Fascinating & uncommon vegetables to grow this upcoming summer

Often we grow the typical fruits and vegetables from seeds and plants found at big box stores. I find that the most common vegetables and fruits that are grown have the same flavor everyone is used to, they have the same boring appeal in the garden, and I want to mix things in my garden every year. A new variety of beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, or corn can really accentuate a garden, and when these fruits and vegetables are harvested, the vibrant colors and unique shapes will make you smile. This year, spice up this year's garden with these vegetables and fruits listed below:

cape gooseberry from last year's garden

1. Cape Gooseberry: Last summer I was delighted to grow beautiful cape gooseberries for the first time. I highly recommend growing those as well because they have a great pineapple like taste in a tiny cherry tomato like size. I grew these plants in pots, and maybe you will have better luck with them than I did because mine were small, so be sure to feed these plants. Purple tomatillo is another beauty as well that reminds me of the husks of the cape gooseberries.

2. Romanesco Italia Broccoli

3. Luffa gourds, and many other varieties of gourds like Birdhouse gourds, Apple gourds, Daisy gourds are artistic looking fruits that I quite admire as well.

4. Tiger Melon, Kiwano African Horned melon, moon and stars watermelon.

toga striped eggplant

5. Lemon Cuke Cucumber, Armenian cucumber, "West Indian Gherkin"cucumber, brown Russian cucumber, Gagon Cucumber, and Sikkim Cucumber.

6. Fengyuan Purple Eggplant, Toga striped eggplant, Thai Kermit eggplant, Gbogname Eggplant originating from West Africa; and there are many more varieties of eggplant which you can find in the provided links.

7. Kalibos Cabbage, Perfection Drumhead Savoy Cabbage that has a crinkled texture, Purple of Sicily Cauliflower.

8. White patty pan squash disco, Victor or Red Warty Thing Squash, Turks Cap or Turban Squash, and an interesting 60 day variety of squash called Gelber Englischer Custard. All of these make for beautiful decorations and artwork throughout your house, yard, garden, or any building. You can use these for a fall decor setting and scene like I have done in the past: Luffa (Loofah) Gourds ready to harvest (& Fall Halloween scene/setting) and Starting the Fall & Halloween scene setting decorations.

strawberry spinach

9. Speckled Lettuce, Strawberry Spinach dating back to the 1600s in Europe, and the many multi-colored greens can be found within the links provided.

10. Raddichio

11. Israeli Golden Watermelon

12. Snow Cap Bean, Purple Teepee Bean which is a 60 day bush bean, and Jacob's Cattle Bush Bean looks like those Pontiac horses.
13. Tomato 'Marmande' is a cute variety of tomatoes that are wrinkly and lined with crevices similar to pumpkins. I admire their unique shape, and is one of the many beautiful varieties of tomatoes that you can grow. Don't just grow the common red and round-shaped tomatoes. I had quite the success with the Blue Gold Berries Tomatoes last summer, and bought the seeds at rareseeds.com through the link provided. The variety Brad's Atomic Grape Tomato is a wild beauty too.

blue gold tomatoes from 2016 garden

14. Because I mentioned pumpkins, I wanted to provide a list of interesting pumpkins to grow instead of the standard commercial varieties. One beautiful variety of pumpkin is Musquee De Provence Pumpkin that looks like it's straight out of a Halloween painting or some kind of fantastical scene, additionally the Fairytale Pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata), Jarrahdale Pumpkin.

15. Corn varieties like Strawberry Popcorn, Papa's Red Corn, and mini blue and pink popcorn look like ancient relics of time, and I say we ditch the standard yellow corn varieties for now.

16. The Parisienne Carrot varieties are adorable along with Pusa Asita Carrot.

11 Recycled & Natural materials for Free Trellis & Arbor ideas

The fun in gardening is to utilize what is around you, and how you can create beautiful works of art that are functional. This is especially worthwhile when you're choosing materials that can be recycled or "upcycled" when creating structure. Much of the recycled materials are metal or plastic that can be found around your yard, house, inside, flea markets, etc. Of course is better to use Natural materials such as wood fiber in making trellises and arbors, but this post is directed to those that want to recycle materials as well as use natural materials in the garden. Below is a list of those materials to use in creating fencing, trellises, and arbors that are functional in the garden, but also create a sense of artistry and decoration.

