Vegetable Plants and Seeds for 2011
Join the biggest trend in gardening - growing some of your own food! Start with our organic vegetable transplants, seeds, or bare-root plants. Our selection is growing every year!
| Heirloom Tomatoes - SOLD OUT |
Most of our tomato plants are heirloom varieties - open-pollinated varieties that were developed and cultivated prior to 1931. These are varieties that have been selected by farmers for exceptional flavor, and passed down through generations. Heirlooms come in all colors of the rainbow - even dark purple to black! Try something unconventional this year! All organically grown!
Cherry Tomatoes:
'Matt's Wild'. Heirloom. Tiny, ¼” to ½” red fruits are very sweet, with a full flavor. Large, sprawling vines need plenty of room. Grows wild in eastern Mexico. Indeterminate.
'Jaunee Flammee'. Heirloom from France. Beautiful golden-yellow fruits with red interior. 2-3 oz. fruits grow in clusters. Old-fashioned flavor; also great for sun-dried tomatoes! Indeterminate.
'Sungold'. Hybrid. These small, orange fruits have a sweet, tangy flavor and produce very early. Indeterminate.
'Black Cherry'. Plants produce an abundant yield of cherry-sized, garnet-colored fruits. Add them to salad for a nice color variation or eat them on their own to fully enjoy their complex, sweet flavor. Indeterminate.
'Juliette'. 60 days. Indeterminate. F1 hybrid. Plant produces high yields of glossy red grape-shaped tomatoes. Tomatoes are very sweet and perfect for salads and gourmet dishes. Grows in clusters like grapes, too! Holds on the vine longer than any other cherry tomato.
Plum/Paste Tomatoes:
'San Marzano'. Excellent for canning. Medium to small sized red fruits are born in clusters on large indeterminate vines.
'Amish Paste'. Heirloom. 81 days. Red, oxheart-shaped fruit has thick flesh and few seeds. One of the largest paste tomatoes with up to 12 oz. fruit. Excellent for canning. Indeterminate.
Slicing
Tomatoes:
‘Beaverlodge’. 55 days. Determinate. This very early season tomato has 2” perfectly round red fruits with a fine flavor. Compact growth habit. Great in containers!
'Black Trifele'. Heirloom from Russia. 81 days. Indeterminate. 6 oz., pear-shaped fruits are dark black with green shoulders. Meaty core; rich and complex flavor. Heavy yields all summer long. Beautiful on a mixed tray!
'Brandywine'. Heirloom. Indeterminate, 82 days. Super large, purple/pink fruits, very juicy. The classic heirloom tomato that is the standard for taste! (top left, with golf ball)
'Caspian Pink'. Heirloom. Indeterminate, 80 days. Beefsteak-type, pinkish red fruits, superior flavor.
'Cherokee Purple'. Heirloom. Indeterminate, 77 days. Large purple/pink fruits, excellent flavor. This one has a cult following, and is hard to come by.
'Cosmonaut Volkoff'. (above right) Heirloom. Red, perfectly-shaped, medium-sized fruits look great and taste even better. Shorter vines than most. Very trouble-free. Determinate.
'Double Rich'. 76 days. Indeterminate. Sturdy vines produce an abundance of 3-inch fruit, red-orange on the outside and brilliant red inside. Celebrated for having almost twice the Vitamin C as other tomato varieties and as much as an orange. Good rich tomato-ey flavors.
'Garden Peach'. Heirloom. Indeterminate, 71 days. Small orange/yellow/green fruit with slightly fuzzy skin. This one is a real looker, and extremely productive! (left)
‘Golden Ponderosa’. 80 days. Indeterminate. Heirloom. Plant produces good yields of large golden yellow beefsteak tomatoes. Low acidity and a sweet flavor. Very meaty and juicy.
'Green Zebra'. Heirloom. Ripe fruits are bright green with light green stripes. 2-4 oz. fruits. Beautiful and unusual, and always in demand by tomato connoisseurs. Determinate.
‘Martian Giant’. 95 days. Semi-determinate.A juicy, red, 12 oz., beefsteak slicer that produces heavy crops of great tasting tomatoes.
