Plant Start Varieties

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Alliums (Onions, Shallots, Leeks, Scallions….)

  • Leeks, King Richard:  This distinctive refined early leek rules supreme, with its elegant form with upright shanks a foot long to the first medium green leaves. Ready in late August and can withstand light frosts but should be harvested before those heavily frosted nights in late October.
  • Onions, sweet, Ailsa Craig:  Huge, mild and sweet, heirloom onion.  Jumbo to colossal, round to teardrop-shaped bulbs with light yellow skins.  Use fresh or for short-term storage.
  • Onions, sweet, Candy:  A widely adaptable variety known for its sweet, mild flavor and dependable performance across the U.S.  Candy produces jumbo to colossal globe-shaped bulbs with golden brown skin, thick rings, and mostly single centers.  Features short, sturdy tops and small necks for quick curing. High resistance to pink root.
  • Onions, white, Sierra Blanca:  Big, mild white onions.  Widely adapted, day-neutral, and matures well anywhere in North America.  Produces uniform, large, white-skinned onions with mild flavor and thick rings.  Not for long storage. All America Select winner.
  • Onions, yellow, Patterson:  Exceptionally long-storing yellow onion.  In our trials, Patterson is consistently one of our longest storing onions.  Its firm bulbs have good yield potential.  Medium-large, blocky bulbs with dark yellow skin and thin necks that dry quickly.
  • Onions, red, Rossa di Milano:  An incredible heirloom onion, from Italy.  Bulbs are large to colossal in size and exhibit the true grano shape with distinctly flattened tops.  Suited for long storage (6+ months) with thin necks that easily dry down.  Strong, bronze-pink skins and great uniformity.  An excellent cooking onion, Rossa di Milano contributes an abundance of sweetness and pungency to any cuisine.
  • Shallots, Zebrune:  Also known as a banana shallot or eschalion, is a French heirloom prized for its plump, torpedo-shaped bulbs with pinkish-brown skin and sweet, mild flavor.  Bulbs are easy to peel and commonly used in gourmet cooking.  This variety resists bolting and produces high yields from early plantings.  When properly dried, Zebrune stores very well.
  • Scallions, Evergreen Hardy White:   Can be grown in the spring for quick scallions, or planted and overwintered.  Also known as Nebuka, a perennial non-bulbing bunching onion.  Once your overwintered scallions develop seed stalks, cut the whole patch back to about 2″ above the soil—they will re-grow tender scallions from the roots. A welcome treat in April, one of the first fresh foods. Heirloom from Japan originated in the 1880s.
  • Scallions, Deep Purple:  A red bunching type that is highly colored at any temperature. For spring or summer sowing, with good bolting tolerance for overwintering. 
  • Scallions, White Spear:  Large, heat-resistant bunching onions.  Tall, straight, blue-green leaves. Very resistant to bulbing and leaf-curl in the heat of midsummer. 

Beans

  • Provider (green):  Provider can be planted earlier than other beans because it tolerates cool soils. Compact plants are easy to grow and adaptable to diverse soil and climate conditions. Produces 5 1/2″ fleshy, round pod green beans. Purple seeds. Bush bean.
  • Dragon’s Tongue (striped heirloom):  Unique flashy heirloom.  Avg. 6–6 1/2″ flat pods are pale yellow with purple streaks. They are tender, sweet, and good in salads or cooked. Purple disappears upon cooking. Tan seeds with dark speckles. Bush bean.
  • Golden Butterwax (yellow):  Open pollinated.  A white-seeded wax bean impressive for its rich yellow color and straight pods. Extra beany. Introduced by Agway in 1978. Resistant to CBMV, NY15, tolerant to ozone damage.

Cold Crops

Broccoli

  • Arcadia:  Tall, heavy stems with heavy, firm, dark blue-green, finely beaded, high-domed heads with a frosted appearance. Late summer or fall harvest. Resistant to brown bead, black rot, downy mildew and head rot. Cold and heat tolerant. 
  • Green Magic:  Excellent heat tolerance.  Heads are smooth, well-domed, and very attractive.  Extremely uniform in maturity. 
  • Gypsy:  Strong root system for plantings in below-average fertility.  Gypsy’s heads are well-domed and uniform with a medium-small bead size and medium-size stem.  Large, healthy plants have intermediate resistance to downy mildew and good heat tolerance.  Suitable for bunching or crown cut.  Good side-shoot production.
  • Raab (sprouting):  The most versatile broccoli raab variety for growing throughout the season—especially for spring and summer harvest, and overwintering in mild climates. Large plants mature over a 1–2 week period. Large, tender, abundant leaves borne on thin stems with delicate buds.

Brussels Sprouts

  • Dagan:  Dependable midseason variety.  Tall plants.  Medium-large sprouts.
  • Diablo:  Similar to Dagan.

Cabbage, hard

  • Early Jersey Wakefield (early heirloom green):  Open pollinated.  This classic early cabbage flaunts distinctively pointy compact medium 2–3 lb heads.  The pyramidal shape with sparse outside foliage permits close spacing.  Tender flavorful waxy-looking Wakefield is still prized by home and market gardeners.  Originated in England in the early 1800s, first grown in America in 1840, perfected by a German truck gardener in northern New Jersey and released by Peter Henderson in 1868.  Henderson in 1902 asserted that “it was more largely grown than all other first early cabbages combined” and called it an “old reliable always to be depended upon for its uniformity in earliness and crop.”
  • Omero (early red):  Midseason red with good flavor.  The avg. 3 lb. heads are a vibrant red and are round to slightly oval. Good, slightly sweet and peppery flavor.
  • Ruby Perfection (storage red):  Fancy fall-storage red.  The #1 mid-late red cabbage.  The heads are medium-size and dense with a uniform high-round shape and good wrapper leaves.  Good field-holding ability.  Matures just in time for late summer crops or fall harvest for medium-term storage.  Avg. weight: 3 1/2 lb.  Resistant to thrips.
  • Promise (storage green):  Best quality from storage.  Fantastic right out of the field or after long-term storage. Juicy, tender, sweet leaves—the best flavor in our spring storage cabbage taste tests.  The dense heads are held high above the ground, which allows for good air circulation and reduced disease pressure.  Heads will avg. 6 1/2 lb. at 18″ spacing and 9–10 lb. at 24″ spacing. Excellent for slaws, cooking, and sauerkraut.
  • Red Express (early red):  Early, productive and deep red/purple.
  • Red Acre:  Red Acre is a classic red cabbage variety known for being one of the earliest to mature. It produces compact, deep red heads that store well and resist splitting, making it ideal for small gardens and home growers. Red Acre adds vibrant color to coleslaw and offers dependable performance with resistance to cabbage yellows.

Cauliflower

  • Orbit (Romanesco):  Early Romanesco type is attractive lime green, and medium-domed. Produces uniform 1lb heads on average with dense curds, no leaves in the head, and an exceptional wrap from a large erect plant.
  • Snow Crown (white):  Standard early variety.  Good quality, medium-size heads whether harvested in summer or fall.  Good tolerance to moderate fall frost (25–32°F/-4–0°C).  AAS Winner.
  • Snowball (white):  Snowball Self-Blanche is a classic open pollinated cauliflower known for its pure white heads and mild flavor, excellent both raw and cooked. Its self-wrapping leaves naturally protect the curds from sun and heat in cooler conditions, reducing the need for tying until the heads reach six to eight inches across. This makes it ideal for late summer and early fall harvests when temperatures begin to drop. With clean color and reliable performance, Snowball is a dependable choice for home gardeners and fresh market growers alike.

Chinese/Napa Cabbage:

  • Joi Choi (Bok Choy):   Heavy, vigorous white-stem pac choi.  Joi Choi forms a 12-15″ tall, broad, heavy plant with dark green leaves and thick, flattened white petioles.  Tolerant to heat and cold.  Space 10-12″ apart.
  • Minuet (Napa):  Best mini variety.  9″ tall heads with dark green outer leaves and an attractive yellow interior.  Light, sweet taste.  Space 12″ apart for high yields of upright, dense heads.  Slow to bolt.  Tolerant to bottom rot and black speck.

Cucumbers

Slicing

  • Marketmore 76:  Popular open-pollinated variety.  Long dark green cucumbers.  The slender, refined “Marketmore look” has long been the standard for slicing cucumbers in the North.  8–9″ fruits stay uniformly dark green even under weather stress.  Begins bearing late, but picks for a relatively long time.
  • Straight 8:  Straight 8 is a classic open-pollinated cucumber and the 1935 AAS Edible Vegetable winner, prized for its long, straight dark-green fruits, cool firm flesh, and bright flavor; this reliable, dual-purpose variety matures early and delivers crisp cukes that are equally at home fresh off the vine or preserved for later enjoyment.
  • Tasty Green (Asian):  Monoecious with a fine flavor, often called “burpless”.  Slightly ridged, long, slender fruit resembles a greenhouse cucumber.  Will curl up unless trellised but does well on the ground.
  • Tasty Jade (Asian):  Delicious long Asian cucumber.  Vigorous, high-yielding plants produce glossy, 11–12″ long, bitter-free fruit with small seed cavities.  Cukes are sweet, crisp, and thin-skinned; no peeling required.  Suitable for outdoor or greenhouse culture.  Trellis for straight fruit.  Parthenocarpic.

Pickling

  • Adam Gherkin:  High-quality European pickler.  Produces high yields of uniform fruits in a broad range of climates.  Fruits are blanketed with tiny spines in the true European ‘cornichon’ style.  Dependable for great flavor, crisp texture, and even color. Nicely proportioned even at 2–3″.  Gynoecious and parthenocarpic.
  • Cool Customer:  A rugged pickler that produces uniform yields of attractive, blocky fruits with small seed cavities and exceptional crunch and flavor.  Vigorous plants produce 4–5″ fruits over a long harvest period.
  • Cross Country:  Named for its widespread adaptability, Cross Country goes the distance.  Bears abundant blocky straight dark green white-spined fruit of uniformly good quality with very small seed cavities.
  • National Pickling:  Open pollinated.  Introduced in 1929, the result of a five-year collaboration between the National Pickle Packers Association and the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station.  Suitable for both small pickles and dills.  Holding quality over a long season, the firm black-spined dark green fruits are usually quite sweet, rarely bitter.  Plants are vigorous dependable producers.

Other

  • Lemon: Small, rounded, pale yellow cucumbers.  Pick at 1½–2½” diameter.  This versatile cucumber is sweet and flavorful, and doesn’t have much of the chemical that makes other cucumbers bitter and hard to digest.  Though often served raw, Lemon is also a good pickling cucumber.
  • Beit Alpha CMR/MMR:  Beit Alpha CMR/MMR is a Mediterranean-type cucumber that is burpless with few seeds, featuring tender skin and a mild flavor best enjoyed when picked smaller than traditional slicers.

Eggplant

  • Eclipse:  Sturdy 33-inch plants that set an outstanding crop of very early-maturing, large fruits topped with fresh green calyxes, delivering reliable, market-ready eggplants ahead of other varieties.
  • Epic:  A vigorous eggplant with sturdy plants that produce large, 9-inch glossy black oval fruits topped with fresh green calyxes; its early maturity and heavy yields make it a top choice for growers seeking reliable, high-quality harvests.
  • Nadia:  A classic Italian-type eggplant that produces large, oval, glossy fruits measuring 7–8″ with firm flesh and excellent shelf life. Plants are vigorous and upright, providing good yields with regular, heavy sets that continue through the season. Sets colors early, sets well under cool conditions, and holds fruit high on tall, sturdy plants for easier harvest. With its dark purple-black skin and dependable performance, 
  • Shoya Long:  A Japanese-type eggplant with vigorous upright plants that produce abundant, uniform, very long, shiny black fruits topped with purple calyxes, offering excellent shape, color, and quality for growers seeking consistent performance.

