Ground cherries (a fruit but grown as an annual), okra (not that unusual but quite unusual in the North in both gardens and kitchens), globe artichokes (poor yield per sq ft but fun to grow and eat).

Roselle - hibiscus fruit. Very easy to grow if you have the space.

well, this is a little off color, but I've been tempted to grow that chile pepper that looks like male body part. : )

Looks like I'm on the right path. I am actually trying ground cherries, okra, roselle, and peter peppers this year. The only thing listed so far that I'm not doing is the globe artichoke, which is too much of a space hog. Thanks so much for the input thus far. I can't wait to see what other people have to say.

LOL....Leave it the women to have penis envy.

Nothing really odd, but I enjoy growing the Nuclear hot chies such as the Bhut Jolokia, Naga Morich, 7 Pot, etc.

Kevin

This year I'm trying burgundy okra in my northern garden. Mostly for the beauty of its flowers but I might try to pickle them if I get a good yield. I've started a few already in my greenhouse to give it a really good head start.

I'm also trying Red Noodle beans this year (yard long). I tried them last year, but the spring was too cold and they languished, so we'll see if this spring is warmer. They are obviously more cold-tender than regular bush/pole beans.

Most people have grown Scarlet Runner beans at least once, for the flowers if nothing else. Last year I tried Golden Sunshine Runners. They were absolutely gorgeous!

Bulls blood beets turned out super-duper red (they make red dye from them) and grew well. I like them for the tender red "greens" in my salads.

Also tried Apollo broccoli. They are supposed to be more open and "gourmet" tasting. I prefer the boring old regular broccoli.

This year I'm trying red celery. We'll see.

Grew Suyo Long cucumbers. They are fun, but to me, taste the same as my boring old salad bush cukes. Same with Poona Kheera cukes (white ones). This year I'm trying Kiwano African Horned....this is a tropical cuke, so don't know if it will do anything in my area.

Gourds are always fun, fun, fun to grow...but you gotta have space for them. There is so many different types to choose from.

Try kohlrabi. Not too many people grow it, but it's very easy, unusual and tastes good if you eat it young.

Check out some of the different melons...some are terrific and fun like the Pear Melon. It grows very oblong, and big and has a bit of a cucumber/cantaloupe taste. This year I'm trying a Cassabana, which is a tropical vine-fruit kinda like a melon/cuke. We'll see how that goes.

Do you like hot peppers? Try a super hot one like habernero....they are funny shaped and orange. Last year I grew a ghost pepper....2007 record for hottest pepper in the world. (just for fun, not for eating!) There is a peter-pepper which looks just like a man's....(yep, you guessed it.)

How about a crazy pumpkin....goosebumps, or cinderella? I like kakai pumpkins because they make giant, hull-less seeds for roasting.

Spaghetti squash is fun, and yummy...(if you like that kind of thing.) Last year I grew a Kamo Kamo pumpkin/squash/gourd. Fantastic.

Lots of different tomatoes to choose from....black ones, orange ones, white ones, even some that stay green when ripe. My favorite for flavor is Black Velvet.

Zucchini is really easy to grow for a first veggie garden. I tried the yellow as a change from regular green ones, but didn't care for it because it became too mushy after cooking. This year I'm trying Grey Griller which is supposed to be perfect for grilling on the barbie.

I know this is a long list, hope it gives you some ideas. Since you are in California you are able to grow many tropical veggies.

Kevin, I'm actually trying some super hots this year. Leafericson did a pepper seed giveaway not too long ago, and I was able to get some pepper seeds from him. I'm really excited about that. I love spicy!

Runswithscissors, you had a lot of really good ideas. Some of the stuff you listed I am trying, some I've heard of and would like to try (like the Cassabana) and others I will need to look up after I finish with this response. Things I have either started or have seeds for that you listed: burgundy okra, red noodle beans, scarlet runner beans, kohlrabi, various hot peppers (including the peter-pepper), kakai pumpkin, spaghetti squash, tons of tomatoes (but I'll have to look into Black Velvet), and a couple different types of zucchini.

Thank you all for the input. Keep it comin'!

I've grown okra in zone 2b. Burgundy was a very poor yielder for me, and so were all the heirloom varieties I tried. The only ones with decent yield were Annie Oakley II and Pentagreen.

Slimy_Okra, that's a bummer. I have burgundy, clemson spineless, jing orange, cow horn, and star of david, but no annie oakley II or Pentagreen. I guess I'll have to hope that growing several kinds will make up for the low yield.

Erica: Hope you've started those superhots. Your zone will still give you some great yields, but they take forever to get going and then get ripe pods.

