Vegetables
Organic Vegetable Starts
TERMS:
Days to maturity (d) – the approximate number of days from date of transplanting to date when crop begins to be ready to harvest.
Determinate (det) – Bush tomato varieties that spread laterally and should not be pruned, and may be grown with or without staking. Determinate varieties usually ripen their crop within a concentrated time period, so are a good choice for canning or drying.
Indeterminate (ind) – Vining tomato varieties that are customarily staked, trellised or caged, and pruned for largest fruit. Caging/staking without pruning delays ripening, reduces fruit size, but increases production, prevents sunburn, and reduces fruit cracking and rotting. Indeterminate varieties produce and ripen fruit over an extended period until frost.
Heirloom – An old variety that owes its present availability to the seed-saving efforts of gardeners (rather than commercial seed growers), often for many generations. All heirloom varieties are open-pollinated.
Open Pollinated (OP) – A variety from which it is possible to collect and save seed that will produce plants with the same qualities and traits as the ‘mother’ plant. Care must, of course, be taken to prevent unintended cross-pollination from another variety. All heirloom varieties are open-pollinated. There are varieties that were originally developed as F1 hybrids, but through the patient efforts of gardeners, seed growers and breeders, have been selected and re-selected until a ‘stable’ hybrid has been achieved, transforming the hybrid into an open-pollinated variety. Some examples are Gypsy pepper, Gold Nugget tomato.
Hybrid (hyb) – usually the first-generation offspring of two different varieties, not stabilized and therefore cannot reproduce itself in kind from seed.
Cracking – splitting of tomato skin. Large-fruited varieties with low fruit-set and high sugar content are most likely to crack , but even some cherry tomatoes are subject to cracking. To reduce cracking, avoid heavy watering and large day/night temperature fluctuations, and maintain adequate calcium in your soil.
TOMATOES ~ New for 2011: more descriptions coming soon!
Jubilee (aka Golden Jubilee)
80 days, Heirloom, Indeterminate
Said to be the best medium-sized open-pollinated orange tomato. Disease-resistant cross between Tangerine and Rutgers. Unblemished, sweet, mild, meaty 8 oz. globes with smooth texture are winners of taste tests and Jubilee was awarded All America Selection in 1943.
Honeydrop
62 day, Open Pollinated, Indeterminate
This new cherry tomato with very sweet fruity flavor is the color of light honey and is a good early producer. Expands the color-palette for cherry tomatoes.
Tiffen Mennonite
86 days, Heirloom, Indeterminate
This potato-leaf variety has pink skin and rich old-fashioned flavor like Brandywine. The large ~15 oz. beefsteak-type fruits are great on sandwiches or eating out of hand.
Aunt Ruby’s German Green
85 days, Heirloom, Indeterminate
Ranked in the top 10 for flavor by aficionados, the 12-16 oz. fruits are ripe when they blush lightly yellow with amber-pink tint at the blossom end. The green flesh is faintly marbled with pink. Flavor is described as sweet and tart, rich and spicy.
Speckled Roman
85 days, Open-pollinated, Indeterminate
Beautiful cylindrical 4-5 oz. red fruits with golden stripes have a distinctive nipple end. The meaty flesh makes sauces with great flavor. Early and high yielding.
Mt. Roma
68 days, Open-pollinated, Determinate
Very early, very dependable paste tomato for short-season gardens and cold areas. Firm, pear-shaped 2-3 oz. fruits are borne on compact plants.
Jet Star
72 days, Hybrid, compact Indeterminate
An old hybrid (1979) that remains a best-seller, with high yields of early, full-sized, smooth, crack-free, perfect 7-8 oz. globes with outstanding flavor. Low acid, so add some lemon juice when canning. Also a top-rated greenhouse tomato.
Black Truffle
Heirloom, Indeterminate
Pear-shaped burgundy-black 6-8 oz. fruits are high in both sugar and acid, with intense, complex, full-bodied flavor. Great for slicing, caprese, salads and roasting.
Tappy’s Heritage
Heirloom, Indeterminate
Very rare heirloom, bearing round red 5-6 oz. fruits that are thick and meaty, with outstanding, full-bodied sweetness and excellent disease resistance.
Green Zebra
75 days, Open-Pollinated, Indeterminate
Beautiful dark green/gold striped 3” round crack-free fruits are sweet, flavorful and well-balanced. Bred from heirloom varieties.
Black from Tula
Heirloom (Russia), Indeterminate
This was the happiest, healthiest, most prolific and most delicious full-sized tomato in our 2010 trials. Vigorous, medium-sized plant bears loads of 3” to 4 ½” to brownish fruits with green shoulders, and deep red interior flesh. The flavor is superb – rich, complex, both sweet and tart. Winner of Boulder Culinary Gardeners’ tomato-tasting in 2010 and one of Eve & Mikl’s top favorites. This is also the only variety we know of that can tolerate being planted in cool soil without stunting or compromising the performance of the plant.
Persimmon
80 days, Heirloom, Indeterminate
This prolific heirloom beefsteak-type variety was grown by Thomas Jefferson in 1781 and is still said to be the most flavorful and reliable yellow tomato available (we love ‘Kellogg’s Breakfast’ too). Fruits are large (up to 16 oz.) golden-orange, flattened round, and juicy, with sweet, rich flavor and few blemishes. The large plants require strong support. Stores well.