Flowers

Amaranth

  • Coral Fountain:  Unique coral-pink tassels.  Coral Fountain is a great complement to Emerald Tassels and Love-Lies-Bleeding.  All have similar plant habits, days to maturity, and great presence in arrangements.
  • Emerald Tassels:  Ropes of lime-green, trailing blooms.  Fantastic color and texture for fresh bouquets or large containers.  When dried, the blooms turn from green to a light tan color that works well in fall arrangements.
  • Hopi Red Dye:  Dark red amaranth with graceful, easy-to-use spikes.  Rich color and arching lines for a nice bouquet accent. Humble but sturdy blooms do not dominate arrangements, as is often the case with other amaranth varieties.  Compared to the upright types, Hopi Red Dye’s flower heads are smaller, about 1–2″ wide x 12–24″ long.  Shorter and smaller blooms than trailing types.  When plants are young, and leaves are tender, the foliage makes a nice edible green.  Seeds are also edible.  Fresh flower clusters, stems, and leaves can be used to make a natural red food dye by soaking the plant parts in water overnight or simmering in hot water.
  • Love-Lies-Bleeding:  Ropes of deep red, trailing blooms.  A reminder of things Victorian and a graceful accent in arrangements.

Aster

  • New Hybrids:  Open pollinated. Perennial, Zones 4-8.  A good antidote when summer flowers fade and the late-season doldrums hit your garden.  These hardy “New York” (the species name dates back to when the State of New York was known as ‘New Belgium’) asters pick up right where the others leave off, blooming the first year in a range of colors from red to purple and bluish to white in sequence from August to November.  Because this is a mix of various hybrids and each type, in turn, blooms for several weeks, it makes a continuous long-lived show of color on the 4′ plants.
  • Princess Mix, China:  Open pollinated. Annual. 2–3″ flowers on long wiry stems. The pompon blooms with deeply crested centers are richly colored in shades of purple, salmon, magenta, rose and lavender.  Late-blooming elegant cutflowers are unsurpassed in September.
  • Tower Chamois, China:  Open pollinated. Annual. Lustrous salmony-pink peony-type 2–3″ blooms.  The Tower Series asters are bred for uniform height and bloom time.  In ideal conditions, one sturdy plant can produce up to 20 stems.
  • Valkyrie Mix, China:  Unique addition to bouquets.  Needle- or quilled-type blooms atop long sturdy stems.  Large, brightly colored, 3½ – 5½” flowers bloom in white, light yellow, pink, crimson, rose, and dark and light purple.  Easy to harvest due to the well-branched plant’s open airy habit.  Long vase life.  Also known as summer aster.

Marigold (French, unless otherwise noted)

  • Bambino:  Open pollinated.  Annual. This darling’s variegated petals of dark and light orange swirl around an orange center button, giving the effect of a tiny circus tent. Plentiful 2½” single-petaled flowers set early on semi-mounded 8″ bush. Blooms strong until frost, championing orange in the garden till the pumpkins take over.
  • Bonanza Bee:  Double crested flowers on compact plants.  1 1/2–2 1/2″ refined crested blooms. Highly uniform plants.  An easy-to-grow addition to garden beds, containers, and small spaces. Vibrant red and gold blooms.
  • Bonanza Deep Orange:  Double crested flowers on compact plants.  1 1/2–2 1/2″ refined crested blooms. Highly uniform plants.  An easy-to-grow addition to garden beds, containers, and small spaces. Classic marigold-orange bloom color.
  • Bonanza Harmony:  Double crested flowers on compact plants.  1 1/2–2 1/2″ refined crested blooms. Highly uniform plants are more compact than the Durango series. An easy-to-grow addition to garden beds, containers, and small spaces. Vibrant red and orange blooms.
  • Court Jester:  Open pollinated.  Annual. It’s worth juggling garden space to make room for this jester, whose bright stripes of burgundy and yellow will keep you entertained into the fall. Many small single striped flowers dance atop a 20″ tall plant and make alluring additions to bouquets as well.
  • Durango Flame:  Compact and vigorous plants.  Highly branching, uniform, robust plants. A great choice for garden beds and pots for its compact habit. Abundant 2–2 1/2″ blooms. Bright red and orange bicolor flowers are beautiful in late summer and fall gardens.  Attracts beneficial insects such as hoverflies.
  • Durango Outback Mix:  Extra-large blooms with outstanding uniformity.  Highly branching plants.  A good choice for packs, pots, and garden planting. Bloom size is 2–2 1/2″.  Attracts beneficial insects such as hoverflies.
  • Durango Red:  Compact and vigorous plants.  Highly branching, uniform, robust plants. A great choice for garden beds and pots for its compact habit.  Abundant 2–2 1/2″ blooms.  Bright red flowers are beautiful in late summer and fall gardens.  Attracts beneficial insects such as hoverflies.
  • Durango Tangerine:  Compact and vigorous plants.  Highly branching, uniform, robust plants.  A great choice for garden beds and pots for its compact habit.  Abundant 2–2 1/2″ bright orange blooms.  A classic addition to any garden.  Attracts beneficial insects such as hoverflies.
  • Queen Sophia:  Dark orange petals rimmed in gold.  Queen Sophia, with its 2 1/2–3″ blooms, continues to be a favorite around the world.  Attracts beneficial insects such as hoverflies.  Leaves of the plant are edible and are used as flavorful salad greens and garnish.  All America Selections Winner.
  • Lemon Gem (signet):  Bite-size for use as edible garnish.  Hundreds of petite, citrus-scented flowers cover neat, low mounds of lacy foliage.  Long-blooming for beds, borders and containers where it attracts beneficial insects such as hoverflies.  Leaves of the plant are edible and are used as flavorful salad greens and garnish.
  • Lemon Star (gem-type):  Unique, bicolor Gem-type marigold.  Hundreds of petite flowers cover neat, low mounds of lacy foliage with a citrusy scent.  ¾-1¼” flowers are lemon yellow with a maroon star-shaped pattern in the center.  Long-blooming for beds, borders and containers.
  • Red Gem (signet):  Bite-size for use as edible garnish.  Hundreds of petite flowers cover neat, low mounds of lacy foliage with a citrusy scent.  Long-blooming for beds, borders, and containers where it attracts beneficial insects, such as ladybugs, hoverflies, butterflies, predatory bugs, and parasitic wasps.  Leaves of the plant are edible and are used as flavorful salad greens and garnish. 
  • Tangerine Gem (signet):  Similar to Lemon Gem and Red Gem, but with a tangerine color.

Nasturtiums

  • Alaska Mix:  Green-and-white variegated foliage. Brilliant 2″ single flowers in yellow, crimson, orange, salmon and cherry. Compact, mound-shaped plants.  Also known as garden nasturtium and Indian cress.
  • Bloody Mary:  Novel mix of colors.  Dramatic 2″ flowers in shades of dark red, coral red, cream, and unique bicolors. This mix is generally compact, but contains both mounding and trailing types.  Foliage ranges from dark blue-green to medium-green.  2019 Fleuroselect Novelty winner.
  • Empress of India:  Victorian era heirloom.  Scarlet flowers stand out amid the dark blue-green foliage of this old-fashioned favorite.  The compact, mounded plant habit makes it especially suitable for containers or as an edging plant.
  • Jewel Mix:  Well-known mix of singles and doubles.  These bright, 2″ blooms of red, pink, orange, and yellow are held above light green foliage.  Mounded plant habit.
  • Kaleidoscope Mix:  A robust mix.  Add excitement to any garden bed or container. All the traditional, bright colors (red, rose, yellow, orange, and cream) of a nasturtium mix with the added plus of marvelous swirled bicolors. Plants have a climbing and trailing habit.

Petunia

  • Balcony Mix:  This old petunia was popular with gardeners throughout much of the first part of the 20th century.  Delightfully fragrant blooms in shades of rose, lavender, and purple. Trailing plants are perfect for adding color and fragrance to window boxes and hanging baskets. Edible flowers.
  • Copper Spotted:  A showstopper in the petunia world, this giant-flowered beauty glows with a warm copper-gold base that radiates from a rich throat, each petal sprinkled with playful white and pink spots like confetti on silk.
  • Dreams Appleblossom:  The Dreams series provides an upright, mounding plant habit in a wide range of colors.  Profuse, soft pink “Appleblossom” colored blooms are 2–3″ wide.  Plants reach approximately 8–15″ tall and 10–18″ wide.  A grandiflora-type petunia.
  • Dreams Burgundy:  The Dreams series provides an upright, mounding plant habit in a wide range of colors.  Profuse 2–3″ wide blooms are rich burgundy with dark veining.  Plants reach approximately 8–15″ tall and 10–18″ wide.  A grandiflora-type petunia.
  • Dreams Mix:  The Dreams series provides an upright, mounding plant habit in a wide range of colors.  Mix includes white, coral, red, blue, and pink—the perfect color combination for cottage gardens and cheerful containers.  Plants reach approximately 8–15″ tall and 10–18″ wide.  A grandiflora-type petunia.
  • Dreams Sky Blue:  The Dreams series provides an upright, mounding plant habit in a wide range of colors.  Profuse lavender-blue blooms are 2–3″ wide.  Plants reach approximately 8–15″ tall and 10–18″ wide.  A grandiflora-type petunia.
  • Grandiflora Mix:  Nicknamed “painted tongue,” its large petunia-like blooms are splashed with vibrant purple-pinks and yellows.  These pretty flowers are native to southern Chile and are related to nicotiana. Plants average 2.5 feet tall.  Suitable for cut flowers. 
  • Greetings from Jeromere:  An eye-popping heirloom petunia with an outstanding mix of frilled, double and single, bicolored blooms in bubblegum pink and white.  Plants stand just over 1 foot tall and are smothered in highly decorative heads, almost unrecognizable as petunias … except to pollinators, who can’t seem to get enough of this variety!  Jaroměř is a town in the Czech Republic.
  • Karkulka:  This bicolored, bubblegum pink and white heirloom petunia from the Czech Republic has frayed and ruffled edges, making it one of the most cheerful and eye-catching varieties we have ever seen. Plants reach just over 1 foot tall and are smothered with these fascinating 2- to 2.5-inch blooms.
  • Lace Veil:  A superb and completely unique petunia with fascinating, frazzled edges.  From the Czech Republic.  These 3-inch snow white blooms are bordered in fine ruffles, giving the blooms an appearance of delicate lace.
  • Purple Dwarf:  A cloud of soft, lilac blooms fills your garden with endless beauty in heirloom Purple Dwarf.  Known for its abundance of large, light purple flowers, this compact beauty bursts forth in vibrant, nonstop color. Its well-branched habit makes it perfect for beds, borders, and containers, offering a graceful, low-maintenance option for your garden.
  • Salpiglossis Grandiflora Mix:  Nicknamed “painted tongue,” its large petunia-like blooms are splashed with vibrant purple-pinks and yellows. These pretty flowers are native to southern Chile and are related to nicotiana. Plants average 2.5 feet tall. Suitable for cut flowers. Loads of colorful blooms!
  • Sparklers:  A dazzling petunia with diminutive purple blooms that look like a cluster of stars! This unique petunia is semitrailing, reaching about 14 inches wide and 12 inches high.  This eye-catching mix has received the prestigious Fleuroselect Novelty award.
  • Superbissima Cerny’s Triumph:  A fabulous mix of heavily ruffled, mammoth blooms in a range of colors and forms. Tones of lavender, plum, purple, and ivory make this a sweet mix. All blooms have deeply ruffled edges; some are double petaled and some are single. Plants average 1 to 2 feet in height and are smothered in massive, 5- to 7-inch flowers. This variety comes from Černý Seed Company in the Czech Republic. 
  • Superbissima Cosmic Cherry:  Truly one of the most whimsical flowers we have ever seen!  The flower heads have ruffled edges and reach a whopping 7 inches across, in a mix of magenta to violet colors.  This edible flower has a delicate flavor that can be used in jellies and homemade beverages.  From the Czech Republic.
  • Superbissima Giant Alba:  Massive white and pink-tinted blooms with dramatically veined throats and heavily ruffled edges make Alba stand out in the garden. We love these compact plants, which reach just 9 inches tall and 28 inches wide and are smothered in huge 5- to 7-inch blooms. This variety comes from Černý Seed Company in the Czech Republic.
  • Superbissima Giant Rose:  Gargantuan rose-colored blooms with deeply ruffled edges will have you wondering if this is actually a petunia!  Boil the petals for a teal-colored lime-aid beverage; adding a squeeze of lime will turn the mixture bright pink!  This “superbissima type” petunia has blooms that reach almost 7 inches across.  From the Czech Republic.
  • White Double:  Graceful and pristine, White Double is the epitome of garden elegance. Large, ruffled double blooms in pure white create a striking display that shines in the sun, bringing a touch of sophistication to your garden. Its vigorous, mounded habit makes it an ideal choice for containers, baskets, and garden beds, where it will continue to bloom with minimal care. 
  • Wild Violet:  A native wildflower of South America with fascinating history. The low-growing, heat-tolerant Petunia integrifolia is floriferous and easy to grow, blooming all summer long. Native to the Ecuador highlands, this plant was traditionally used as a hallucinogenic, with reported sensations of flying or floating. Because the chemicals have not been widely studied, we recommend against ingesting or experimenting with it.

