When it comes to my garden, originally I was after flavour and ease of care (especially being a new gardener) but in the last few years I've really found that most things you grow at home taste a million times better then store bought no matter the variety. With a quickly growing family and very long cold winters, now quantity and freezing quality is the most important to me.
Zucchini does't freeze very well so doesn't taste as good frozen as it does fresh; but I froze a whole bunch and added a little into pasta sauce once a week. Even though I grew piles of the stuff, and was literally begging people to take some from me, I ran out of zucchini mid-winter. Before I grew it this year, I didn't think I liked zucchini, but it was so yummy!
I also froze beans, peas and peppers and we ate all of those as well. While I won't have the time this year (literally the number of days because of the move) to grow enough in the garden, I'm going to try. For next year I'm aiming to carry us right through the winter with frozen (or canned!) vegetables.
In a couple cases (like beans) I may grow two different varieties, one for fresh and one for freezing.
Non-hybrids (true heirlooms or not) are also important to me only because I want to be able to save my seeds from year to year. There is absolutely nothing wrong with hybrids, it just means that you're getting a cross of two different strains of the vegetable, so you won't get consistent plant from the next generation of seed (like a mutt dog).
My criteria for choosing variety:
#1 Number of days to maturity
#2 Freezing quality/taste after freezing
#3 Quantity of produce vs Space/care requirements
#4 Non-hybrids for seed saving
Ask at your local nursery, check with other local gardeners and research before you buy. Seed packets are sold on their descriptions, most of which say nothing helpful about the actual plant, and can be down-right misleading at times (depending on where you are buying from).
Your criteria make a lot of sense!
ReplyDeleteJason