Gold Nugget
60 days, Open-pollinated, Determinate
Very prolific compact plant bears delicious 1” golden-yellow, slightly oval fruits packed with sweet tomato flavor. The skin is tender yet crack-free, and there are few seeds. Great for eating out of hand, in salads, or for drying. Grows well in containers.
Northern Light
58 days, Heirloom (Montana), Determinate
Beautiful, dependable, prolific, flavorful and incredibly early Beefsteak tomato, 2-3”,smooth round, red-orange, on compact vines.
Sasha’s Altai
59 days, Heirloom (Siberia), Indeterminate
Slightly flattened 3”, 5-8 oz. bright red fruits are incredibly early, sweet, flavorful and prolific, consistently winning blind taste-tests.
Grushovka
67 days, heirloom (Siberia), Determinate
Compact 30” plants produce 30 to 40 tasty oblong 6-8 oz. rosy-colored fruits, good for fresh eating and canning. Should perform well in containers.
Aurora
65 days, Open-pollinated, Indeterminate
Round scarlet 2-3 oz. fruits with five-star flavor. Bred in Russia for short-season gardens.
Siberian
64 days, Heirloom (Siberia), Indeterminate
Red fruits, 1 to 4 oz. vary in shape from round to oval or pear-shaped, but are consistently very sweet and delicious. Eve grew this in a large pot in 2010 and it was love at first bite.
Red Siberian
70 days, Heirloom (Siberia), Indeterminate
Beautiful, unblemished crimson fruits can weigh more than 1 lb., with outstanding flavor. Very early for its size.
San Marzano
Windowbox Roma
Galina’s Cherry
Rose de Berne
Orange Queen
NEW – added last year:
Jaune Flamme
70 – 80 day French Heirloom, Indeterminate
Beautiful, small, deep orange, apricot-shaped fruits are 2-3 oz., great for fresh eating, also for drying or sauce. Very prolific.
Black Cherry
75 days, OP, Indeterminate
Round red-black cherry tomato with the exceptional complex flavor of heirloom ‘black’ tomatoes. Somewhat late for a cherry tomato, fruits ripen slowly and individually until frost, but worth the wait. A big favorite at local farmers markets last summer.
Mortgage Lifter
80 days, Heirloom, Indeterminate
Abundant deep pink, 1-2 lb., meaty beefsteak tomatoes with old-fashioned flavor. A popular variety with a good story and good disease resistance.
Juliet
60 days, hybrid, Indeterminate, 1999 All-America Selection
Deep red 2″ (1 oz.) oval fruits are borne in large clusters. Flavor is rich and sweet, fruits resist cracking and vigorous plants are disease-resistant. Perfect for fresh eating, drying, marinating.
Orange Blossom
60 days, hybrid, determinate
The best early orange tomato, bears 6-7 oz. round, golden-orange fruits with mild flavor and nice texture.
Martino’s Roma
Heirloom, determinate
High yields of 2-oz. red paste tomatoes in clusters, early mid-season to frost, makes superb sauce, ‘immune’ to blossom end rot.
Paul Robeson
78 – 90 days, Heirloom, Indeterminate
Rare, maroon-brick 6-12 oz. slicer, prizewinning distinctive sweet smokey flavor. We tasted this one last year for the first time and were very impressed. Sorry – NOT AVAILABLE 2011
Pineapple
85 -95 days, Heirloom, Indeterminate
High yields of colossal, meaty 1 to 2 lb. golden beef-steak type fruits with red streaks inside and out. Unique, sweet, fruity, full flavor. Sometimes the shape is funky, but slices are beautiful on the plate!
Sorry -NOT AVAILABLE 2011
Chianti Rose
80 days, Heirloom, Indeterminate
Abundant big rosy-red fruits of the beef-steak type. A crack-resistant Brandywine cross with superb flavor, creamy texture. Vigorous potato-leaf variety, tolerates cool summers.
Golden Delight
75 days, Open Pollinated, Determinate
Heavy early producer of golden 5 to 8 oz. round fruits with excellent mild, low-acid flavor. Sorry – NOT AVAILABLE 2011
Speckled Roman
83 days, Heirloom, Indeterminate
Early, abundant 4 to 5 oz. elongated red paste tomato with yellow stripes. Makes rich, sweet sauce with good texture, and is also good for fresh eating.
Goliath
65 days, Hybrid, Indeterminate
Very early bright red, sweet, 1 lb. blemish-free fruits on a tall, vigorous, disease-resistant plant. Sorry – Not Available 2011
TOMATOES: introduced 2009
Kellogg’s Breakfast
~85 days, Heirloom (Midwest) Indeterminate
Stunning, brilliant golden-orange, meaty slicing tomatoes are 4 to 5″ or larger. Old-fashioned flavor is rich and full. Vining plants have open, rambling habit and require staking. One of Eve & Mikl’s top favorites.
Black Krim
69 – 80 days, Heirloom (Russia), Indeterminate
One of the most productive heirloom tomatoes, and early, too. Striking fruits are black, green and iridescent purple-red on the outside, partly black in glistening interior. Average 12 to 18 oz. Flavor is unusual – described as sweet, intense, smoky, and texture is juicy and meaty. Krims should be harvested when half green and still firm – at that stage they are dead ripe and delicious.