Zinnias

  • Benary’s Giant Mix:  The premium zinnia.  Recommended by the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers. This vigorous all-season producer holds up well in summer rain and heat all over the country. Densely petaled blooms are up to 6″ across. Long-lasting standouts in bouquets. Cut-and-come-again flower, yielding multiple cuts over the season. Colors include deep red, orange, carmine rose, coral, lime, wine, purple, bright pink, white, salmon rose, scarlet, and golden yellow.
  • Cactus Bright Jewel Mix:  Open pollinated.  Annual. Large ruffled zinnia blossoms resemble chrysanthemums in a mix of cactus petals and those that are more standard. Profuse immense blooms in scarlet, orange, pink, yellow.
  • Double Zahara Brilliant Mixture:  Disease-resistant, compact, dwarf plants for garden beds and containers.  An easy-to-grow choice for cheerful color in the garden or pots.  Bright and happy mix of hues in cherry, salmon, yellow, crimson, and white.  Highly uniform plants with a low-growing, mounding habit that flower continuously, providing weeks of color.  Abundant fully double blooms average 1 1/2–2 1/2″ wide.  Zahara dwarf zinnias were bred for powdery mildew resistance and long-lasting color for landscapes and garden beds.
  • Jazzy Mix:  Petite blooms light up bouquets and garden beds.  Attractive fully double and semidouble blooms are 1–2″ in size.  Bright and earthy shades of burgundy red, red, yellow, and orange with cream, red, or yellow tips.  Plants are compact but highly productive.  Cut-and-come-again flower, yielding multiple cuts over the season.
  • Oklahoma Carmine:  Excellent vase life and low susceptibility to powdery mildew.  Prolific 1 1/2–2 1/2″ double and semidouble petite, yet sturdy violet-colored blooms.  Excellent, reliable accent flowers for market bouquets, wedding flowers, and event work.  Cut-and-come-again flower, yielding multiple cuts over the season.
  • Oklahoma Formula Mix:  Bright colors, excellent vase life, and low susceptibility to powdery mildew.  This improved mix is an essential component of any cut-flower offering.  Prolific double and semidouble blooms are easy to use in bouquets due to their smaller size.  The 1 1/2–2 1/2″ blooms hold up well to handling compared to larger blooms which can snap at the stem due to the weight of the larger flower heads.  Cut-and-come-again flower, yielding multiple cuts over the season.
  • Oklahoma Golden Yellow:  Excellent vase life and low susceptibility to powdery mildew.  Prolific 1 1/2–2 1/2″ double and semidouble petite, yet sturdy, flowers.  Blooms are a rich, golden yellow with red-to-yellow centers.  Excellent, reliable accent flowers for market bouquets, wedding flowers, and event work.  Cut-and-come-again flower, yielding multiple cuts over the season.
  • Oklahoma Pink:  Excellent vase life and low susceptibility to powdery mildew.  Prolific 1 1/2–2 1/2″ double and semidouble petite, yet sturdy, bright pink blooms. Excellent, reliable accent flowers for market bouquets, wedding flowers, and event work. Cut-and-come-again flower, yielding multiple cuts over the season.
  • Oklahoma Salmon:  Bright salmon color with low susceptibility to powdery mildew.  Blooms are 1 1/2–2 1/2″, double and semidouble. These petite, yet sturdy, blooms make excellent, reliable accent flowers for market bouquets, wedding flowers, and event work.  Cut-and-come-again flower, yielding multiple cuts over the season.
  • Oklahoma Scarlet:  Excellent vase life and low susceptibility to powdery mildew.  Prolific 1 1/2–2 1/2″ double and semidouble petite, yet sturdy, scarlet red blooms.  Excellent, reliable accent flowers for market bouquets, wedding flowers, and event work.  Cut-and-come-again flower, yielding multiple cuts over the season.
  • Oklahoma White:  Excellent vase life and low susceptibility to powdery mildew.  Prolific 1 1/2–2 1/2″ double and semidouble petite, yet sturdy, flowers.  Blooms are pure white with a green-tinted center.  Excellent, reliable accent flowers for market bouquets, wedding flowers, and event work.  Cut-and-come-again flower, yielding multiple cuts over the season.
  • Queeny Formula Mix:  Sturdy plants produce blooms in shades of rose, orange, peach, lemon, and lime.  Mostly double and semidouble 2–3 1/2″ blooms with a small percentage of singles.  Cut-and-come-again flower, yielding multiple cuts over the season.

Viola

  • Brush Strokes:   Vigorous plants produce abundant, artful blooms.  Cheerful faces sparkle in shades of apricot, gold, peach, lavender, plum, purple, and cream.  Each plant seems to produce a unique color combination. This mix yields taller, more vigorous plants in a range of heights.  Sweetly fragrant.  Bloom size: 1 1/2–2 1/2″.
  • Frizzle Sizzle Mini Tapestry:  Glowing color blend of ruffled blooms.  1 1/2″ wide blooms of lavender, cream, rose, purple, plum, and gold.  Productive, healthy plants.  Mildly fragrant.
  • Frizzle Sizzle Yellow Blue Swirls:  Unique, deeply frilled blooms.  Whisker-faced 2–2 1/2″ blooms edged in yellow and blue, with deeply ruffled margins. Uniform plants. Mildly fragrant. 
  • Helen Mount Johnny-Jump-Up:  The true Johnny jump-up.  1–2″ tricolor flowers in purple, yellow, and white.  May reseed. Also known as pansy, heart’s ease, Johnny jump-up, and European field pansy.  Perennial
  • Majestic Giants Formula Mix:  Extra-large pansies.  3–4″ blooms are more numerous and earlier than other varieties under the low-light and short-day conditions of winter and early spring.
  • Nature Antique Shades:  Rich and elegant color blend.  1 1/2–2″ blooms in shades of cream, caramel, mauve, blush, and gold. Vigorous and healthy plants.  Mildly fragrant blooms.  Somewhat similar to Brush Strokes.
  • Penny All Season Mix:  Blooms all season long.  Compact, mounding habit with 1 1/2″, uniquely colored blooms. Adaptable to a wide range of growing conditions.
  • Sorbet Formula Mix:  Early, profuse bloomers.  Upright stems with petite, 1–1 1/2″ flowers.  Tolerates temperature extremes and will bloom through winter in the South when planted in fall.  A formula blend of blackberry, blueberry, coconut, French vanilla, lemon chiffon, lavender ice and more.

