Less Common Vegetables You Will Want To Grow

By Carol Miller|Updated: December 13, 2023

Albino (Seeds by Design)

‘Albino’ is a white beet with sweet roots, good beet flavor and does not stain. Perfect for fresh market. Grows throughout the U.S. Matures in 50 days. https://www.seedsbydesign.com/seed/Beets-White-Albino

Bayhorse (Rupp Seeds)

Disease package: IR: PM A slightly elevated hybrid pumpkin with strikingly gorgeous, very dark-orange fruit and elongated, dark handle. ‘Bayhorse Gold’ can be used on any farm, retail or wholesale. It produces consistent and uniform, large pumpkins. Just give ‘Bayhorse’ room to run, so that its’ pumpkins will reach 40-count size. Plant no more than 1,700 seeds per acre. Matures in 100 days. https://www.ruppseeds.com/vegetables/products/pumpkins/large/bayhorse-gold

Big Deal (Sakata Seed America)

Disease package: IR: Px Average weight: 25 to 30 pounds ‘Big Deal’ is a heavy pumpkin! It’s dark orange with a large, dark-green handle that match the size of the extra-large fruit. ‘Big Deal’ has a strong vigorous plant. Matures in 100 days, from direct seed. https://sakatavegetables.com/vegetable/big-deal/

Black Bear (Aneta Jacobs and Dr. Lindsay Wyatt at Johnny's Selected Seeds)

Disease package: IR: PM Average weight: 1 to 1.5 pounds NEW! A vast improvement over other specialty, ornamental pumpkins on the market. ‘Black Bear’ stays black (it does not ripen to any other color), and provides a beautiful contrast to orange and white pumpkins. The cute, small, "true pumpkin" shape makes it ideal for autumn decorations. It’s high yielding, exceptionally uniform, and early-to-harvest. Our thanks to UNH for working with us to develop this variety. Matures in 80 days. JohnnySeeds.com

Buffalo Bill Hero okra (Seedway)

NEW! ‘Buffalo Bill 91’ is an early, hybrid okra with a vigorous, open, somewhat short, plant. The pods are dark-green in color and stay tender. They are larger in size than ‘Clemson Spineless’. The leaf petioles (leaf stems) are nearly spineless, so ‘Buffalo Bill 91’ is more comfortable to harvest. Growers from the mid-Atlantic north and through the mid-west will be able to harvest weeks before ‘Clemson Spineless’. The well-branched plants contribute to an overall excellent yield. Okra is not known to be a transplant crop, it can work, and this would be very good for home garden plant sales. Matures in 43 days. https://www.seedway.com/product/buffalo-bill-91-okra-seed-not-treated/

Cannellini (Terra Organics )

These ‘Canellini’ beans grow 6-to-8-inch pods. A staple in Italian cuisine, very hearty beans. A nice fresh market choice! Matures in 85 days. SeedsbyDesign.com

Duchess (Dr. Lindsay Wyatt at Johnny's Selected Seeds)

Disease package: IR: PM Average weight: 19 to 21 pounds ‘Duchess’ is more than just a pretty pumpkin! This large Jack-o'-Lantern first caught our attention in the breeding nursery. Every year in our trials we observe big yields, consistent quality, and strong powdery mildew resistance. The same predictability and low cull rates as ‘Renegade PMR’, but larger, and with a unique look. Our thanks to UNH for working with us to develop this variety. Matures in 100 days. https://www.johnnyseeds.com/vegetables/pumpkins/jack-o-lanterns/duchess-f1-pumpkin-seed-4422.html

Easter Egg Mix (Terra Organics)

‘Easter Egg Mix’ contains a beautiful mixture of round colorful radishes. Popular for fresh market and can be grown in containers. Region: Throughout the U.S. Matures in 28 to 32 days. https://www.seedsbydesign.com/seed/Radish-Easter-Egg-Mix

Fiesta (Dennis Demshar, Jim Iverson, and University of New Hampshire, Crookham Company)

Disease package: IR to common corn diseases ‘Fiesta’ is a dependable ‘go to’ for early maturing ornamentals. Over the years, Crookham’s popcorn breeders have boosted the expressive colors in the kernels. They also furthered the agronomics while keeping ‘Fiesta’s’ uniformity intact. Matures in 100 days. https://www.crookham.com/products/us/fiesta

Green Eggs n Ham F1 (Outstanding Seed Company LLC)

Disease package: PM Average weight: 30 pounds ‘Green Eggs n Ham F1’ has large, flat multi-colored fruit that are great for stacking. Colors including dark forest green, salmon orange, seafoam green, and medium blue. Matures in 100 days. https://outstandingseed.com/shop/stacking-pumpkins/green-eggs-n-ham-f1-pumpkin/

