GardeningSphere

Tom Thumb Butterhead Lettuce

The Lettuce Butterhead Tom Thumb, 'Lactuca sativa', has compact, sweet, tender, buttery heads that are perfect size for individual salads. This English heirloom, gourmet variety is a great lettuce for window boxes, indoor pots, and is a cute border plant. The mild and crunchy leaves are soft and buttery and not crunchy. The Tom Thumb Butterhead Lettuce has small, 4 to 5 inch small loose heads. Some say this is the best lettuce around! Lettuce grows well near cabbage, beets, carrots, chives, garlic, and onion.

Summertime Head Lettuce

The Lettuce Crisphead Summertime, 'Lactuca sativa', is the most heat resistant head lettuce yet. Summertime is very sweet and has a far superior flavor to grocery store head letuce. Why grow head lettuce that you can buy in the store? Because it tastes a lot better grown at home! Summertime is a spring/summer head lettuce that has medium sized 6 inch heads. This lettuce can also be grown inside in containers and is so beautiful it can be used in borders and edging.

Oak Leaf Leaf Lettuce

The Lettuce Oak Leaf, 'Lactuca sativa', is an old time favorite. Oak Leaf lettuce makes classy mixed salads and stays tasty even in drought and heat. If you get your garden in a little late, Oak Leaf lettuce may be one of the best varieties for you. Oak Leaf will stay tasty and non-bitter well into the heat of summer. The leaves are very attractive with the oak leaf shape. Lettuce grows well near cabbage, beets, carrots, chives, garlic, and onion. This lettuce can also be grown inside in containers.

Red Sails Leaf Lettuce

The Lettuce Red Sails, 'Lactuca sativa', is an All America Winner. This leaf lettuce has it all: heat and bolt resistance, fast growth, pretty foliage, and a great flavor. Leaf lettuce lovers will love Red Sails for its quick maturing (45 days) and its wonderful flavor. It is very heat resistant so it can be enjoyed most of the year. Red Sails display a leaf color of deep red-bronze. This lettuce can also be grown inside in containers and is so beautiful it can be used in borders and edging.

Cimmaron Romaine Lettuce

The Lettuce Romaine Cimmaron, 'Lactuca sativa', is an extremely cold and heat hardy romaine. Are you a Caesar salad fan? Cimmaron Romaine is a great Caesar salad lettuce that is very sweet. This romaine is worth trying with its wonderful mix of green, red, and bronze foliage. Cimmaron Romaine is extra cold and heat resistant which adds length to your eating season and the nice sweet taste adds flavor to your salad. Cimmaron is quite beautiful and can be planted as an ornamental and it is a good container variety.

Big Seeded Corn Salad Mache

The Mache Corn Salad Big Seeded, 'Valerianella locusta', has the mildest flavor and softest texture of any salad green. The leaves are so tender they "Melt" in your mouth. The big-seeded variety handles the spring/summer heat without getting bitter which is great for north or south gardens. It combines nicely with fruits and vegetables and makes a really wonderful salad in and by itself. This plant is also known as Lambs Lettuce or Rapunzel. Mache can be planted in containers.

Charentais Melon

The Melon Charentais, 'Cucumis melo', is the favorite melon in France. It has a mouth watering aroma and a succulent honey-sweet taste. Charentalis is a type of true cantaloupe from Europe. What Americans call cantaloupes are actually muskmelons. Charentais have thin smooth skin with light green stripes that mature to a creamy yellow. The orange flesh is fine-textured, delightfully scented and very sweet. Plant in the spring, 1 to 2 weeks before the last frost or when soil temperatures begin to warm up.

Sweet Delight Honey Dew Melon

The Melon HoneyDew Sweet Delight, 'Cucumis melo-Inodorous Group (Hybrid)', has a really wonderful flavor that is sweet and juicy. One of the reasons HoneyDew has not been super popular in this country is the cardboard-like taste you get from the grocery store HoneyDew melons. This vine ripened HoneyDew has an unbelievable sweet, almost winelike flavor. Fertilize lightly every six weeks after initial sowing. Plant in the spring, 1 to 2 weeks before the last frost or when soil temperatures begin to warm up.

Mild Blend Micro Greens

The Micro Greens Mild Mix, 'Asst. Genera and Species', is the latest, greatest, tastiest, and healthiest trend in upscale restaurants. This plant is very easy to grow and adds crispy texture and fresh flavor when used as a garnish on soups, on crackers, in sandwiches or in salads. Micro Greens can be grown any time of the year, even inside during the winter. Sow seeds and harvest when plants are 1 to 2 inches high. Harvest by cutting just above the soil line, rinse and use immediately.