naturalfencing.com

1. Wattle fencing: Many gardeners trellis vining fruits with wire fencing, while others use wood framing. Of course natural materials is the best choice. I recommend the Wattle method in which wood has been woven into fencing. Wattle fencing can be used for a trellis, arbor, or raised bed.
According to Inspiration Green on wattle fencing, "The upright stakes are sometimes called sales and the saplings called 'weavers'. Hazel, willow, sweet chestnut, plum, forsythia or any supple, long, straight, slender saplings make good weavers. Newly cut, green wood is best and easiest. Willow is an exception as it can be soaked to become more supple. Use thin, long branches -or- larger saplings that are cut down the center (cleft) as 'weavers'...The saplings you choose should be long enough to weave around at least three stakes (preferably more) for stability. The weavers are woven around the 'sales' like basketry. The simplest weave would be to weave each row of saplings alternating around the stakes, the next row is woven on the opposite side of the stake from the sapling below it. Each sapling row should be firmly pressed down".

decorhacks.com

For a tutorial on making Wattle fencing, watch this video: here.

Besides wattle fencing, other natural materials or recycled materials to use for constructing trellises and arbors include:
2. Crutches. Actually there is a pair of crutches at my house, and I have always wondered what to do with them. And I have considered using them in the garden. In the picture here, I just so happened to come across a picture of a gardener's usage of crutches in the garden.

3. Bicycle wheels. I find it very easy to accumulate bicycles wheels when families buy several bicycles at one time for everyone to ride. With plenty of wheels, you can create a vertical structure in the garden. There are many examples of gardeners using bicycle wheels in the garden, and below is a picture of the best example I could find.

diyrecycled.com

 4. Recycled metal bars, poles, or gates like in the picture below. And, much fencing found around my neck of the woods, is a lot of old metal wire like bed springs. So this is another useful material for a trellis structure to grow vining crops.

recyclinggardenmom.blogspot.com

5. Screen door. Whether it's a screen door, or a bed spring, metal head board, or metal bed frame, these materials can be used in the garden for a vertical trellis. I have also used, as you can see in my garden posts from last season, that I used the wood framing of my old baby crib to grow peas, pumpkins, and other squash.

refurbished-ideas.com

hgdiy.com

pic2fly.com

dishfunctionaldesigns.blogspot.com

fleamarketgardening.org

6. Tobacco sticks & wood posts can be found in old barns, and sometimes you will come across a farmer friend that is willing to let you borrow or have their old tobacco sticks. For years I have used tobacco sticks or wood posts to create trellis structures. Below are pictures of the past ways I have used tobacco sticks and wood posts in my gardens.

7. Wooden ladders are perfect for creating a natural trellis and arbor. I recommend looking further into ladder trellis gardening, because there are some beautiful little creations out there. Oh lord, I'm starting to sound like Bob Ross (I watched a lot of Bob Ross this winter and created Bob Ross inspired paintings you can see here: Holiday gift paintings.)

pinterest.com

northwestgardener.net

8. Wood Pallets of course are very useful in the garden.

pinterest.com

9. Even a recycled water drum that has the metal cage on the outside will grow a vining plant. Two years ago, I grew Luffa gourds on a water drum which used the metal cage to vine. Look in your shed, look in the woods, look around your yard, house, or other scrap/junk yards for recycled materials that will allow you to assemble a trellis or arbor structure.



10. Bamboo is a durable material when dried. And usually bamboo is plentiful considering even in Kentucky where there is cold winters, we have bamboo growing invasive in places around creeks.
Bamboo is great for creating small trellis structures. I have used bamboo in the past as a natural material to trellis peas, but the bamboo was cut early and had not been given any time to dry out, so I recommend this step before using bamboo.

11. Golf clubs or any metal pole. 

pinterest.com

Of course, there are many more materials that work for creating a trellis or arbor in your garden. It's up to to explore your surroundings and to be unique.

Fall & Winter Garden Maintanence

1. Pull up remaining vegetable plants to compost.

2. Pull up remaining weeds to use in a fire on your garden.

3. Collect sticks, wood, recycled paper/cardboard (and other burnable materials) for fires on your garden. The potassium and nitrogen in wood ash helps plant growth, for example the wood ash from the fires acts as a fertilize. Having fires on your garden also breaks up the top soil, making it easier to till and loosen the soil for your Spring garden.

What you need for homesteading (Full list of materials and supplies)

There are many questions to homesteading, especially since independence is somewhat a frightening concept. Homesteading takes much time to learn the skills and techniques that surrounding gardening, building, and crafting. Perhaps it will take you five to 10 years to become a proficient gardener. Likewise, homesteading is the "old" and "new way" of living; because we can learn from our relatives how to build a home and grow food; but we can also learn from young folks how to coincide sustainably with nature, humans, and technology.

At length, homesteading requires much dedication, investment, creativity, frugality, and resources. But, where do you start? Do I start looking for land for sale? How much time can I invest in building my home? How much time can I invest in growing a garden?

