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
Perpetual Vegetable, Fruit & Herb Calendar shows you when to plant vegetables in the low desert of Arizona and whether to plant seeds or transplants. See it in my shop.
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
Get planting dates for your favorite crops with these 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
The Arizona Annual Flower Planting Calendar helps you learn when to plant flowers in Arizona and whether to plant seeds or transplants. It’s available in my shop.
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