All Other Flowers

  • Ageratum, Timeless Mix:  Long-lasting 1–2″ flower clusters add texture and interest to mixed bouquets. vMix includes lovely shades of red, pink, blue, and white, which complement any color scheme. vAttracts bees and butterflies to the garden. vIdeal for beds, containers, and cutting.  Ageratum is also known as flossflower.
  • Sweet Alyssum:  Attracts and supports beneficial insects.  Fast and low growing, trouble free, and low cost, making it a popular choice for use as beneficial insect habitat in vegetable and fruit production. vBecause of its very manageable plant habit, Sweet Alyssum is a good choice for beneficial planting in greenhouses and containers, in addition to outdoor production. vSprawling plants with dense clusters of small flowers.
  • Butterfly Weed/Pleurisy Root:  Showy orange flowers.  Attracts butterflies and bees. Grows well in arid soils. Also known as milkweed, butterfly weed, butterfly milkweed, and butterfly-weed.
  • Calendula, Fancy Mix:  The Fancy Mix variety offers a vibrant blend of yellow, orange, and apricot-colored blooms, making it an eye-catching choice for cut flower arrangements, cottage gardens, and pollinator habitats. Calendula flowers are not just ornamental—they are also edible. The petals can be added to salads, herbal teas, or baked goods, bringing a splash of color and a mildly tangy flavor. 
  • Calendula, Flashback Mix:  Spectacular mix of colors with bicolor petals.  The undersides of the petals are a muted burgundy giving the 1 1/2–3″ flowers a unique, flashy appearance.  An excellent mix of colors; high percentage of double and semidouble flowers on long, strong stems.  Also known as pot marigold, common marigold, and Scotch marigold.
  • Calendula, Orange Flash:  Rose and copper hues.  1 1/2–3″ blooms have a bronze center with some hints of peach and cream. Uniform plants.
  • Chrysanthemum, Shungiku:  Cut greens when about 4–8″ tall for a flavorful addition to salads, vegetables, pickles, and sushi. Edible, small, orange and yellow chrysanthemum flowers appear later on unharvested plants. 
  • Cosmos, Double Click Bicolor Violet:  Bicolor blooms in a range of eggplant to lavender.  2–3″ fully double and semidouble bicolor flowers on strong stems for cutting.  Blooms vary in their proportion of purple to white, creating the pleasant effect of a bicolor mix.  Flower colors range from eggplant-purple with a contrasting bright-white background to soft-and-creamy white with a blush of lavender.
  • Cosmos, Rubenza:  Unique and elegant color.  As blooms mature, petals fade from a deep cranberry to an antique rose with hints of amber.  The medium-height plants are very productive, flowering early and continuing to bloom for several weeks if cut or deadheaded. 2 1/2–3 1/2″ blooms.  Fleuroselect Novelty 2008.
  • Cosmos, Versailles Mix:  Early blooming and vigorous. Produces under short days and is also suitable for greenhouse culture during the winter. Strong stems can withstand considerable handling. Blooms are 2 1/2″ across in shades of blush pink, pure white, carmine red, and pink with a deep pink eye. 
  • Centaurea, Choice Mix (Bachelor Button):  Classic cornflowers. Blue, pink, red, and white.  Upright plants produce abundant double and semidouble 1–1 1/2″ blooms.  Prefers cool temperatures. Also known as cornflower, garden cornflower, and bachelor’s buttons.
  • Centaurea, Classic Romantic (Bachelor Button):  Charming color combination.  Abundant 1–1 1/2″ flowers on upright plants. Double and semidouble, bicolor blooms in pink and white. Attractive, frosted appearance.  Elegant addition to salads and desserts.
  • Crazy Daisy:  Almost all of the 2½–3″ creamy white blossoms are fully double and reminded us of dahlias.  Most often blooms the second year.  The later blossoms are often less doubled, showing the small yellow centers more.
  • Delphinnium, Magic Fountains Mix:   Widest color range in a Dwarf Pacific type.  Full florets and tight internodes. White and dark centers (bees) on cherry, lilac, lavender, dark blue, sky blue, and white.  Magic Fountains’ sturdy, compact plants will tolerate windy locations.  Attracts bees and butterflies.  This species of delphinium is also known as candle larkspur.  Perennial in Zones 3–7.
  • Echinacea Purpurea:  Common purple coneflower. Easy-to-grow echinacea. Vigorous plants with large, purple-petaled flowers.  Fibrous roots are easy to harvest (other species have taproots).  Attracts and is a food source for bees.  Also known as purple coneflower and eastern purple coneflower.  Normally grown for 3–4 years for harvest of sizeable roots.  Perennial in Zones 3–10.
  • Gomphrena, Audray Mix:  Preferred series for tall, uniform plants and stems.  The Audray series offers highly uniform plants with tall stems for cut flowers.  Compared to the QIS series, Audray is taller and more uniform but a bit later to flower, and with a limited color range.  Mixture includes: Audray White, Bicolor Rose, Pink, and Purple Red. 1 1/2″ blooms.  Also known as globe amaranth and common globe amaranth.
  • Acroclinium, Pierrot Red:  Dramatic pink and black blooms for fresh or dried flowers.  Productive plants produce relatively small, 1–2″ upward-facing, daisy-like flowers with papery petals.  Most blooms have a dramatic, contrasting black center while a small percentage have golden centers.  The flowers have a long vase life and also make excellent dried flowers.  The plant stature is a bit short for cutting (approximately 18–24″).  Plants are basal branching, which makes the thin, wiry stems easy to cut and strip.  Helipterum is also known as Acroclinium, immortelle, paper daisy, Australian everlasting, and everlasting daisy.
  • Acroclinium, Pierrot White:  Unique black-and-white color combination. Pierrot White provides a distinctive, moody look for both cut and dried florals, though the plant stature is a bit short for cutting (approximately 18-24″).  Productive plants produce relatively small, 1–2″ upward-facing, daisy-like flowers with papery petals.  The flowers have a long vase life and also make excellent dried flowers.  Plants are basal branching, which makes the thin, wiry stems easy to cut and strip.
  • Foxglove/Digitalis, Camelot Mix:  Blooms the first year from seed.  A combination of four lovely colors: cream, lavender, rose, and white.  Center spikes are large and full, and side shoots fill out the plant. Best when treated as a fall or spring-planted hardy annual, as winter survival is generally poor when treated as a perennial.  Also known as purple foxglove.
  • Foxglove/Digitalis, Dalmatian Peach:  Blooms the first year from seed.  Bells sit closely to one another on sturdy stems borne on vigorous plants.  Exquisite color is a shade somewhere between creamy peach and pale shell-pink.  Peach color is most intense at the lightly freckled throat.  Bells form on one side of the stem.  Best when treated as a fall or spring-planted hardy annual, as winter survival is generally poor when treated as a perennial.
  • Lavender:  Open pollinated.  Perennial. Also known as English Lavender.
  • Lobelia, Cascade Mix:  Open pollinated.  Annual. A waterfall of reds, blues and whites to grace your garden, window boxes and hanging baskets.  Very uniform tiny lush flowers bloom continuously from early summer to early fall.  Trailing habit, 6–8″ long.  Full sun, can tolerate some shade.
  • Love-in-a-MIst, MIss Jekyll:  The legend of one of history’s greatest garden designers has been forever crystallized in this stunning Nigella variety.  Gertrude Jekyll is famous for her painterly garden designs, but few know that she was also a highly accomplished plant breeder!  Jekyll bred this gorgeous love-in-a-mist variety, and it remains a gardener’s and cut flower grower’s favorite.  Foliage is like filigree; star-like blooms are like smoky gems in mellow jewel tones of rose, sky blue, dark blue, and alabaster white.  An old standard that is still among the very finest late-spring flowering plants.
  • Lupine, My Castle:  Sweetly scented, rich red blooms that are a standout in bouquets and garden beds.  Plants are especially productive and produce multiple blooms with stiff, straight stems.  Attracts and provides a food source for bees and hummingbirds.  1–2′ blooms/spikes are densely covered with ½” pea-like flowers.  Lupine is typically resistant to deer and rabbits.  Perennial in Zones 4–8.
  • Lupine, Russell’s Formula Mix:  Hardy, long-lived, and easy-to-maintain perennial.  Includes white, pink, violet-blue, red, yellow, peach, and bicolors. Sweetly scented blooms. Plants produce multiple blooms with stiff and straight stems.  Performs best where summers are cool. Attracts and provides a food source for bees and hummingbirds.  1–2′ blooms/spikes are densely covered with ½” pea-like flowers.  Lupine is typically resistant to deer and rabbits.  Perennial in Zones 4–8.
  • Swamp Milkweed:  Cut flower and butterfly habitat.  Blooms summer through frost.  Clusters of rose to mauve florets on sturdy stems. In our trials the species is nearly identical to the variety Soulmate.  Attractive lance-shaped leaves.  Use for cut flowers and garden beds. A ttracts butterflies and hummingbirds.  Larval host for monarch butterflies.  Native to North America.  Also known as pink milkweed and rose milkweed. Perennial in Zones 3–8.
  • Bergamot, Panorama Mix:  Popular, multipurpose perennial.  Semidouble blooms in shades of lavender, salmon, magenta, and pale to bright pinks are useful as cut and edible flowers.  Additionally, monarda attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds to the garden.  Also known as beebalm, Oswego tea, and scarlet beebalm.  Medicinal: Aerial parts in infusions to improve digestion.  Leaves and blooms contain thymol-related antibiotic-antiseptic compounds.  Perennial in Zones 4–9.
  • Bergamot, Wild:  Bright lavender blooms with a spicy scent.  Traditionally used by Indigenous Americans to soothe bronchial complaints and ease colds. Plants produce flowers in the second year after planting.
  • Clarkia, Elegant Salmon:  Vibrant and productive with sturdy stems.  Beautiful salmon blooms strung along purple-red stems.  Flowers bloom from the lower portion of the stem and continue to open up the stem.  Mostly double, semidouble, and single blooms.  Easy to harvest, as the hard (almost woody) stems are nearly free of foliage.  Basal-branching plants.  Native to the Western US.  Also known as elegant clarkia and mountain garland.
  • Columbine, Barlow Mix:  Clematis-flowered columbine.  Fluffy, star-shaped blooms with pointed, overlapping petals resemble petite clematis flowers.  Fully double 1 1/2″ upward-facing and nodding, spurless flowers.  Blooms late spring of the second year.  An excellent cut flower, it has strong, straight stems.  Mix includes Victorian shades in a complementary color palette: Aline Fairweather (rose), Black Barlow (almost black), Blue Barlow (violet), Bordeaux Barlow (deep wine red), Miss M.I. Huish (dark purple), Nora Barlow (rose centers fading to white with green tips), White Barlow (white), and Christa (purple-edged white).  Attracts hummingbirds.  Perennial in Zones 3-9.
  • Chabaud Orange Sherbet:  Scented, French garden heirloom.  Vintage carnations present the sweet and spicy fragrance of clove.  Frilly, 1 1/2–2″ double blooms with a small percentage of singles.  Orange creamsicle-colored petals striped and flaked with tangerine.  Grass-like, gray or blue-green foliage. Chabaud is an old-fashioned type dating back to as early as 1904.  D. caryophyllus is native to the Mediterranean, where emotional attachment to this flower first took root.
  • Dianthus, Chabaud Picotee Double Mix:  Scented, French garden heirloom.  Vintage carnations present the sweet and spicy fragrance of clove.  Frilly 1 1/2–2″ double blooms with a small percentage of singles.  Striped, flaked, and picotee types in shades of rose, pink, wine, salmon, cream, and white.  Grass-like, gray or blue-green foliage.  Chabaud is an old-fashioned type dating back to as early as 1904. D. caryophyllus is native to the Mediterranean, where emotional attachment to this flower first took root. 
  • Larkspur, Fancy Smokey Eyes:  Features tall spires of dense florets.  Unique, silvery white blooms with lavender centers and subtle lavender blush.  Produces mostly double blooms with a small percentage of singles.  1 1/2–1 3/4″ florets on 9–12″ flower spikes.  Attracts hummingbirds.
  • Morning Glory, Heavenly Blue:  Fast-growing climber. 4–5″ trumpet-shaped flowers are vibrant sky blue with creamy white throats. Lovely heart-shaped foliage and fast-growing vines are excellent for arbors, trellises, or as a ground cover. Easy-to-grow heirloom variety. Flowers open in the morning and close in the afternoon. Morning glory requires short days and long nights to trigger flowering. Vigorous plants put on lots of growth through the spring and summer and begin blooming in midsummer, producing continuously through early fall. NOTE: plants grow vigorously and have the potential to reseed.
  • Poppy, California:  California wildflower.  Silky, 2-3″ cups of brilliant orange top neat mounds of finely cut silvery-green foliage.  Blooms over a long period. Drought tolerant.  Tolerates light frost.  Excellent for seeding large areas.
  • Poppy, Champagne Bubbles Icelandic Mix:  Abundant crepe-paper-like blooms.  Cheerful citrus-colored 3–5″ blooms are borne on sturdy, straight, 12–20″ stems.  Productive plants produce uniform, crinkled, cup-shaped blooms that sparkle and float above clumps of soft, gray-green foliage.  Lightly fragrant.  Mix includes orange, pink, red, white, and yellow.
  • Portulaca, Happy Trails Mixture:  A popular garden annual with a low-growing, spreading habit that can range up to 18″ wide.  When planted in containers and raised beds, plants will trail and spill out over the edges.  A succulent-like plant, portulaca thrives in warm temperatures and sunny locations and is tolerant of dry conditions.  Flowers close in the evening and reopen under bright sunlight. Mix includes deep red, fuchsia, orange, peppermint, pink, rose, white, and yellow blooms.  Also known as moss rose.
  • Rudbeckia, Goldilocks:  Open pollinated.  Annual.  This one’s just right to brighten bouquets and beds with its 4″ golden-orange blooms with deep-set brown eyes.  Long strong stems set on 24–30″ plants make this an outstanding cutflower.  Enough are fully double to give the effect of a patch of chrysanthemums.
  • Rudbeckia, Indian Summer:  Gigantic golden flowers.  Still a favorite. Semidouble and single blooms measure 4–7″.  Sturdy stems, vigorous branching.  Requires no staking.  Also known as blackeyed Susan and gloriosa daisy.  Tender perennial in Zones 9–10.  AAS Winner.
  • Rudbeckia, Sahara:  A mix of rich, fall colors and soft pastels. Includes shades of copper, brown, pale yellow, and soft rose.  2–3 1/2″ double and semidouble blooms.
  • Pincushion, Formula Mix:  Elegant cut flower on strong, slender stems.  Sturdy, uniform, annual Scabiosa mix in a wide range of colors. 1 1/2–2 1/2″ blooms.  Formula mix of black, blue, creamy yellow, pink, bright red, deep blue, salmon rose, and pure white. Also known as mourningbride.
  • Pincushion, Triple Berry Mix:  Fruity color mix.  Also known as pincushion flower or mourningbride.
  • Saponaria, Pink Beauty:  Sturdy and easy to grow.  Stems are thicker, stronger, taller, and easier to manage than those of annual gypsophila, an otherwise similar flower.  3/4 to 1″ dusty pink blooms float above gray-blue, waxy foliage.  Branching plant habit.  Also known as soapwort or cow soapwort.
  • Snapdragon, Cannes Mix II-III:  Contains a pleasing blend of lavender, orange, red, and rose shades. Uniform, high-quality blooms. Performs best for us in spring plantings for early summer harvests. Also suitable for overwintering.
  • Snapdragon, Rocket Mix:  Flowers well under long days. Tolerates light frost. Group 3–4: considered a “main season” or “all season variety”.  Mix includes rose shades, cherry, pink, orchid, red, golden, lemon, and white.
  • Snapdragon, Madame Butterfly Mix:  Unique double-petal type snapdragon mix.  Also known as an azalea type, Madame Butterfly’s double petals create full, fluffy blooms with a Victorian look.  This mix consists of bronze/white, cherry/bronze, ivory, pink, red, rose, yellow and bronze blooms. For outdoor or greenhouse production.  Bloom time comparable to group 3–4 “main season” or “all season” varieties. AAS Winner.
  • Stock, Iron Pastel Mix:  Soft pastel blend is reminiscent of pastel-colored candies and marshmallows.  Early single-stem, or column-type stock in a highly uniform series for one-cut harvest.  Aptly named for strong, straight, rigid stems.  Tightly spaced florets on the flower spike make for compact 1 1/2–2″ blooms.
  • Stock, Katz Formula Mix:  Long stems with 1 1/2–2″ blooms in apricot, bright pink, wine red, pale purple, creamy yellow, dark purple, pale pink, and pure white. 
  • Strawflower, Apricot/Peach Mix:   Profuse bloomers for fresh or dried arrangements.  Tall, well-branched plants produce double flowers 2–2 1/2″ across.  Also known as bracted strawflower.
  • Strawflower, Bright Rose:   Profuse bloomers for fresh or dried arrangements.  Tall, well-branched plants produce double flowers 2–2 1/2″ across.  Blooms are shades of hot pink and rose at the petal tips.  Also known as bracted strawflower.
  • Strawflower, Choice Mix:  Choice Mix includes varying hues of gold, orange, peach, pink, purple, raspberry, and red.  Well-branched plants.  Use for fresh-cut or dried flowers.  Double blooms are 2–2 1/2″ across. Also known as bracted strawflower.
  • Strawflower, Seashells Mix:  Seashells Mix includes pastel hues of light pink, apricot, pale yellow, and ivory. Tall, well-branched plants. Double blooms are 2–2 1/2″ across. Profuse bloomers for fresh or dried arrangements. Also known as bracted strawflower.
  • Sunflower, Teddy Bear (mini):  Versatile sunflower for field or container.  Like our other dwarfs, the final height depends on the size of the container.  14-25″ long stems. Earliest of the teddy types, this branching variety will host 3-5″ sunny, shaggy blooms. Popular with children. Minimal pollen.

