I have my standard list of fruits, vegetables, and herbs that I plant in my gardens every year: heirloom tomatoes, lettuces, peas, basil, parsley, cucumbers, squash, zucchini, etc. However one thing I would recommend, that I enjoy doing each year, is to leave space for a couple of new-to-you vegetables. They don’t necessarily have to be new to market, just something that you yourself haven’t tried growing before.

I started this habit a few years ago, when I was placing a seed order. I added a packet of tomatillo seeds to my cart on a whim. I’d never eaten a tomatillo in my life, but by the end of the season I quickly discovered that I love salsa verde on everything from tacos to fish. And I’ve since started making a delicious green posole with the tomatillos and poblano peppers I harvest from the garden. Besides tomatillos, I’ve introduced myself to a few other fruits and vegetables over the years: cucamelons, lemon cucumbers, ground cherries, and gooseberries, to name a few.

Reasons to plant new-to-you vegetables

To me it’s fun to try new flavors, but I also get drawn in by looks, practicality, and novelty. If there is an interesting cherry tomato or a funky purple carrot, it’s going to find its way into my garden. If veggies have to earn a spot in your garden due to space constraints, consider trialing new-to-you vegetables in their own pot. That way you’re not taking up valuable real estate on something you may not enjoy.

I’m fortunate that I get to trial new plants with my job. But if I’m at any type of seed or seedling sale, my head can be turned by plant labels with various promises of characteristics like disease resistance, fruit production, and size.

1. Introduce yourself to new flavors via the veggie garden

If you’re someone who loves to cook and try new things, expand your palate via the veggie garden. A few years ago, I was sent home with a pot of wasabi arugula. This salad green really does live up to its name. Both the flowers and leaves are edible, taste like real wasabi, and give you that back-of-the-nose jolt. I found it fun to use as a horseradish alternative on roast beef.

2. Try growing a grocery store item you buy often

Several years ago now, I started using lemongrass in place of a typical dracaena in my ornamental urn. I love to head out the front door throughout the summer to grab a stalk or two to flavour iced tea or to toss in my favourite chicken curry recipe. While it’s not expensive to buy a stalk of lemongrass at the grocery store, it’s really satisfying to grow my own. Other grocery list items I started growing myself with success include daikon radishes and various types of squash.

3. Plant conversation starters

A few years ago when I grew lemon cucumbers in my front yard, I had a couple of neighbors ask what they were. In our conversations, I realized I love introducing other people to what I grow in the garden. Brussels sprouts are another vegetable that I’ve had people ask about as they stroll by my front yard raised beds. Many don’t realize they grow on such big stalks!

Cucamelons, which resemble mini watermelons, also seem to get a lot of attention because of the cuteness factor. They are very prolific with a great flavor and apparently make yummy pickles (see #4 about preserving). I grow my plants from seed, but I’ve also seen garden centers selling plants in the spring.

4. Choose new-to-you vegetables to preserve

One year, an overabundance of habanero peppers inspired my dad and I to make habanero-mint jelly. We both absolutely loved the delicious results. Now it’s a tradition to make some type of pickle or jam or sauce or jelly every summer. Other preserves I like to make from the garden include zucchini relish, pickled beets and daikon radishes, gooseberry jam, and garlic scape and basil pesto.

5. Discover new varieties of trusted favorites

It’s amazing how different varieties of a vegetable can have such varied flavors. If beefsteak is your tomato garden mainstay, try planting a few heirloom varieties, as well. There are dozens and dozens of options out there and the more you taste, the more you’ll discover a diverse range of flavor profiles. Different colors of standard veggies can be fun to try, too. Look for purple carrots and peas, orange and golden beets, blue potatoes, and a rainbow of tomatoes, from pink and blue to purple and brown.

Growing info for some of the new-to-me vegetables mentioned in this article

• Cucamelons
• Ground cherries
• Tomatillos
• Daikon radishes
• Lemon cucumbers