November 22, 2023

10 Unique Seed Varieties We Can’t Wait To Grow in 2024

Thinking about 2024 garden planting? So are we! Now is the time to sit down with your garden journal and plan your fabulous 2024 growing season.

Why not add some new varietals amongst your traditional heirlooms and perennials?

Here are some of our favorite new and noteworthy plants that are cropping up this year. Growers, researchers, and seed breeders are always developing new seeds for flavor, sustainability, nutrient makeup, and appearance, and we’re always interested in trying the up-and-coming varietals.

Check our 10 most anticipated seeds for 2024!

1) Harvest Moon Tomato

A USDA Certified Organic varietal bred by Emily Rose Haga for Johnny’s Seeds, these stunningly patterned tomatoes are almost too pretty to eat. Almost. Their firmness and consistent 7-10 oz. size makes them perfect for gardener-cooks who love to have tomatoes for summer salads, sandwiches, and salsa. Their sunset-colored flesh and skin adds beauty to any garden and flavor to any table.

This is an indeterminate varietal, meaning they need some structure (caging or staking), yet their compact size is perfect for any sized plot. With fewer defects or oversized fruits than heirloom varieties, the Harvest Moon does well in baskets and containers, too.

2) Filderkraut Cabbage

These huge, lovely cabbages boast a fun pointy shape and lovely gradient coloring that’s almost as fun to look at as it is to eat! Originating from Southern Germany’s Filder plateau, this crop was developed in the 1700s.

A rare selection, this crop is included in Slow Food’s Ark of Taste — an evolving catalog of unique heritage crops facing extinction.

While prized for its visual appeal, Filderkraut cabbage also offers a pleasant flavor. It is often used in a variety of culinary applications, such as sauerkraut, coleslaw, or as a unique ingredient in salads and side dishes.

3) Sweet Garleek

Allium lovers, we have big news. This brand new invention just hit the shelves! Besides winning TIME’s Best Inventions of 2023, sweet garleek is a tender allium that offers both savory and sweet taste of garlic and leek. You get everything you love about each—in one deliciously versatile vegetable. The result of 10 years of selective breeding and testing, the Sweet Garleek intensifies the sweetness of the leek and the rich, savory taste of garlic (without the aggressive pungence).

It’s perfect for sautées or yummy on a salad, sliced thin or grated raw.

4) Blackberry Potatoes

Check out that color! Awesome for making chips or roasts. These deep purple potatoes have strong purple stems and white flowers. Johnny’s seeds calls them “easy to grow” and notes resistance to intermediate resistance to potato scab disease and some resistance to Colorado potato beetles. Developed by Michigan State University and USDA Certified Organic.

Blackberry potatoes have great flavor and a nice, creamy texture perfect for baking, grilling or mashing.

5) Japanese Tiger Melon

This snazzy, striped cucurbit is cute, zesty, and perfect for small gardens. Less than a pound each, these grow in typical melon vines and are commonly loved in Japan for their flavor and texture in desserts, salad, and more.

In Japan, these melons are sometimes given as gifts, especially during special occasions or as a gesture of goodwill. The unique appearance and delightful taste make them a prized and thoughtful present.

6) Centercut Squash

Another cucurbit! This lovely version of the heirloom tromboncino (or zucchetta) squash also has an interesting creation story. Its creation was funded in part by a USDA-NIFA grant and the sale of Centercut Squash seeds benefit public plant breeding research at Cornell University. It’s a winter squash that is treated like a summer squash and eaten when the fruits are young and tender, before the skin toughens up.

This vine produces cute green squash with a sweet, nutty flavor and meaty texture.

7) Anise Hyssop

This perennial herb is one of the most useful in both pollinator gardens and herb gardens. It produces early spring blooms and is also great for border gardens.

A native to North America, Anise Hyssop’s fluffy, upright purple flowers will attract both pollinators and compliments for your garden. Native North American people used it in common medicine. It’s even suitable for growing as an edible microgreen.

A versatile perennial herb perfect for drying for teas, adding to baked goods, or tossing in a salad. Or just enjoying its lovely anise-like scent!

8) Park Seed’s 2024 Lawn Alternative Mix

Okay, so this is multiple varieties, but we just love Park Seed’s annual lawn replacement seed mixes! This curated mix of low-maintenance, water-wise grass alternatives can transform a lawn into eco-friendly and attractive groundcover suitable for all regions.

One packet covers 500 square feet and contains 64% perennials! Inside, seeds of Baby Blue Eyes, Creeping Clover, Daisy, Poppy, Roman Chamomile, Sweet Alyssum, and so many more are waiting to become part of your new soil-supporting lawn!

9) Coral Candy Premium Sun Coleus

Another Park Seed beauty, this All-America Selections (AAS) Ornamental Seed Winner is ready for its day in the sun. Its warm-toned, multicolor, draping foliage is dense as it is eye-catching. It’s perfect for hanging baskets and other container gardens, both indoors and outdoors.

It shows off its bright, striped colors from late spring through autumn. It’s a fast grower and sits in a nice uniform mound that looks great grouped together in ornamental or landscaped gardens. Park Seeds writes that “just 3 seeds are enough to amply fill a 14- to 16-inch container” and tends to be deer-proof!

10) Pink Basketflower

We saved the best for last. These enormous, bright purple floppy flowers are part pompom and part sunburst! Super easy to grow and native, this annual is a powerful pollinator plant and will attract both birds and bugs. It can grow to 5 or 6 feet tall, so it’s a top choice for borders and buffer zones.