Greens

Kale

  • Black Magic:  A well-maintained selection of Toscano kale with long, narrow leaves for attractive and tall, straight bunches.  Dark blue-green leaves with beautiful savoy.  Lacinato or “dinosaur” type kale.
  • Darkibor:  Productive, versatile Vates-type kale with dark-green, finely curled leaves and intense flavor, offering uniform high yields, excellent regrowth for both overwintering and summer plantings, and sturdy foliage.
  • Ethiopian Highlander:  Ethiopian kale, which is really a small-leaved mustard with serrated margins.  It actually taste better than curly kale.  It is a common green in Ethiopian cuisine.
  • Lacinato/Toscano/”Dinosaur kale”:  Heirloom kale with upright plants and savoyed, narrow dark green leaves.  Also known as Dinosaur or Tuscan kale, this variety is prized for its rich color, flavor, and texture in both cooked and raw preparations.
  • Red Russian:  A very cold hardy kale variety originally from Siberia that produces very tender, flat leaves edged with teeth and highlighted by purple veins and stems; its frilly, blue-green foliage tinged with red-purple resembles oak leaves.
  • Redbor:  Tall, dark red-purple version of Winterbor. Salad bar garnish, shipping or garden ornamental.  In warmer weather, the color is pretty but less intense becoming pure dark-violet in cold weather.
  • Scarlet Premium:  Scarlet Premium was selected for use in growing full-sized beautiful scarlet colored kale.  It has good vigor and excellent uniformity.
  • Winterbor:  A productive, versatile Vates-type kale with dark-green, finely curled leaves and intense flavor, offering uniform high yields, excellent regrowth for both overwintering and summer plantings, and sturdy foliage.

Lettuce

  • Baby Mix, Allstar Gourmet Mix:  Selected varieties yield darker reds and greens even under low-light conditions.  Ruffled edges and unique leaf shapes provide loft, interesting texture, good shelf life, and fancy appearance.  Includes green oakleaf, red oakleaf, green romaine, red romaine, lollo rossa, and red leaf lettuces.
  • Leaf, red, Red Sails:  Loose-leaf variety known for its large, crumpled leaves with frilled, wavy edges and rich reddish-maroon color.  Holds color well, even in warm weather.  Tender, mildly crunchy texture and excellent flavor.  1985 All America Select winner.
  • Romaine, Forellenschluss:  Also known as Freckles or Trout Back, an heirloom from Arche Noah, the Austrian genetic preservation project.  An absolutely gorgeous romaine with the delicate taste and texture of a butterhead, distinguished for its deep green leaves flecked with wine-red splotches. Forellenschluss dates back at least to 1793; it was a dwarf variety of Spotted Aleppo developed in Germany.
  • Romaine, Jericho: Light green romaine for baby leaf and full-size heads.  Attractive and fast-growing,  Tolerant to both heat and tipburn.
  • Romaine, Green Forest:  Very crunchy.  Early, tall, and dark green.  Moderately slow-bolting and tolerant to tipburn. 
  • Summercrisp, Magenta:  A reliable red Summer Crisp with good flavor.  Shiny, slightly puckered, red-tinged leaves form a whorled, conical head with a crispy green heart.  Tolerant to bolting, tipburn, and bottom rot.

Chard

  • Bright Lights:  Nicely savoyed and glossy green or bronze leaves with stems of many colors including gold, pink, orange, red, and white with bright, pastel, and multicolored variations.  Consistent growth rate, leaf shape and texture, and strong bolt resistance across all colors makes this a superior mix. All America Select winner. 
  • Fordhook Giant:  Very productive standard green Swiss chard.  The leaves are medium-green and savoyed (crinkled) with white veins and broad, white stems.
  • Oriole:  Lustrous, dark green, moderately savoyed leaves.  Beautiful yellow stems become more orange as the plant approaches mature bunching size.
  • Silverado:  Thick white petioles contrast nicely with the dark, glossy, heavily savoyed leaves. Uniform and upright with easy-to-harvest petioles. 

Collards:

  • Top Bunch 2.0:  An early maturing hybrid collard known for its vigorous growth and rapid regrowth after harvest.  Featuring wavy, lightly savoyed leaves similar to the original Top Bunch.
  • Flash:  Vates-type.  Very slow to bolt. Flash offers repeated harvests of smooth dark green leaves. Very high yielding.

Baby Greens

  • Astro Arugula:  The commercial standard with long green leaves and characteristic mildly spicy flavor.  Germinates quickly and tolerates cold and hot temperatures well.
  • Spinach, Bloomsdale:  Medium-dark green leaves on upright plants make Bloomsdale easy to harvest. Heavily savoyed.  Suited for early spring and fall plantings as it is fast growing.  For full size and bunching. Great flavor.
  • Spinach, Space:  One of the easiest to grow spinaches.  Fast-growing medium-green leaves are smooth to slightly savoyed. 
  • Spinach, Tarsier:  Adaptable semi-savoy for all-season planting.  Upright and uniform. Medium-dark green leaves have a round, smooth margin and a semi-savoy interior.  Somewhat fast growth and relative bolt resistance.

Herbs

Basil

  • Cinnamon:  Sweet cinnamon aroma.  Tall, fast-growing plants have distinctive violet stems, veining, and flower bracts with lavender blooms and 2″ long leaves.  Beautiful in casual flower bouquets.
  • Genovese (Italian):  Classic Italian variety.  Authentic flavor and appearance. Tall and relatively slow to bolt with large dark green leaves about 3″ long.
  • Greco a Palla:  Compact, dome-shaped Greek basil.  Spicy-sweet basil flavor packed into 8–14″ tidy globes.  Decorative, edible plants are great for small spaces, in pots, or used in garden beds. 3/4″ long, flavorful leaves make convenient garnishes and are easily pinched from the plant or stem and sprinkled over dishes.
  • Kapoor Tulsi (Holy Basil):  Unique, spicy aroma with hints of coffee and chocolate.  Compact but very full, attractive plants.  Mild spicy aroma with hints of sweetness.  Faster growing than green holy basil, and its purple flowers also make it a nice beneficial and/or ornamental.  For teas, culinary, and medicinal use. Also known as “Spice Basil”.
  • Mrs. Burn’s Lemon:  Very bright green, 2 1/2″ long leaves with white blooms make this basil both attractive and intensely flavorful. Ht. 20–24″.
  • Red Rubin:  Dark purple Italian Large Leaf type.  High yields and great flavor. Flat 3″ long leaves stand out horizontally.  Purple flowers and purple-copper leaves make an attractive garnish. Ht. 18–24″.
  • Sweet Thai:  Authentic Thai basil flavor.  2″ long green leaves with a spicy, anise/clove flavor.  Attractive purple stems and blooms.  Try it also as a flavorful garnish for sweet dishes. Called “Horapha” in its mother country, “Hun Que” in Vietnam.  Ht. 16–20″.

Other Herbs

  • Borage: Edible flower with mild cucumber flavor.  Large plants bear hundreds of small edible flowers, mostly blue and some pink.  Long harvest period.  Borage flowers attract bees and butterflies.
  • Catnip:  Tall‐growing heirloom perennial in the mint family with soft, fragrant leaves that drive cats wild and can be brewed into a soothing tea for colds and flu.  It thrives indoors or out, is easy to grow, and its clusters of small flowers add ornamental appeal while attracting pollinators.
  • Chives:  Perennial herb that forms clumps of slender, hollow, grass-like leaves similar to mild green onions and deliver a fresh, mild onion flavor perfect for garnishing soups, salads, and savory dishes.  Their edible lavender blooms attract pollinators.
  • Cilantro:  One of the best herbs; great with many Mexican, Tex-Mex, Indian, Asian and many other dishes.  Bolt-resistant variety with uniform plants. 
  • Dill:  Early flowering plants produce large blooms, seed umbels, and foliage on long stems, making Bouquet the preferred dill for cut-flower use and pickling.  Also an economical, fast-growing choice for baby-leaf production.  Edible seeds, flowers, and greens flavor many foods.  Popular addition to sauces, salads, and soup.  Foliage known as dill weed.
  • Fenugreek:  Rich, herbal, slightly bitter flavor.
  • Garlic Chives (Chinese Leeks):  Thin, flat leaves with delicate garlic flavor.  Attractive white flowers in midsummer, in the second year of growth.  Flowers make a great addition to bouquets.  The budded flower stalks are sold as “gow choy” in Chinese grocery stores.
  • Lemon Balm: Hardy perennial herb with bright green, heart-shaped leaves that release a fresh lemon scent and flavor ideal for teas, salads, and desserts; it thrives in sunny or partially shaded spots, and is easy to grow.
  • Lemongrass:  The famous tropical lemon-flavored herb.  Its long, pale green stems are thick and fleshy.  Wonderful in soups, curries, and stir fries.  The leaves can be dried and used to make herbal teas.  
  • Mexican Tarragon:  Aromatic leaves are a substitute for French tarragon.  Sweet licorice flavor brightens salads and main dishes.  The edible golden-yellow flowers bloom all summer.  Thrives in warmer climates where French tarragon will not grow.  Also known as sweet mace.
  • Mint, Common:  A zesty, versatile herb.  Use to flavor salad mix, main dishes, ice cream, and drinks.
  • Oregano, Greek:  Essential herb for Italian and Greek cooking.  Strong oregano aroma and flavor—great for pizza and Italian cooking.  Characteristic dark green leaves with white flowers.
  • Oregano, Italian:  Featuring red-flushed green leaves and purple-brown stems with a mild peppery taste and pungent aroma, great for seasoning pizzas, pastas, sauces, and roasted vegetables.
  • Parsley, Curly:  Highly uniform and refined curled parsley variety.  Upright habit makes it easy to harvest the dark green leaves.  Suitable for field or container production.
  • Parsley, Italian:  Huge dark green leaves with great flavor.  Strong, upright stems.  Very high-yielding flat-leaf type.  Ht. 18–20″. 
  • Rosemary:  Pine-scented, savory culinary favorite.  Native to the Mediterranean region, rosemary has silvery needle-like foliage and delicate flowers.
  • Sage, Broadleaf:  Grows up to 3′, with fuzzy grey-green oblong leaves and blue flowers.  Used fresh or dried.  Tasty in stuffing blends, with eggs, cheese, poultry, pork. Grows woody with age; replace every 3 years or so.
  • Sage, Common:  Wide variety of culinary uses.  Dusty green leaves are used in dressing, sauces, salted herbs, sausage, and tea.  Makes a good base for dried floral wreaths.
  • Savory, Summer:  The standard savory.  Pepper flavor adds spice to dishes.  For flavoring fresh and dry beans, cabbage, and sauerkraut.  Long internodes create a tall, somewhat lanky plant.
  • Savory, Winter:  Perennial cousin to summer savory, with thicker and shinier leaves.  Flavor is more pungent and biting.  Has a higher proportion of thymol than summer savory.
  • Sweet Marjoram:  Aroma is similar to oregano, but sweeter and more balsam-like.  Compact plant.
  • Thyme, German Winter:  The standard winter-hardy thyme.  Strong, robust, heavily branched plants produce high yields.  Classic culinary and ornamental herb.  Complex flavor is sweet and pungent with notes of pine and citrus.  Small round to needle-shaped evergreen leaves on woody stems.
  • Thyme, Summer:  Essential in Mediterranean cuisine.  Compared to German Winter Thyme, Summer thyme has a spicier, more pungent, earthy flavor; softer, more tender leaves and stems; and slightly smaller gray-green leaves.  Otherwise, the plant habit is quite similar to German Winter thyme.
  • Wild Marjoram:  Light, sweet flavor for teas and cooking.  Use leaves fresh or dried for culinary purposes.  Blooms in shades of pink to purple from midsummer through fall.  For cut-flower use, harvest flowers in bud stage for best color.