Gardener’s Delight
68 days, OP, Indeterminate
Bred in Germany in 1950-51, a parent of the famous hybrid ‘Sweet 100′. Abundant 1″ to 1½” deep red cherry tomatoes are meaty, juicy, sweet and richly flavored, and they resist cracking. The large plants need staking and will bear until frost. One of Eve & Mikl’s top favorites.
Purple Calabash
75 days, Heirloom, Indeterminate
Unusual fruits shaped like Cinderella pumpkins, about 3″ wide by 1½” tall, are very deeply ruffled, with light green-purple shoulders shading to dark purple toward base. Flesh is deep purple. Frequent winner of blind taste tests, with very complex, rich blend of rich tomato flavors reminiscent of a fruity Cabernet wine. Ours were very productive, and plants reportedly yield abundantly even under very hot and dry conditions. Delicious fresh, and makes awesome roasted tomato sauce.
Mo’s Golden Paste
Mid-season, Heirloom, Indeterminate
Our friend Mo McKenna is an accomplished gourmet cook and culinary gardener, and gave us seed for this favorite (of unknown name) that she’s been growing in Boulder for 4 years. Fruits are uniform, oblong/egg-shaped and a rich golden color. She describes the flavor as tomato/fruity, not acidic. It makes delicious and beautiful sauce, and is really good for fresh eating, too. Vines are rambling and large, and require serious staking or trellising. Sorry – NOT AVAILABLE 2011
Mexico Midget
60-65 days, Heirloom (Mexico), Indeterminate
Prolific, producing hundreds of small, round, scarlet, richly flavored currant-type tomatoes in long clusters. Plants produce prolifically up to first frost. A favorite for mountain gardeners. Perfect for fresh eating and salads.
Tumbler
50 – 70 days, OP, determinate
Bred for hanging baskets, but also good for window boxes, or edging for planting beds. Bushy plants produce lots of nicely flavored red cherry tomatoes. Tends to fill in a basket instead of producing lanky growth. Very productive.
Gold Nugget
55 days, Open Pollinated, Determinate
One of the first tomatoes to ripen, and extremely prolific. The pretty, egg-shaped golden fruits are 1 – 1 ¼”, with delicious, well-balanced flavor, and are crack-resistant and have few seeds. Healthy compact plants are great for growing in containers and small gardens.
Silvery Fir Tree
58 days, Heirloom (Russia), Determinate
Exceptionally early, fire engine red 2 – 3″ round fruits are slightly flattened and have a very pleasant tangy flavor. Produces heavy crops on beautiful, compact plants with ferny foliage. Elegant, ornamental and successful in containers.
Opalka
83 days, Heirloom (Poland), Indeterminate
Unique, hard-to-find, superior paste tomato. Bears clusters of massive, long, solid, red fruits with shape reminiscent of a bull’s horn, 6″ long x 3″ wide. Definitely a paste tomato, with excellent sweet flavor, dry texture and low seed count. Makes thick, full-flavored sauce. Very high yields, holds well on the vine. Sorry – NOT AVAILABLE 2011.
Thessaloniki
75 days, Heirloom (Greece), Indeterminate
Beautiful, smooth, round red baseball-sized (5 to 8 oz.) tomatoes with outstanding, rich, classic flavor. Resists cracking, blemish, sunscald and rot. Great for slicing, salads, canning. Keeps well. Plants are very productive.
Box Car Willie
Heirloom, Indeterminate
Classic, big orange-red tomatoes, great old-fashioned taste. Produces heavy crops of 10 to12 oz. fruits for slicing fresh or canning.
Rutgers Determinate
73 days, OP, Determinate
Developed at Rutgers University in 1943 from the original Rutgers tomato, which was bred for the Campbell’s Soup Co. in 1928 for processing, but is also a superb slicer. Fruits are uniform, 7 ounce, brilliant red, with great full-bodied flavor. Very healthy, reliable producer. Sorry, NOT AVAILABLE 2011
Sun Sugar
62 days, Hybrid, Indeterminate
Vigorous, disease-resistant vines bear flavorful sweet orange-gold fruits that are similar to ‘Sungold’ but resist cracking. Sorry - NOT AVAILABLE 2011
TOMATOES: Old Favorites
- Amish Paste-85 days, heirloom, very meaty, rich flavor intensifies in sauces, indeterminate
- Sungold-F1 hybrid, 65 day, orange-gold 1 ¼” fruits, sweet and plentiful, fresh or dried
- Pruden’s Purple- heirloom 72 day, large, dark pink, wonderful flavor, indeterminate
- Siletz-OP 70 day, earliest big tomato, excellent flavor, disease resistant, determinate
- Rutgers Indeterminate-75 day heirloom, popular for rich flavor, productivity, resistant to wilt, cracking and drought
- Super Lakotah-OP 75 day heirloom; juicy old-fashioned flavor; OK in cool weather. AKA Super Sioux.
- Cherokee Purple-77 days, heirloom, delicious deep pink fruits are 3″-4″; indeterminate
- Big Beef- hybrid 75 day, very productive, large fruits, good-tasting, disease-resistant
- Glacier-OP 56 day, best ultra-early variety with rich tomato flavor, 2″ fruits
- Fargo Yellow Pear -OP 82 days, larger fruit, crack-resistant, sweet, “tastes like a tomato”
- Stupice-Czech heirloom, 65 days, cold-tolerant, early, 2″ sweet, productive, compact ind.
