Spring Plant Sale
Flowers
Tithonia
“Sunflower, Mexican Torch” - (from Cedar Place seeds) Grown from the seed of our plants that we grew last season. The original seeds came from Uprising Seeds in Washington state a couple years ago. This “sunflower” is beautiful, big, and tough. You will love the deep orange blooms with their bright yellow centers. Once they get going the continue to pump out masses of blooms all summer long. These flowers are a pollinator favorite, butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds love them!
Marigolds
“Coco Gold” - {LIMITED NUMBER} (from Johnny’s Selected Seeds in Winslow, Maine) - The sturdy plants produce abundant, fully double 2 1/2–3" blooms excellent for cut flowers and garden beds. Bold, uniform flowers are also useful for marigold garlands. Also known as African marigold, American marigold, and Aztec marigold. Edible Flowers: Use the flowers to dress up salads and desserts or cooked in egg or rice dishes. Flavor is floral with hints of citrus and spice, and slightly bitter. Remove the petals from the flower base before consuming as the base can be quite bitter.
“Red Metamorph” - (from Botanical Interests in Colorado) - In cooler weather, Red Metamorph's flowers are a deep burgundy, but when the weather warms, watch as splashes of yellow appear on the petals! Then when cooler weather comes back around, the blooms change back to solid burgundy. Beautiful as a garden hedge, this French marigold is stout and dense at about 2'-3' tall. French marigolds are edible, but with a very strong flavor similar to its pungent scent. Prolific bloomer attracts beneficial insects.
“White Swan” - (from Johnny’s Seeds in Winslow, Maine) - 2–3" cream to pale yellow-colored, fully double, uniform blooms borne on productive, sturdy, uniform plants. High-quality blooms produce a mild, sweet, marshmallow fragrance, without the typical strong marigold scent. White Swan is significantly taller and higher quality than all other cream-colored marigolds. Also known as African marigold, American marigold, and Aztec marigold.
“Phyllis” - (from Botanical Interests in Colorado) - Phyllis is also known as 'Mum Yellow' for its chrysanthemum-like 3" flower made up of hundreds of thin, bright yellow petals. Long stems are great for cut-flower bouquets and arrangements. African Marigold petals are edible with a slightly bitter, citrusy/spice flavor. They make a pretty garnish on rice, salads, or desserts. Fairly drought tolerant.
Zinnia
“Oriole” - {LIMITED NUMBER} (from Grand Prismatic Seeds in Utah) - This heirloom variety has large blooms atop long stems, making it a great choice for arrangements. Excellent for attracting hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies to your garden! Lovely bright orange blossoms of Oriole Zinnia are so brilliantly colored they almost seem incandescent. Long, sturdy stems are great for cutting. Blooms right up until frost for good late season color, and provides excellent habitat and food for pollinators and songbirds. Big branching plants are covered in flowers. Cutting for bouquets and deadheading will promote even more flowering. Deer resistant, tender annual. Classic variety from the 1920s.
Herbs
Thyme
“Verico 2” - (from Adaptive Seeds in Oregon) - A modern selection of English/German/Winter Thyme that is highly aromatic and productive compared with common thyme. Thyme is important in many culinary traditions both fresh and dried. It is a frequent component of za’atar, Italian seasoning blends, herbs de Provence, and bouquet garni. Sprawling evergreen plants grow to about 12″ tall and are well-suited for growing in the herb garden, containers, rock gardens or even as ground covers. Pretty white flowers are attractive to beneficial insects. Native to the Mediterranean region, it is both drought tolerant and extremely cold-hardy. “Varico” means vein.
Tulsi
Tulsi, Temperate, “Holy Basil” Ocimum africanum - {LIMITED NUMBER} (from Strictly Medicinal Seeds in Oregon) - This plant is a bushy annual tea basil with small leaves, purple flowers and a fruity fragrance. A flavorful, fragrant cooking herb with notes of clove, mint, anise and citrus. Loved by pollinators and an effective companion plant for tomatoes and peppers. One of the best herbs to grow for tea.
Cilantro
“Long Standing Santo” - (from Botanical Interests in Colorado) - Cilantro has a thousand uses in the kitchen. 'Long Standing Santo' in particular has excellent flavor, improved leafiness and, as the name infers, it is slow to bolt. Add a sprig to chicken soup or add chopped leaves to Mexican, Caribbean, or Asian dishes. The crushed seeds add intriguing flavor to stews, beans, and cookies. Can be grown indoors for fresh cilantro leaves year-round. Cilantro grows best in cool temperatures but can be grown in the summer in dappled shade and protection from the full sun. You can let this plant go to seed for coriander (seed pods), which is also a crop that can be harvested from this versatile herb.
