Clemson Spineless okra
Pinkeye Purplehull field peas
Florida Speckled pole butterbeans
Black Beauty eggplant
Seminole pumpkin
Green Striped cushaw
Truckers Favorite dent corn
Hickory King dent corn

There's more, but they don't come to mind at the moment.

.....Alan.

The "Taylor's Guide...." is a pretty good book. Ben Watson did a fine job. But keep in mind that it is a bit dated, and there were some inaccuracies even when it was first published. Even so, it's not a bad begginer's primer.

It's always hard to list "best" anything, because everyone has different interests and tastes. But here are a few that you might find of interest:

Beans: My all time favorite is Tobacco Worm, which is the standard against which I judge all pole beans. I also like the group collectively known as "six week beans" because they make good follow-up crops. My favorite among them is Bailey's Six Week bean, a commercial version of which is sold as "Red Peanut."

Turnips: I really like the Amber Globe, which is a very old variety that's said to be the closest to the 18th century Dutch Yellow.

Summer Squash: Yellow Crookneck is my choice, here. It's much tastier than any of the straightnecks, and is historically important because it is pre-Columbian.

Cowpeas: The original Whippoorwill can't be beat.

Butterbean: Snow On The Mountain, an old butterbean dated to the 1880s.

Okra: I have two I particularly like; Betty's White, an heirloom from North Carolina; and Jimmy T, an heirloom from Kentucky. Both seem to do well throughout the south.

Cucumbers: Little White is a favorite for historical reasons, but not for taste. It's one that Jefferson grew. For taste and overall usefullness, I like Straight 8.

I don't know how much longer to go with this, as you didn't specify what types of veggies you might be interested in. If you're interested in regional heirlooms, I would also suggest you join AHSC (the Appalachian Heirloom Seed Conservancy), which is directly involved with preserving the edible heritage of the mountain south. We have members in Georgia who might have a better fix on heirlooms of your state. For details, contact AHSC at KentuckySeeds@hotmail.com.

Thanks guys,

Yes, I see now that my inquiry was a little open-ended. Since our property is small and we are growing primarily for local farmers markets, we concentrate on high density, high value crops like tomatoes, lettuce, snow and snap peas, garlic, cucumbers and summer squash. You gave us a good start, and I'd like to get a copy of your newsletter (e-mail coming).

Is there garlic "seed" (meaning bulbs) in your Living Seed Bank?

Thanks again,
Ron (and Patty)

There are no curators, as such, for garlic, Ron. But many of our members do grow garlic, multiplying onions, etc. on an on-going basis.

Indeed, Tom Greenwood, who's an authority on multiplying onions, will be giving a presentation about them at our fall conference in October.

So I'm sure you'll find plenty of trading opportunities if you decide to join us.

Meanwhile, if you're interested in garlic, come on over to the Alliums forum, here at GW. That's where the garlicheads mostly hang out.

I'm in the Northeast, not the Southeast, but I have developed an interest in Southern veggies. I have planted Cow Horn okra, whipoorwill peas, pink eye purple hull peas and Jackson Wonder butterbeans.

I have a question about the Jackson Wonders. I planted them in a row as bush beans. I hope that is right. They aren't pole beans like Florida Speckles are they?

Jim

Yes, the Jackson Wonders are bush limas. Haven't grown them in a long time since I've come to prefer the Florida Speckled.

.....Alan.