Spring is here, and so is gardening season! Instead of sticking to the same old things, why not add a fun, creative twist to your garden plans this year? These bold, flavorful crops will bring color and variety to your space while introducing new flavors to your cooking.

Amaranth

Amaranth

A crop once grown by Native Americans, Amaranth is making a comeback. This showy plant adds color to the garden while producing a grain high in protein and essential amino acids. It’s also high in fiber, gluten free and has a nutty flavor similar to quinoa. 

Growing tips: A warm-season crop, amaranth thrives in little water and can be planted in late May. It can grow 2-8 feet tall, making it great for northern borders or covering a fence. 

Cooking tips: Before it flowers, the leaves can be eaten like spinach. Harvest and dry the seeds after frost for long-lasting use. Amaranth has a slightly sticky texture when fully cooked, making it great for grain bowls, breakfast porridge or thickening soups. For a more nutty flavor, try dry roasting the seeds before cooking. You can also pop amaranth like popcorn and sprinkle it over salads or yogurt.

Yard Long Beans

Yard long beans

Also known as asparagus bean, this pole variety grows 14-18 inches long, so the vines need a sturdy trellis for support. 

Growing tips: Plant the seeds outdoors when the soil temperature reaches 65°F. They usually begin to fruit within 80 days, leaving plenty of time to harvest until frost.

Cooking tips: Asparagus beans have dark green, stringless pods that are naturally sweet with a bold flavor that holds up well to steaming or stir-frying.

Fava beans

Fava Beans

Fava beans are a nitrogen-fixing legume. The old English Windsor varieties are prized for their plump, flavorful beans. 

Growing tips: Direct seed when the soil temperature hits 60-70°F. For a steady supply of fresh beans, plant a quarter of the bed in mid-May and successive quarters in late May and early June so they mature in stages. If dried fava beans are your goal, plant the entire bed in May.

Cooking tips: When left to mature, dried fava beans can be used in soups or can be boiled for 30 minutes, then ground up with seasonings, shaped into small balls and fried into Egyptian falafel. 

Edamame 

Edamame

Edamame, or fresh soybeans, are easy to grow and make a nutritious snack. While all soybean varieties can be harvested young, some have been specifically bred for their tender young pods. Their growing conditions are similar to other beans.

Growing tips: I prefer determinate varieties, which set all their blooms and pods at once, providing a generous harvest. Indeterminate varieties offer a longer picking window but produce smaller yields. For a steady supply of edamame, succession plant determinates throughout May and early June.

Cooking tips: Steam or boil edamame for a few minutes until tender. Use your fingers or teeth to extract the beans and discard the pods. Season cooked edamame with salt, lemon or other flavorings.

Cucamelons

Cucamelon

Also called Mexican sour gherkin, cucamelons are dainty, watermelon-looking fruits with a cucumber flavor and a hint of lemon. They’re ready to eat off the vine, making them a favorite among kids.

Growing tips: Start seeds indoors six weeks before transplanting to ensure strong plants before summer. Cucamelons prefer even watering, a steady supply of nitrogen and a sturdy trellis for their climbing vines. One or two plants are usually plenty for the average home gardener. 

Cooking tips: These bite-sized fruits brighten up salads, add a refreshing twist to salsa and make a fun garnish for cocktails or lemonade. One or two plants are usually plenty for the average home gardener, but if you have extra, they’re a delicious pickled treat.

Daikon & Watermelon Radish

Watermelon Radish

Daikon and watermelon radishes take a bit longer to mature than traditional red radishes but are usually ready for harvest in about 50 days. Daikon radish can grow quite large, but I prefer hybridized shorter varieties like Summit, which has a milder heat. The bravo variety adds extra flair with its purple flesh, which not only looks cool but contains the antioxidant anthocyanin. Watermelon radish has a red flesh, mild taste and round shape, making it as beautiful as it is delicious.

Growing tips: As a short-season crop, these radishes are great for planting after an earlier harvest to maximize garden space. They can withstand a light frost and, when mulched, can even be harvested well into December.

Cooking tips: Freshly grated into salads or sliced into matchsticks for stir-fries, both radishes add a crisp, peppery bite to dishes.

Kohlrabi

KOHLRABI

Kohlrabi grows well in both spring and fall gardens. It can also grow in summer if planted behind a shade crop.

Growing tips: Direct seed kohlrabi outdoors once soil temperatures reach the upper 50s, or start seeds indoors and transplant them. Space plants 4 inches apart and harvest when roots reach 2-3 inches wide to prevent the flesh from becoming woody.

Cooking tip: Leaves can be stir-fried while the crisp, juicy bulb has a texture similar to jicama or potato. Grated or diced, it’s delicious raw in slaws and salads or cooked in soups, stir-fries and roasts. 

MALABAR SPINACH

Malabar spinach

Malabar spinach is a heat-tolerant leafy green that contains more vitamin C than regular spinach. Unlike traditional spinach, this vigorous vine keeps producing all season, so trellising a good idea. 

Growing tips: Start seeds indoors three weeks before transplanting or direct seed through May. Because of its fast growth and high yield, two plants are usually enough for a home gardener.

Cooking tips: Use Malabar spinach just like regular spinach—eat it raw, toss it into casseroles, sautés or soups, make creamed spinach, or steam and freeze it for later.

Shiso

SHISO

Shiso also grows well in warmer months. 

Growing tips: Put seeds in the freezer for about a month before planting. They can be direct sown but may take 7-14 days to sprout, so many gardeners prefer to start them indoors.

Cooking tips: Shiso has a minty, citrus-like flavor and can be enjoyed raw or cooked. Its larger leaves can be wrapped around rice pilaf for a summer snack.  

APRIL PLANTING DATES:

Plant seeds between April 2-15 and April 29-30