Peppers

Sweet

  • Bell, Ace:  Extra-early, highly productive standard.  Huge yields of medium-size, 3-4 lobed fruits. Has apparent tolerance to blossom drop as nearly every flower produces a pepper.  Widely adapted but performs particularly well in cool climates where bell peppers are difficult to grow successfully.
  • Bell, Cal Wonder:  Large, blocky, thick-walled glossy fruit that turns red quickly under a range of conditions.  Upright, everbearing habit keeps fruit high on 24-30″ plants.  Developed in the 1920s.
  • Bell, New Ace:  Similar to Ace, with medium thickness, 3 lobes.  Excellent for growing outdoors, even in cool summers.
  • Italian, Carmen:  A high-performing rendition of the classic Corno di Toro (or “Bull’s Horn”) pepper popular in Italy.  Early, adaptable, and notably sweet (especially when fully red-ripe) with a shapely tapered silhouette.  Begins green, then deepens to a beautiful carmine at maturity. Excellent roasted, grilled, and in salads.  All America Select Winner.
  • Italian, Corno di Toro Rosso:  Traditional heirloom Italian “bull’s horn” pepper with long 8″ fruit that ripens from green to red.  Sweet with a touch of spice.  Large plants yield well.  The red counterpart to Corno Di Toro Giallo.
  • Italian, Corno di Toro Giallo:  Classic heirloom Italian frying pepper, producing long 8″ bull-horn shaped fruit that ripen from green to a rich golden yellow.  Sweet with a hint of spice, these peppers are excellent roasted, grilled, or eaten fresh.  Large plants yield heavily throughout the season.  The yellow counterpart to Corno Di Toro Rosso.
  • Italian, Jimmy Nardello:  A popular heirloom Italian pepper.  Exceptional taste.  I have been saving the seed for the past ten years and my strain is very productive.
  • Klari Baby Cheese:  Also known as Golden Delicious Apple Pepper.  An heirloom from Hungary.  Easy to grow, even in the North.  Cheese peppers are flattened and with a soft sweet mild core.  3″ squat thick-walled 4 oz fruits.  Traditionally they are pickled whole after ripening from white to yellow to red.
  • Sweet Banana:  Heirloom banana-type pepper that produces long, slender fruits averaging 4–7 inches. The peppers begin a pale yellow, gradually shifting to orange and finally a rich red at full maturity. Despite their resemblance to hot peppers, the flesh is mild and sweet, making them highly versatile in the kitchen. They are excellent for frying, pickling, stuffing, or slicing into fresh dishes.  All America Select winner.

Hots (medium-hot-superhot)

  • Aji Mochero:  A somewhat rare Peruvian pepper (at least in our region).  I have saved the seed for this variety for about twenty years.  Compact plant does really well in 1-2 gallon pots.  Each small plant produces dozens of beautiful yellow peppers that taper to a point.  Has a very lemony, citrusy flavor and is spicy.  Somewhat similar to a habanero in spiciness.
  • Cayenne, Bottle Rocket:  Early Thai-type pepper.  While from Hungary, it has the small fruit size and fiery heat of a Thai chile.  Fruits are borne upright on the plants, which are smaller and bear fruits much earlier than typical Thai pepper varieties, especially in regions with cool summers.
  • Cayenne, Red Ember:  Thick enough for a bit of crunch when eaten fresh, but thin enough to dry easily. Just enough heat to satisfy “pepper heads”—who can eat the peppers whole—but mild enough to slice thinly onto a salad.  Makes excellent powder, flakes, and hot sauce.  Also nice fried or in stir fries. Matures early.  High-yielding plants.  Fruits avg. 4–4 1/2” long.  All America Select winner.
  • Cayenne, Red Flame:  Dries quickly to a bright crimson for an eye-catching presentation.  Sweet-hot flavor.  Thin walls.  Big productive plants.  Widely adapted.  Similar to Red Rocket.
  • Cayenne, Red Rocket:  Early, quick-drying for ristras.  Thin-walled, attractive fruits are bright red both fresh and dried.  Flavor is sweet and hot. Matures early and produces high yields.  Widely adapted.  Fruits avg. 5–6″ long.  Similar to Red Flame.
  • Fish:  Distinctive green and white mottled foliage and 2″ curving pendant fruits that turn from white with green stripes to orange with brown stripes to red, packing considerable heat and full-bodied flavor that especially enhances shellfish.  A sport of a common serrano pepper that probably originated in the 1870s, by 1900 Fish was extensively grown by the African-American communities around Philadelphia and Baltimore. Listed on Slow Food’s Ark of Taste.  Takes quite a while to mature in our cool climate, so I would recommend growing with protecting, or in pots.
  • Ghost/Bhut Jolokia:  Also known as Ghost Pepper, Naga Morich. Legendary variety, one of the world’s hottest peppers, with readings in excess of 1,000,000 SHU! Bhut Jolokia starts slowly but eventually makes tall plants, exceeding 4 feet in favored locations. The thin-walled, wrinkled, pointed fruit reaches 2 to 3 inches in length, ripening mostly to red.
  • Habanero, orange:  Traditional heat with fruity citrus notes.  The extremely pungent wrinkled fruits avg. 2″ x 1 1/4″ and ripen to salmon orange.
  • Habanero, red:  Caribbean Red Habanero is an open pollinated heirloom that produces small, wrinkled fruits about 1½ inches in size.  Peppers mature from green to bright red with a Scoville rating of around 445,000, making them hotter than most standard habaneros.  Despite the intense heat, they deliver a rich, smoky-citrus flavor that stands out in sauces and salsas.
  • Hinkelhatz:  Pennsylvania Dutch heirloom packs considerable heat.  Its name aptly describes the size and shape of its ¾ x1½” pendent peppers that taper to a blunt point and are covered with tiny bumps and wrinkles, like chicken hearts.  Nearly as hot as habaneros, they do not require quite as long a season, nor are they as picky in cool environments. Plus they are compact enough to grow in a pot to bring inside for the winter. Included in Slow Food’s Ark of Taste.
  • Hot Portugal:  Vigorous plants produce long, slender fruits averaging 6 to 8 inches that ripen from dark green to deep red. With a Scoville rating ranging from 5,000 to 50,000, the heat can vary widely, offering anything from medium spice to serious fire.  The flavor is sweet with a hint of citrus, making these peppers excellent for salsa, stir-fry, roasting, or fresh use. Productive plants yield abundantly throughout the season.
  • Hungarian Hot Wax:  Matures very early in cool, wet weather.  Smooth, tapered, and moderately spicy fruits avg. 5 1/2″ x 1 1/2″ and mature from pale yellow to orange red, and finally, to a vibrant red.  Excellent for frying, roasting, or pickling
  • Jalapeño, Early Jalapeño:  Hot 3×1″ sausage-shaped blunt fruits mature early, especially suited for northern regions. Characteristic brown netting appears as fruits ripen from dark green to dark red.  From Jalapa in the state of Veracruz, Mexico.
  • Jalapeño, El Jefe:  Early, producing large to extra-large fruit with a Scoville rating of 4,000–6,000.  The peppers are dark green, glossy, and pungent, with minimal cracking and purpling.  Strong, disease-resistant plants.
  • Jalapeño, Jalafuego:  Big, smooth, dark green fruits.  Vigorous plants consistently produce very high yields of 3 1/2 to 4″ fruits that are resistant to checking (small cracks in skin).
  • Jalapeño, Mucho Nacho:  Jumbo jalapeño that produces thick-walled fruits averaging 4 to 5 inches long. Peppers ripen from green to red with a Scoville rating of 4,500 to 6,000, making them hotter than standard jalapeños. Plants are vigorous, high yielding, and well adapted across growing regions, setting heavy crops of large, uniform fruit.
  • Serrano, Altiplano:  Large-fruited serrano.  An impressive size, at 4 1/2-5″ long.  Traditional serrano flavor and pungency.  Medium-large plants.
  • Serrano, Pathfinder:  A new high yielding serrano with excellent plant and foliar cover. The dark green fruit are thick walled and have a long shelf life.
  • Serrano, Tampiqueno:  Heirloom that produces slender fruits 1 to 3 inches long and about ½ inch wide.  Peppers ripen from green to red with a Scoville rating of 2,500 to 4,000, delivering classic serrano heat and flavor.  Plants are tall and vigorous, continually producing good yields of thin-walled fruit that are excellent fresh for salsas, sauces, and pickling.  Originally from the mountain regions of Puebla and Hidalgo.
  • Scotch Bonnet, Jamaican Yellow:  Spicy heirloom that produces compact plants loaded with peppers about 1¾ by 1½ inches.  Fruits ripen from green to bright yellow with a Scoville rating of 100,000 to 200,000, delivering the strong heat and fruity flavor that Scotch Bonnets are known for.  Thin-skinned and uniquely shaped, they are excellent for sauces, marinades, and Caribbean dishes.  Productive plants adapt well to open field or container growing.

Hots, mild

  • Anaheim:  Heirloom that produces large fruits ranging from 6 to 10 inches long and 1 to 2 inches wide.  Peppers ripen from dark green to red with a Scoville rating of 1,000 to 3,500, delivering mild to medium heat.  Plants are hardy and productive, setting thick-walled fruit with good yields.  Well adapted for roasting, stuffing, or fresh use.
  • Biquinho, Yellow:  Heirloom piquillo-type pepper from Brazil, named for its small, inverted teardrop shape that resembles a bird’s beak.  Fruits are about 1 inch long, ripening from green to bright yellow with a Scoville rating of 300 to 800, providing just a touch of heat.  These peppers are valued for their smoky, fruity flavor and are excellent for sauces, pickling, or sweet-and-sour marinades. Vigorous plants produce abundant crops of golden fruit.
  • Biquinho, Red:  Same heirloom piquillo-type pepper as the yellow version, but bright red when ripe.
  • Hatch/New Mexican, Joe E. Parker:  Heirloom New Mexican “Hatch”-style chile that produces uniform fruits 6 to 8 inches long and about 2 inches wide.  Peppers ripen from bright green to mahogany red and are typically a bit spicier than Anaheim, with similar crisp flesh with excellent flavor.  Plants are very productive, setting consistent yields of high quality fruit that transition quickly from green to red.
  • Padron:  Named after the town where they originated. Harvest Padron peppers when they are 1–1 1/2″ long. A bout 1 out of 20 fruits will be hot, and the rest mild.  All the fruits become hot if allowed to grow 2–3″ long.  Typically sautéed in olive oil with a little sea salt and eaten as tapas (appetizers) in Spain.
  • Poblano:  Heirloom chile that produces fruits 4 to 5 inches long, maturing from green to red with a Scoville rating of 100 to 250.  Plants grow upright to about 24 inches tall and are productive, setting classic ancho-type peppers with mild heat and rich flavor.  Known for versatility, this variety is excellent for stuffing, drying, or making sauces.
  • Shishito:  Avg. 3–3 1/2″ fruits are thin-walled and have no heat.  Popular in Japan, where its thin walls make it particularly suitable for tempura.  Also very good roasted, in stir-fries, or sautéed.  Most often cooked green, but also delicious when red ripe.  Plants are large and very productive.