- Carmello-hyb, 70-75 days, large crops of 5-7oz fruits, juicy, outstanding flavor, healthy vine
- Garden Peach- heirloom 71 days, small yellow/pink peach-like, juicy, prolific, long-keeper. Sorry – not available 2011
- Peacevine Cherry-OP 78 days, gazillions of sweet 1″ nutritious red fruit, rampant vine
- Brandywine- heirloom 85 days, classic rich flavor, squat lobed fruits to 7″ across, indeterminate
- Principe Borghese-78 days, Tuscan heirloom for drying, vigorous, rich flavored small fruits. Sorry-Not Available 2011
PEPPERS: NEW for 2011
SWEET:
Chocolate:
80 day, Open Pollinated
Bears at least a dozen thick-walled 6-8” tapered fruits; ripens from green to chocolate-brown with burgundy flesh inside, rich flavor.
Orange Sun:
75-80 day, Open Pollinated
Vibrant orange large blocky 4-5” bells are thick & juicy, with spicy-sweet flavor, borne on productive, erect, sturdy 20” plants.
Feherozon:
90 day, Heirloom
Very productive, up to 24 beautiful, pointed, light yellow 3” x 4.5” fruits gradually turn brilliant scarlet. Eat fresh or dry and grind to a powder for fabulous fragrant sweet paprika.
Early Mountain Wonder:
70 day, Open Pollinated
Selected by Seeds Trust from California Wonder, vigorous 24-48” plants produce thick-walled blocky 4×4” green peppers turning bright red when fully ripe.
Mini Belle Mixed:
70 day, Open Pollinated
Dwarf compact plants produce big crops of beautiful small red, orange and chocolate-colored blocky bell peppers. Early flower and fruit set, productive over a long season. Delicious and decorative in appetizers and salads, and very ornamental grown in pots on the patio.
Sweet Pickle:
65 day, Open Pollinated
12-15” plants covered with clusters of sweet thick-walled tapered fruits change color from yellow to red, orange and purple, with all colors on the plant at the same time. Another beauty for salads, pickling, appetizers, and makes an ornamental plant in a pot.
Carmen:
75 day, hybrid
Heavy yields of dark red, wide-shouldered, horn-shaped sweet Italian peppers for roasting, frying, or eating fresh. 28 x 16” compact plants are great for containers, too.
Big Red:
75 day, Open Pollinated
Said to yield even better than hybrids, bearing abundant 4” thick-walled, crisp, very sweet red peppers.
Felicity Sweet Jalapeno:
70 day, hybrid
A tamed Jalapeno, rich flavor without the heat. Large thick-walled fruits turn red when fully ripe, but can be used when green or red. Plants are stocky, with long continuous fruit set. For appetizers, salsa, etc.
Autumn Bell:
65-70 day, Open Pollinated
This productive, widely adapted, disease-resistant variety produces high yields of beautiful three or four-lobed, thick-walled, blocky 4×4”fruits that mature from shiny dark green to fire-engine red, with sweet flavor and crisp, juicy texture. Compact plants are well-leafed, preventing sun-scalded fruits.
HOT PEPPERS:
Mulatto
85 days, Heirloom
Mild to medium hot 4” x 2” chiles on vigorous plants. Similar to Ancho/Poblano but slightly different bittersweet flavor. Ripens from deep green to chocolate brown.
Anaheim ‘M’
85 days, Open Pollinated
Not as hot as a typical Anaheim. High yields of 7” x 1” tapered fruits are great fresh, dried, roasted or pickled. From New Mexico.
NuMex Sandia Hot
85-100 days, Open Pollinated
Early maturing, productive, mildly hot 7 x 1” high-quality fruits ripen from green to red. Often used green, fresh or pickled, or dried when red.
Cochiti
90+ days, Heirloom
An ancient variety from the Cochiti Pueblo people along the Rio Grande. Slender 2” chiles are medium-hot. They dry to deep amber color, with sweet-hot flavor.
Big Jim
85 days, Open Pollinated
A very popular chile. Medium-hot large 8” fruits are excellent roasted and stuffed for chile rellenos.
Serrano
85 days, Heirloom
Originated in the mountains of Mexico. Plants are 2-3’ tall, and the 2.5-4” blunt peppers are about 5 times hotter than Jalapeno. Use fresh, no steaming or peeling required.
Bolivian Rainbow
85 days, Open Pollinated
Beautiful ornamental semi-rounded 1 to 2’ plant, great in a pot. Small purple leaves and profuse 1.5” upright peppers with considerable heat start cream color and go through a showy rainbow of color changes ending in scarlet, with all colors displayed on the plant at the same time.
Bulgarian Carrot (aka Shipka)
68 days, Heirloom
Glossy fluorescent orange, thin-walled 1.5” – 3.5” tapered peppers are fruity and hot, borne in clusters near the main stem on a compact plant. Use in chutney, salsa, marinade, hot sauce, or dried and ground.
OLD FAVORITES:
Anaheim
78 days, Open Pollinated
Old favorite ‘Chile Verde’ for rellenos. The 7″ tapered fruits are pungent but not very hot.
Peruvian Purple
Open Pollinated
Fully purple plants bear mildly hot peppers that ripen red. Performs well and is very ornamental in containers. Sorry – not available 2011
Quadrato d’Asti Giallo
75 – 85 days, Open Pollinated
Huge, bright yellow-gold bell peppers are long and blocky with very thick flesh and rich sweet flavor. Excellent for stuffing, salads, or frying.
