Hello from West Michigan

[heartsong111]

Hello! I am from just outside of Grand Rapids in Michigan (zone 6a). I have been growing fun beans for several years, but just became aware of this forum recently. I'm looking to grow anything colorful and interested in expanding to more things that might be native or unique to Michigan (like the Grand Rapids Leaf Lettuce). My husband and I have also travelled to Italy and like the idea of planting Italian veggies here until we retire there. Here's a garden image from a very strange and beautiful sunset event.

 

[ducks4you]

from Central IL. BIG bean community here. Please put "Western MI" with your avatar. Once you start posting I will forget where you live. Thanks!

 

[digitS']

Welcome to TEG, heartsong111 .

I was recently looking at the Seeds from Italy catalog. There is one green that I hope to have every year – Verde da Taglio chard. I don't care for wide stems in chard but the flavor is fine and that variety has thin stems. (And, our Perpetual Spinach isn't nearly as good as greens grown from Seeds of Italy .)

The name Swiss chard in the US makes me wonder what the Italians think of that . It seems funny that S of I sells a cantaloupe named America.

Of course, their gardeners have made very good use of vegetables from everywhere. We think of tomatoes and sweet peppers as especially "Italian" but they are from the Americas. Many of the brassicas are from Asia and we were fortunate that Italian immigrants brought them to N America. Some that seem more recently popular would be those that I, personally tend to avoid. But, something like the chicory family is so obviously broad in the country that escarole is there for me even if I don't care for radicchio. Yes.

BTW, that's a very pretty picture of your garden .

Steve