Pumpkins, Zucchini & Squashes

  • Patty Pan, Juane et Verte:  Unique tulip-shaped patty pan.  Attractive light green fruits with dense, flavorful flesh are perfect for stuffing.  Full-habit plants. Mature fruits are cream and green-striped and can be used as ornamentals.
  • Pumpkin, pie, Cinnamon Girl:  Can be combined with the favorite spices of fall and used for tamales, pie filling, in bread, or in any other pumpkin-based recipes.  It also makes an excellent small ornamental.  Short vines.  Avg. weight: 3–5 lb.
  • Pumpkin, Jack O’ Lantern, Racer:  Extra early, highly uniform 12–16 lb. fruits with slightly flattened shape, great-looking rib and strong, dark green handle.  Very heavy yields on short vines for efficient use of field space.  Stress tolerant.
  • Pumpkin, pie, Winter Luxury:  Silky texture for a perfect pie.  This marvelous small heirloom pumpkin has a unique, netted skin. Typical weight is 6–9 lb.  Is also a gorgeous ornamental.  Long vines.
  • Winter squash, Bonbon buttercup:  Tasty, uniform, and high yielding.  Looks like the perfect buttercup squash with smooth, deep green skin and a prominent gray “button” at the base.  An improvement over the classic open-pollinated ‘Buttercup (Burgess Strain)’ in terms of flavor, uniformity, and yields.  Avg. weight: 4–5 lb. All America Select winner.
  • Winter squash, Delicata:  Unique appearance with cream skin and dark green longitudinal stripes and flecks.  Tastes very sweet and skin is tender enough to eat.  Excellent for stuffing and baking, even right at harvest!  7–9″ long x 3″ diam.  Avg. weight: 1 1/2–2 lb. 
  • Winter squash, Sweet Dumpling (Delicata-type):  Sweet, single-serving size.  Ivory with dark green stripes like a delicata, but dainty and teacup shaped.  Only 4″ in diameter, small enough for a single meal.  Very sweet, tender orange flesh.  Suitable for stuffing. Medium length vines. Avg. weight: 3/4–1 lb.
  • Winter squash, Tip Top acorn:  More flavorful than others this size; a real improvement over old standards.  Holds its black-green color very well in storage.  Vigorous, larger, semibush plant with later maturity.  Avg. weight: 2–3 lb.
  • Winter squash, Winter Sweet kabocha:  A winning combination of sweetness, flaky texture, and depth of flavor.  Not only that, this reliable producer keeps very well and improves with storage.  Distinctive, with light gray skin and charcoal mottle.  NOTE: Best eating quality from 2–5 months after harvest.  Avg. weight: 4–5 lb. 
  • Zucchini, Black Beauty:  A classic heirloom zucchini introduced in the early 20th century and still beloved today.  This compact bush variety produces glossy, dark green fruit with a slight taper and outstanding flavor.  Known for its reliable yields and extended harvest window.
  • Zucchini, Costata Romanesca:  Traditional Italian heirloom with great flavor.  This distinctive zucchini is medium gray-green, with pale green flecks and prominent ribs.  Big, large-leafed, semi-vining plants with only about half the yield of hybrids, but much better flavor; clearly better textured, nutty, and delicious, raw or cooked.  Also a good producer of heavy male blossoms for cooking.
  • Zucchini, Dark Green:  A classic heirloom summer squash known for its vigorous bush habit and early production.  The fruits are straight, smooth, and mottled dark green, with pale green firm flesh and a fine, mild flavor.

Tomatoes

Cherry Tomatoes

  • Black Cherry:  Regarded as one of the best-tasting tomatoes.  High yielding.  The round, 20 gm. fruits are a pleasant purple-brown color.  Indeterminate.
  • Chocolate Cherry:  Produces clusters of rich dark red fruit with deep chocolate and burgundy tones. The flavor is sweet, complex, and delicious, making it a standout among cherry tomatoes. Vigorous plants yield heavy harvests all summer long, with fruit that resists cracking and holds well on the vine. These tomatoes can even be picked slightly early without sacrificing quality and bring both color and exceptional taste to any salad.  Indeterminate.
  • Gold Nugget:  An early, prolific, golden cherry tomato.  15-20 gm., round to slightly oval cherry tomatoes have a deep-yellow color.  The flavor is well-balanced and delicious, and a majority of the early fruits are seedless.  Healthy, compact plants with a concentrated early set. Determinate. 
  • Indigo Rose:  Open pollinated/heirloom variety, maturing in about 80 days. Fruits average 1–2 oz. and are round with striking dark purple to nearly black skin where exposed to sunlight, contrasted by a rich red blush on the shaded side. The smooth interior flesh is rosy purple with a balanced flavor—bright acidity complemented by a subtle sweetness and ‘plummy’ overtones. High in anthocyanins, these tomatoes offer exceptional antioxidant content and are resistant to cracking.  Compact indeterminate.
  • Matt’s Wild Cherry:  Deep-red, tender, smooth, and full-flavored with a high sugar content.  Fantastic in salsa and for fresh eating.  Some resistance to early blight and late blight.  Indeterminate.
  • Sun Gold:  A Dukes Farm favorite.  Intense fruity flavor. Exceptionally sweet, bright tangerine-orange cherry tomatoes leave everyone begging for more. Vigorous plants start yielding early and bear right through the season.  Prone to cracking but the taste is worth the effort.  15–20 gm. fruits. Indeterminate.
  • Supersweet 100:  The classic sweet red cherry tomato.  Reliable cherry with prolific yields of great-tasting, 15–20 gm. fruits produced in large clusters.  Widely adapted.  Indeterminate.
  • Sweet Gold:  Very early, indeterminate yellow cherry tomato with good flavor. The plants are high yielding and very vigorous — producing single and double clusters. The fruit are small and weigh around 10 to 15 grams, have bright yellow flesh and a very attractive general appearance.  Indeterminate.
  • Sweet Million:  An early-maturing cherry tomato producing uniform, round fruits weighing 10–15 grams. Known for strong vigor, high yields, and resistance to cracking, it offers a well-balanced flavor and good shelf life. Easy to grow.  Indeterminate.
  • Unicorn:  Bred for the Eastern U.S., maturing in about 50 days.  Plants with moderate vigor produce uniform ½ oz. deep red fruit that are firm, sweet, and tolerant to cracking.  Indeterminate.
  • Washington Cherry:  High-yielding, compact plants.  Globe-shaped, 20–25 gm. fruits have a deep-red color.  Thick-walled, meaty, and flavorful, with good keeping quality on or off the vine. Widely adapted.  Determinate.
  • White Cherry:  Appealing cherry tomatoes average 15-20 gm. and have a good, mild taste.  Plants are compact and easy to pick.  Compact indeterminate.

Sauce/Paste

  • DUKES FARM San Marzano:  This is a very productive strain of the original San Marzano that I have been saving for the past 7 years.
  • Grandma Mary’s:  Meaty elongated 6–10 oz fruits are very early for their size, and plants produce well even in cold summers.  Heirloom.  Indeterminate.
  • Hungarian Heart:  Oxheart tomato that produces large, pink fruits averaging around one pound.  With meaty texture and few seeds, it is excellent for canning, roasting, and paste-making.  The fruit resists cracking and delivers consistent yields. This strain traces back to a small village outside of Budapest.  Heirloom.  Indeterminate.  
  • Opalka:  Cylindrical red fruits weigh 4–6 oz. and are meaty with very few seeds.  A prized Polish heirloom, Opalka is valued for its rich flavor, elongated pepper-like shape, and dense texture. Ideal for sauces, pastes, and cooking, the fruit hold well on the vine.  Heirloom.  Indeterminate.
  • Roma:  Roma is a classic heirloom tomato that has stood the test of time, cherished for generations as one of the most popular sauce and canning varieties.  Firm, meaty, 4 oz. red fruits with a smooth cylindrical shape and very few seeds.  Ideal for cooking, canning, and pastes, Roma remains a trusted standard in the kitchen and the garden alike.  Heirloom.  Determinate.
  • Roma, Striped:  An eye-catching open pollinated heirloom tomato with cylindrical 4–6 oz. fruits streaked in red, yellow, and orange.  The striped and speckled skin makes it stand out both in the garden and the kitchen.  With few seeds and a sweet, true tomato flavor, these tomatoes are excellent for fresh eating, cooking, or preserving.  Heirloom.  Determinate.
  • San Marzano:  A legendary Italian heirloom paste tomato, valued for its rich flavor and long history.  The cylindrical 4 oz. red fruits have a mild, balanced taste and firm texture, making them excellent for canning, paste, and puree.  Traditionally grown in the volcanic soils near Naples, Italy, these tomatoes create sauces that are rich, sweet, and perfectly acidic with the ideal consistency for authentic Italian cooking.  Heirloom.  Indeterminate.
  • San Marzano Yellow:  Produces golden yellow cylindrical fruit averaging 4 to 5 oz.  Fruits are firm and well suited for both fresh use and processing markets.  This variety combines distinctive color with dependable quality and performance.  Determinate.  
  • Saucy Lady:  Produces heavy yields of 3–4 oz. blocky elongated fruit.  The deep red tomatoes are extremely firm and cook down beautifully into smooth, flavorful sauces and pastes.  Determinate.

Grape & Pear

  • Baby Grape:  Open pollinated/heirloom tomato that produces clusters of small, grape-shaped fruit averaging just over 1 ounce.  The bright red, plum-like tomatoes measure about 1 inch long and are known for their distinctive sweet-spicy flavor.  Productive vines yield abundant fruit, making this variety well-suited for fresh eating, snacking, and colorful additions to salads.  Heirloom.  Indeterminate.  
  • Nova:  Borne on long trusses, Nova is a bright orange color with excellent, sweet flavor.  Firm, meaty, 20–22 gm. fruits resist cracking.  Makes a great mix with red, pink, and yellow grape tomatoes.  Indeterminate.
  • Red Grape:  Produces bright red, firm fruit up to ½ oz. each with classic grape shape and uniformity.  Plants provide strong leaf cover.  With good disease resistance and consistent fruit quality,  Indeterminate.
  • Red Pearl, grape:  Tender and nearly seedless, with intermediate resistance to late blight.  Fruits weigh 15–20 gm., and have good flavor and a meaty texture.  Resists cracking and stores well on and off the vine.  Tall, healthy plants. Indeterminate.
  • Sugar Plum, grape:  High yielding, producing clusters of sweet, red grape-shaped fruit.  Each fruit weighs about 1 ounce and measures roughly 3/4 inch, making them perfect for snacking or tossing into salads.  Excellent flavor, combining sweetness and richness in every bite.  Vigorous plants set consistently throughout the season, delivering impressive harvests of smooth, vibrant tomatoes.  Indeterminate.
  • Sugar Rush:  grape:  Produces red grape-shaped fruit weighing ½ to 1 oz. Fast-maturing at 50 to 55 days, it offers very high brix, excellent flavor, and great texture.  Plants are highly productive throughout the season and have strong disease resistance.  Indeterminate.
  • Midnight Pear:  Dark purple, small pear-shaped, with outstanding flavor.  Indeterminate.
  • Red Pear:  Small ½ oz. fruits are pear-shaped and deep red, with a bright, tangy flavor from their naturally high acidity.  This historic heirloom, dating back to Colonial times, is highly productive and produces abundant clusters of 1–2 inch tomatoes.  Perfect for fresh eating, salads, sauces, or roasting.  Heirloom.  Indeterminate.  
  • Yellow Pear:  Plants produce heavy yields of small, waxy-yellow, pear-shaped fruits with distinct necks, averaging 4 oz.  The fruit has a tangy flavor and grows in clusters on medium-large vines.  A historic variety that has been grown for centuries.  Heirloom.  Indeterminate.

