From ThisBlueWiki

Food Plants for Gardens in the Willamette Valley area of the Pacific Northwest

This is a list of food plant varieties that I have tried or intend to try in my corner of the Pacific Northwest near Portland, Oregon. Whenever possible these garden vegetable and herb plant varieties will be open-pollinated or heirloom strains. They should hopefully grow well with some degree of fudging in western Oregon and Washington and in the Willamette Valley. But I'm a beginner so do your homework. These varieties are mostly chosen for cultivation in containers since I do not have space in the soil.

See also: Guerilla gardening

Vegetables

In containers: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/node/876

Tomatoes

cf blossom end rot

Tried

"Amish Paste"

• Grow well from seed but some seedlings fail, lots of inbreeding
• Indeterminate (grows rampantly), bad for containers as inevitable water stress may lead to major blossom end rot.
• Fruits of varying size and shapes
• Minimal cores, juice and seeds - great for canning/paste
• Can be VERY sweet
• Puree, simmer hot and stir occasionally 50-60 minutes with 3/4 tsp salt to 1 qt puree
• Would grow in the ground in a heartbeat.

New

See http://www.gardenguides.com/97509-tomatoes-grow-oregon.html or http://gardening.wsu.edu/library/vege008/vege008.htm

Willamette

• http://www.victoryseeds.com/tomato_willamette.html
• Determinate
• 70 days
• open-pollinated
• OSU

Siletz

• http://store.tomatofest.com/Siletz_p/tf-0454.htm
• Determinate
• ~75 days
• open-pollinated
• OSU

Saucy

• http://www.victoryseeds.com/tomato_saucy.html
• Determinate
• 85 days
• open-pollinated
• OSU

Legend

• http://www.victoryseeds.com/tomato_legend.html
• http://store.tomatofest.com/Legend_Tomato_Seeds_p/tf-0285e.htm
• Determinate
• 90 days
• open-pollinated
• OSU

Tomatillos

Very few varieties? Hardy until frost. Self-incompatible; means plant 2 or more plants or will not pollinate and fruit.

Toma verde

• Seems standard.

Peppers

New

Healthy

• Developed in Moscow, rumored to produce in cool cloudy conditions
• Colored/red peppers
• http://www.seedsavers.org/Details.aspx?itemNo=651

California Wonder 300

• Cool tolerant green pepper
• http://www.territorialseed.com/product/1031/216
• open pollinated

Greens

Kale

Siberian is less curled. http://groups.hort.oregonstate.edu/content/collards-and-kale

New

Dwarf Siberian

• http://www.victoryseeds.com/kale_dwarf-siberian.html
• 65 days

Vates Blue Curled

• http://www.seedlibrary.org/catalog/?seed=vates_blue_curled_kale
• http://www.reimerseeds.com/vates-blue-curled-kale.aspx
• very curly and productive
• 65 days

Collards

(Kale-like but better for hot weather, 1 middle crop perhaps). http://groups.hort.oregonstate.edu/content/collards-and-kale

New

Vates

• http://sustainableseedco.com/Vates-Collard-Greens.html
• open-pollinated
• 75 days
• recommended for Oregon

Lettuces

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/home-grown-salad-can-be-edible-work-art

New

Romaine, Parris Island

• http://www.victoryseeds.com/lettuce_parris-island-cos.html
• http://www.highmowingseeds.com/organic-seeds-parris-island-lettuce.html
• 66 days

Romaine, Valmaine

• http://www.territorialseed.com/product/913/206
• ~72 days
• open-pollinated
• heat-tolerant

Romaine, Red, New Red Fire

• http://www.highmowingseeds.com/Organic-Seeds-New-Red-Fire-Lettuce.html
• ~66 days
• open-pollinated
• moderate heat resistance

Herbs

Parsley, Flat-Leaf

New

Tubers

Potato

http://www.container-gardening-tips.com/container-vegetable-gardening/growing-potatoes-in-containers.html

Fingerling, La Ratte

• http://www.seedsavers.org/Details.aspx?itemNo=1363(OG)
• http://www.groworganic.com/organic-la-ratte-fingerling-potatoes-lb.html
• boil, salad, sautee
• rich, nutty flavor, could be good mashed?
• 100-120 days

Fingerling, Ozette / Makah Ozette

• http://www.potatogarden.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=PG&Category_Code=NSP
• http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/programs/presidia_product_detail/ozette_potato/
• http://psfn.org/blog/2010/02/rare-makah-ozette-potato-seed-is-now-available-to-nw-farmers/
• firm, earthy, nutty flavor
• slow food "Ark of Taste"
• late season (so figure 100-120 days)