That’s a complicated question. Currently, just in the seed bank, there are over 500 varieties. Only a fraction can be planted in any one year.
Overall, the flavor is a big qualifier. Availability in stores is a consideration. I like to cook Thai dishes but have trouble getting lime leaf and galanga; so, I grow these. Though I like all vegetables and fruits, certain varieties stand out. e.g.: Floriani Polenta corn, Black Krim tomatoes, etc. With seeds, all have been entered into a database which I created to keep track of them. If a seed variety is getting old and I don’t want to lose it, it gets grown. The database can be sorted by seed age or by any of the data fields.
Diseases rear their ugly heads at times. Capsicum annuum peppers, bells and their kin, have not been planted here for years, due to a soil-borne disease, which was spread by moles. Once the fungus dies out, I’ll start growing that species of pepper again. I’m trapping the moles in the interim. This has been particularly hard, as I used to grow hundreds of C. annuum in any one year.
With perennials, trees and shrubs, there is more available space, outside the fenced garden. I’ve cut down many trees that are invasive, weedy or hazardous (highly flammable or too close to the house). This opened up space, a lot of space on a slope. Since I don’t want erosion, the stumps and roots were left in place to slowly rot.
In between these stumps, shorter trees, like native hazelnuts and chinquapins are getting planted closer to the house and on the southern edges. These won’t shade taller trees and don’t pose a threat to the house by falling on it or by being very flammable. Farther from the house, medium trees such as pawpaws and persimmons can be planted, some along a driveway or near a creek (pawpaws). Nut trees that get tall, such as Heartnut, Black Walnut, are planted far from the house, on the northern edge of the slope. As a bit more clearing gets done, Asian pears are planned.
The above is sort of a wildcrafted architecture, where the plants have certain features which make sense in particular locations. Since most are seed/nut-raised, there’s no way of knowing if a particular tree has good flavored fruit. With persimmons and pawpaws, it’s possible to graft a superior type onto the roots.
Another criteria is production. I planted a lot of Honeyberries years ago, in line with blueberries so they could be easily netted. For over ten years, they’ve produced next to nothing, despite having pollinators recommended for them. I’ve hand pollinated them to no avail. I can only conclude that I was lied to about their climate tolerances. Since the species, Lonicera kamtschatica, L. caerulea, etc., comes from very northern climates, Like Siberia, it apparently goes pollen sterile here, USDA zone 6-7. It’s advertised to zone 7, but it’s obviously something I need to rip out and replace. Lesson learned.
Last, but not least, curiosity. What does that taste like? How does it grow? Is it a challenge or something new? This last question arises often with ornamentals I find particularly beautiful, like the Ghost Orchid (Dendrophylax lindenii), a purple-skinned cactus (Sulcorebutia rauschii violacidermis), or Sturt’s Desert Pea (Swainsona formosa). Look these up and you’ll see why I have/am growing these. Fortunately, food plants are generally easier to grow…mostly.
Sorry! Long answer to a short question!