'Mortgage Lifter'. Heirloom. 70 days. Indeterminate. This large, meaty, mild-flavored tomato has few seeds and is the perfect tomato-sandwich tomato. Pinkish-red, two and a half to four pound tomatoes all summer long. So tasty, it paid off the mortgage of the person who bred the tomato in the 1930’s!
‘White Queen’. Indeterminate. 85 days. Heirloom. This variety offers some of the nicest shape and whitest color of any of the 'white' varieties. Beefsteak-type fruit weighs 8 to 12 oz. Fruits ripen to pale creamy yellow with no cracking. Tomatoes are juicy and sweet with a well-balanced flavor.
'Zapotec Pleated'. 85 days. Indeterminate. This heirloom tomato produces deeply pleated, (almost triangular in shape) pink-red fruit with a somewhat hollow interior. Mexican Indian variety. Mild flavors. Must see it to believe it!
| Other Vegetable Transplants - Fall Veggies are Here! |
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| After the short early spring harvest season, asparagus does double duty as a beautiful, ferny-looking hedge (above right). |
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| Kale (above) is a superfood! Like Swiss Chard, this is a cut and come again crop that produces all season long - from early spring to very late fall. |
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| Sweet peppers are earlier to harvest, easier to grow and more prolific than bells. 3-4" peppers are versatile additions to many dishes. |
All organically grown, unless otherwise noted!
Asparagus - 'Jersey Giant' (conventionally grown) - SOLD OUT
Broccoli, Spring - SOLD OUT
Broccili, Heading and Piracicaba - NOW AVAILABLE
Brussel Sprouts - SOLD OUT
Cabbage - NOW AVAILABLE
Celeriac - SOLD OUT
Chard, Swiss - NOW AVAILABLE
Cucumber - 'Marketmore' - SOLD OUT
Eggplant - 'Black Beauty', 'Orient Express', Rosa Bianca' - SOLD OUT
Horseradish. (conventionally grown) SOLD OUT
Jerusalem Artichoke - AVAILABLE NOW
Kale - NOW AVAILABLE
Leeks - SOLD OUT
Melon - 'Hale's Best Cantalope' - SOLD OUT
Onions - 'Spanish Yellow', 'Red Bull' (conventionally grown) - SOLD OUT
Peppers, Bell - 'California Wonder', 'Golden California Wonder', 'Islander' - SOLD OUT
Peppers, Hot - 'Poblano', 'Habenero', 'Jalapeno', Hungarian Hot Wax', Ring of Fire', 'Black Hungarian', 'Joe Parker Anaheim', 'McMahon's Bird', 'Serrano' - SOLD OUT
Peppers, Sweet - 'Nardello', 'Lipstick' - SOLD OUT
Potatoes - 'Yukon Gold', 'Purple Majesty', 'Red/Sangre', 'Fingerling', 'Kennebec' - SOLD OUT
Rhubarb - 'Canada Red', 'Victoria' (conventionally grown) - AVAILABLE NOW
Strawberries - 'Honeoye' - SOLD OUT
Watermelon - 'Sugar Baby' - SOLD OUT
Zucchini - 'Bush Baby' - SOLD OUT
| Bare-root Fruit Bushes - NEW FOR 2011! SOLD OUT |
All conventionally-grown (sorry - we're working on this!)
Blackberry, Thornless. 'Chester', ' Triple Crown'
Blackberry, Thorny. 'llini Hardy'
Currant, Red. 'Rovada' - SOLD OUT
Gooseberry, Green. 'Invicta'
Gooseberry, Red. 'Tixia'
Raspberry, Black. 'Bristol'
Raspberry, Red. 'Boyne', ' Caroline', ' Heritage', ' Killarney', ' Nova', ' Polana', ' Taylor'
Raspberry, Yellow. 'Anne' - SOLD OUT
And also new for 2011 - a limited number of local ecotype native brambles (red and black raspberries), in 1 gal. pots - organically-grown! NOW AVAILABLE
| Vegetable, Herb, and Flower Seeds |
This year, we are carrying 56 varieties of vegetable, herb, flower, and cover crop seeds from Turtle Tree Seeds. All seeds are organically-grown; many are also certified biodynamic seeds; needless to say, none are genetically-modified. Most are heirloom varieties that have been meticulously selected through many generations by small farmers for superior taste and unique characteristics.
