Best Fruits And Vegetables For Your New England Garden

When it comes to produce, there's nothing better than something plucked fresh from the garden. The New England climate makes for prime growing for certain fruits and vegetables. Gardening expert and CBS Boston contributor Mark Saidnawey of Pemberton Farms in Cambridge weighed in with his top recommendations.

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VEGETABLES

Tomatoes: Sliced in sandwiches or boiled into pasta sauce, the varieties and possibilities are endless. They do best in hot, dry summers.

Peppers: They're easy to care for and grow great in New England's summer climate.

Cucumber:Save space; the cucumber vine will creep its way around your garden.

Eggplant: It comes in a few varieties. The purple Eggplant works great in fresh Eggplant Parm.

Zucchini: Fry it, bake it, or boil it; zucchini makes for a perfect side dish. And when they're producing at their peak, a few plants are enough to feed the family for weeks.

FRUITS

Strawberries: In our climate it's best to use the same plants from year to year and grow them in rows or on mounds. It's cheap, easy, and delicious.

Blueberries: It takes a few years for these bushes to mature. And once they do, you'll have to fend off the birds.

Grapes:Maintaining grapes can be difficult, but a grape vine carries the added benefit of a great aesthetic addition to your yard or garden.

Raspberries: They're easy to grow and can spread like crazy if you don't prune them. You'll find a lot of these growing wild. Watch out for briars!

Rhubarb: It blooms early in the season and goes great with strawberries if you're up for making a pie, crisp, or casserole.