Good luck.

Kevin

Hey Kevin,

I got some started already and transplanted outside, but I was planning on starting the rest indoors this evening. Do you think I'm too late?

Nah.. I got a late start myself because I wasn't going to grow anything at all because of the drought.

The superhots just take so damn long. I like to maximize my harvests so I try to get in either ground or container by April 1. It's nice and warm by then and I can usually get 3-4 large flushes before December/Jan. Last year, I pulled all of them but 3 anticipating the frost. Those 3 are still going...LOL

If you start some more now, you should be able to get at least 2 good flushes. The problem is the heat. Just as they start to flower, the summer heat may be here and they don't like extended temps over 95F.

Kevin

I love growing all kinds of unusual veggies. It is just so exciting to start picking cool new stuff every year. Here are some of my favorites.

Yard long beans (especially Chinese Red Noodle)- good for stir fry and are just different from your normal beans.

Dragon Tongue Beans- my favorite bean and has always been very reliable for me. It is a beautiful yellow wax bean with purple stripes. Seems to be good no matter what size, no strings and can pick for a much longer length of time than other bush beans, which are normally only good for about 2 weeks of picking.

Zucchini and summer squash- I grow over a dozen different varieties all are good for different uses and reasons such as: Lemon Zucchini- very productive. Ronde De Nice and Tondo Scuro Di Piacenza (heirloom Eight Ball)- both are round zucchini, these are one of my favorites for stuffing. Patty Pan Squash- I love patty pan squash for stuffing and stir frying, they have less of the seed cavity (as long as picked young) and much more meat to them. I thing as far as summer squash goes the patty pans are my favorite.

Extra Dwarf Pak Choy- grows really fast making them easier to grow then the common full sized version. Which has always been good for me since it seems like I always have trouble with flea beetles. Plus they are just so cute.

Red celery is a good one too. One thing I do with the celery is cut it young and cook with the stem and leaves. If you cut it young it has lots and lots of flavor and it is not tough like the stuff in the store when cooked.

Tomatoes- I probably should not even get stared with tomatoes because I have not counted in a while but I probably grow somewhere around 40 to 50 different varieties. I grow pretty much every color of cherry tomato there is, but a couple of my favorites are White Currant- a very tiny but very tasty yellow currant tomato and Black Cherry- purple cherry tomato. Stuffing tomatoes are also really cool. They look just like a bell pepper and are hollow inside.

I also like collards, most people do not know what to do with them but I think they can be a good substitute for cabbage. I especially like to use them for collard rolls ( instead of cabbage rolls). It is much easier to work with and I think it is much more tender and flavorful.

Purple carrots are another good one. If you get the really dark purple ones from Johnny's (not sure of the name without looking it up) and use them in soup they will color the soup the most beautiful shade of purple.

Speaking of purple, Purple Peruvian Fingerling Potatoes, are the coolest purple potatoes. They are the darkest shade of purple inside and out and make the craziest mashed potatoes you will ever see, had some purple mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving this year and it was awesome! They are a little pricey though, but if you ask me are worth it.

Lemon Cucumbers are another good one and also one of my personal favorites Mexican Sour Gherkin Cucumber, they are about the size of your fingernail and are perfect for snacking or adding to salads.

Well I should probably stop now because I could (and would) go on forever!
I get most of my seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, they have a very large selection of different unusual veggies. It is a awesome and yet evil catalog, just because I want to grow everything.

Kevin, thanks for that additional info. I will definitely make sure to get my other seeds started tonight and not postpone it any longer.

Bagardens, thanks for all those suggestions. I've wondered about the round zucchini, but wasn't really sure what to do with something that shape. Stuffing is a great idea. I've also been curious about the Mexican Sour Gherkin Cucumber. I hadn't realized they were that small though. Most of the rest of your suggestions I'm trying, one variety or another. I'm super excited to try the purple carrots. Not only do I love carrots, but purple is my favorite color! And as for Baker Creek... Yeah, let's just say I had to put myself on "buying seed restriction" after my holiday adventures (and the catalog didn't help!).

Much thanks to everyone for all this info. I've picked up several good ideas so far, as well as some valuable pepper info.

Artichokes are great to grow and although they do take up a lot of room I planted a bed of wine cap mushrooms around mine last year that loved the shade, just an idea for something different.

'Wasabi' arugula came quickly to mind for me. It tastes just like wasabi and is easy to grow like arugula. The plant stays pretty compact. Here's some that I just planted out a few days ago:

Here is a link that might be useful: 'Wasabi' arugula

Gregkdc1, I wish I could grow artichokes, but to illustrate how tight I am on space, I took out my lawn in the front yard this year, just so I could have a garden. My back yard is almost completely shaded. There are a ton of wild artichokes growing in town though. I was actually thinking of harvesting some of the wild ones when they are in season.

