11 Unique Vegetables to Grow From Heirloom Non-GMO Seeds

Purple carrots and blue pumpkins? Has your garden gone crazy? Are your eyes playing tricks on you?

Nope. Turns out, purple carrots are natural, and so are blue pumpkins and yellow watermelons. These heirloom varieties have been enjoyed for generations.

If you’re looking for unique heirloom seeds to add to your garden plan, we have some delicious varieties.

Purple carrots, anyone? Where do purple carrots come from? It turns out they’ve been around longer than orange carrots. And purple carrots are just as healthy and delicious. And there’s not just purple and orange. Our rainbow mix of carrot seeds includes Cosmic Purple, Lunar White, Solar Yellow, Atomic Red, and Bambino. Discover the fun of growing a range of carrot colors.

What about those blue pumpkins? It turns out these heirlooms have been around for a long time. Try growing Jarrahdale pumpkins for a delicious treat and ornamental. These heirloom blue pumpkins have sweet orange flesh that can be used in your favorite recipes. The beautiful blue color can be used for fall decor. Heirloom pumpkins come in a wide variety of colors, textures, and sizes! Here's a secret, those funny-looking heirloom pumpkins are sweeter with a better texture for pies, particularly the ones with warts-aka sugar clusters!

These aren’t mishappened cucumbers. Round lemon cucumbers are perfectly shaped. They don't taste like a lemon at all; they are crisp and delicious. If you’re looking for other unique cucumbers, take a look at Serpent cucumbers. There are several different heirloom cucumbers that will take you beyond the standard market varieties.

Are orange and yellow tomatoes even ripe? Try yellow and orange heirloom tomatoes if you want a delicious tomato with lower acidity. Jubilee tomatoes are an heirloom favorite, along with Kellogg's breakfast and Yellow Pear. Tomatoes can also be dark, almost black.

Who says green beans have to be green? Beans that were green came later than golden-colored ones. Get out of your green bean rut and try some Golden Wax and Royal Burgundy bean. These yellow and purple beans will expand your color palette.

The fractal formation of Romanesco broccoli may remind you of a computer-generated picture. But this delicious vegetable was developed by nature and looks so fun in the garden. Its mild, nutty flavor makes it popular on the plate too.

Yellow watermelons, not red, were the first to be cultivated. Yellow watermelons have a sweet, honey-like flavor. Yellow Crimson watermelon looks just like red fleshed melons but will surprise your family and friends when you cut it open.

White eggplant is the original version. Why else would it have the name “egg” plant? White varieties, like this Casper eggplant, are known for lacking the bitterness of other colorful varieties. Casper eggplant has a mushroom-like, umami flavor.

You expect a radish to have red skin and white flesh. But what if you turn it inside out? The watermelon radish is white on the outside and pink inside.

Blue corn is not a lab experiment! Blue Hopi Corn has been grown for centuries. The gorgeous blue-black ears with reddish-purple tassels will stand out in your summer garden! Young ears can be eaten fresh, but flour made from mature Blue Hopi ears creates delicious blue corn tortillas, chips, and cornbread. You can also use the unique blue corn on the cob as a fall decoration!

Sweet peppers aren’t all green. Purple peppers are sweeter than regular green peppers. And have you tasted a chocolate pepper? The different colors of sweet peppers each have a different flavor. They are all sweet and crisp and easy to grow. You can read more about the different pepper colors and how to grow them in our Planter's Library.

Our collection of exotic vegetables gives you some tasty varieties that you won’t find in the grocery store. When you grow these unique heirloom vegetables, you’ll know you’re eating some traditional varieties that haven’t been genetically engineered in a lab. These rare and interesting seeds are grown the way nature intended. It’s time to delight you and your neighbors and grow these incredible heirlooms in your garden.