Alma Paprika
70-80 days; Heirloom
Extremely productive plants are loaded with small round peppers with thick meaty flesh. They ripen from creamy-white to red. The flavor is sweet and delicious, with just a hint of warmth. One of the best for drying when red and powdering for paprika; also great fresh.
Peacework
65 days, OP
Exciting, early red bell pepper with medium-thick walls, good flavor and full-bodied sweetness. Average yield 6 peppers per plant (that’s good!). Plants have open canopies, so fruits are susceptible to sun-scald. To overcome this, plant 2 plants together, several inches apart, or shade plants with light row-cover fabric. Bred by Peacework Farm in cooperation with Organic Seed Partnership, California Pepper Commission, and university breeders. NOT AVAILABLE 2011
Jimmy Nardello’s
76 days, Heirloom (Italy)
Listed on Slow Food’s Ark of Taste. Thin-walled, 8″ long frying peppers on very heavy-yielding plants. Long, curved, tapering pointed fruits turn deep red with shiny, wrinkled skin when ripe. The wonderful sweet, mild flavor is good raw, in stir-fries, and especially fried. Brought to Connecticut in 1887 from Southern Italy by Jimmy Nardello’s mother.
Quadrato d’Asti Rosso
80 days, OP
Fruits are HUGE with very thick brilliant red flesh and have delicious, sweet rich flavor. Excellent for stuffing, frying or salads. One of the largest red bells, beautiful and blocky.
Red Cheese
80 days, Heirloom
Candy-sweet, round, flat 3″ pimento-type peppers with thick, red flesh. Great for stuffing or fresh eating. Very productive plants. Once used to color cheese, hence the name.
Chimayo
90 days, OP
This wonderful ristra chile pepper named for the famed hill-town outside of Santa Fe NM. Turns from green to red when mature. Heavy yields of 4″ long hot peppers are also good used fresh green or red for stews and sauces.
Black Pearl
90 days, hybrid, 2006 All America Selection
A striking ornamental pepper plant for a dramatic focal point in the garden or potted. Too hot (above 30,000 Scoville units!!) for most people. Foliage starts out green when grown indoors, but once planted out, the color quickly deepens to purple-black. Masses of small shiny black fruits in clusters mature to bright red. Grows ~18″ tall x 12 – 16″ wide. Vigorous, pest-free, heat-loving. NOT AVAILABLE 2011
Lanterna
~85 days or longer, OP, original seed brought from Italy
Unique, brilliant orange-scarlet, small, pendant peppers shaped like flaring bells are gracefully borne mostly on the main stem of tall, exceptionally pretty plants. Flesh of the fruits is tasty and mildly piquant, seeds and ribs are hotter. Traditionally used to season pasta dishes, but they’re so ornamental, we recommend growing some for arranging in a vase too! Takes a long season but if harvested green they will ripen to orange quickly indoors. In 2009 we grew ours in a big pot – the two plants reached over 5′ tall and bore over 90 peppers! We had to bring the pot into the greenhouse when early frost threatened, and it produced happily there for months.Then it moved to someone else’s greenhouse, where, we hear, it is thriving still!
Peppers: More Old Favorites
- Ancho/Poblano- OP 75 days, medium to mild heart-shaped 4½”, dried, fresh, rellenos
- Purple Cayenne-OP 70 days, masses of beautiful 3″ narrow purple, hot peppers, 2′ plant
- Fish-90 days Afro-Amer. heirloom tall showy variegated fruits & foliage, very hot, ripens red. NA 2011
- Baby Belle- 75 days hyb, compact for containers & patios loads of sweet mini bells, 3 colors
- Marbles-58 days, bite-sized round rainbow med-hot fruits, 12-14″ pretty in containers NA 2011
- King of the North- OP 70 days, large sweet bells turn red, prolific yields in cooler climate
- Early Jalapeno – OP 75 days, 3″x1″ fruits, very hot, early, use green or red in salsa, etc.
- New Mexico #6- very mild chili, best used green, all purpose, delicious
- Espanola Improved- medium hot chili, for short growing season, red, productive
- California Wonder- 65 day OP big sweet blocky bells, no sunscald, ripens red, tolerates cool
- Revolution- 72 days hyb Extra-large bells, very stout, square, sweet, high yields, healthy
- Pasilla Bajio- 78 day OP easy, prolific 4-8″ long dk brown, smoky, fruity, ‘secret’ chili ingredient
- Gypsy- 65 day OP, great sweet pepper flavor, long, yellow, very productive, tolerates cool temps, dry conditions.
- Early Red Sweet- 70 days, OP delicate, thin-walled, med-small bell, earliest to turn red. NA 2011
ARTICHOKE:
- Imperial Star- 90-100 day OP annual, vigorous, stately, 6-8 chokes, light frost OK. Sorry-NOT AVAILABLE 2011
ASPARAGUS:
- Jersey Giant – Roots, 5 per bundle: All-male hybrid with bigger spears. Does not make seed, so doesn’t become weedy. Very productive, disease-resistant, Hardy to Zone 2.
- Jersey Knight- 1 gallon pots: All-male hybrid with bigger spears. Does not make seed, so doesn’t become weedy. Best selection for dense clay soils. Very productive and disease-resistant. Zone 2.
