Wow friends, family with veggies that stalk on the wild side

If you’re the sort of gardener who just adores a “what-in-blazes-is-that?” response to your vegetables from visitors, then brace yourself for a list of curious vegetables to grow this gardening season.

Some of these recommended veggies are delectable and colorful; others are downright, well, bizarre. But they’re also fun and most definitely worth growing, if for nothing more than their shock-and-delight value. It’s not that we want to torment our friends and relatives with weird – oops, I mean “unusual” – vegetables. They are, in fact, a subtle way to interest nongardeners in the art and science of horticulture.

Mainers, traditionally, have grown gardens full of staples: potatoes, corn, peas and beans. Even if you resist the urge to grow somewhat zany vegetables such as tomatillos, kohlrabi and kale (yes, you can eat the stuff; it’s not just a garnish) here are a few suggestions for spicing up the mix of those traditional crops.

By the way, seed (or tubers) for most of these plants is available from Maine companies, including Johnny’s Selected Seeds and Pinetree Garden Seeds.

Let’s start with potatoes. Won’t Aunt Betty just swoon when you dig her up a half-bushel of “All Blue,” “All Red” and “Russian Banana” potatoes! The varietal names of the first two say it all … the skin and flesh of these potatoes are literally saturated with rich color. “All Blue” produces oblong tubers; “All Red” yields a more rounded variety. “Russian Bananas” are slender, banana-shaped “fingerling” spuds with a yellowish flesh. They are slightly waxy and extremely flavorful.

Your red, creamy white and blue potato salad will be the talk of the family’s Labor Day gathering.

While sweet corn is another staple in the Maine garden, one heirloom variety worth growing will add a bit of both ornament and practicality to your garden. Bred in Montana, “Painted Mountain” produces ears with burgundy, red, black, yellow and orange kernels. In just 85 days, you’ll have ears for adorning ornaments, for eating fresh or drying and grinding into meal.

“Blue Podded” peas will spruce up your trellis. Slender, immature deep purple pods can be eaten as they emerge. Otherwise, let the peas mature, dry them and use in your favorite soup recipe.

“Vermont Cranberry” beans, with their pretty creamy white, cranberry speckled pods and beans are another must-have. This heirloom has been a staple throughout New England’s history, providing winter nourishment as a dry bean in soups and various baked dishes.

Those interesting variations on traditional crops will spice up the garden rows and the table alike. But don’t stop there. “Cosmic Purple” carrots have a blood-red skin and a bright yellow-orange center, and “Chioggia” beets have concentric white and red circles that form a bull’s-eye pattern on the inside when you slice them open. These are downright fun veggies.

Another “can-you-really-grow-those-here?” crop to experiment with is soybeans. Unfortunately these tasty and protein-intense beans are a magnet for local deer, but the endeavor is worth it if you manage to reap the fruits of your labor. “Envy” is the earliest variety for our area, bearing in just 75 days, but “Butterbeans” produces a more abundant yield and a far superior flavor – definitely worth the 90-day wait.

Although there will be a number of gardeners who will groan and hold their nose when this vegetable is mentioned, another unusual veggie to try is okra. Traditionally a Southern crop, modern hybrids that yield in anywhere from 55 to 90 days offer most Maine gardeners the option to direct sow seed in their gardens. If the unusually flavored vegetable doesn’t appeal to your taste buds, consider growing a few plants for ornamental use. “Burgundy” has pretty deep purplish-red stems and creamy flowers that unfurl close to the center of the plant.

Look for “Flying Saucers” summer squash, “Penguin” gourd and “Sweet Chocolate” peppers in your travels, too. You won’t be disappointed by the curiosity these garden vegetables inspire. And visitors to your gardens won’t know what to expect from you next.

Diana George Chapin is the NEWS garden columnist. Send horticulture questions to Gardening Questions, 512 North Ridge Road, Montville 04941 or e-mail dianagc@midcoast.com. Selected questions will be answered in future columns. Include name, address and telephone number.