Spicy Blend Micro Greens

The Micro Greens Spicy Mix, 'Asst. Genera and Species', is the latest, greatest, tastiest, and healthiest trend in upscale resturants. This plant is very easy to grow and adds crispy and spicy texture and fresh flavor when used as a garnish on soups, on crackers, in sandwiches or in salads. Micro Greens can be grown any time of the year, even inside during the winter. Harvest by cutting just above the soil line, rinse and use immediately.

Mizuna

The Mustard Mizuna Siu Cai, Xiu Cai, 'Brassica rapa', is the perfect mustard green with its mild, sweet, earthy, mustard flavor that tolerates cold and heat. It is so attractive that it is used as an ornamental. Commonly used as a graceful bedding plant that "floats" in the flower beds and as a sweet, mild mustard green that is ready to harvest in 3 weeks. Mizuna looks are deceptive; it is a beautiful graceful prolific branching plant that will also germinate under cold and wet spring conditions. You can harvest a few leaves from each plant anytime after germination.

Fastbreak Muskmelon

The Muskmelon Fastbreak Cantaloupe), 'Cucumis melo (Hybrid)', is a breeding first! The Fastbreak has great taste and super early maturity, which makes the Fastbreak the best early muskmelon ever. Long or short growing season, this melon should be in every garden and even may be called a "blessing for home gardeners". The 3 to 4 pound melons are very sweet and they resist several common diseases. Muskmelons prefer light and well drained soil. Muskmelons use a lot of water but they should not ever be soggy wet.

Ha Ogen Muskmelon

The Melon Ha Ogen, 'Cucumis melo', has an intoxicating aroma.The Ha Ogen melon will produce 10 or more small, very sweet fruits per plant. This pale green fruit has a loyal following. Once you try it, you will be hooked too. This open pollinated melon is popular for three good reasons; the softball size melons mature early and are numerous, the sweet pale green flesh is very delicious treat, and the intoxicating aroma is beyond belief. The soil should be light and well drained. Melons use a lot of water but they should not ever be soggy wet.

Old Original Israeli Muskmelon

The Muskmelon Israeli, 'Cucumis melo', has creamy-white flesh and a unique and very tasty flavor. Large, oval, 7 to 8 pound fruits are on very vigorous and productive vines. The fruit is very aromatic and the flavor is unique, making this melon a variety worth trying. The fruits do not have ribs or sutures and has sparse netting with a yellow-orange rind. Muskmelons prefer light and well drained soil. Muskmelons use a lot of water but they should not ever be soggy wet.

Red Giant Mustard

The Mustard Gai Choy Red Giant, 'Brassica juncea (integlifolia group)', is one of the most delicious greens available. It has quite a different flavor than American mustards. Red Giant Mustard is particularly overlooked by American gardeners for spinach and that is a shame. The unique, spicy flavor is excellent in mixed salads or straight as its own salad, wilted like spinach or chard and wrapped in prosciutto, steamed and tossed with sesame oil and soy sauce, or stir fried with ginger, bok, choy, snow peas or chicken.

Southern Giant Curled Mustard

The Mustard Greens Southern Giant Curled, 'Brassica juncea', has a zippy, spicy flavored foliage. The Southern Green Curled Mustard has a very nutritious leafy green that should be in everyone's garden. Southern Giant is known for its desirable flavor when cooked in stir fry and soups or when young leaves are used in fresh salads. Mustard can tolerate light frost and actually tastes slightly sweeter after a light frost. If allowed to flower, the yellow flowers are also edible. The Southern Giant can also be grown in a container.

Clemson Spineless 80 Okra

The Okra Clemson Spineless 80, 'Abelmoschus esculentus', is earlier and more productive than the All American Winner, Clemson Spineless. The Clemson Spineless 80 is easy to grow in most climates and displays pretty flowers. Okra has so many uses. It is commonly known as the thickening agent in Gumbo, but it also can be boiled, broiled, fried, roasted, steamed, canned, or pickled. Harvest the Okra when they are 3 to 3.5 inches long. If the pods mature, the plant will stop producing, so harvest daily.

White Sweet Spanish Bunching Onion

The Onion Bunching White Sweet Spanish, 'Allium fistulosum', has delicate stems and juicy sweet tops that onion lovers can't resist. The White Sweet Spanish Valencia also forms a small, globe-shaped white onion. A scallion is an onion harvested before it has the chance to bulb. Bunching onion varieties such as this one can produce small or no onion bulbs but are milder, juicier, and sweeter tasting scallions than scallions of regular, full size bulbing onions. Scallions can be harvested any time during the growing season before they begin to bulb.

