8 Surprising Must-Have Seeds for Your Vegetable Garden
A James Beard Award-winning chef and a farmer to Michelin-starred chefs weigh in on what to grow this season.
Written by Kristin Guy
Sunset Magazine
Feb 15, 2023
Excerpt:
No matter how long you’ve been in the garden game, seed catalog browsing can feel like an endurance sport. Equal parts exciting and anxiety-inducing, one can’t help but feel slightly overwhelmed with the choices. So many pretty pictures, so many delicious ideas… too many plants bookmarked. Yet, our eyes glaze over with possibilities!
Each year I’m always amused by a few wild card cultivars that seem to have gotten the PR treatment as the “coolest thing to be growing” this year. While I’m hesitant to attach the word “trendy” or “must have” onto any sort of plant, I do think experimenting and trying a few “of the moment” seeds is essential to learn and grow not only as a gardener, but as a home cook.
That being said, there are a few seeds I want to give a little extra horticultural hype to this year. A few home-grown culinary considerations that just might perk up your kitchen and give you bragging rights within your own growing circle. So I invited a James Beard Award-winning chef, Brandon Jew, and Aaron Choi, owner of specialty farm Girl & Dug, to ponder the produce worth growing this season.
Whether you’re a newbie to filling your raised bed with green goodness, or a seasoned guardian of the garden, we think these choice plants just might become new favorites. Besides, who doesn’t love a little plot-to-plate challenge and the victory dance that (sometimes, not always) comes along with it on harvest day? Let’s grow!