Slicers, non heirloom

  • Better Boy Plus:  Deep globe fruit are bright red, meaty, and very juicy with great flavor.  Widely adapted and easy to put to work in the kitchen, it shines in slicing, canning, and hearty sauces.  Fruit average about 8 oz, with many reaching around a pound.  Added disease resistance and adaptability make it a smart grower choice.  Indeterminate.
  • Big Beef:  Nice combination of size, taste, and earliness.  Still unsurpassed as the top choice for fresh market beefsteak tomatoes.  Large, avg. 10–12 oz., mostly blemish-free, globe-shaped red fruit.  They have full flavor—among the best—and ripen early for their size.  Broad disease resistance package.  All America Select Winner.  Indeterminate.
  • Burpee’s Big Boy:  Deep oblate, scarlet red fruit average 8 to 9 oz with thick walls and meaty flesh.  Smooth skinned, firm, and very tasty. Crack resistant and a heavy producer with good foliage cover.  Indeterminate.
  • Early Girl:  A longtime early favorite, produces heavy yields of full-flavored, 4–6 oz. tomatoes.  One of the first varieties to ripen each year.  Extreme tolerance to drought and blossom end rot.  Indeterminate.
  • Goldie Yellow:  Deep orange beefsteak fruits, frequently bi-lobed, average 16–20 oz.  Very productive. Will catface under cold or excessively wet conditions.  Indeterminate.
  • Italian Goliath:  Deep oblate, red fruit weighing 8 to 16 oz. Vigorous plants set firm, very flavorful tomatoes that ripen to a bright red, making it a great choice for home gardens.  Indeterminate.
  • Moskvitch:  One of the most appealing extra-early tomatoes.  Fruits are early, deep red, and cold tolerant.  Rich flavor.  Smooth and globe-shaped. 4-6 oz. with a small stem scar.  Indeterminate.
  • Mountain Fresh Plus:  The most widely-grown market tomato in the East and Midwest.  Able to tolerate cool and wet conditions, this big red tomato produces attractive, 8-16 oz. slicers with good flavor.  Vigorous plants provide plenty of leaf cover.  Determinate.
  • New Girl:  Similar to Early Girl.  Fruits avg. 4–6 oz. and have better flavor and are more disease resistant than Early Girl.  Widely adapted.  Indeterminate.
  • Pink Berkeley Tie Die:  Unique appearance.  8-12 oz. fruits are dark pink with green striping, and the flesh is pink with yellow streaks.  Compact Indeterminate.
  • Sunny Boy:  Produces globe-shaped golden fruit averaging 5 oz.  The bright yellow tomatoes have very few seeds, a sweet flavor, and firm texture.  Widely adaptable.  Determinate.
  • Valencia:  Sunny orange fruits with full tomato flavor.  Round, smooth fruits average 8-10 oz. Their meaty interiors have few seeds.  This midseason tomato is among the best for flavor and texture. Heirloom.  Indeterminate.
  • Wisconsin 55:  Produces 6–8 oz. slicers that are great for fresh eating and popular for canning, particularly for stewed tomatoes.  This long-popular workhorse variety was developed by the University of Wisconsin, Madison in the 1940’s.  Demonstrates some field tolerance to early blight and Septoria diseases.  Indeterminate. 

Slicers, heirloom

  • Carbon:  Produces 10–12 oz. deep oblate fruit with a purplish-brown exterior and rich red interior. Prized for its rich, sweet flavor.  Highly productive and dependable.  Indeterminate.
  • Brandywine, Black:  12–16 oz. oblate fruits with rich mahogany color. This variety delivers an intense, fruity flavor and is prized for its depth and complexity. Also known as Brandywine Black, it is a standout choice for slicing and culinary use.  Indeterminate.  
  • Brandywine, Pink:  Produces large oblate fruit weighing 1 to 1½ lbs.  The fruit have deep pink skin with pink-red flesh and a rich, classic heirloom flavor.  With light rosy pink flesh and outstanding eating quality, this variety has been cherished for over a century and remains one of the most famous heirlooms grown by generations of tomato lovers.  Indeterminate.
  • Brandywine, Yellow:  Plants produce good yields of large, oblate, yellow fruits averaging 1–1½ lbs. The tomatoes are sweet with low acidity, offering a rich and delicious flavor. A classic yellow beefsteak variety that makes a tasty addition to fresh dishes.  Indeterminate.
  • Black Krim:  Produces 8 oz. oblate fruits with dark maroon skin and green shoulders. Also known as Black Crimea, it develops a striking violet-brown to purple-red color that deepens to nearly black in full sun and heat. The fruits deliver a wonderfully rich, full flavor, making this beefsteak variety highly prized for fresh eating.  Indeterminate.
  • Boxcar Willie:  Smooth round red fruit ranging from 12 to 18 oz.  Juicy and full of flavor, the fruit offer a balanced sweet-tart taste that captures the classic old-fashioned tomato experience.  Crack-free and dependable, this variety is excellent for slicing, sandwiches, and fresh salads.  Indeterminate.
  • Cherokee Purple:  Oblate fruit averaging 6 to 12 oz. with deep pink-purple skin and green shoulders.  Renowned for its sweet, rich flavor, this variety has been celebrated for generations and remains one of the most famous heirlooms, prized for its unique color and outstanding taste.  Indeterminate.
  • Cosmonaut Volkov:  Wonderful Ukrainian variety with excellent flavor.  Usually ripens quantities of deep red slightly flattened 8–12 oz globes at the beginning of August when tomato craving is at its peak.  What makes Cosmonaut so special is its juice: sweet, rich and full-bodied.  Named after the Russian explorer who perished in space.  Indeterminate.
  • Costoluto Genovese:  Produces 6 oz. oblate fruit with pronounced ribbing.  An old Italian variety dating back to the early 19th century, its name translates to “ribbed one from Genoa.”  The deeply fluted fruit are flattened in shape, visually striking, and filled with richly flavored red flesh.  Valued in Italy for both fresh eating and preserving.  Indeterminate.
  • Kentucky Beefsteak:  The large, deep oblate fruit weigh 1–2 lbs. and have an attractive orange color.  Flavor is balanced with a mild hint of fruitiness, not too sweet and not too acidic.  Very tall plants produce hefty, luminescent beefsteaks that have long been a grower favorite.  Indeterminate.
  • Mortgage Lifter:  Famous since the 1930s, this variety was named after the grower who sold enough of these tomatoes to pay off his farm.  The massive fruits range from 2 to 4 lbs., with meaty, low-acid flesh, few seeds, and excellent flavor.  Its large, oblate, pink fruits have stood the test of time.  Indeterminate.
  • Mr. Stripey:  Oblate fruit weighing 1 to 3 lbs. This bicolor variety stands out with its golden yellow skin streaked with red and its mottled red-and-yellow interior. Known for its mild, low-acid flavor and meaty texture.  Indeterminate.
  • Old German:  Fruits range from 1 to 3 lbs. and display striking red, yellow, and orange variegation inside and out.  The oblate fruits are prized for their outstanding flavor and meaty texture with fewer seeds than many other varieties.  Indeterminate.
  • Pineapple:  Large fruits weigh 1–2 lbs., with an oblate, ribbed shape and striking red and yellow coloration.  The skin is yellow with red streaking at the blossom end, while the interior shows pink and red marbling radiating through the golden flesh.  Known for its excellent mild, full-bodied flavor and low seed count, this variety is as delicious as it is beautiful.  When sliced, the colorful flesh resembles that of a pineapple, making it a standout for fresh eating and presentation.  Indeterminate.
  • Pruden’s Purple:  Early for its size and makes a great sandwich tomato. Bears irregular pink 1 lb fruit with very few seeds, a silken texture and rich tomato taste, nicely tart with a balanced undertone of sweetness neither insipid nor cloying.  Indeterminate.
  • Striped German:  Bicolor red-and-yellow fruit.  The flat medium-to-large tomatoes with variable shoulder ribbing are shaded yellow and red.  The marbled interior looks beautiful sliced.  Complex, fruity flavor and smooth texture.  Medium-tall vines bear 12+ oz. fruit.  Indeterminate.
  • Yellow Stuffer:  This unusual variety produces 4 to 8 oz. blocky, ribbed fruits that resemble yellow bell peppers.  With seeds clustered near the stem, the firm, hollow interior makes them excellent for stuffing and baking.  Their bright color and distinct shape also make them attractive when sliced as a garnish.  Offers a savory flavor profile compared to red tomatoes.  Indeterminate.

Salad & other small slicers

  • Clementine:  Unique orange cocktail tomato.  Tangerine-colored, oval-round fruits avg. 2 oz.  Plants produce high yields with appealing sweet-tart flavor.  Exceptional when halved and roasted!  Can be picked to ripen when shoulders are green.  Crack resistant.  Indeterminate.
  • Garden Peach:  Small, round, slightly flattened fuzzy fruit with yellow-peach-pink blush.  Mild flavor improves with storage.  Vigorous, heirloom, good keeper.  Indeterminate.
  • Glacier:  Glacier ripens around the same time as the sub-arctics with about the same size (1–2″), and almost no cosmetic defects except yellow shoulders, but there the comparisons end.  According to Fedco Seeds:  Glacier’s rich tomato flavor relegates the insipid sub-arctics to the compost pile. It is also superior to the highly touted Siberia tomato, to Stupice, to Early Temptation, to Bloody Butcher, in fact, to every other tomato in the same class that we’ve tried. Originally from Sweden, 1985.  Determinate.
  • Green Zebra:  A most unusual beast in the tomato menagerie, this zebra starts out green with darker green stripes, softening and blushing yellow and apricot when it ripens.  It might have remained a mere curiosity but for its delicious sweet rich flavor.  Small-medium 4–5 oz fruits are emerald green inside.  Perfect exteriors hold up under adverse conditions and don’t crack.  Developed from 4 heirloom varieties in the 1980s.  Indeterminate.
  • Mountain Magic:  Produces high yields of 2 oz., bright red, round salad tomatoes with very sweet flavor.  The uniform, crack-resistant fruits may be truss harvested. Great in salads or right off the vine.  Excellent flavor and late blight resistance.  Indeterminate.

All Other Vegetables

  • Tango Celery:  Highly adaptable variety with great flavor and tender stalks.  Performs well under less-than-ideal growing conditions such as heat or moisture stress. 
  • Ground Cherry, Aunt Molly’s:  A sprawling cousin of tomatoes and tomatillos that grows about two feet tall and four feet wide and yields golden fruits one-half to three-quarters of an inch in diameter enclosed in papery husks that turn from green to gold before dropping when ripe, offering a sweet tomato-pineapple flavor perfect for preserves, pie filling, or fresh snacking; the husked fruits store up to three months.
  • Gourds, American Wings (small):  Crookneck gourd producing smooth, multicolored fruits about 4 to 5 inches long, with many showing the signature winged form; its vigorous vines yield abundant petite gourds perfect for decorative displays and craft projects.
  • Gourds, Autumn Wings (large):  Multicolored crookneck gourd that produces abundant 10- to 12-inch fruits, many of which feature dramatic wings and warts, and its vigorous vines deliver an eye-catching mix of shapes and textures that add flair to autumn displays and craft projects.
  • Muskmelon, Hearts of Gold:  Once the most popular melon in the Midwest, this vigorous 2–3 lb orange-fleshed muskmelon with a thin rind and thick flesh still deserves its good reputation. The rich flavor speaks of summer itself—juicy, fragrant, sweetly delish.  Introduced at the end of the 1800s as one of the first “modern” melons, it’s now been around long enough to be considered an heirloom.
  • Muskmelon, Pride of Wisconsin:  The best full-size open-pollinated muskmelon, also an heirloom.  High-quality large oval salmon-fleshed 5–7 lb fruits have coarse netting and compact seed cavities.  Edible all the way to the rind.  Known as Queen of Colorado when it was introduced in 1923 by the St. Louis Seed Co.
  • Okra, Clemson Spineless:  Classic variety developed in 1939 and remains a garden standard.  Produces dark green, slightly grooved pods that are straight, pointed, and entirely spineless, making them easy to harvest.  Pods grow 7 to 9 inches long but are best picked young and tender for optimal flavor. All America Select winner.
  • Okra, Hill Country Red:  Striking heirloom believed to have originated in the Hill Country region of southern Texas. This variety produces beautiful red-stemmed plants that reach 4 to 6 feet tall, with green pods accented by reddish tips and ribs. The pods are best picked small, around 3 inches long, for peak tenderness and flavor.  
  • Okra, Red Burgundy:  This productive plant grows 4 to 5 feet tall and features green leaves with burgundy stems, branches, and leaf ribs.  It produces tender 6 to 8 inch burgundy pods that hold their color and texture well, especially when picked young.  In addition to its great yield and flavor, Red Burgundy adds ornamental value to any garden.  All America Select winner.
  • Peas, snow, Oregon Giant:  Abundant yields of medium-green pods up to 4 1/2″ long x 1″ wide.  The 30″ tall, white-flowered vines produce 1 to 2 pods per node. 
  • Peas, snap, Sugar Snap:  Most flavorful snap variety.  Germinates well in cold, wet soil, and the vigorous plants quickly produce a thick stand that requires support.  Vines avg. 72″ with 1 or 2 pods per node.  Yields well over a long season in both hot and cold weather. Remove string from pods before eating. All America Select winner.
  • DUKES FARM Tomatillo:  Twenty years ago I started crossing several heirloom varieties of tomatillo.  This variety is very productive and is a great pollinator; bees love it.  I still haven’t given this variety a name!