Best vegetable varieties

It’s time to start thinking about which vegetables to plant in your garden! There are many different varieties of each type of vegetable, each with its own unique characteristics. Here are some of the best vegetable varieties to consider growing in your garden this year.

1. Tomato varieties

Tomatoes are one of the most rewarding vegetables to grow in the garden. While there are thousands of different varieties to choose from, here are some of the top recommended tomato varieties to grow:

• Sungold Cherry tomato
• Brandywine Heirloom tomato
• Cherokee Purple Heirloom tomato
• Roma tomato

Read more about different tomato varieties and types of tomatoes, including the best sweet tomato varieties to grow and the best-tasting overall tomato varieties.

2. Lettuce varieties

Lettuce is a mainstay in the vegetable garden. Some varieties form a “head” of lettuce while others grow in a free-form loose-leaf habit. Here are some excellent varieties of lettuce to choose from:

• Buttercrunch lettuce
• Butter King lettuce
• Little Gem lettuce

3. Carrot varieties

Homegrown carrots can be so much better than carrots from the grocery store! This is especially true if you choose sweet varieties with a nice firm texture. Here are some of the most popular carrot varieties to grow:

• Bolero Carrot
• Chantenay Carrot
• Scarlet Nantes Carrot
• Black Nebula Carrot

4. Pea varieties

There are many different varieties of peas for the spring veggie garden. Most varieties are very cold and hardy and can germinate in soil that’s barely just thawed from a winter freeze. Here are some of the top picks to try out in your garden this spring:

• Green Arrow Pea
• Oregon Sugar Pod Pea
• Super Sugar Snap Pea

5. Potato varieties

Potatoes are downright fun to grow in the garden. There’s nothing like digging up a potato plant for the treasure hunt of finding the little tubers in the soil. Here are some wonderful potato varieties to grow at home:

• Yukon Gold Potato
• Kennebec White Potato
• Red Norland Potato
• Purple Majesty Potato
• French Fingerling Potato

6. Radish varieties

Radish is another quick-growing vegetable for the garden. Radishes can be seeded throughout the season for an ongoing harvest of spicy little salad roots. Here are some delicious varieties of radishes to try:

• Cherry Belle Radish
• Roxanne Radish
• French Breakfast Radish

7. Pumpkin varieties

What’s a garden without a little corner pumpkin patch!? Fortunately, there are countless varieties, including everything from mini types that are bred to grow in small spaces to gorgeous decor options and treasured heirloom pumpkins. Here are some top pumpkin variety picks for the garden:

• Cinderella Pumpkin
• Jarrahdale Blue Pumpkin
• Casperita Mini White Pumpkin
• Fairytale Heirloom Pumpkin
• Big Max Giant Pumpkin

Read more about different pumpkin varieties, including the best pumpkins to grow for pumpkin pie and the best pumpkins to grow for autumn decor.

8. Kale varieties

There are quite a few different varieties of kale to choose from. Some are the Italian-type “dinosaur” kale with the long strap-like leaves, while others are the more frilly-edged Scotch-type kales or the red-veined Russian-type kale varieties. Here are some top picks in terms of different kale varieties:

• Lacinato Kale (Italian)
• Blue Ridge Kale (Scotch)
• Red Russian Kale (Russian)

9. Cucumber varieties

Cucumbers are another favorite veggie to eat straight from the garden. There are pickling types and fresh-eating types, and even some specialty gourmet types. Here are some wonderful cucumber varieties to try:

• Straight Eight Cucumber
• Parisian Gherkin Cucumber
• Lemon Round Cucumber

10. Spinach varieties

Some of the best spinach varieties have been bred for temperature tolerance and are easy to grow in both cold and warm weather. Here are some top-performing spinach varieties to grow in this year’s vegetable garden:

• Bloomsdale Spinach
• Avenger Spinach
• Sun Angel Spinach

11. Corn varieties

Corn is an absolute joy in the garden. There are classic yellow-kernel varieties and specialty bicolor types. Here are some top corn varieties to plant this year:

• Honey Select Sweet Corn
• Peaches And Cream Sweet Corn
• Strawberry Mini Red Popcorn Corn

12. Green onion varieties

Green onions are very handy to have out in the garden. It’s easy to go and grab a few for your next appetizer or to add to dinner. Here are some excellent green onion varieties for the garden:

• White Lisbon Scallion Onion
• Warrior Bunching Onion
• Evergreen Long Bunching Onion