Summer Squash

Plant summer squash (zucchini) in full sun, in soil that is amended with compost and a good organic vegetable fertilizer. Water regularly to keep these vigorous plant producing sweet and tender squash. Space plants at least 2 feet apart to give them plenty of room to mature.

Harvest when squash are still small, while the skin is still tender and the seeds inside are undeveloped for the best flavor.

Summer squash are delicious tossed with fresh herbs and oven roasted. Also try sauteing them with butter and a little sugar for a very sweet treat! The flowers are edible and are great in soup or stuffed with cheese, herbs, and bread crumbs, brushed with olive oil and baked.

Tomato 'Vilma'

These very compact plants are great for containers and even hanging baskets. They would even be an interesting accent to garden borders as an edible/ornamental plant. They grow to about 24-inches tall, and produce a heavy crop of sweet and juicy, cherry tomatoes each weighing 20g. over a long picking period.

In containers use fresh, good quality potting soil. Supplement plants every few weeks with a liquid vegetable fertilizer to keep plants green and producing nicely. Or, plant in the garden in full sun, in soil amended with compost and a good quality vegetable fertilizer. Space plants 10-12 inches apart.

Harvest when fruits are fully colored up and slightly soft to the touch.

Heirloom Tomato 'Big Rainbow'

An heirloom variety that produces good yields of giant fruits, up to 2 pounds, with a rich balance of acids and sugars that gives it a true old-fashioned tomato taste. Stunning shades of gold to scarlet and everything in between make this heirloom variety truly stand out. Resistant to foliar disease and cracks. Indeterminate. 90 days to maturity.

Plant in full sun in soil that has been amended with compost and a good organic vegetable fertilizer that is not too high in nitrogen. Support these heavily bearing plants with a sturdy tomato cage. Multiple plants need at least 3 ft. between them.

Harvest when fruit are bright yellow/orange and slightly soft to the touch. This tomato has an good taste, and is excellent eaten fresh in salad and sandwiches and can also be use to make a great bright orange pasta sauce.

Heirloom Tomato 'Cherokee Purple'

A beloved heirloom prized for its unique, giant beefsteak type fruits weighing about a pound and filled with intense violet-purple hues. This variety is believed to have originated more than 120 years ago in the Cherokee nation in Tennessee. The vining plant is very heavy bearing, and each of these tomatoes is a masterpiece of color and flavor. 80 days to mature from setting out transplants. Indeterminate.

Plant in full sun in soil that has been amended with compost and a good organic vegetable fertilizer that is not too high in nitrogen. Support these heavily bearing plants with a tall, sturdy tomato cage. Multiple plants need at least 3 ft. space between them.

Harvest when fruit are a fully colored and slightly soft to the touch. The taste is so fantastic eaten fresh in salads or in thick slices on a sandwich.

Tomato 'San Marzano'

Tall vines produce heavy yields of long, cylindrical fruit. Delicious, balanced acidic flavor, and meaty flesh makes for good sauce. Fruits avg. 5-6 oz. The most famous plum tomato for making sauce, the San Marzano is preferred by Gourmet Chefs and Cooks all over the world. Plants are vigorously and grow quite tall, 6-7 feet.

Plant in full sun in soil that has been amended with compost and a good organic vegetable fertilizer that is not too high in nitrogen. Support these heavily bearing plants with a sturdy tomato cage. Multiple plants need at least 3 ft. space between them.

Harvest when fruit are fully red and slightly soft to the touch. Use to make a great sauce or tomato paste, and they may also be canned. Try slicing in half and sprinkling with dried herbs, sea salt, drizzled with olive oil then baked.

Tomato 'Orange Strawberry'

Brilliant orange, oxheart fruits have a pronounced point at the blossom end, giving them a perfect heart shape. The fruits sometimes reach a pound in weight. Very sweet, very tasty fruit, with very few seeds. 75 days.

Plant in full sun in soil that has been amended with compost and a good organic fertilizer that is not too high in nitrogen. Support these heavily bearing plants with a tall, sturdy tomato cage.

Harvest when fruit are bright orange and slightly soft to the touch. It is excellent eaten fresh in salads or in slices on a sandwich. It can also be use to make a vibrant orange pasta sauce. Few seeds and solid flesh also make this variety good for canning.

Heirloom Tomato 'Costoluto Genovese'

This is an old Italian heirloom that has been around since the early 19th century. Fruit are rather flattened and quite attractive with their deep ribs. This variety is a standard in Italy for both fresh eating and preserving. It’s intensely flavorful with deep red flesh. The flavor is high in sugar, but also high in acid, making for outstanding taste that's wonderful fresh or made into sauces. Indeterminate. 80 days. 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 red and slightly soft to the touch. The tomatoes are great eaten raw right out of the garden. They are also tasty in salads and make a great pasta sauce.

Tomato 'Indigo Rose'

This truly purple tomato is the darkest variety ever to be bred. These vigorously producing plants bear fruit that is first green, then ripens to a very deep purple. The fruit must be exposed to the sun to fully color up.

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 deep purple for the sweetest flavor. The fruits are loaded with anthocyanins which have powerful health benefits. They are great eaten raw right out of the garden, are also tasty in salads and can even be made into a pasta sauce.

Heirloom Tomato 'Zapotec Pleated'

A unique and prolific variety that originates from Oaxaca, Mexico. It produces exotic looking deeply pleated, pink-red fruit that can be slightly hollow in the center. These large vines grow vigorously to 6-7 feet, are very productive.

Plant in full sun in soil that has been amended with compost and a good organic vegetable fertilizer that is not too high in nitrogen. Support these heavily bearing plants with a tall, sturdy tomato cage. Space plants 3 ft. apart.

