Yesterday, I trotted out some of the coolest up-and-coming ornamental plants for the gardening hipsters out there, and also for the rest of us that aren’t as cool, but still like beautiful plants that no one else has yet. Today, I have a few vegetables that will surely turn heads as people spy you tending them on your balcony.
Pole Bean ‘Trionfo Violetto’
This pole bean produces pods that have a nutty, sweet flavor. Trionfo Violetto is a very ornamental plant with lavender flowers, purple veined leaves, and dark purple beans. Stringless pods are tender even though they are 8 inches long. They turn green when cooked.
‘Dragon’ Carrot
Purple on the outside, but bright orange on the inside, this is a beautiful looking and tasty carrot. In three months, the plant produces 9 inch long roots, that would look awesome sliced into a salad.
Ruby Streaks Mustard Green
Ruby Streaks Mustard will change your mind about mustards with its tempting color and mildly pungent flavor that’s delicious fresh in salads, cooked in stir-fries or steamed. It’s great for small spaces because you don’t have to sacrifice beauty to grow something you can eat.
Spinach ‘Bordeaux’
I’m so excited about this seed, I planted some in my strawberry pot. It’s a pretty normal spinach plant, except that the stems and veins are a wine-red color. I love plants that are useful and beautiful and this one definitely fits the bill!
‘Sea of Red’ Lettuce
Beautiful new lettuce whose sword shaped leaves are an intense deep, mahogany-red that doesn’t fade in the sun. This richly-colored lettuce is a true showstopper in both garden and kitchen.
Black Cumin
Cultivated for centuries and prized for its aromatic seeds with a fennel-like taste. Popular in Indian cooking and great for Russian rye bread. Seeds are thought to have medicinal properties and were found in Tutenkhamen’s tomb.
‘Red Venture’ Celery
Deep-red stems complement bright green leaves making this a highly ornamental plant as well as a prolific producer of tender, succulent stalks with real celery flavor.