Beans, 'Aunt Ada's Italian Pole'. Heirloom from Italy. Came with the Botanelli family~1900. Pick when beans start to bulge in pods. Delicious, tastes like a buttery snap lima bean.
Beans, 'Provider Premium Bush'. Early maturing. Germinates well in cool soil. 5-7 in. green pods. Heavy yields of long straight tender beans. An old favorite.
Beans, 'Golden Rocky Bush'. Heavy yields of 6 in. tender yellow wax bush beans. An excellent variety with good cold tolerance. Good for freezing.
Beans, 'Royal Burgundy Bush'. Vigorous erect plants with 5-6 in. long, slender, round, deep purple pods that turn green when cooked. The purple pods make picking easy!
Beans, 'Davis Family Blend' Soy Beans (Edamame). Vigorous 3 foot plant. Harvest plump, green pods before any yellowing from late August into September. Pale green or yellow seeds. Can be boiled in the pod when young and tender. Called edamame in Japanese cuisine.
Bean, 'Scarlet Runner'. Pole bean with vines up to 10 ft. producing snap green beans or shell beans. Colorful maroon and black seed. Red flowers attract hummingbirds.
Beet, 'Lutz Green Leaf'. Big, tender, glossy, green tops with thick pinkish succulent midribs. One of the best to grow for greens as well as for its large, tender, heart-shaped roots. An excellent storage variety.
Beet, 'Chioggia'. Heirloom from Italy. A specialty market beet known for its excellent flavor, concentric interior rings of red and white which blend when cooked and its bright red exterior color.
Broccoli, 'Umpqua'. Vigorous plants. Head size varies. Good side shoot production. Recommended for the home gardener. Developed by Tim Peters of Peter’s Seed and Research.
Burdock, 'Takinogawa Long'. This nutritious root vegetable gives the distinctive earthy flavor to many Japanese dishes. Very hardy. Sow in early spring and harvest in fall, winter and spring.
Cabbage, 'Early Bird'. A very quick growing green cabbage with solid small-to-medium-sized heads. Mild, sweet flavor.
Carrot, 'Danvers'. Slightly tapered 7 in. long deep orange carrots with 2 in. shoulders. Good heat tolerance. Known for their performance in heavy soils, but also well adapted to most other soil types. A good producer with strong tops.
Carrot, 'Rolanka'. Long carrot with rounded shoulder. Smooth skin with a deep orange color. Strong sweet flavor. Excellent storage variety.
Carrot, 'Minicor'. Delicious early 6-7 in. long blunt-ended carrot with small cores. Nice variety for bunching.
Corn, Sweet, 'Ashworth'. Heirloom. Early and hardy with good cold soil emergence. 6 in. ears with yellow kernels. Full bodied old-fashioned sweet corn flavor.
Cucumber, 'Boston Pickler'. Heirloom. Prolific long-vined variety with good yields of pale-green 6 inch fruit. Excellent texture and flavor in pickles. Showed excellent resistance to Powdery Mildew.
Cucumber, 'Marketmore 86'. Compact semi-bush type plants good for small gardens. Prolific 8-9 in. uniform dark green fruits are good for both slicing or pickling. Tolerant to Scab, Cucumber Mosaic Virus (CMV), Downy Mildew (DM), and Powdery Mildew (PM).
Kohlrabi, 'Azure Star'. Early, flat-round bulbs with a deep bluish-purple hue and a smooth, crisp sweet white interior. Plant outdoors from early spring until early fall.
Melon, 'Delicious 51 PMR'. It is exceptionally delicious. Very early 4-5 lb. round-oval fruit, well-netted with sweet orange-salmon flesh. Unbelievably sweet and delicious.
