suddath's strain brandywine is definitely a keeper for me. large and delicious.

love red russian kale - that will be a staple for us. Very productive over a long time. going to seed didn't effect it too much - still harvested the leaves and the flower stalks used like rapini.

Bush Pink Banana Winter squash is definitely going back into my garden. Can be picked as a summer or winter squash, and doesn't take as much room as the larger vining type. I'd call it a semi bush actually. Also zuchetta tromboncino rampicante is a summer squash that is in the c. moschata family [which is definitely resistant to svb from my own experience.] I've never grown that particular variety, but moschatas are a surefire winner for me; I haven't grown a c. moschata yet that was killed by svb. The Tromboncino Rampicante is going in my potager next year, with a ladder trellis, since I'm tired of my zuchini always dying from something.
Fortex filet beans are going in again next year. Definitely a keeper; we love the taste as well as the extra long, slender, stringless beans. They look beautiful on tripod trellises.
If anyone finds a cucumber that cucumber beetles aren't attracted to, definitely let us know!!! I haven't found one yet........

Thanks for the input. t-bird, is the kale much affected by cabbage moths? posyplanter- your squash and bean pics are going on my list. Is the taste of tromboncino similar to a zucchini?

Keepers:
Spacemaster cucumbers: Vines are only 3 feet or so long. I had them planted in the same hill as the hybrid Salad Bush, which are MUCH longer vines. The Salad Bush cucumbers are delicious and prolific, but every single one has little worms in them (is that Cucumber beetle?), but the Spacemasters do not. (They are very good tasting. No bitterness at all.) Next year, cucumbers are going on a trellis, as I have read they produce more heavily that way.
I should think they'd be easier to find that way too.

Pung Tung Long Asian Eggplants: Wow. I picked 5 or 6 every single week from my one plant. And they are absolutely delicious. I doubt I will ever grow any other kind. The plants are nice looking too.

Kentucky Wonder Pole Beans:
This was my first year for them. They make really long vines, but they waited much longer than my others to stop producing in the heat, and have picked up again even though temps are still in the low nineties. They're yummy too. (not stringless) The vines still look super healthy.

Louisiana Purple Pod Pole Beans: Still my all-time favorite tasting and beautiful looking beans. However, they looked so bad by July that I pulled them up and re-planted. I am going to try Fortex next year, but I will always grow these too.

Zipper Cream Crowder peas: They are lovely plants, easy to pick, and crop up fast. I had two complete crops this summer. Love them.

Still looking:
for a tomato that doesn't get early blight, but is productive and delicious. I've had lots of fruit, but the vines are so ugly...

SVB resistant yellow crookneck squash....sigh. Maybe next year I'll grow them under row covers and pollinate them by hand...

Won't mess with cantaloupes again. What the worms didn't eat, the critters did. Not a single edible ripe melon. The vines were LONG, Long, long, and messy. No way did they earn their space. :(

All in all, it was a beautiful and productive garden this year. I started planting fall veggies this week.

We have had a difficult garden year, it will take a while to get all of our beds built and the soil built up, hopefully next year there will not be any crises during garden season to but some of my keepers would be:

1. Dinosaur kale (a tall, Italian variety). I prefer a bumpier kale when roasting so this one is it. Red Russian has produced well for me in the past though.

2. Round zucchini: The plant is much more compact and well behaved and the zucchini are great stuffed. Dh wants to plant a row of them so he can make a big batch of stuffed zucchini to take to potlucks.

3. Zuchini costata romanesco (probably spelled wrong) this plant is big but the flavor of the zucchini is unparalleled, very nutty.

4. Thai basil: I have to work on starting it from seed because my growing season is on the shorter side so I need a few plants but I adore the flavor, great for Asian coleslaw.

5. San Marzano tomatoes: This plant was vigorous for me and produced a lot of tomatoes. Next year I will just plant more.

I need to be on the look out for peppers that will do good here. I won't bother growing green chile, I can get that good and cheap here in New Mexico (and roasted) but the big block peppers do not do well in my mountain climate. Next year I will begin the search for ones that will do well for me.

ali-b,

I haven't had any probs with cabbage worms on anything, that might change since the neighbors planted a big cabbage family garden with lots of broc, cauliflower, etc, and got all their starts from a garden center.....

I just started gardening last year, and think I was the only one in the area doing so, the squirrels were so destructive, I found out why no one was, lol! That has changed, however, with many new dogs in the area.

I've seen a few of the small white butterflies - that is the end result of the cabbage worm, isn't it?