Back to Home Page Back to Catalog Heirloom Vegetables
Calabrese Broccoli Source: Seeds of Change Popular market variety that was brought to America by Italian immigrants in the 1880s. Tight heads can grow up to 8" in diameter. After the central head is harvested, side shoots will form. 58-90 days from transplant.	Early Jersey Wakefield Cabbage Source: Seed Savers Exchange Planted by Thomas Jefferson at Monticello, this is truly an American heirloom. Conical, solid, tightly folded heads are 10-15” tall by 5-7” in diameter.		Mammoth Red Rock Cabbage Source: Seed Savers Exchange Introduced in 1889. Solid round cabbage heads are 8" in diameter and weigh 7 pounds. Red throughout, vigorous and uniform. Excellent for cooking, salads and pickling.
Tendercrisp Celery Source: Heirloom Seeds 36 inches tall by 12 inches wide. Extra large variety. Sweet, crisp flavor. If you have never grown celery, try one pot. The flavor is amazing, and it works well as a companion plant for tomatoes or potatoes.		5 Color Silverbeet Swiss Chard Source: Seed Savers Exchange Australian heirloom from Digger’s Garden Club. Ornamental Technicolor mixture of Swiss chards with shades of red, orange, purple, yellow, and white. Tender and delicious.	Dwarf Blue Curled Kale Source: Seed Savers Exchange Gorgeous finely curled blue-green leaves hold their color even in severe cold. Uniform low-growing plants are 15" tall with a 20-35" spread. Very hardy; will overwinter with mulch in zones 4-5. Ornamental and delicious. High in vitamin A. One of our favorite ways to eat it is sautéed in olive oil and garlic until it is just crisp tender.
Lacinato Kale Source: Richter’s Herbs Italian heirloom that dates back to the eighteenth century. Blue green strap-like leaves are 3" wide by 10-18" long with a heavily savoyed texture. Excellent flavor that is enhanced by frost. Best eaten when leaves are small and tender. 62 days from transplant.		Mesclun Mix Source: Seeds of Change and Richter’s Herbs A potpourri of color, shape, taste, and texture.  Harvest a new combination each day.  Early greens complement an assortment of lettuces
Cucumbers Cucumbers will grow in either sandy/loam or clay/loam. Compost, kelp and dolomite lime will enrich the soils for optimum production. In hotter climates, heavier soils maintain fertility longer and produce better crops. Transplanting must be done gently with minimal root disturbance, early in the morning or at dusk for best results. Deeply fertile soil produces optimum yield of fruits			A&C Pickling Cucumber Source: Seed Savers Exchange (a.k.a. Ace) Introduced in 1928 by Abbot & Cobb of Philadelphia. Extremely productive, uniformly straight 8-10” fruits that hold their dark color for a long time. One of the best.
Boothby’s Blonde Cucumber Source: Seed Savers Exchange An heirloom variety from the Boothby family of Livermore, Maine where it has been grown for several generations. Heavy producer of oval 6-8” creamy-yellow warty fruits with black spines. Excellent crisp flavor, no need to peel. Best when eaten about 4” long. Makes beautiful bread and butter pickles.	Bushy Cucumber Source: Seed Savers Exchange Well-known older variety that originated in southern Russia. Recommended for dacha gardens that surround Moscow because of its compact “bush” 3-5 foot vines. Good production.		Early Fortune Cucumber Source: Seed Savers Exchange Introduced in 1906. Described as “the earliest and best white spine cucumber ever offered”. 55-60 days.
Japanese Climbing Cucumber Source: Seed Savers Exchange Introduced to American gardeners in 1892 from seed obtained from Japan. Vigorous growth, strong grasping tendrils, the best variety for trellises, wire netting, brush or fences. Plants continue to bear all season, if consistently picked clean. I grew these successfully in a container.	Mideast Prolific Cucumber Source: Seeds of Change Excellent flavor whether pickled or fresh. Thin-skinned and never bitter. Great flavored salad cuke. Vines bear extremely early and are very productive. These did well, even in a drought summer		True Lemon Cucumber Source: Seed Savers Exchange Heirloom that was introduced in 1894 by Samuel Wilson of Mechanicsville, PA. Similar in appearance and size to a lemon, averages 3” by 2”. Was once a well-established variety in Australian markets. Used primarily for pickling, slicing and in salads. Very easy to digest. Rust and drought resistant. Kids in our neighborhood love to eat them like apples!.