Harvest when fruit are a fully colored and slightly soft to the touch. They can be sliced for sandwiches, put in salads, and they will make a great pasta sauce. Since the fruit can be slightly hollow in the center, try stuffing them as you would a bell pepper and baking them.

Heirloom Tomato 'Marvel Stripe'

An heirloom variety that produces good yields of 1 to 2 lb yellow orange tomatoes with ruby colored streaking with a sweet and fruity flavor. It is one of the gardeners' favorite bicolored tomatoes because of its beauty, size, and taste. Indeterminate. 85 days to maturity from.

Plant in full sun in soil that has been amended with compost and a good organic vegetable fertilizer that is not too high in nitrogen. Support these heavily bearing plants with a sturdy tomato cage. Multiple plants need at least 3 ft. between them.

Harvest when fruit are bright yellow/orange and slightly soft to the touch. This tomato has an good taste, and is excellent eaten fresh in salad and sandwiches and can also be use to make a great bright orange pasta sauce.

Tomato 'Big Raspberry'

Plant produces high yields of tasty 6 to 10 oz pink-red scalloped tomatoes. The meaty sweet tomatoes have wonderful, sweet flavor! The name perhaps comes from the fruit's rosy pink color or from the way it covers the plant like raspberries on the bush. Excellent for salads and sandwiches. A heirloom variety. Indeterminate.

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 raspberry red and slightly soft to the touch. The tomatoes are great eaten raw right out of the garden. They are also tasty in salads and sliced on sandwiches.

Heirloom Tomato 'Yellow Brandywine'

The yellow version of an old favorite, Red Brandywine. One of the best tasting yellow tomatoes have large 6 inch fruit with a rich, sweet flavor. These large vines grow vigorously to 6-7 feet, are very productive.

Plant in full sun in soil that has been amended with compost and a good organic vegetable fertilizer that is not too high in nitrogen. Support these heavily bearing plants with a tall, sturdy tomato cage. Multiple plants need at least 3 ft. space between them.

Harvest when fruit are a fully colored and slightly soft to the touch. The taste is so fantastic eaten fresh in salads or in slices on a sandwich.

Tomato 'Black Plum'

Black Krim is a prolific Russian heirloom tomato. The brownish-gray fruits are so sweet and meaty that some prefer Black Plum to Roma for making sauces. Also excellent when used in salads or for drying. Oval fruits average 2 to 4 oz., and turn a deep mahogany-brown color at maturity. One of our best yielding tomatoes for both fresh market and home use. Indeterminate

Plant in full sun in soil 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 deep mahogany. The sugary sweet fruit are great eaten raw right out of the garden. They are also tasty in salads and even made into a pasta sauce. They are excellent sliced in half, sprinkled with herbs and oven dried.

Tomato 'Green Zebra'

A totally beautiful and unique tomato producing green fruit with deep green stripes. The round 2-3 inch fruits have a tart/sweet taste. Plants grow to 5-6 feet tall.

Plant in full sun in soil that has been amended with compost and a good organic vegetable fertilizer that is not too high in nitrogen. Support these heavily bearing plants with a tall, sturdy tomato cage. Multiple tomato plants should have at least 3 feet of space between them.

Harvest when fruits are slightly soft and start to have a yellow tinge. Enjoy them as a snack right out of the garden, or add to salads. They look great mixed with other interestingly colored tomatoes. Green Zebra tomatoes make an interesting green pasta sauce and great salsa.

Tomato 'Stupice'

This extremely early bearing cool weather tolerant tomato has very sweet, red, slightly oval, 2 inch fruit. Stupice consistently produces throughout the entire season. Bred in the former Czechoslovakia. 60-65 days to mature.

Plant in full sun in soil that has been amended with compost and a good organic vegetable fertilizer that is not too high in nitrogen. Support these heavily bearing plants with a sturdy tomato cage. Multiple plants need at least 3 ft. space between them. Plants grow to about 4 feet tall and are suitable for large containers.

Harvest when fruit are fully red and slightly soft to the touch. Try slicing in half and sprinkling with dried herbs, sea salt, drizzled with olive oil then bake. It is an excellent choice for first-of-the-summer salads, sauces, and juicing.

Tomato 'Mandarin Cross'

Wonderful variety from Japan producing 6-10 oz., orange, round fruit with sweet flavors. Their meaty interiors have few seeds. This mid-season tomato is among the best for flavor and texture. Harvest in 75 days from transplanting.

Plant in full sun in soil that has been amended with compost and a good organic vegetable fertilizer that is not too high in nitrogen. Support these heavily bearing plants with a sturdy tomato cage. Multiple plants need at least 3 ft. between them.

Harvest when fruit are bright orange and slightly soft to the touch. This tomato has an excellent taste, with a nice balance of acidic and sweet. It is excellent eaten fresh in salads and can also be use to make a great bright orange pasta sauce.

Calendula 'Pacific Beauty'

Calendula is an incredibly easy to grow spring flower. Plant in full sun to partial shade in regular garden soil. These 2 ft tall plants are excellent in garden borders and for colorful cut flowers. The flowers are a mixture of yellow and orange shades. Let some flowers dry on the plant and go to seed to grow and re-bloom the next season.

Planting your 6 pack: Space seedlings 6-8 inches apart, and water in after planting.

Cut Calendula flowers for bouquets by snipping the stems about 8 inches down the plant. The petals of calendula flowers are edible and make a colorful addition to salads. The petals may also be dried and used as a tea or to make beauty products like soaps and shampoo.