Epazote
“Oaxaca Red” - (from Adaptive Seeds in Oregon) - Leafy herb used in many Mexican recipes, especially good when combined with beans or soups. Oaxaca Red Epazote is a special red leaf variation of the often green-leafed plant. Epazote offers culinary benefits as well as a digestive assist. Some classic usages, other than cooked with beans, are in soups, tamales, combined with huitlacoche or added to green salsas for chilaquiles. One of the most unique culinary flavors in the world. Used in Mexico since prehispanic times and its name is from the Nahuatl word epazōtl. This red selection originates in Oaxaca, Mexico, and came to us via Richters in Canada.
Tomatoes
Cherry
“Black Cherry” - {SOLD OUT} (from Open Circle Seeds, Mendocino County, CA) - Black Cherry combines the smoky rich taste of the black tomatoes with the sweetness of the cherries. It wins raves everywhere, and as a dried fruit has even been mistaken for a tree cherry. Though the fruits on the vine have a beautiful opalescent sheen, the plant itself is a rangy sprawler, not a front porch ornamental. It produces heavily all season but needs hot days to bring out its full flavor.
“Napa Chardonnay” - (from Wild Boar Farms in Solano County, CA) - Very productive yellow cherry with an pearlescentness to them.Great looking with a very good flavor that is sweet rich. Everyone who trialed it was pleased.Another variety that has exceptional hang on the vine quality and can be harvested by cutting the entires cluster off, making for a very pretty and unique look. Early and does will in cool and hot conditions for me.
“California Sungold” - {SOLD OUT} (from Open Circle Seeds, Mendocino County, CA) - Breeders Kanti Rawal and Steve Peters are confident enough to incorporate the gold standard in their name for this new cherry tomato variety, which closely resembles the original hybrid in size, color, and bright sweet taste. Heavy producers all season, and unlike their namesake, do not crack. Now you can have your (California) Sungold and save the seeds too.
Slicers/Beafsteaks
“New Girl” - (from Johnny’s Seeds in Winslow, Maine) - New Girl is an early variety well worth growing for your first tomatoes of the season. It has outstanding flavor and disease resistance. Flavor is the perfect balance between sweet and acid. The fruits weigh 4-7 oz. and hold their ripeness and flavor on the vine very well. Indeterminate.
“Striped German” - (from Open Circle Seeds, Mendocino County, CA) - One of the quintessential heirlooms, known for eccentric beauty and off-the-charts taste, Striped German is big and meaty – up to 2 lbs. – with red swirls on yellow, making each fruit unique inside and out. A small seed cavity makes it an excellent slicer – a cross-section is a marvel to behold. Its complex fruity taste is low-acid without being low-flavor.
“Chocolate Silk” - (from Open Circle Seeds, Mendocino County, CA) - This new beefsteak, another offering from the Rawal/Peters team, features excellent dark tomato flavor and a texture that is deliciously silky. Chestnut-red fruits with darker shading have an almost opalescent sheen. Most are in the 8-12/oz range, with some larger. Steady all-season production.
“Black Krim” - (from Burpee Seeds, Warminster, Pennsylvania) - Black Krim tomatoes are known for their rich, slightly smoky, and sweet flavor with a hint of saltiness. They are often described as having a meaty, juAn heirloom variety, this medium-sized, very dark maroon beefsteak, with wonderfully rich flavor, originated in Crimea, a peninsula in the Black Sea with perfect "tomato summers". Extremely tasty.
“Greek Asimina” - {SOLD OUT} (from Open Circle Seeds, Mendocino County, CA) - Gourmet red-red tomatoes — “best tomato I’ve ever tasted”, according to one Bay Area food writer. Not a shy bearer, either, Greek Asimina churns out medium-sized tomatoes early in the season right up until frost. Fruits are round to modestly fluted, and bear in loose clusters. In cool weather or heat, Asimina retains its full-bodied flavor. Equally great as a slicer, in salads, or cooked into sauce. Available nowhere else that we know, Greek Asimina is a great tomato for those with epicurean tastes, which means pretty much everyone. It’s not the largest, though it might be the reddest, and it bears among the longest of all our tomatoes.
Canning/Sauce
“Rosso Sicilian” - (from Peaceful Valley Seeds in Grass Valley, CA) - Paste Rosso Sicilian Tomato is a robust and productive variety cherished for its rich, tangy flavor and meaty texture. The deep red fruit grows to about 4-6 ounces, offering dense flesh with minimal seeds, making it perfect for creating thick, flavorful sauces, pastes, and salsas. This heirloom variety is easy to grow and performs well in garden beds, raised beds, or trellised systems. Whether you’re cooking up a batch of marinara or preserving your harvest for winter meals, these tomatoes deliver exceptional quality and taste.