Italian Red Onion

The Onion Rossa Lunga di Firenze, 'Allium cepa', is a lovely Italian onion with excellent, strong onion flavor and attractive, dark red skin. This is a very tasty Italian onion commonly used in Italy for Pinzimonio, a colorful mixture of raw vegetables served with a separate bowl of olive oil and salt. The Italian red onion is attractive and can be used with almost any dish requiring onions. Note: If the bulb pushes itself out of the ground, cover it with mulch or straw, not soil.

Burgermaster Red Onion

The Onion Red Burgermaster, 'Allium cepa (Hybrid)', has a sweet taste that make burgers and sandwiches complete when they have a slice of this onion. The Red Burgermaster has bright red, globe shaped onions with very attractive, crisp red and white flesh. They are also great in salads and thousands of other dishes where sweet, mild onions are a must. It is very important to keep onions weeded. Note: If the bulb pushes itself out of the ground, cover it with mulch or straw, not soil.

Walla Walla Onion

The Onion Walla Walla, 'Allium cepa', is one of the sweetest and juiciest onions you will ever taste. They can be eaten raw like an apple. For just plain sweet and delicious flavor, this onion is one of the best. It is best eaten fresh and does not store well. It is an intermediate onion and will produce a bulb in most areas of the USA. They should be kept evenly moist and not allowed to dry out. It is very important to keep onions weeded. Note: If the bulb pushes itself out of the ground, cover it with mulch or straw, not soil.

Burgundy Red Orach

The Orach Red Burgandy, 'Atriplex hortensis 'Burgandy', a stunning dark raspberry color that will stand out in any garden. The Burgandy Orach makes a pretty backdrop in flower beds and it has the mild, edible spinach-like leaves. Orach is an old kitchen garden vegetable grown by American settlers, deserves more attention. It has a mild flavor that does not get bitter when the plant bolts. The best and most tender leaves are the ones from the top of the plant and/or from young plants.

Oregon Sugar Pod Edible Pod Pea

The Pea Snow Oregon Sugar Pod ll, 'Pisum sativum', is a flat podded type pea that has great disease resistance and is tasty and stringless. This is one of those vegetables that tastes much better garden grown than from a store. The Oregon Sugar Pod ll produces a huge number of 4 inch tasty pods which are harvested and eaten when the pods are flat, before the seed forms. Snow peas should be harvested before the seeds start to form. Peas that are too mature will cause the plant to stop producing.

Green Arrow Shelling Pea

The Pea Shelling Green Arrow, 'Pisum sativum', is a very productive, dwarf plant with large 4 inch pods containing 9 to11 wonderful sweet peas per pod. Remember when you were a kid how fun it was to pop open a pod and eat the Peas? As an adult, you will enjoy the wonderful taste of Green Arrow peas and appreciate the dwarf, 2 foot vines for ease of growing. Green Arrow is very disease resistant. Shelling peas should be harvested when the pods are plump which is about 3 weeks after flowering.

Cascadia Snap Pea

The Pea Snap Cascadia, 'Pisum sativum', is the best snap pea since Sugar Ann! The pods and the peas are edible. They have a much better taste than store bought peas. Snap peas came on the scene in the 70's and just like snap or green beans, the pods and all are consumed. Cascadia has 3 inch deep green, thick, juicy pods that are very flavorful. Snap peas should be harvested when the pods are plump. Peas that are too mature will cause the plant to stop producing.

Emerald Giant Bell Pepper

The Pepper Bell Emerald Giant, 'Capsicum annuum', is a large, thick-fleshed green bell pepper that sweetens and turns red on the vine. Roasted, stuffed and baked, or eaten fresh in salads, Emerald Giants large, thick fleshed peppers have more vitamin C than an orange. Emerald Giant is a great container variety. The peppers are about 4 inches long and about 3.5 inches wide amd grow on a plant that is about 2 foot tall. Pinch off about 50% of the flowers.

Mandarin Bell Pepper

The Pepper Bell Mandarin, 'Capsicum annuum (Hybrid)', has a unique glossy orange color with very sweet flavor that combines beautifully with red, yellow and green peppers in a colorful salad. Mandarin Bell Peppers turns from green to an impressive glossy, deep pumpkin-orange color. If you enjoy the sweet flavor of red and yellow peppers, you may really like the unique sweet flavor of the Mandarin. Blossom pruning will improve fruit size. Pinch off about 50% of the flowers.