Mrclint, that's an interesting one. I've never even heard of it. I have regular arugula. I'll have to look into the wasabi one.

I love my Rat's Tail Radish, Raphanus caudatus.

Rhizo_1, that looks like a good one. I'm going to put that on my "want" list for the seed trading forum. If you happen to check back up on this post, how do you prepare yours?

I am growing an Indian eggplant. Fruits are just like EGGs, just a tad bigger. So the name is meaningful.
I am also growing a pepper called "Bishop's Crown". I look forward to harvesting them.
O' and another one: Corn Salad , also called Machet (sp?).

Seysonn, is that the ornamental only eggplant, or is that one edible? I do have Corn Salad seeds. And although I don't have Bishop's Crown, I do have a nice variety of other peppers.

bishop's crown, peter pepper. Don't worry erica, they both are phallic ;)

Kevin

This post was edited by woohooman on Fri, Mar 14, 14 at 0:09

Lol. Thanks Kevin. I guess there's no such thing as too many peters... errr, peppers. ;)

Baker Creek is well-named (rare seeds), they have a lot of uncommon cultivars.

This year I'm trying edible gourd, litchi tomato and african horned melon, and the hyacinth bean. The great thing about "rare" or unusual vegetables is that they are often land-races, and if you find one well-adapted to your conditions then get back. Catawissa walking onion in the northern regions, for example.

The bad thing about rare vegetables, for most of us in north america, is that they are often uncommonly grown because they are tropical. Super experts can raise them with a great deal of effort outside the tropics but for most it's a waste of time. Cassabanana and tree tomato as a couple of examples.

I love, love, love Gailan (Kailan). It grows like broccoli raab, tastes like tender broccoli, regrows for multiple cuttings, and can be direct seeded in mid April here. About 55 days to first cutting. What a great veggie!

Erica, rat's tails are great raw....fresh off the plant, in salads, or as a dipping veggie. I slice them to add to the sushi rolls I make, and toss them into a quick stir fry. I haven't pickled them, but no doubt that they would be great.

This is a summer crop, unlike their radish cousins.

Mr.Clint, thanks for the Wasabi arugula suggestion. That sounds very tasty.

This post was edited by rhizo_1 on Fri, Mar 14, 14 at 9:11

Erica, .... Indian (from India) eggplants are edible. I got my seeds from store bough. They are sold in Asian markets, along with Chinese. Japanese, Thain and Italian eggplants.

Pnbrown, you are definitely going to have some rare veggies growing this year. Although I have heard of the 4 you listed (edible gourd, litchi tomato, african horned melon, and hyacinth bean), I didn't get seeds for any of those. Most of those I heard of from Baker Creek, but the litchi tomato I first heard about from John (GrowingYourGreens) on YouTube. He posts some great/informative videos on gardening, if anyone hasn't heard of him.

Lacyvail, I'm glad to hear that you're giving kai'lan such rave reviews. I'm actually trying that this year. I just planted out a couple transplants the other day and so far they look happy and healthy.

Rhizo_1, thanks for the use suggestions on the rat's tail. I had read that they could be used for salads, stir fry and pickling, but I figured that asking someone who actually grows them would yield more valuable info. And it did! I would never have thought to use them for a dipping veggie or in sushi.

Seysonn, thanks for the info. I have tried growing cuttings from store-bought veggies (lemon grass, onion roots, spring onions, lettuce) and even collected seeds from pumpkin, butternut squash, tomatoes and peppers, but it hadn't dawned on me to try collecting eggplant seeds. What a great idea!

Much thanks to everyone who is contributing to this thread! I'm loving the great collaboration of ideas.

Interesting but since for the most part you all are talking about novel varieties of commmon vegetables, i thought I would add to the unusual vegetables.
Amaranth: several species, but commonly grouped as vegetable (Asian) and grain (Mexican)
Groundnut: Apios americana, bears edible beans and edible tubers.
Chuffa: Cyperus esculentus Ground Almond
Ground Cherry: Already mentioned same genus as tomatillos but available in several species. Husk tomato
Jerusalem artichoke: Helianthus tuberosus sold in Grocery stotes as sunchoke, A sunflower with Tubers.
Jicama:Pachyrhizus erosus Mexican Yam
Mexican Sour Gherkin: Melothria scabra
West India Gherkin:Cucumis anguria

Farmerdill, that's a great list! Some of the things you mentioned, I am growing: a couple varieties of amaranth, ground cherries, and jerusalem artichokes. I'm going to have to look into groundnuts, chuffa, and west India gherkin, as those 3 I have never even heard of.