Okra, 'Clemson Spineless'. Tall, upright plants carry large yellow and maroon flowers followed in 5 days by tender green pods that keep producing until frost. Harvest every 2-3 days when 2 in. long. Pod tips will snap off if tender and bend if woody. A hot summer is definitely an advantage. Drought-tolerant, but will produce more with consistent soil moisture.
Onion, 'Clear Dawn'. Medium-sized, round, yellow storage onion grown and selected for over 30 years by biodynamic market gardeners. Long-day type successful to around 37 degrees latitude. Selected for high quality, holding well in storage, and uniformity. Excellent storage variety.
Parnsip, 'Turga'. Seed biodynamically grown for many years. Very hardy. Sweet smooth very uniform roots.
Pea, Shell. 'Coral' Very nice, productive, vigorous, first early shell pea. Vines to 24 in. Does well without trellising.
Pea, Snap. 'Sugar Lode'. Tremendous yields from a 3 ft. high plant. Pods sweeten slowly and develop a good pea flavor that becomes sugary when they are full. Plants hold up well in heat.
Pea, Snow. 'Oregon Giant'. Large Snow Pea pods and sweet peas. White flowered. 2 1/2 foot vines can grow without trellising, however, in a wet climate, all peas do better with some support to prevent pod rot. Bred by Dr. James Baggett at Oregon State University.
Radish, 'French Breakfast Improved'. Heirloom grown since the 1880’s. Oblong and blunt, 1.5-2 long by 0.75 in. diameter. Rose-scarlet with white tip. Crisp white flesh. Distinct mildly-pungent flavor. Preferred variety for baby radishes in gourmet restaurants.
Squash, 'Delicata'. 7-9x3 in. Oblong cylindrical fruit with cream skin, striped and speckled with dark green. Sweet, tender, orange flesh reminiscent of sweet potato. Good for baking and stuffing. No curing needed. Short term storage.
Squash, 'Butternut'. Long, light-tan, bottle-shaped fruits widen to a round seed cavity. Finely-grained golden-orange flesh is deliciously sweet by itself or great for pie. Most dependable 3-6 lb. winter storage squash with long term storage potential.
Turnip, 'Zuercher'. Purple skin on the top of the root, white below. White flesh throughout. Uniform and good storage. Hardy. These turnips sweeten after a good frost. Direct sow.
Watermelon, 'Sugar Baby'. Very early round watermelon with firm, sweet, red-orange flesh and thin rind that becomes almost black when ripe. Try this one if you have trouble getting watermelons to ripen in your climate. Small icebox-type 6-12 lb. fits in refrigerator without cutting.
Zucchini, 'Dark Green'. Early vigorous bush plants. Straight smooth cylindrical, dark-green fruits. Greenish-white firm flesh. Prolific. Fine flavor.
Zucchini, 'Ronde de Nice'. Vigorous, fast-growing plants are usually grown for male blossoms, used for making stuffed squash blossoms. Round green-skinned fruits with white flesh also have exceptional flavor. Serve steamed or stuffed.
Leafy Greens and Lettuces
Amaranth, 'Burgundy'. Young leaves used for greens. Deep-red flowers resemble a giant upright Love-Lies-Bleeding. Seeds for grain.
Arugula. Ready for cutting baby greens in 20 days! Fully mature rosettes in 40 days. Pungent salad green with long, dark-green, lobed leaves in a loose open rosette with a nutty flavor.
Chard, Swiss, 'Glatter Silber'. A very vigorous, productive, and high quality chard. Large, glossy, succulent, bright-green leaves with 1 to 2 in. broad silver white stems. Makes stunning bunches for the market.
Kale, 'Red Russian'. Frilled purple-veined deeply lobed oak leaves. Tender, mild and sweet even in summer, but more colorful and sweeter after frost. Gives repeated harvests through a long season.
Lettuce, 'Green Ice'. Delicious, compact crinkled heads with crisp, tender hearts and savoyed outer leaves. Juicy, yet crisp like an iceberg, but not as much work to grow. Can be grown into late spring and again in early autumn. Besides forming first rate heads, Green Ice also does well as a cut-and-come-again lettuce.
