Discover 10 Unique-Looking Vegetables

Watching your garden or balcony come alive through spring and summer is one of the most joyful parts of the year. And if you get to enjoy the literal fruits of your labor in the fall, even better!

There are far stranger fruits and vegetables than the usual supermarket staples, and you can grow them in your own garden this year. And trust us when we say that these are sure to amaze both the eyes and taste buds.

10 Odd-Looking Vegetables for Your Garden

When the growing season comes around, many of us fantasize about getting outside and planting ourselves some lovely vegetables to tend to over the summer, and to make some wonderful meals with come harvest time. Often, we choose the same few vegetables as last year and the year before.

So, why not opt for some lesser-known, perhaps a little more astonishing vegetables to give your haul a rare sense of novelty this year? Here are our 10 favorite distinct-looking vegetables to grow in your very own vegetable patch.

Lemon Apple Cucumber

The lemon apple cucumber is a bizarre fruit that shares traits with the three fruits that make up its name. It is round and yellow like a lemon and has a subtly sweet and moreish flavor, a little bit like an apple. But why cucumber? Well, cucumber is probably the vegetable it resembles most closely, and indeed, it is a type of cucumber.

As such, it is well-suited to refreshing summer salads, or with a dip. It makes salads taste a little more interesting than standard cucumbers would (the power of novelty), and while you have some sitting in the fruit bowl, they are sure to draw the attention of any guests you may have. At the very least, you will have something to talk about.

Grow tip: Sow seeds under glass in early spring, then move plants outdoors once the weather warms. Keep the soil consistently moist and let them climb a trellis for the best fruit production until late summer.

Yellow Pear Cherry Tomato

These tomatoes ripen to a vibrant, almost fake-looking yellow color. But do not let that outer semblance fool you: they are nutritious and natural, and they taste fantastic!

You can eat them by themselves or in a salad; they have a tangy, acidic flavor that brings dishes to life and enlivens the palate. To complement this acidity, they also boast high amounts of sweetness that make them truly delicious.

Grow tip: Sow after the last frost and grow in full sun with fertile, well-fed soil. Stake or trellis the plants to support them through a long summer harvest.

Cardoon

A close relative of the artichoke, the cardoon is one of the most dramatic-looking plants you can put in a vegetable patch. It throws up towering, silvery-gray stalks and jagged, architectural foliage, topped in summer with striking purple thistle-like flowers. It looks less like a humble vegetable and more like a sculpture that wandered into your garden.

Despite its wild appearance, the cardoon is very much edible. The fleshy leaf stalks are the prize: blanched and cooked, they deliver a delicate flavor reminiscent of artichoke hearts, perfect for gratins, soups, and braises. The spiky flower buds can be eaten too, much like a small artichoke.

Grow tip: Plant in nutrient-rich soil with plenty of organic matter, in a warm, sunny spot. Mound soil around the stalks to blanch them before harvesting, and pick the spiky flower buds to eat like artichokes.

Pinto Bean

Pinto beans look a bit like something that could emerge from the depths of the ocean. They are white and red and display a dappled patchwork of colors that stands out from the greens of a typical vegetable garden. Certainly an exciting change!

Although they look rather strange, they are otherwise quite similar to other legumes. They can be used for stews, or you can serve them as a side dish, perhaps with a nice dollop of butter or a vegan alternative.

Grow tip: Sow seeds directly outdoors after the last frost, spacing them 2 in. apart, and give them a pole or trellis to climb. They are ready to harvest in 45–60 days, fresh or dried.

Great White Beefsteak Tomato

Great white beefsteak tomato may have a slightly obnoxious name, but it is not its fault! It is often linked to one of the Founding Fathers of the US, Thomas Jefferson, so this large, yellow tomato carries a real sense of history. So, why not try growing and eating it yourself?

These tomatoes are dense, meaty, and dripping with juice, and go well in sandwiches or grilled alongside a beefsteak for meat eaters. They will continue to produce fruit throughout the whole growing season, which is a great feature if your plan is to use them as you harvest them. But be warned; due to their size and juiciness, these plants are very thirsty, meaning they will require a whole lot of water, again and again. Still, if you treat them well, they will reward you. However, make sure to bring them inside before the first frost if you want the best results.