- Purple Passion – Roots, 5 per bundle: Beautiful deep burgundy-colored spears with high sugar content, tender, less stringy, great raw in salads.
BROCCOLI:
- Umpqua- OP 65 days, 5-6″ heads, lots of side shoots over long harvest window, excellent quality
- De Cicco- 48 day OP, Italian heirloom, mild, compact, productive w/side shoots, very early
- Piracicaba-56 day OP, like a cross between broccoli and raab; tender, productive, eat raw/cooked
- Limba - NEW OP 70 day, New high-performance, heat-tolerant broccoli makes 8″ blue-green heads w/ medium beads, good flavor, decent producer of side-shoots.
- Nutri-Bud-58 day OP, nutritious, large heads, many side-shoots, delicious mild flavor
- Fiesta-86 day hyb, compact plants, tight domed heads, big side-shoots, stands hot, cold
- Tendergreen - 67 day hyb, early, tender, delicious 6-7″ domed heads, no side shoots. Sorry – not available 2011
- Arcadia- 94 days hyb, Rugged plants stand up to heat,cold, mildew; refined smaller heads in summer hold well
- Summer Purple Sprouting- 80-100 day OP, huge yield of tasty purple spears in summer. Sorry, not available 2011
- Purple Sprouting Broccoli- 120 days, OP heirloom: Extremely cold-hardy broccoli that must over-winter before setting heads and bud-shoots. Tall (30”) plants bear 12-18” diam. Loose heads. Harvest early to late spring as tender, sweet purple shoots develop. Avoid cutting early leaves as they protect developing shoots. When Cooked, purple shoots turn green. High in anthocyanins (an anti-oxidant).
- Minestra Nera / Spigariello Leaf-Broccoli- NEW 65 days, OP heirloom; Instead of heads this Italian heirloom produces sweet, broccoli-flavored leaves and tops over a long season. The more you cut, the more you get! Pick as needed for soups, stews, pasta, ravioli-stuffing, stir-fries and salads. A gourmet treat used in the traditional Italian soup ‘Minestra’, hence the name.
CABBAGE:
- Early Jersey Wakefield- heirloom 65 days, early, compact, tender, crisp, good for salad
- Red Express- OP 60 days,very early, bred for north; beautiful dense solid red 2 lb. heads have excellent flavor
- Stonehead – hyb 67 days, compact solid round 3-4 lb. heads, early, easy to grow, holds well in garden
- Point One- hyb 48 days, super early, pointed yellow-green heads, very tasty. Sorry-NOT AVAILABLE 2011
- Savoy Ace - hyb 80 days, 9″ heads with small core, crinkled leaves, good flavor, withstands heat
- Wong Bok (Chinese, Napa) - OP 80 days, 10″ tall oval heads, grows blanched and tender, eat raw or cooked. Sorry-NOT AVAILABLE 2011
- Ruby Perfection-NEW hyb 85 days, lovely round purple-red 4-6 lb. heads in midseason, great storage variety
BRUSSELS SPROUTS:
Trafalgar – Hybrid; Bred for ‘medium sized, firm ‘buttons’, better, sweeter flavor, heavy crop that holds excellent quality over a long time’. Sorry-NOT AVAILABLE 2011
CAULIFLOWER:
- Graffiti-80 day hyb, delicious, gorgeous heads are brilliant purple raw & cooked, self-blanching, high in antioxidants
- Candid Charm- 95 days, hyb, large tight snowy heads 3-4 lb or more, not fussy, long-holding,best for fall crop. Sorry-NOT AVAILABLE 2011.
- Brocoverde Cauliflower – NEW 68 days A cross between broccoli and cauliflower. Tastes like sweet cauliflower, but the heads are green rather than white. Harvest heads when buds are tight. Delicious raw or lightly steamed. Plant 1-2′ apart in rich
- soil, full sun.
- Early Snowball - NEW
- Amazing – NEW
CUCUMBER:
- Diva – 58 day, hyb. Sweet, crisp, seedless, no peeling, disease resistant
- Super Zagross- 54 days OP sweet flesh keeps well, stays moist, no peeling, burples. Sorry-NOT AVAILABLE 2011
- Homemade Pickles- 55 days OP perfect for 1″-5″ pickles, solid, crisp, also great fresh
- Salad Bush- 56 days hyb, very compact vine, full-sized tasty slicing cukes, ideal for pots
- Armenian- 65 day heirloom, 12-18″ crisp, juicy, sweet, burpless, tolerates dry, hot
- Spacemaster- 61 day OP very compact, high yields, tasty 7½” smooth, pickles or slicer
- Early Russian – OP, Early, hardy type for northern gardens. Small oval cukes, make good pickles.
- Suhyo Long - 61 days OP, Sweet, mild, burpless, to 15″ long, curly shape unless trellised
- Marketmore - OP, Highly reliable, long-bearing, very sweet fresh slicing cuke, a home-garden favorite
- Bush Champion – OP, Tasty, crisp, bright green 11″ slicing cukes on very compact prolific plant, even in pots
- Tanja -60 days OP, Tender, bitter-free 13″ dark-skinned cukes are a gourmet treat. Reliably heavy producer. Sorry – NOT AVAILABLE 2011
EGGPLANT:
- Nadia – 67 days, hyb. Beautiful 6-8″ Italian-type, glossy dark purple 1 lb. firm, tasty fruits. Sets fruit in cooler temperatures, produces into fall, resists disease. Sorry-NOT AVAILABLE 2011
- White Fingers – 67 days, OP, Early , prolific, compact plant bears lovely slender white fruits. Great in containers.