“Cuor di Bue” - {SOLD OUT} (from Seeds from Italy) - 7-9 ounce beefsteak type shaped like a heart. Meaty, deep pink/red flesh and few seeds. Real tomato taste. The tomato all our Italian grandfathers grew. For fresh eating or sauce. Indeterminate. 70+ days. Very large vigorous growing plant; these are quite productive and relatively early.
“Italian Red Pear” - (from Seeds from Italy) - Franchi's Red Pear tomato is an old North Italian variety specially selected by Franchi Sementi. It is a red, pear-shaped beefsteak. An outstanding producer of huge (as in 8-18 ounce) very tasty fruit. Great fresh eating. Early for such a large plant (70-75 days). This is not the small pear shaped tomato called red pear by U.S. seed companies. Pear shaped with vertical ribs - a must try. Really meaty containing few seeds. Indeterminate.
“Ukrainian Purple” - (from Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah, Iowa) - The Ukrainian Purple tomato is a striking heirloom variety known for its deep purple, almost black, elongated fruits. A difficult variety to find in any nursery and the seeds aren’t widely carried by big seed companies, this is a secret worth sharing. Typically growing to about 3-4 inches in length, these tomatoes have a rich, sweet flavor with a hint of tang, making them ideal for fresh eating, salads, and salsas but also can be used to make rich flavored sauces or canned for a pop of summer taste during the cold winter months. Original stock of this variety came from Irma Henkel in Ukraine. Plum-shaped fruits are 3-4" long and weigh 6 ounces, generally crack-free. Great flavor, sweet and meaty. Plants are very productive.
Peppers
“Shishito” - {SOLD OUT} (from Siskiyou Seeds in Oregon) - A culinary sensation! Try growing them for their prolific yields of thin walled, 3-4”, bull-nosed frying peppers. Plants grow to 30” tall and yield over a long season. They are delicious fried with olive oil, coarse salt and some lemon juice. Quite addictive. NOT SPICY.
“Fresno” - {LIMITED NUMBER} (from Siskiyou Seeds in Oregon) - This is an excellent chili that produces masses of 3” long by 1.25” red, tapered, wedge-shaped fruit. Good for salsa, sriracha, hot sauce, drying, roasting and more. Fruits ripen from green to red. HOT PEPPER.
“Aleppo” - {LIMITED NUMBER} (from Siskiyou Seeds in Oregon) - Hailing from Aleppo, Syria, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities (since the 6th century BCE). Although common in the Middle East, its use in the United States outside Armenian, Syrian and Turkish immigrant communities was rare until the 20th century. Typically used dried, its burgundy pods possess a fruity, raisin-like flavor with undertones of cumin. Plants can grow to 4 feet tall, so staking is necessary at times. Fruits are a deep brick red, 4-6” long, with a blunt-lobed tip reminiscent of a bell peppers lobes. HOT PEPPER
“Jimmy Nardello” - {LIMITED NUMBER} (from Siskiyou Seeds in Oregon) - An heirloom favorite for generations, loved for its remarkably candy sweet, thin fleshed ,long & skinny fruits that can grow up to 10" long. A very early maturing and productive plant that grows to about 30". Consistently one of the first sweet peppers to ripen. Slender fruits mature to a bright crimson red. NOT SPICY
Ancho Poblano - {LIMITED NUMBER} (from Peaceful Valley Organic Seeds in Grass Valley, CA) - Ancho Poblano Pepper is a versatile and flavorful variety known for its mild heat and earthy sweetness. The glossy, dark green peppers grow to about 4-6 inches long and have a wide, conical shape, making them perfect for stuffing, roasting, or adding to sauces. When dried, they become Ancho chiles, prized for their smoky, slightly sweet flavor in Mexican cuisine. This pepper is ideal for dishes like chile rellenos or mole, adding depth and complexity to your recipes. HOT PEPPER.
Anaheim “College 64” - {LIMITED NUMBER} (from Peaceful Valley Organic Seeds in Grass Valley, CA) - The peppers of the Anaheim College 64 start as vibrant green pods, elongating to roughly 6-8 inches in length. As they mature, they transition to a bright red hue. Known for their mild heat, these peppers offer a subtle spiciness, scoring around 500-2,500 on the Scoville Heat Scale. Their elongated shape and thin walls make them ideal for stuffing, grilling, or adding a mild kick to salsas and sauces. HOT PEPPER.