Lettuce, 'Nancy'. Good standard green Boston Butterhead type with well developed heart and a large head. Nancy surpasses many others in its league for its ability to keep well.
Lettuce, 'Cocarde'. Red Oak-Leaf type. Beautiful, large trumpet-shaped heads with leaves held off the ground, which is a real benefit in wet climates! Also a good cut-and-come-again variety. Young leaves add color and crispness to salad mixes with other greens.
Lettuce, 'Mix Of Turtle Tree Favorites'. A pleasing blend of at least 8 different varieties for salad mix cuttings: Red, green, speckled, loose-leaf, romaine, etc. Very colorful in early spring and late fall when the cool weather brings out the red highlights.
Lettuce, 'Waldman's'. Large crispy loose-leaf heads of dark green wavy leaves. Uniform and productive. This is a classic, big, open loose-leaf head lettuce. Best in spring and fall.
Spinach, 'Butterflay'. Vigorous early spinach with medium dark-green leaves and a full rich flavor. Quick-growing and late-bolting. This is proving to be a popular and dependable open-pollinated variety for both home and market gardens in spring and autumn.
Spinach, 'Winter Bloomsdale'. Good for early spring and overwintering crops. Dark green savoyed leaves. Very sweet after a frost.
Herbs
Basil. Annual. Bushy 18 in. plants give continuous cuttings from mid-summer until frost if flower stalks are pinched off. Leaves used fresh for pesto, in salads and on pasta, dried for use in soups, scrambled eggs, etc. Start indoors and transplant outside after
Dill. Annual. 3 ft. tall plants with finely divided light green foliage bear flat-topped clusters of yellow flowers in mid-summer. Use young leaves fresh for salads or dried as a seasoning, flowers and seeds as a pickling spice.
Cilantro. Annual. Leaves, referred to as cilantro, have a distinct flavor, and are used widely in Mexican, Indian and Morroccan cuisine. It can enhance just about any dish - be it soup, salad, dip, grain or meat. 18-24 in. flower stalks bear clusters of round, pungent seeds in late summer, known as coriander - commonly used in Indian cuisine, among others.
Parsley, plain-leaved Italian. Fresh leaves can be picked throughout the season for salads, garnishes, and cooking. Great flavor.
Flowers and Seed Crops
Amaranth, 'Burgundy'. Young leaves used for greens. Deep-red flowers resemble a giant upright Love-Lies-Bleeding. Seeds for grain.
Bean, 'Scarlet Runner'. Pole bean with vines up to 10 ft. producing snap green beans or shell beans. Colorful maroon and black seed. Red flowers attract hummingbirds.
Broom Corn. A type of sorghum. 8-10 ft. tall. Tops used for making brooms. Grain for cereal and bird food. Stunning as an ornamental.
Phacelia, Bee Plant. Annual. Bushy plants to 18". The blue curled sprays of this little known flower are loved by bees. Widely grown as a soil-building cover crop in Europe. Native to California.
Sunflower, 'Abendsonne'. Annual multiple headed sunflower with rich dark center and golden yellow periphery. Six to eight feet tall.
Sunflower, 'Peredovik'. Heirloom Old oil seed annual cultivar from Russia. 4-5 ft. plants bear classic 4-8 in. sunflowers. Great for cut flowers. Small black seeds for oil, wildlife plantings and bird seed.
Sunflower, 'Tarahumara'. Heirloom. Annual. 7-10 ft. stalks with single 8-10 in. solid gold heads maturing to ivory white edible seeds. Very tolerant to heat, drought and wind.
Tithonia, Mexican Sunflower. 4' tall and wide, sturdy branching annual with a bright display of 3 in. orange daisy-like flowers from mid-summer until frost. Velvety dark green leaves. Nice cut flower. Stunning!
Cover Crops
Alfalfa, 'Wrangler'. A high-yielding, winter hardy perennial with good insect and disease tolerance. For cover crop, green manure, hay and forage. Sow in spring, summer or fall. Can be sown in the spring and treated like an annual.