- Rosita – 84 days, OP, Early, productive, tasty, beautiful 6-8″ x 4-6″ pink/lavender fruits are tender, with no bitterness.
- Galine – 72 days, hyb., Early, dependable Italian-style eggplant, mild, creamy-fleshed fruits averaging 1 lb., with glossy black skin.
- Parks Whopper – 62 days, hyb., Super early, vigorous, high-yield, bearing 6-8″ shiny purple mild teardrop fruits on disease-resistant plants.
- Applegreen – 70 days, OP, Great short-season rounded 6 x 4 1/2″ apple-green eggplant, early and productive, with non-bitter, mild, tender flesh.
- ALSO: Ping Tung Long Open-Pollinated, Black King,
EGGPLANT: Old Favorites
- Ichiban- hyb, 57 day, big yields, slim fruits, never bitter, likes heat
- Fairy Tale- hyb 50 days, pretty, small fruits white w/violet stripes in clusters, great in pots
- Prosperosa-OP 65days, large round deep violet, prolific, delicious Italian heirloom;
- Pingtung Long-hyb, 58 days, long, slender light purple 11″ fruits, vigorous, sweet flavor
- Diamond-78 day, OP, slender dark 12oz, mild fruits, prolific, cold-adapted, Ukraine
- Rosa Bianca- 88 day heirloom, fruit 2-4 lbs, white streaked w/ lavender, mild, creamy
GREENS – many NEW
- AMARANTH: Hopi Red Dye, Polish, Costa Rica Pink
- CELERY: Ventura – 80 days, OP, Much easier to grow than most celery. Ventura develops beautiful thick crisp stalks with rich flavor even in less-than-ideal conditions, and resists disease. Celery likes rich soil high in organic matter, and young plants must receive adequate moisture to make steady growth. Grow in full sun. Will withstand light frost in the fall. An essential ingredient in soups, stews, casseroles, salads and appetizers.
- CHARD: Argentata, Bright Lights, Fordhook Giant, Perpetual Spinach, Red Rhubarb Chard, Seafoam, Golden Sunrise, Orange Chiffon
- KALE: Redbor, White Russian, Winterbor, Redbor, Tuscan (syn. Lacinato, Dinosaur, Nero di Toscana)
- Winterbor Kale 60 days, hyb.
One of the most winter-hardy kales, with finely curled, thick, blue-green leaves. Very vigorous, up to 2’ tall, with abundant fancy ruffled leaves great for salads, sauté, etc. lends itself to successive cuttings.
Really sweet and juicy after a light frosts!
Tolerates frost and snow.
- Winterbor Kale 60 days, hyb.
- SORREL: French, De Belleville, Blood-Veined
- LETTUCE: Mixed Varieties in small pots and in 25″ window-box fiber pots (biodegradable)
- LEEKS: Lancelot, Lincoln, Bleu de Solaize
- OTHER GREENS: Arugula, Golden Purslane, Broccoli Raab, Red Shiso, Tatsoi, Pak Choi, Radicchio, Spinach, Mustard, etc.
MELONS:
- Collective Farm Woman- 83 day, heirloom, extra sweet, 10″ round, white flesh
- Ha Ogen- 70-85 days Israeli OP, high yields, incomparable flavor and aroma, early
- Tigger- rare Armenian heirloom, 1 lb. gold/red striped, fragrant, sweet, takes dry cond.
- Noire des Carmes- 75 day rare French heirloom, early 2-3lb. luscious, sweet, aromatic
- Crane- 75-85 day CA heirloom, cantaloupe/Japanese melon cross, Slow Food Ark of Taste
- Hearts of Gold- NEW-75 days, heirloom, very early, productive muskmelon bears round, 3 lb. (up to 6″) fruit with sweet, aromatic, deep orange, firm flesh.
- Halona- NEW- 74 – 79 days, hyb., Early, 6″ (4 lb.) oval muskmelons boast small seed cavity, extraordinarily sweet thick orange flesh. Dependable, some disease-resistance, good in cooler weather and short season areas.
- Jenny Lind -NEW- 76 days, heirloom,Early and prolific bearer of small, heavily netted, uniquely turban-shaped 1 lb. fruits that blush when ripe. Extremely sweet, soft, juicy, lime-green flesh.
- Petit Gris de Rennes- NEW- 80-85 days, rare French heirloom, Produces small, dark-gray-green 2-3 lb. dense melons with heavenly-sweet, perfumed orange flesh; “the Champagne of melons”.
- Green Nutmeg - NEW – 80 days, 1830 heirloom, Produces abundant 1-2 lb. spicy melons even in short-season areas. The mint green flesh is exceptionally sweet, fragrant, and spicy.
ONIONS:
- Rumba- (red) plants , ~20 or ~40 per bundle
- Copra -NEW – 104 days, best storage onion, medium sized, rock hard, yellow skin, high sugar, moderately pungent. Local favorite.
- Ailsa Craig - NEW – days, heirloom, very large, tan, globe-shaped, very sweet & mild, solid, may store up to 3 months.Another local favorite.
