that stand out and perform well season after season.
As I look through the crops in this blog post, I feel I’m introducing you to some of my friends. I hope you like them as much as I do. Check this list each season; I’ll add to it as I include more crops on my must-grow list.
How to decide which varieties to grow
Crops are divided by category (vegetable, flower, and herb). The reasons I love to grow it are listed, along with a source (if available) for seeds.
Please let me know in the comments if you have any questions or some of your own must-grow crops that I should add to the list.
Vegetable varieties I love growing in my garden
Borlotti Beans
- Good flavor and beautiful
- Handles tough conditions
- Read more about how to grow borlotti beans
Painted Serpent Armenian Cucumber
- Prolific, heat-loving, and easy to grow
- Excellent flavor
- Read more about how to grow Armenian cucumbers
Kentucky Wonder Pole Bean
- Easy to grow, prolific
- Good flavor
- Read more about how to grow beans
Texas Early Grano Onion
- Large-sized, flavorful
- Favorite short-day onion variety
- Read more about how to grow onions
Pinkeye Purple Hull Cowpeas
- Prolific, drought and heat-tolerant
- More compact than other cowpeas
- Read more about how to grow black-eyed peas
Astia Container Zucchini
- Somewhat compact, prolific
- Good flavor
- Read more about how to grow summer squash
Utah Celery
- Consistent producer
- Good flavor
- Read more about how to grow celery
Costata Romanesco Summer Squash
- Firm textured squash with good flavor
- Consistent producer
- Read about how to grow summer squash
Japanese Cucumbers
- Prolific producer
- Excellent flavor, thin skin, few seeds
- Read about how to grow cucumbers
Super Sugar Snap Peas
- AAS Winner, easy to grow
- Great flavor at any stage, edible pod
- Read about how to grow peas
Imperial Broccoli
- Large initial head
- More heat-tolerant
- Read about how to grow broccoli
Di Ciccio Broccoli
- Small initial head with abundant side shoots
- Grows well through Arizona winters
- Read about how to grow broccoli
Mini Jack Pumpkin
- Compact, abundant producer, easy to grow
- Fun decorative (or edible) pumpkin
- Read about how to grow winter squash
Sugar Snax Carrot
- Easy to grow (especially if you use pelleted seeds)
- Disease-resistant, good flavor, stores well
- Read about how to grow carrots
Hale’s Best Cantaloupe
- Heat and drought-tolerant, prolific
- Large and sweet fruit
- Read about how to grow cantaloupe
Hearts of Gold Cantaloupe
- Quick production, prolific
- Easy to grow
- Read about how to grow cantaloupe
California Wonder Peppers
- Reliable producer, prolific
- Large peppers can be harvested green or left to ripen to red
- Read about how to grow peppers
Yukon Gold Potatoes
- Early season variety, easy to grow
- Heat-tolerant, drought-tolerant
- Read about how to grow potatoes
Yellow Pear Tomatoes
- Prolific, easy to grow
- Excellent flavor
- Disease-resistant
- Read about how to grow tomatoes
- PLANTING GUIDE: Each month lists vegetables, fruit & herbs to plant outside & seeds to start indoors.
- HARVEST GUIDE: Photos show what may be ready to harvest that month.
- Planting dates are for the low desert of Arizona.
My favorite herb varieties
Emerald Towers Basil
- Excellent flavor and production
- Compact (grows up, not out)
- Read about how to grow basil
Bouquet Dill
- Slow to bolt with prolific foliage
- Read about how to grow dill
Slow Bolt Cilantro
- Easy to grow, prolific
- Slow to bolt
- Read about how to grow cilantro
Visual planting guides for vegetables, herbs, fruits, flowers & vines.
My favorite must-grow flowers
Sundancer Sunflower
- Branching sunflower with endless blooms
- Large plants that bloom all summer
- Read about how to grow sunflowers
Sweet Pea Perfume Delight
- Highly fragranced
- Best sweet pea for hot summer areas
- Read about how to grow sweet peas
Cherokee Sunset Rudbeckia
- Beautiful blooms in sunset hues
- Easy to grow
- Long-lasting plants and flowers
- Learn more about how to grow rudbeckia.
Queeny Orange Lime Zinnia
- Stunning blooms on long stems
- 2018 All-America Selections winner
- Read about how to grow zinnias
Tecolote Ranunculus
- Easy to grow
- Gorgeous blooms, many color options
- Read about how to grow ranunculus
Rainbow Bouquet Dwarf Strawflower
- Cold, heat & drought-tolerant
- Long-lasting blooms
- The compact size is perfect in beds and containers
- Read about how to grow strawflowers
Flowers to Plant Outside & Seeds to Start Indoors Each Month in the Low Desert of Arizona.
• PLANTING GUIDE: Each month lists annual flowers and bulbs to plant outside & seeds to start indoors.
• BLOOMING GUIDE: Photos show what may be in bloom that month.
If this post about my favorite crop varieties to grow was helpful, please share it:
Leave a comment on My Favorite Crop Varieties