Basil
“Red Robin” - {SOLD OUT} (from Siskiyou Seeds in Oregon) - A nice, upright plant that can grow 18-24" tall with bronze/purple tinged large leaves that will spruce up many dishes. An amazing garnish that will dazzle even the most jaded foodie. Great flavor and large 3" leaves.
“Genovese” - (from Siskiyou Seeds in Oregon) - The classic pesto basil produces a profusion of deep green large leaves full of complex flavor and aroma. Responds well to frequent harvests. Harvest low to encourage succulent re-growth rather than woody stems. In flower, it is an excellent nectar source for pollinators.
“Lettuce Leaf” - (from Siskiyou Seeds in Oregon) - Lettuce leaf basil is a popular Italian variety, a large leafed variety of Sweet Basil and one of the most productive of all basils with very large, crinkled and highly aromatic leaves. The sweet basil leaves are not as strong as other basils and have been described as having a clove and minty taste or alternatively a mild spicy, peppery taste. Great in salads and excellent for using in pesto and herbal oils.
Summer Squash
Zucchini “Mutabile” - (from Open Circle Seeds, Mendocino County, CA) - Mutabile is an early and heavy bearer, on open almost spineless bushes – zucs are easy to see and harvest without scratching hands or fruits. Best of all, plants keep producing at a steady pace all season, right up until frost.
Yellow Squash “Success” - (from Open Circle Seeds, Mendocino County, CA) - Prolific, disease resistant plants with smooth, uniform and attractive fruit. A breakthrough in open-pollinated summer squash; high yielding in our trials with over three months of abundant, disease-free harvest.
Winter Squash
“Baby Butternut” - (from Siskiyou Seeds in Oregon) - Excellent early-maturing butternut, with compact vines (3-4 ft). Flesh is deep reddish-orange, moist and deliciously sweet. Long keeper. Yields 1.5 - 4 lb fruits, averaging 4 fruits per plant. Selection for uniformity is ongoing with this old strain so their may still be some elongated types that we hope to rogue out in future generations of growing seed.
Red Kuri “Little Gem” - (from Adaptive Seeds in Oregon) - Cute, small red kuri type fruit are a good size in the kitchen and for market. Plants produce numerous fruit that weigh 2-5 lbs each. Stores well and has dense, finely-textured flesh. This variety is even good raw, sliced in salads or diced as a snack. It is crunchy and sweet like a carrot, but not as watery, and the nuttiness is almost addictive – much like eating carrots and chestnuts. We love its sweet flavor diced and sautéed with garlic and soy sauce. Good uniformity and bright color, does well even in challenging conditions. We think Little Gem is the perfect size for a kuri squash and its high yield makes it a great choice for market farms.
Melon
“Eel River” - {LIMITED NUMBER} (from Open Circle Seeds, Mendocino County, CA) - This northern California local certainly deserves its place in the Slow Food Ark of Taste. Fruits are fat teardrops of 3-6 lbs., their aromatic orange flesh sweet and creamy textured. They signal ripeness in the field by taking on golden orange skin tones. Also known as Crane Melon, after the stewardship of the Crane family of Santa Rosa.
Cucumber
“Muncher” - {LIMITED NUMBER} (from Siskiyou Seeds in Oregon) - A tender delight with thin skin. Muncher is considered a burpless variety with much less bitter skin then other open pollinated varieties. It was developed by the University of Washington and is a Lebanese style cucumber. Excellent for salads and fresh eating but also small enough to pickle. Strong, vigorous vines with fruit that are ripe for picking between 5-9”
Raspberries
{LIMITED NUMBER} (from Cedar Place) These plants are from my raspberry patch here in our garden. The original plants came from a dear friend who’s garden in on a mountain top near Ukiah, CA. We get a big harvest in late spring and then another smaller harvest in mid-summer. Keep them watered well and protect them from the hottest part of the day in the late afternoon. They do best with morning sun and afternoon shade in our hot summer climate. Mulch heavily, prune away the dead canes, and cut the live canes in half to a leaf node in winter and they will continue to produce year after year.
Strawberries
{SOLD OUT} (from Cedar Place) These are babies that stemmed from our strawberry patch here in the garden. Give them rich soil, regular water, and mulch and they will produce well for you. These strawberries are sweet and juicy! Strawberry plants reproduce through stolons or “runners.” Runners extend out several inches from the crown, take root in the soil, and produce new plants called “daughter plants” - so look out for those, pot them up and plant them out when they’re grown and you’ll have a big strawberry patch in no time. This Strawberry variety is an ever-bearing variety.