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.

Pumpkin 'Jarrahdale'

Lovely and decorative, its silvery bluish-grey color and drum shape with deep ribbing make it perfect for ornamental autumn displays. Carve it or bake it like any other squash. Its golden to orange colored flesh is nutty, sweet, and stringless. 6 to 12 pound fruits with long storage capability. Comes to us from the town of Jarrahdale in New Zealand. 100 days.

Plant these large vines in full sun, in soil amended with compost and a good vegetable fertilizer. Give them plenty of space, each plant needs about 5-6 feet.

Harvest pumpkins before the first fall frost, and when foliage has begun to dry out. Cut stem with a knife, leaving 3” - 4” of stem on the pumpkin. They are great for making amazing pumpkin and blended pumpkin soup. Treat them as you would any winter squash for cooking.

Kabocha Squash 'Naguri'

Plant produces high yields of 3 lb dark green globe shaped squash with pale green stripes. The orange-yellow flesh has a sweet and nutty flavor. Kabocha squash is an important vegetable in Japan. An excellent storage variety. A winter squash variety also know as Naguri Squash. Disease Resistant. Harvest when skin feels tough and can resist being punctured with a fingernail. 81 days to mature from time of planting.

Plant in full sun in soil that is amended with compost and a good vegetable fertilizer. Use about ½ cup of dry fertilizer per plant thoroughly mixed into the soil at planting time. Plants can be easily trained to climb up a tall trellis or can be let to just ramble along the ground. Plants can grow to more than 6 feet tall.

Hard-skinned squash can be difficult to peel and are most easily cooked in their skin. Split squash in half, scoop out seeds and roast, cut-side down until tender. Other ways to prepare them is to blend cooked squash flesh into soup with fennel, onions, root vegetables, curry or fall spices. Grate flesh and bake into gratins or casseroles with cream and cheese. Cut in half and fill with cooked rice, quinoa or other grains.

Pumpkin 'Moonshine'

Very cute and uniform, true white pumpkins with smooth skin. They have long, dark green handles and average about 8-12 lb. Perfect for decorating or carving. 3-4 fruits/plant. 95-100 days to mature.

Plant these vines in full sun, in soil amended with compost and a good vegetable fertilizer. Give them plenty of space, each plant needs about 2 feet between them.

Harvest when the skin is tough and they are bright white. They make great decorations and carved jack o'lanterns for Halloween.

Pumpkin 'Knucklehead'

Hefty fruit average 12-16 pounds with a well-proportioned, slightly elongated shape, 12 inches high and 10 inches wide. Superb models for carving. 105 days to mature.

As they develop, their rind blisters up into an almost unbelievable, bumpy, warty terrain. The fruit ripen from forest green to a solid, deep orange. Carve a face and you've got the ultimate, special effects jack-o-lantern!

Plant these moderate sized vines in full sun, in soil amended with compost and a good vegetable fertilizer. Give them plenty of space, each plant needs about 3 feet between them. Each plant will yield about 3 pumpkins each.

Harvest when the skin is tough and they are fully deep orange. They are even great for making amazing pumpkin pie or roast and eat the seeds.

Heirloom Tomato 'Giant Belgium'

Huge, sweet fruits average 1 to 2 lbs. and have weighed in at nearly 5 lbs. Dark pink fruits have smooth blossom ends and a low-acid, mild flavor, so sweet that some growers use them to make wine. Solid meat and size means one slice per sandwich!

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 'Harzfeuer'

The name means Resin Fire in German; however, this refers to the mountainous and forested region of Harz that divides western Germany from eastern Germany. 'Harzfeuer' is thought to be the heirloom predecessor of a common German hybrid variety thought to be lost for many years.

2-4 oz round, bright red fruits held in clusters with a well-balanced, extremely sweet flavor for fresh eating. Plants grow to 5-6 feet tall. Early to produce in 55 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 sturdy tomato cage.

Harvest when fruit are bright red and slightly soft to the touch. It is excellent eaten fresh in salads or right off the vine. They can also be use to make a great pasta sauce.

Goji Berry 'Shanghai Express'

Goji is a shrubby plant that can, in time, grow 3-10' tall. Space Goji plants 24" apart. Goji is self pollinating, so even a single plant will produce fruit. Goji is unusual in that it prefers relatively infertile, slightly alkaline soil with a pH range of 6.8 to 8.1. Goji reacts poorly to fertilizer and manure, so if you're growing in a large container, use simple top soil with some perlite mixed in for drainage, and avoid peat-based soils. If severe winter weather is expected, it is wise to mulch around the bases of your Goji plants, or move container plants into a cool but frost free area such as a garage. Plants are extremely cold hardy to -4°F, but should be mulched if extreme weather is expected.