Lol... After my research I realize that I have heard of groundnuts, ie peanuts. I had just never heard that term.

Thanks for your contribution to this thread!

This post was edited by EricaBraun on Fri, Mar 14, 14 at 18:04

I've been wanting to try groundnut for a long time, never seem to get around to it.

Sunchoke has taken over large parts of my home garden. Not satisfied with that, I have this year got it growing in my FL garden. Be interesting to see if it is more or less aggressive.

Erica. The ground nut (Apios americana) is a totally different plant from the peanut (Arachis hypogaea) altho the it sometimes also called a ground nut. Another leafy vegetable ( somewhat like a smooth leaf kale) is rape (Brassica napus var. oleifera) Use to be quite popular for winter greens and hog pasture

{{gwi:29788}}

Ohhhh, that's very cool, Farmerdill. I looked into those groundnuts using the scientific name and they look like an interesting crop. Even the flowers are pretty. That definitely looks like something I'd like to grow. I'm so glad you clarified that, or I would have never known of that unique crop. The rape looks good too. I'm a fan of brassicas, so it's probably something I'd like.

Pnbrown, I had read that sunchokes are quite invasive, so I put them in a raised bed with my potatoes. I'm hoping that they can do their own thing without causing much harm there.

Great topic, Erica! Awesome that you tore out your front lawn...John would be proud! (I am a GYGfan too)

I am looking for *really* heat tolerant greens. I will be trying malabar spinach for that, for the first time. Have you tried it? Do you have other summer greens....is that amaranth for leaves or seeds?

Bdot_z9_ca, I have malabar spinach that I am trying for the first time. I tried 4 seeds and got 2 to sprout. They are about an inch tall so far. I think I'm actually going to try them inside the house in my hydroponic unit. As far as my amaranth, I have both grain and greens types. I'm really looking forward to trying both. Unfortunately the couple I transplanted outside haven't survived the heat, so I think I'm going to try seeding them directly outside.

Hi Erica, regarding the okra, I should have said, it was in specific reference to my zone 2b with cool summers. All of the varieties you listed with the possible exception of Burgundy are known to be great performers in zones with hot summers. You shouldn't have any issues at all.

Slimy_Okra, that's great news! Since I've never grown okra before, I'd be excited with even a minimal amount of production, but I will be thrilled if a couple of the varieties end up being heavy producers. :)

Slimy_0kra, you have another unusual vegetable on the way.

Two unusual veggies volunteer in my garden every year; Martynia and Litchi tomato. Both are rather anti-social plants (Martynia for its smell, Litchi tomato for its thorns) but I always let a few grow if they come up in an out-of-the-way location... and that is all that is necessary for me to keep a supply of fresh seed.

I love unusual greens. Swiss chard is my main green for freezing, but my #2 green is kang kong (a.k.a. water spinach), which is a morning glory relative grown for its edible leaves & shoots. The first planting is from seed, but after the first harvest, I root & plant the stems. After two such plantings, the final harvest of the summer is large - that one gets frozen for the winter. This is a great hot-weather substitute for spinach; as long as it is kept watered, it thrives on hot weather.

If you are unable to find water spinach, sweet potato leaves are similar... not surprising, since they are both in the morning glory family. Not all varieties are good for leaves, though; the best ones for that purpose can be found in Asian markets, where you might also find water spinach. Both can be easily rooted from stem cuttings.

Egyptian spinach (a.k.a. Saluyot, Molokhia, Jew's Mallow) is another reliable hot-weather green. The leaves are mint-like in appearance, and very mild in flavor. When cooked, the leaves are mucilaginous much like okra, so they are good for thickening soups. They also go great with fish.

All of the greens above have something in common - the more you cut them, the stronger they get.

Moringa is a fast-growing tropical tree grown for its edible leaves. They are very high in protein, and also have anti-biotic properties. This is probably not a good crop for those with limited space, since the yield is fairly low... but DW makes a soup from the leaves which is to die for, so I grow some every year. Many years ago, I grew some in pots to over-winter; but it was a pain to move those large pots in & out, so now I just grow a lot of plants in the garden, grown as annuals. They will reach 4-5 feet in height by the end of the summer, and yield 3-4 pickings.

This year, I will be trying Caihua, a tropical climbing gourd that is edible immature. I have also grown Achocha (which is closely related) and found it to be rather tasteless, so I am hoping Caihua will be an improvement.

