Northern Vegetable Grower

by Joseph
(Adrian, MN. U.S.A.)

I am in Southern Minnesota, the weather can be difficult to deal with when it comes to growing vegetables. I find using an early and cold tolerant tomato such as Sub Arctic or Cold Set helps, and covering them with "wall of water" one can get the earliest tomatoes.

Also I pick plants that mature early as frost can come early some years, though the average date is October 5th, it can be much earlier.

I grow some Asian vegetable plants as my wife is Chinese Filipino. I find yard long beans and chinese cabbage good, but regular cabbage is easier to grow. I plant both the large type for fall, and early Jersey Wakefield for mid summer use, (they are small and very sweet).

Lettuce (bibb and loose leaf, normally Black Seed Simpson, with Prize Head). Onions, Sweet Spanish, Candy, and All Star varieties, green and jalapinio peppers, (I like the bell, my wife likes spice).

Pole beans, and of course a lot of potatoes. Used to plant Norland, and Early Red, now I plant Yukon Gold and Goldrush.

I also send many pounds to Zambia to a church work there. Mostly they like the old open pollination types I can get in bulk here cheap. Rutgers tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, Danish ball head and chinese cabbage, and nante carrots are their favorites.