Goji berries have had lots of media attention in recent years, and are thought to be a "superfood." They are certainly rich in nutrients, being packed with vitamins and minerals as well as amino acids and essential fatty acids. Five carotenoids are found in Goji berries: beta-carotene, zeaxanthin, lutein, lycopene, and cryptoxanthin. All of these are reputed to contribute to overall health and disease resistance in humans. Even the leaves of the Goji plant are edible and nutritious! In its third year of growth, a Goji plant can produce over 6½ lbs of fruit. Shanghai Express is a wonderful variety of Lycium barbarum that grows well in northern latitudes. The berries can be frozen or dried - drying seems to maintain the best flavour.

Soil Preparation for the Vegetable Garden

To grow the best vegetables you want the soil to be good and rich. Maybe your soil is lacking for optimal plant growth. The most important thing to do is amend the soil with with organic matter like compost.

Compost is important for adding nutrients to the soil as well as improving the soil texture. Compost acts like a sponge to absorb and hold onto water so that it can be used by the plants. It also lowers the pH of the soil, making it more acidic, which helps to make soil nutrients more available to the plants. You can make compost yourself or buy high quality compost in bags or bulk from a garden center.

Using an organic fertilizer will ensure your soil contains adequate nutrients and supports crops from year to year. Good organic fertilizers we recommend are Dr. Earth Tomato, Vegetable, and Herb fertilizer or Down To Earth All Purpose Fertilizer.

To amend your soil, lay up to 6 inches of compost onto the existing soil. Sprinkle the fertilizer over the compost referring to the manufacturer's instructions for amounts. Turn the compost and fertilizer into the soil thoroughly so that it is about a ½ and ½ mixture. Do this in early spring and again in late summer for fall and winter harvests.

50th Annual Niles Antique Fair & Flea Market

Super Starts is proud to be a vendor at the 50th Annual Antique Faire & Flea Market in Niles Historic District Niles Town Plaza, 37592 Niles Blvd, Fremont, CA 94536 on Sunday, August 31, 2014 from 6am to 4pm. Fall is a wonderful time of year to plant a garden. So many varieties do well as the days get cooler and I do say gardening is a little easier in the fall. Lettuces, kale and other greens, cauliflower, peas, and perennial herbs can all be planted in the fall with success. Look for our plant list in the next week or so and we will see you at the Niles Antique Faire & Flea Market.

Summer Seedling Sale

Super Starts is having a summer seedling sale this Saturday, June 14 from 10am to 4pm. The days are warmer and it is a great time to plant summer seedlings. We have so many plants! They want to go home to your garden so come on by the Super Starts Summer Seedling Sale. Tending a garden, no matter what size, is a great activity for the summer.

SUPER STARTS SUMMER SEEDLING SALE

10am to 4pm

1813 Felt St

Santa Cruz, CA 95062

x-street is 17th Ave

All plants are $3 each or any 2 plants for $5 unless otherwise marked. All tomatoes are just $1!

TOMATOES

Mandarin cross

Marvel Stripe

Green Zebra

Big Raspberry

Big Rainbow

Black Krim

Orange Strawberry

Costoluto Genovese

Moskvich

San Marzano

Stupice

Zapotec Pleated

Red Brandywine

Black Zebra

Yellow Pear

Speckled Roman

Valencia

Red Pear Piriform

PEPPERS

Jalapeno Pepper

Cayenne Pepper

Hungarian Yellow Wax Pepper

Red Thai Chile

Red Bell Pepper 

Yellow Bell Pepper

Orange Bell Pepper

Padron Pepper

Mini Bell Pepper ‘Yummy”

EGGPLANT

Eggplant ‘Long Purple’

Eggplant ‘Nubia’

Eggplant ‘Black Beauty’

Eggplant ‘Little Prince’

PUMPKINS & WINTER SQUASH

Pumpkin ‘Wyatt’s Wonder’

Pumpkin ‘Porcelain Doll’

Pumpkin ‘Blue Doll’

Cinderella Pumpkin

Butternut Squash

Spaghetti Squash

SUMMER SQUASH

Yellow Zucchini

Round Zucchini ‘Ronde de Nice’

Round Yellow Zucchini ‘One Ball’

Round Dark Green Zucchini ‘Black Ball’

Zucchini ‘Romanesco’

Green Zucchini ‘Obsidian’

CUCUMBERS

English Cucumber

Lemon Cucumber

Japanese Cucumber

Persian Cucumber

HERBS

Rosemary

Italian Arugula

Sage - Salvia officialis

Pineapple Sage

Anise Hyssop

Purple Basil

Lemon Basil

Sweet Basil

Cinnamon Basil

Thai Basil

FLOWERS

Echinacea ‘White Swan’

Cuphea lanceolata ‘Purple Passion’

Sunflower ‘Autumn Beauty Mix’

Black Hollyhock ‘The Watchman’

assorted Succulents

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.