Our Gardening Journal - A Partial Record of Our Experiences

The Biodoversity Project has planted well over three hundred different varieties of rare and  heirloom vegetables over the past years. Some have been more successful than others, although yield is not our main reason for growing them. Each of the past three growing seasons here in the northeast has been  different as well (nothing grew well during the summer of 1996!) We would like to share with you some of our observations, and some of the things we have learned during these years, beginning with brief descriptions of  some of the old varieties we now swear by...

Favorite Varieties - Tomatoes

Every gardener grows tomatoes it seems. And there is no shortage of heirlooms out there, thanks in large part to seed saving groups around the country (see the Soapbox page). We have probably grown 45-50 varieties since  1995, but two stand out from all the rest.

Red Calabash is one strange tomato. It is small, often oddly shaped, and has  thin skin. One's first reaction upon looking at it is to think "What happened to that one?" But it is also, without question, the best-tasting tomato we have grown  and each year we seem to add one or two more of them to our limited garden space. The plants are vigorous and pest and disease-free. Maybe the best way  to appreciate this tomato is to just close your eyes and eat it. You'll never look back. This heirloom is widely available (see our list of seed sources) and also can be found in purple and pink varieties.

Amish Paste came to us last year from the Seed Savers' Exchange, and now we find it in several seed catalogues. This is another great example of a tomato  which has commercial disadvantages, but which deserves space in every home garden. It has a rank, almost rambling habit and is not nearly as prolific as  conventional paste tomatoes, seldom yielding more than 15-20 fruits per plant in our experience. But again, as with Calabash, it is hands-down the best tasting  plum tomato we know of, and is almost twice as large as most paste tomatoes, to boot. Unfortunately, ours seldom make it into the sauce - they get eaten out of  hand. You may not want to make this your main crop tomato for paste, but you owe it to yourself to try at least one of these plants for their indescribable sub-acid, meaty flavor.

Favorite Variety - Peas

 One of our most interesting discoveries so far this season has been a 100-year old variety of pea called Alderman. Some sources list this pea under the name  "Tall Telephone". No matter what you call it, it's a strong, productive pea, with very fine flavor. Granted, it has been an exceptionally fine Spring for growing  cool-crop produce here in upper New York, so time will tell if this heirloom maintains the level of performance we see this year. Like the name states, it is a  tall, vining pea. Ours grew right up over a 5' fence and have toppled over the side, but continue to produce. The shells are large, two flowers per node, and  each shell holds about 10 good sized peas. If you like peas, Alderman can give you a chance to make better use of the vertical space in the garden. Worth a try.

 Favorite Variety - Peppers

For the past three years, we have had great success with a variety of sweet pepper called Jimmy Nardello's.  This smoky-sweet rare, Italian heirloom grows  on a compact plant and produces lots of 6-8" long red peppers that are thin-skinned and perfect for stir-frying.  We have had very different growing  conditions here in the Northeast each of these years, and this variety has been prolific and dependable.  It is available from Abundant Life Seed Foundation and Seeds of Change, among other sources.

One of the first varieties for which we have saved seeds, Hokkaido is a rare Japanese winter squash with dry, tasty orange flesh that is neither  prolific nor a particularly long-keeper.  Perhaps for these reasons, the variety is now available (in its original form) from the Seed Savers Exchange  only, having been dropped from all commercial seed houses in the United States (Johnny's Select Seeds was the last to have it listed, in 1996).  It may not be a  variety with any commercial potential, but for its flavor alone it deserves preservation (not to mention the issue of genetic diversity!). We have been  growing ours out every year since 1995 and plan on including it in our gardens every year!