Vegetable Variety Selection In Northern & Cold Climate Gardens

OK, you've asked us over and over again. The question always comes up about "what varieties do you grow?" And we've always been a bit cagey about it. Not because we're hiding anything, we talk about the varieties we grow all the time! The reason we don't make a list is really because we think about that question in a very different way than the people who are asking it.Show more

As somewhat advanced gardeners, we think it's much more important to understand "why" you might select a particular variety. Over the years, we've seen how varieties can come and go. We've witnessed how a particular genetic might be super popular one season and then all of a sudden vanish from all seed houses on earth the next. What then? Practically every "variety list" we've ever laid eyes on is out of date with obsolete, unobtainable genetics. Or maybe you'd have to order from a dozen different seed houses to get everything.

Not just that, but in our cold climate growing research, we've learned that variety selection is really only important with certain types of plants. For the overwhelming majority of veggies out there, the variety you choose isn't going to make a bit of difference. So, if it looks good to you, grow it! Assuming you can learn to grow that plant, you'll likely have success.

But, we have been thinking about this question and how we might want to answer it. And we've figured out how we'll answer this question in a way that satisfies us. And hopefully it'll also satisfy you.

We picked the 10 veggies where variety selection is actually going to matter in cool, northern gardens. Instead of just giving you a list of varieties, we talk about the traits that we're looking for, some of the techniques we use and answer the "why" behind our variety selection process. The astute among you will note that we do show and tell you some of the actual varieties we use. And if you stick with us, we're bound to give away countless more "variety secrets" that we aren't really keeping.

We think approaching this question in this way will be much more informative and will set you up with the skill sets needed to select your own varieties. We don't really want to see a growing culture where everyone is doing the same thing. We want to learn from you, and you can learn from us. We will all benefit more this way. People really don't talk about this, but in a lot of ways, extreme northern gardening is really in its infancy compared to agriculture elsewhere. Most of our land's people were migratory hunter gatherer cultures not all that long ago. It's really important that we all experiment, try different things and figure out what works and what doesn't!

We know this video is long, it's our longest to date! And it's because this is a hard question to answer properly. But, we do hope you enjoy it! Let us know what you think!

We do mention some links in the video, so here you go!

If you're looking for this video in essentially written form, here's where you want to go:
https://frostygarden.com/topics/variety-selection-subarcitc-northern-gardens/

In our vegetable specific growing guides, we mention tons of specific varieties and get into the specific genetics, veggie by veggie. We offer a lot more options here:
https://frostygarden.com/topics/#growing-guides

And of course, we offer a vast array of cold climate gardening topics. Beginner to advanced, you're bound to find something that interests you!
https://FrostyGarden.com

# 0:00 Introduction
# 0:24 What We're Going To Do
# 1:06 Variety Usually Doesn't Matter
# 1:32 Cold Hardy Veggies Rule!
# 2:01 Variety Lists
# 2:41 Variety Selection Techniques
# 3:33 Additional Resources
# 3:51 Broccoli Varieties
# 5:05 Cauliflower Varieties
# 6:06 Brussels Sprouts Varieties
# 7:29 Artichoke Varieties
# 8:50 Bean Varieties
# 10:44 Onion Varieties
# 12:32 Tomato Varieties
# 15:25 Cucumber Varieties
# 17:43 Squash Varieties
# 20:17 Onion Varieties
# 22:34 Rolling Out