Eggplant A versatile staple in Italian and Southeast Asian cuisines, eggplant can be baked, roasted, pickled, mashed, or dried. Native to the tropics, it thrives in hot, humid climates. Eggplants like lighter sandy/loam soil, well fertilized with composted manure, rock phosphate, kelp and dolomite lime. Transplant out when the soil is well warmed and danger of frost is over. They do not like cool summer nights, so for those who want a large crop but live where night temperatures drop below 70 degrees, it is worthwhile to grow them under cloches until nights become more consistently warm. Hoe up soil around stem when plants are 12-16" high. Depending on your area, row covers may be necessary to protect eggplant from flea beetles.			Florida High Bush Eggplant Source: Seed Savers Exchange Average Size: 8 -12 inches long This variety has been grown by commercial growers since the 1940's. These large plants help keep eggplants off the ground. Perfect for grilling, frying, stuffing, and baking.
Listada de Gandia Eggplant Source: Seed Savers Exchange Average Size: 6-8 inches long Beautiful striped Italian eggplant. Reliable, heavy yields of excellent quality with thin skinned fruits. I thought the flavor was a little milder than some eggplants, and they are gorgeous in the garden – even a container.	Pingtung Long Eggplant Source: Seed Savers Exchange Average Size: 12 inches long By far the most beautiful edible eggplant available to gardeners. Dark lavender fruits have an incredible shine that radiates off the skin. Hardy, vigorous plants are disease resistant. Named for its hometown of Pingtung, Tiawan. 65-75 days from transplant.		Back to Home Page Back to Catalog
Melons The “dessert of the garden”, most melons are also rich in vitamin C and contain moderate levels of potassium, vitamin A, and folate. Melons grow more prolifically in well-enriched, sandy/loam soils. Heavier clay soils also produce well, but tend to enhance more foliage and vine growth, giving a later harvest. Fertility should be assured with well-balanced compost and the addition of some magnesium if your soil lacks it. The key to good melon growing is crop placement. Pick the hottest, sunniest spot. For cantaloupe and honeydew, give at least 2' in rows and 4' between rows to allow plants to fill out. Watermelons will thrive with even more space between the plants, 3' in rows and 5-6' between rows. To plant in mounds, plant 3 clusters to a hill and keep hills 6' apart or more. For peak flavor and to prevent splitting, decrease watering as fruits ripen. Each type of melon has its own indications of ripeness. Muskmelons will have a sweet fragrance and will separate easily from their stems ("slip") when ripe. Watermelons are ripe when the two tendrils closest to the fruit have withered. The first tendril to go is closest to the fruit, when the second one dries down, the melon is usually ready. If you want to rely on the tapping method, the sound you listen for is a full, drum-like resonance. A ping means it is under-ripe, and a thud means overripe. It is good to use both methods to be assured of ripeness.
Charantais Melon Source: Seed Savers Exchange Average Size: 2 lbs Considered by many to be the most divine and flavorful melons in the world. Smooth round melons mature to a creamy grayish-yellow with green stripes. Sweet, juicy, salmon flesh. Typically the size of a grapefruit, perfect for two people. Ripe melons have a heavenly fragrance. 75-90 days. My first success at melon growing – yummy!	Minnesota Midget Melon Source: Abundant Life Seeds Average Size: 1 lb This exquisite heirloom produces a bounty of early and true to its name, mini cantaloupes. Fruit measure 4-6” across and have a deep orange flesh that is succulent, sweet and delicious down to the rind. Perfect for small or container gardens. 65-70 days.		Sugar Baby Watermelon Source: Seeds of Change Average Size: 8 - 10 pounds The standard for small watermelons since the 1870’s. Early productive space saver. Very sweet and flavorful oval melons with deep-red flesh. Perfectly sized for refrigerators. Bush type plant suitable for small gardens. 75 days.
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Onions/Leeks Onions are a culinary staple as well as rich in nutrition. Growing them in the garden allows you to enjoy heirloom varieties and protects other plants growing around them from many insect pests. And there is nothing like a beautiful braid of onions to make a kitchen feel like the home of wonderful meals. Grow in full sun, well enriched soil and keep watered. Harvest when green tops begin to fall over. Cure in warm, dry, well ventilated area until tops are completely dry. Leeks do not need to be cured.
Cipollini Onion Source: Seeds of Change and Territorial Seed Average Size: 3 - 4 inches This is a medium-small flat yellow onion with exceptional flavor – pungent and sweet. Also called a fall or “mini” onion. Stores well. Long day type.	Rossa di Milano Onion Source: Seeds of Change Average Size: 3 - 4 inch Mildly hot, midsized, Italian red onion. Flat top tapers to a barrel-shaped bottom. A long to intermediate day type that tolerates cool climates. Excellent keeper.		Falltime Leek Source: Maggie’s Garden Blue-green, erect flag and thick 14-18 in. shanks. Harvest during autumn or winter. Extremely winter-hardy Leeks are a wonderful treat in the late fall when the rest of the garden is long done. Easy to grow – just plant in well-worked soil in the spring, amend the soil as needed, cover with a little mulch and come back to harvest in the fall. For maximum white area, mound dirt up on the plants as they develop.