Kettle Corn F1 (Outstanding Seed Company LLC)

Disease package: PM Average weight: 15 to 25 pounds Most fruit of Kettle Corn F1 are covered with large warts. Fruits are buttery yellow and have green stripes and mottling. Matures in 95 days. https://outstandingseed.com/shop/pumpkins/kettle-corn-f1/

Large Pumpkin Pileup (Gowan Seed Company)

Average weight: 15 to 25 pounds Elevate your fall display with this colorful blend of larger stacking pumpkins. Colors include white, red, blue, pink, and orange. ‘Large Pumpkin Pileup’ ensures an eye-catching presentation for your retail farm market! Matures in 95 to 105 days. GowanSeed.com

Red Atlas (Pure Line Seeds Inc., Stokes Seeds Inc.)

Disease package: T: Bolt, Drought ‘Red Atlas’ is a hybrid beet that has high yielding, extremely uniform-shaped. It’s consistent with quality, and used for processing and fresh market topped beet production. Matures in 55 days. https://us.stokeseeds.com/online-catalog/beet.html

Silver Queen (Seeds by Design)

‘Silver Queen’ is a productive okra variety. The pods average 7 inches long and plant grows to 6 feet tall. This tender okra delivers at fresh market with great flavor! Matures in 80 days. https://www.seedsbydesign.com/seed/Okra-Silver-Queen

Small Pumpkin Pileup (Gowan Seed Company)

Average weight: 5 to 10 pounds A charming assortment of smaller stacking pumpkins. Colors include blue, green, pink, red-orange, and white. ‘Small Pumpkin Pileup’ is perfect for creating an enchanting and diverse farm market display! Matures in 90 to 100 days. GowanSeed.com

Sparkle RZ (Rijk Zwaan)

Crop: Arugula Type: Salad Rocket Round leaf Resistance: None Days to maturity: Summer 25 days, Winter 45 days Regions: U.S. and Canada Other Attributes: Sparkle RZ has consistent peppery flavor above the norm for salad rockets. It has long shelf life that delays yellowing and decomposition by a few days compared to other salad rockets. https://rijkzwaanusa.com/vegetable-seeds/rocket/sparkle-rz-88-001-prdES10000-ctgCrops.rocket

Stokes Stacker Mix (Colorado Seed Inc., Stokes Seeds)

‘Stokes Stacker Mix’ is a unique mixture of four flattened, slightly ribbed pumpkins. This fall ornamental variety is perfect for stacking. A Stokes Exclusive! Matures in 100 to 110 days. https://us.stokeseeds.com/online-catalog/pumpkin.html

Summer Dance (Takii & Company, Ltd.)

Disease package: HR: DM, PM, IR: Cca, TSP, T: heat stress. A Japanese burpless hybrid cucumber. ‘Summer Dance’ produces uniform fruit that is glossy and a deep-green color. The average length is 8.5 to 9 inches. It’s suitable for open field, vigorous grower producing many lateral vines for high yields, sow April through July. A monoecious flowering habit (medium number of female). The fruit is crispy and juicy. Matures in 60 days. https://www.takii.com/product/summer-dance/

Ugly Dumpling (Rupp Seeds)

While at first glance ‘Ugly Dumpling’ may not have great eye appeal, our trial partners tell us its one of the best tasting winter squash they’ve ever tried. Its’ unique appearance makes this Sweet Dumpling an option for fall decoration too! Matures in 100 days. Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLeSJn6FFK8 https://www.ruppseeds.com/vegetables/products/squash/winter-squash/winter-delicata-sweet-dumpling/ugly-dumpling

Whitaker RZ (Rijk Zwaan)

Crop: Romanesco Cauliflower Type: Hybrid white Romanesco Resistance: None Days to maturity: 65-115 days, depending on year round season Regions: U.S. and Canada Other Attributes: Whitaker RZ is a new hybrid white Romanesco from Rijk Zwaan. It has a vigorous plant with good self-wrapping. Whitaker RZ is strong under stress conditions and yields a uniform harvest. https://rijkzwaanusa.com/search/cauliflower

Check out this array of appealing less common vegetable crops, ranging from novelty pumpkins to okra to unique beets and more.

Disease Abbreviation Key:

HR High resistance

IR Intermediate resistance

PM Powdery mildew

Px Powdery mildew caused by fungus, Podosphaera xanthii (Cucurbitaceae)

ZYMV Zucchini Yellow Mosaic Virus