Laueana Growing

Category: Garden Vegetable Review

  • Plant Review: Garden Vegetables (part 2)

    Today, we are doing a plant review for some of the garden vegetables I grew in 2025. This is my second vegetable review. If you would like to read the first, where I review Carwile’s Virginia peanut, Thai red roselle, Stewart Zeebest okra, and Moon and Stars yellow watermelon, click here!

    Painted Lady Runner Beans Plant Review

    Runner bean vines climb vigorously. This is part of why I rated them high in "ease of growing" in my plant review.

    Garden Vegetable Review Score

    Overall; 4/5

    Ease of growing: 4/5

    Harvest yield: 2/5

    Harvest quality: 5/5

    Would I grow it again? Yes.

    Explanation

    Painted lady improved runner beans were a mixed bag for me. On the one hand, the vines grew and flowered vigorously, and their beans were delicious. On the other hand, the VAST majority of the flowers never produced beans! If I were gardening mainly for flowers, this would not bother me. But, I am more practical about my goals, and I wanted beans.

    The beans I got were wonderful, however. They had a flavor similar to green beans, except stronger and more vegetal. I only ate them as snap beans, and did not try them as shelling beans. They were fantastic sauteed in butter with a little salt and pepper.

    I still have the pot full of roots in the shed since they are perennial beans. I have heard that the beans begin to produce better crops as they get older and stronger, so we will see if that is true.

    Runner beans sauteed in butter were very good, so they got a good review for harvest quality. I only wish there were more, so they did not get a good review for harvest yield.

    Suyo Long Asian Cucumber Plant Review

    A long and thin Suyo cucumber on the vine. There was only this one for all three vines, so their rating on the yield portion of the plant review is very low.

    Garden Vegetable Review Score

    Overall: 2.33/5

    Ease of growing: 2/5

    Harvest yield: 1/5

    Harvest quality: 4/5

    Would I grow it again? No.

    Explanation

    I grew three Suyo cucumber vines, but I only got one single cucumber before they all died of milder and bug damage! The cucumber was pretty good, very mild and watery, which I like. However, I did not like the overall results here, so I am not growing them again. Diseases obliterated my vines before I could get even two cucumbers off of them!

    A whole Suyo cucumber on a cutting board
    Sliced Suyo cucumber

  • Plant Review: Garden Vegetables (part 1)

    This year, I began my adventures in container gardening vegetables. Here is my introduction to everything I planted. I observed a wide spread in performance of each of the varieties I grew. Please enjoy my inaugural plant review!

    Carwile’s Virginia Peanut Review

    Carwile's Virginia peanut in shell on a paper plate
    shelled raw Carwile's Virginia Peanuts in a bowl. They are large peanuts with red skin.
    Pan fried Carwile's Virginia peanuts with salt in a bowl, ready for eating

    Garden Vegetable Review Score

    Overall: 2.33/5

    Ease of growing: 2/5

    Harvest yield: 1/5

    Harvest quality: 4/5

    Would I grow it again? No.

    Explanation

    My peanut yield was incredibly low, but the nuts I did get were delicious. I am uncertain about what could have caused the low yield. Speculating only, it could be too much nitrogen in the potting mix plus no inoculant. Peanuts need bacteria to enter their roots so they can fix their own nitrogen. Normally, people inoculate their peanuts with a microbial mix. I did not. The peanuts I did get were extremely good. They were flavorful, excellent pan fried with salt.

    Thai Red Roselle Review

    an 8oz mason jar of Thai red roselle calyxes held in hand
    Thai red roselle plant, view into plant from camera pointed down a stem rising above it. There are many 5 pointed green leaves with red veins on the red stems. There are some calyxes forming.
    Deep red roselle tea in a cup brewed from dried roselle calyx in a tea strainer.

    Garden Vegetable Review Score

    Overall: 3.67

    Ease of growing: 3/5

    Harvest yield: 3/5

    Harvest quality: 5/5

    Would I grow it again? Yes.

    Explanation

    Roselle, known by many names around the world, is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. People all over the globe love the stuff! Many parts of the plant are edible, including the leaves and the thick red calyxes that grow around the seed pod after the flower fades. Both have a tart, citrus-like flavor. The leaves taste vegetal and the calyxes floral. The leaves make an excellent addition to any dish that would benefit from citrus flavor. I enjoyed adding it to stir fries. The dried calyxes make a delicious sour, floral tea that I enjoy with added ginger root and sugar.

    My only note is that I will need to start the plants indoors in late February. I did not get many calyxes before cold killed the plant here in USDA zone 7. This plant grows slowly, loves the heat, and despises the cold. Plan ahead to get a good harvest if you live in an area with cold winters.

    A Thai red roselle flower. It is a hibiscus type flower with five cream petals and a dark red center.

    Stewart Zeebest Okra Review

    A Stewart Zeebest okra flower. It is a cream hibiscus type flower with a red center, similar to roselle but larger.
    An okra pod growing on a plant

    Garden Vegetable Review Score

    Overall: 4/5

    Ease of growing: 4/5

    Harvest yield: 3/5

    Harvest quality: 5/5

    Would I grow it again? Yes.

    Explanation

    Stewart Zeebest Okra produced tender, slim, smooth pods for me during the hot months. They were very soft and silky, with no spines and mild flavor. The pods could have grown larger than I allowed while remaining tender.

    In my opinion, they are the best simply sauteed with some caramelized shallots in butter. You don’t need much of a recipe. Just cook the shallots in butter until beginning to caramelize. Then add okra, so it cooks as the shallots finish. Salt to taste.

    Like the roselle, okra is a member of the hibiscus family that thrives in hot weather. Also like the roselle, I would have gotten a much larger harvest if I planted it earlier! It only needs 65 days to begin producing, but mine only produced for a month or two before cold hit. They would have produced for longer and given me more okra if direct sown in early May. Some even begin theirs indoors, but I have limited space.

    Stewart Zeebest okra pods. A small kitchen knife lying flat horizontal left to right with the blade left on a wooden cutting block. Three okra pods are beneath the knife blade perpendicular to it. They are velvety and green, smooth with no ribs or spines, and slender.

    Moon and Stars Yellow Watermelon Review

    Moon and stars yellow watermelon fruit cut open in two halves on a wooden cutting block. There are many white seeds and a lot of smooth yellow watermelon flesh.

    Garden Vegetable Review Score

    Overall: 2.33/5

    Ease of growing: 2/5

    Harvest yield: 2/5

    Harvest quality: 3/5

    Would I grow it again? No.

    Explanation

    Moon and stars yellow watermelon did turn out tasty. Yet again though, I had yield issues. The yellow fleshed, speckled-rind watermelons are striking to behold inside and out. The flesh is smooth with few strings. Even in a small melon, there was a lot of flesh without seeds. All had a clear fleshy core to the fruit. It is mildly sweet with a clear and refreshing watermelon flavor. It was lighter and more refreshing in my opinion than red watermelon. I haven’t had another melon like it.

    My melons topped out around 5lb, and I did not get many. Some rotted. Some plants didn’t grow any fruit despite constant flowering. Each melon may need more space for its roots, and higher quality, more consistent fertilizer. Hand pollination could have helped.

    Yellow watermelon flesh carved from the melon, seeds removed, on a plate next to some whole grain bread, which sits on a counter with some limes in a plastic bag nearby