Good garden options

Elsewhere in the country, Nebraska is well-known for producing an impressive amount of agriculture. After all, we are the Cornhuskers both in reputation and mascot form! But, on the individual level, not every Nebraskan has a naturally green thumb.

If you dream of growing your own fruits or vegetables at home, here favorites recommended by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Known as “cultivars,” these are just about certain to yield a healthy harvest here in the heartland.

Tomatoes:

For salad or cherry tomatoes, look for the Husky Red Cherry variety, which is suitable for growing in a container. For standard tomatoes, the Bush Celebrity variety is very disease-resistant and compact with good flavor.

Rhubarb:

To add a home-grown ingredient to a strawberry-rhubarb pie, start with the Valentine rhubarb variety, which products long, red stalks with good flavor.

Squash:

For green squash, you are nearly guaranteed to feel like you have a green thumb when growing Zucchini Elite. A recommended option for yellow squash is the Sunburst variety, which produces tender, patty pan-shaped vegetables.

Peppers:

If you want to munch on sweet peppers, UNL recommends King Arthur peppers, which set well in heat and result in blocky, 4-lobed peppers in green to red hues. If you prefer some spice, Mucho Nacho will give you hot, jalapeno-type peppers, or Super Chili Hybrid is a good option if you want to dry peppers at the end of the season.

Pumpkins:

For the best pumpkin pie you’ve ever had, start with Small Sugar pumpkins. Or if you’re more interested in an impressive jack o’lantern this fall, the Howden variety takes an average 110 days to grow to its full size.

Cucumbers:

To jar pickles at the end of the season, you can’t go wrong with the Homemade Pickles variety of cucumbers. To yield crisp and delicious cucumbers during the summer season, Diva cucumbers are overlooked by cucumber beetles and have smooth, thin skins.

Lettuce:

For an iceberg-style lettuce suitable for salads, the Summertime variety is a good option. For kale, the Red Russian variety produces large plants with excellent flavor and is very cold tolerant.