Grow tip: Start seeds indoors about 8 weeks before the last frost, then move outside once the danger of frost has passed. These thirsty plants need full sun, regular feeding, and sturdy stakes; bring them inside before the first fall frost.

Pumpkin on a Stick

This specimen looks very strange, and is aptly named. In fact, whoever first named this plant was clearly feeling quite literal, as it does look like collections of small pumpkins on sticks. But they are no pumpkins!

Both the fruits and the leaves of the plant can be eaten, which makes it versatile and generous. Despite the name, these fruits are actually a sort of tomato, and belong to the nightshade family. You can eat them raw, put them in salads, sandwiches, or anything else you fancy.

We are not done yet with the names, though; this plant is so strange and attractive that many people just grow it as an ornamental plant, from which it derived another name: "ornamental aubergine".

Grow tip: Start seeds indoors early in the season, then transplant outside once it is warm enough to bask in full sun. Both the fruit and leaves are edible once harvested.

Indigo Rose Cherry Tomato

This tomato plant is not just a sight to behold; its dark little treats release a mild, slightly sweet flavor topped off with a touch of acidity, perfect for snacking. The sun-facing side of the fruits of this heirloom variety ripen to a stunning purple-black, whereas the shade-facing side takes on a deep red hue. Inside, they exhibit the red hue of a normal tomato.

This coloration makes them really special, and watching them change as they approach maturity and bask in the sun is highly satisfying and quite exciting for most gardeners.

Grow tip: Grow in full sun and rich soil, pruning and staking regularly. Harvest once the shaded side turns pinkish-red and the sun-facing side deepens to purple-black.

Violet de Provence Artichoke

The Violet de Provence is a beautiful French heirloom artichoke that trades the usual green for gorgeous violet-purple heads. Compact, tender, and elegant, these little artichokes look almost too pretty to eat: an ornamental centerpiece and a gourmet vegetable rolled into one.

Harvested young, the violet heads are tender enough to be enjoyed raw, thinly sliced into salads with a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of olive oil. Left to mature a little longer, they can be steamed, grilled, or braised in classic Mediterranean style. However you serve them, they bring a touch of Provençal flair to the plate.

Grow tip: Sow indoors between February and April, then move outside in early summer. As a perennial, it will keep producing for years; just cover it during winter to protect it from frost.

Salsify Blanco

Salsify is a relatively unknown root vegetable. These roots resemble sickly parsnips, but actually have the flavor of an oyster: unexpected and quite interesting!

This flavor profile makes them very unusual, and it means they can be used for rather particular culinary endeavors. As with most root vegetables, they can be cooked in many different ways, from par-boiling, to deep frying, or even turning them into a nice purée. Delicious any way!

Of all the vegetables on this list, salsify is probably the strangest in terms of flavor, and anyone who loves lesser-known and exciting foods should definitely give it a try.

Grow tip: Sow seeds directly outdoors in fertile, deep, loose soil, leaving 3–4 in. between plants and 12–16 in. between rows. Give them full sun and regular watering, and harvest the roots before the plants bloom.

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Tomatillo

The tomatillo, also called Mexican husk tomato, is related to, but distinct from, tomatoes. In fact, it is possible that it resembles the ancestors of the tomato we know today, which is actually a uniquely human breeding invention.

Tomatillos have a tough husk that must be peeled away before use. You can eat them raw or cooked, and they have a tart sweetness to them. Most famously, they are used to make salsa verde. Despite their relation to tomatoes, they should not be substituted for these fruits when cooking, as each flavor is quite its own.

Grow tip: Start seeds indoors and transplant outside after the last frost. Tomatillos prefer well-draining soil, full sun, and regular feeding to produce their husked fruit.

Strange Vegetables: Get Sowing!

Sowing the seeds of strange greens in your garden will not just give you some visual novelty when you watch them grow and come to harvest them, but it will also open up new culinary worlds and inspire you to experiment once you have them in the kitchen. In fact, this is probably the most exciting aspect of growing unusual vegetables: the added strangeness of their appearance is perhaps just a bonus! Get out in your garden or to your balcony and enjoy each part of the process while soaking up some of those warming rays yourself!

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