POTATOES:
- Yukon Gold (‘seed’ potato) – (yellow)
- Sangre (‘seed’ potato) – (red)
- Purple Majesty (‘seed potato’) -NEW- Colorado-bred, purple inside and out, excellent fried, baked, roasted or boiled. Uniform, high-yield, very high in anthocyanins (high-potency antioxidant)
PUMPKINS:
- Lady Godiva -110 day, OP, grown for its nutritious 20% protein, shell-less seeds. Sorry, NOT AVAILABLE 2011
- New England Pie-102 day heirloom, 4-6 lb stringless, classic rich pie pumpkins, prolific
- Cinderella (Rouge Vif d’Etampes)- NEW
- Winter Luxury – NEW
RHUBARB:
- Glaskins Perpetual- Plants. Heirloom. Slender, bright red stems, fine flavor, never bitter. Reputed to have the lowest concentration of oxalic acid. Produces at an early age, long-lived, hardy.
- Canadian Crimson- Roots. Great flavor, balanced sweet & tart, 24″ stalks are large, fleshy, tender, red
- Victoria- NEW – Plants. Heirloom. 10 to 12″ greenish-red stalks have more winey flavor than Glaskins Perpetual. Delicious for pies and cobblers. Early-maturing.
SUMMER SQUASH:
- Costata Romanesca – 55 day heirloom, ranked best-tasting zucchini, vigorous, large
- Tromboncino-60 day heirloom climbing ‘zucchini’, mild, sweet, crisp, firm – never mushy
- Raven-48 day hyb zucchini, smooth, dark, tasty, high in antioxidant lutein, early high yield
- Gentry- 43 day hyb, mild, sweet yellow crookneck, early, big yields even under stress
- Caserta - NEW- OP, Very productive bush zucchini bears light/dark green striped zukes with white, creamy, firm flesh
- True Gold- NEW- OP, Zucchini with beautiful, golden-yellow skin and smooth, mildly sweet flavor. Bred locally by Abbondanza Farms.
- Multi-Pik -NEW- 50 days, hyb., High-yielding, widely adapted, smooth, bright yellow straightneck with no green streaking, borne on a vigorous, semi-open bush. Early and prolific if kept picked.
- Ronde de Nice - 50 days, heirloom, Delicious, spherical, light green fruits to harvest young, or stuff at 4″ diam. Plants are compact, vigorous, high-yielding.
- Benning’s Green Tint Patty Pan -55 days, 1914 OP, Pale green ‘scallopini’ with great taste and texture, most tender at 2 – 3″ diameter. Sorry, NOT AVAILABLE 2011.
WATERMELON:
- Sweet Dakota Rose- 60 days? heirloom, very sweet red flesh, 10-20lb, tolerates cool temperatures.
- Peace-75 day hybrid, early, prolific, 8lb. fruits with juicy, very sweet yellow flesh
- Sugar Baby – NEW- 75-80 day OP, Dependable, productive ‘ice-box’ type, 6 to 10″ round, sweet, red-fleshed melons on compact vines that resist drought and disease.
WINTER SQUASH:
- Burpee’s Butterbush- 87 day, OP, delicious, sweet, nutty, small butternut, keeper NA 2010
- Sunshine- 95day, hyb. Kabocha-type, sublime eating quality, productive, brilliant scarlet skin, orange flesh; productive. Eve’s favorite
- Tetsukabuto-91 day hyb. Productive Kabocha-type, round ~8″ dark green with exceptionally sweet, dry, thick, smooth, nutty, yellow flesh. Requires a pollinator (buttercup, butternut or hubbard). Eve’s other favorite.
- Carnival -NEW- 85 day hyb. Acorn-type, kaleidoscope of colors, each uniquely patterned, full-bodied sweet, nutty flavor. Borne on semi-bush, easy to pick, long storage.
- Uncle Dave’s Dakota Dessert-NEW- 95 day OP, Buttercup type, selected over 40 years by Pennsylvania family for color, taste, sweetness, vigor, thick flesh, small seed cavity, high productivity and cold-hardiness. Gets raves!
- Nutty Delica-NEW-95 day hyb., Kabocha-type with dry, very sweet golden flesh. Excellent storer, complex flavor improves with age, peaking after January. Vines tolerate cool conditions, produce abundant 2-3 lb. fruits.
- Squisito -NEW- 87 day OP, Spaghetti-type, early maturing, ~4 lb. deep gold oblong fruits said to be MUCH tastier and sweeter than other Spaghetti squash varieties.
- JWS 6823 PMR -NEW- 100 day hyb., Butternut-type, tan fruits ~3-4 lbs, with edible skin and nutty, moist orange flesh, best after a few weeks storage, but keeps all winter. Short, mildew-resistant vine bears 4-5 fruits per plant.
- Sugar Loaf – Hessel -NEW- 100 day OP, Delicata-type, blocky squash average 5×3.5″, over 1 lb. Superior selection has dry, sweet flesh, classic, intense Sugar Loaf flavor with bigger fruit, thicker flesh, higher yields.
Great Veggies for Containers/Small Patio Gardens
Silvery Fir Tree Tomato
Tumbler Tomato
Fairytale Eggplant
White Fingers Eggplant
Lanterna Pepper
Peruvian Purple Pepper
Marbles Pepper
Purple Cayenne Pepper
Black Pearl Pepper
Salad Bush Cucumber
Bush Champion Cucumber
Spacemaster Cucumber
Culinary Herbs (Basil, etc.)
and more…