Bitter melon is a vegetable I grow every year; while we eat a little, we give most of it away to some Filipino friends. It serves other important purposes in the garden: as a wind break (the vines densely cover the trellis); to both attract & isolate pollinators (it blooms continuously all summer); and for the scent of the blossoms, which is very fragrant.

Some years I grow Mexican Sour Gherkin and West Indian Gherkin, but not this year.

Anyone who has visited the Bean Forum knows I am a bean fanatic, so if a bean relative can be grown to seed in my climate, I will grow it. I am particularly fond of yardlong beans, and grow several varieties each year.

Someone on another forum sent me a hyacinth bean which, if accounts are true, could be highly unusual. Most hyacinth beans are climbers, and because they only flower in short days (in or near September) they will not produce seed in Northern latitudes. This one, though, is supposed to be a bush variety which will bear seed in Wisconsin... so I am really looking forward to this trial.

This year I will also be growing a yellow mung bean from the Philippines, and a large-seeded reddish-brown garbanzo.

And "Madras", an edible-podded radish.

Probably a few more oddities, but I've been growing some of them so long I no longer think of them as unusual. Here's a good group photo from one year:
{{gwi:29789}}

I started a similar "unusual vegetable" thread many years ago, but it seems to have fallen off the cliff.

Edit: Found it, link below

Here is a link that might be useful: Unusual vegetables

This post was edited by zeedman on Sun, Mar 16, 14 at 23:56

Hey, thanks zeedman! I hope they don't get held up too long at Customs. Did you send them off recently?

Zeedman, that's a great list! A lot of the stuff you listed I haven't even heard of: Martynia, water spinach, Caihua, Achocha, and Madras. You did list a couple things that I am growing this year: Egyptian spinach, Swiss chard, and a few varieties of beans (including long). There were a lot of great ideas there. Thank you so much for sharing.

Erica, I lived & gardened in San Diego & the Bay area for 16 years... so noting your location, there are quite a few additional things I could suggest. It all depends, I suppose, on how much time, space, and water you have available.

- C. pubescens peppers (such as Manzano and Rocoto) are long-season peppers which are best grown as perennials. They will form small bushes. You might have to cover them & maybe place a heat source under the cover if a frost or freeze is expected.
- I think someone might have suggested Pepino (Solanum muricatum), but if not you might want to look into it. Another perennial, frost sensitive plant.
- Winged bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus) a long-season bean grown not only for its 4-sided pods, but for its edible leaves & tubers.
- Hyacinth bean (Dolichos lablab) and Sword bean (Canavalia gladiata) are rampant climbing beans. Both can be either edible or toxic, depending upon what part is eaten when... but they are both spectacular plants which are fragrant in bloom.
- Chayote squash (Sechium edule) are rampantly climbing perennial squash. These are the pear-shaped squash sold mostly in Asian markets. These vines need a lot of space & a large, strong trellis; but given that, can produce as much as 100 squashes per vine in their second year. This was easily the most interesting & rewarding plant I grew in California.
- Malabar gourd (a.k.a. Chilcayote, Figleaf Gourd) is another perennial squash that requires a huge growing area. I never had a chance to grow it in SoCal, but when I grew it here, the vines ran 20 feet even in my short summers. Like many tropical vegetables, it requires short days to bloom, so I was only able to harvest the immature squash; but you should be able to get them to mature. The immature squash are also good, look up recipes by their Chinese name of Shark Fin Melon (there is a good thread about them on the GW Asian Vegetable forum).
- Yacon (Polymnia sonchifolia) is a sunflower relative that forms edible tubers. These are nothing like their relatives the Jerusalem artichokes; the tubers are roughly the size & shape of small sweet potatoes, and very sweet. Like many Andean root crops, they require short days to stimulate tuber production, but that is obviously not a problem in the warmer zones of California.

If you have trouble locating any of these, contact me... but most should have California sources.

Zeedman, thanks for the additional information. All of these things that you are suggesting sound marvelous (although I might not have room for a 20 foot vine). I am trying a manzano pepper this year. I didn't even know that black-seeded peppers existed until a couple months ago. Your mention of the rocoto is the first I've heard of that one though. I have heard of winged beans, but I was not aware that the leaves and tubers of the plant were also edible. That makes it all the more desirable. The Yacon is another thing that I've recently become aware of. That is actually something that went on my seed/plant exchange want list, shortly after I heard of it. Apparently that is another one with edible roots, as well as leaves. It is supposedly quite healthy.

I did send you an email after your first posting. I'd love to be able to do a seed trade with you, if I happen to have anything you might be interested in.

Again, thank you for all the great information. It is much appreciated.