All of those questions will be answered or have been answered throughout my blog; but I want to use this blog post to point out a FULL LIST OF MATERIALS you will need for homesteading. This list will assist you in estimating your budget/investment. By providing you a list of supplies you will need, this will give you the opportunity to think creatively: what materials can I make? What materials can I borrow? And, what materials do I have to buy? For example, a ladder does not have to be purchased; instead, you can build your own ladder out of free recycled wood (found at pallet shops, sawmills, or pallets behind grocery stores.)


If you see something I missed, please comment below, and I will add it!
 

A
Ash (compost)
Axe

B
Bamboo (posts, stakes)
Barrels (Rain)
Batteries
Battery Charger
Beams (wood posts)
Books (philosophy, instructional, garden, fiction)
Bottles (starting seeds indoors)
Bricks (rock, stone)
Brushes (painting, plastering)

Buckets (5 gallon)

C
Calculator
Canner (pressure cooker)
Carpenter's Level
Cart (wheelbarrow)
Cellar (cold storage)
Chains
Chainsaw

Chairs (home)
Chalk line
Cheesecloth
Chicken wire
Clamshell digger (post hole)
Compost (organic)
CONTAINERS (unique gardening)
Cooler (food storing)
Crates (storage)
Cultivator (rototiller)

D
DC>AC inverter (solar panels)
Decor (outdoor/garden)
Dehydrator
Door (home)
Drill (speed)
Drill bits
Drums (55-gallon)
Duct tape

E
 F

Fencing (wire)
Fertilizer (organic)
Forks (garden)
Freezer (cooler, food storage)
Froe

G
Galvanized screening (sifting)
Garden hose
Generator 
Gloves
Goggles (safety)
Greenhouse(s)

H
Hammer
Handkerchief (cleaning tools)
Hand saw

 Hose (garden)

Hoe

I

INTERNET

J

Jars (Mason)

K
Knife (utility)

L
Ladder
Level (carpenters)

M
Machetes
Mallet (wooden)
Marker pencil

Mattock
Measuring tape
Mulch

N
Nails

O
Organic SOIL 
Outdoor Decor 

Oven (made from sand, clay, & straw)

P
Pallets (recycled wood for trellis)
Pencils (marker)
Pickax
Pinch bar
Pitchfork 
Plants (vegetable plugs, flowers)
Plastic sheeting (black & Clear)
Pliers
Pocket knife
Poles (posts, beams)
Post hole digger
POSTS (beams)
Pots (Flower, vegetable, herbs)
Pressure Cooker (canner)
Pruning shears 
Pulaski

Q

R
Rain barrels
Rake 
Rock minerals (improving soil)
ROCKS (decor, building structures)

Rope
Roof structure (metal, shingles, lumber)
Root Cellar (cold storage)
Rototiller

Ruler (yardstick)

S
Safety goggles
Sand (for garden & home material)
Saw (hand or chain)
Saw horses
Screens (galvanized)

Screwdriver

SEEDS (flower, herb, veggie, fruit)
Shears (pruning)
Sheets (plastic, tarp)
Shovel
SOIL (organic gardening)
Solar panels
 SPACE (for gardening)
Spades (digging)
Sponge (finishing interior of home)
Stakes (posts or poles)
Step ladder
String (hemp, rope)
Swanson square

T
Table (home)
TARP (plastic sheeting)
Tape measure

Tiller (rototiller)

Tool box
Trays (starting seeds)
Trellises (Arbors)

U
Utility knife

V

W
Watering system

Wheel barrel
Windows (home)
Wood mallet
Wood posts (beams for home)
Wood stove
Worms (compost)

X

Y
Yardstick (ruler)

Z

Keep in mind, you may not need most of these items. In fact, you may not need windows, doors, or tables because you do not plan on making a home or shed. 

Then again, if you are planning to build your own home, you may need MORE than what's listed above. A new home-owner needs silverware, kitchen appliances,  bed sheets, pillows, etc. If you want to build your own home -- keep in mind that I have not listed exact building materials. Here is an idea of basic materials you may need for your home:

For the foundation of the house you may need rocks, bricks, concrete, or gravel. For structure of home (cob walls), you will need clay soil, sandy soil or sand, water, and straw. For roofing, you'll need lumber, poles, boards, and windows. Of course, you'll need glass or windows, doors, hinges, knobs, etc.

Again, if I missed an important tool or material, please comment below and I will add it to the list.

How much money have you invested in homesteading, so far? I have the luxury of borrowing most of my Grandfather's tools and supplies, as well as the space to grow food and build a home. I'm very fortunate for this!