Eggplant 'Kermit'

This eggplant variety grows great in containers or in a garden bed. Compact, well-branched plant with a prolific set of small, round fruits, avg. 1½-2" in diameter. White blossom end with a deep green, striped shoulder. Firm flesh holds up well in curries.

Eggplants want full sun and very warm conditions for best production. Plant them in a deep garden container with fresh potting soil. Feed with a liquid vegetable fertilizer every few weeks, vegetables grown in containers need extra fertilizer and water. Or in the garden, amend soil with plenty of compost and a good organic vegetable fertilizer. Space plants 1.5 feet apart and water regularly. Support these heavy bearing plants with a tomato cage or sturdy stakes.

Harvest when fruits are young, before seeds get too mature. Use in any of your favorite eggplant recipes like stir-fry or curry.

Alpine Strawberries 'Yellow Wonder'

Alpine strawberries are extremely easy to grow, and produce many fragrant and sweet 1 inch long berries all season long. They form small, mounding plants that do not send out runners like other strawberries. The small white flowers are followed by light yellow fruits with the flavor of pineapple.

Plant in full sun to partial shade in soil amended with compost and a good all purpose fertilizer. Water regularly throughout the warm season. These make great container plants and look nice along garden borders as edible landscape plants.

Harvest the berries when berries and pale yellow and slightly soft to the touch.

Alpine Strawberry 'Red Wonder'

Alpine strawberries are extremely easy to grow, and produce many fragrant and sweet 1 inch long berries all season long. They form small, mounding plants that do not send out runners like other strawberries. The small white flowers are followed by bright red fruits.

Plant in full sun to partial shade in soil amended with compost and a good all purpose fertilizer. Water regularly throughout the warm season. These make great container plants and look nice along garden borders as edible landscape plants.

Harvest the berries when fully red and slightly soft to the touch. The taste is often much sweeter than the larger strawberries.

Pineapple Sage Salvia elegans

As the common name suggests, pineapple sage is noted for the pineapple scent and flavor of its foliage. This is a shrubby perennial blooms with 1” long bright scarlet red flowers from late summer into fall. Flowers are attractive to hummingbirds and butterflies. Pineapple sage will typically grow to 4-5’ tall and to 2-3’ wide in one growing season. Pineapple sage is native to Mexico and Guatemala where it is typically found growing in woodland peripheries in the Sierra Madre from 6,000 to 9,000 feet in elevation.

This sage is best grown in soil amended with compost, even moisture, in full sun. Tolerates light shade, poor soils and some drought. Plants will spread by underground runners, but are not invasive.

The leaves and flowers of Pineapple sage make a tasty tea. Flowers may be used as a garnish, or may be added to fruit cocktails or salads. Dried leaves may be added to potpourris.

Cherry Tomato 'Sun Gold'

The most excellent tasting of all cherry tomatoes (in our opinion)! A vigorous variety that produces long clusters of sweet, bright orange cherry tomatoes. These large plants grow to 6-7 feet tall and are vigorous and disease resistant.

Plant in full sun in soil that is amended with compost and an organic fertilizer that is not too high in nitrogen. Support these large plants with tall tomato cages and space plants at least 3 feet apart.

Harvest when fruits are fully colored for the sweetest flavor. They are a treat eaten raw right out of the garden, are also tasty in salads. Sungold cherries make an outrageous bright orange pasta sauce, but don't forget to freeze some for later.