Seeds you'll find at Seedy Sunday

Seedy Sunday is almost here! Join us on February 4 from 3 to 5 at the Juliette Hampton Morgan Memorial Library for an afternoon full of seeds. High Mowing Organic Seeds donated a great selection of organic seeds including herbs like calendula and daikon radishes. To make sure we have a good basic selection of seeds, we buy bulk seeds from The Great American Seed Up that offers bulk collections of non-GMO, heirloom, and open-pollinated seeds. Here are some of the varieties you will find Sunday:

Arugula; Rocket

Eruca vesicaria. Favored by gourmets. Featured in fine restaurants. Bushy, 1-2′ plant. Wonderful, peppery, distinct flavor. Cold-tolerant. Easy to grow. You can plant arugula now!

Beet; Early Wonder

Beta vulgaris. Produces an abundance of delicious young greens suitable for spring salads and round, exceptionally sweet, 3-4’’ tubers. Beets can also grow in cooler temperatures.

Broccoli; Waltham 29

Brassica oleracea v. italica. Delicious, dependable, variety. Short 20″ plants produce medium-large heads and lots of side shoots. Hang on to these for fall/over winter planting.

Companion plants include dill, chamomile, sage, peppermint, beets and onions.

Carrot; Scarlet Nantes

Daucus carota subsp. sativus. A timeless heirloom favorite. Bright-orange, very sweet, slightly tapered, 6-7” roots with characteristic Nantes rounded tip. A good keeper. Excellent for juice. Weed continuously.

Companion plants include: peas, lettuce, onions, garlic, tomatoes.

Cucumber; Marketmore 76

Cucumis sativus. Consistently produces, through hot and cool weather, 8-9″, slicing cucumbers! Disease resistant. Plant after the last chance of frost.

Companion plants include sunflowers, corn, peas, beans and radishes. Dislikes aromatic herbs and potatoes.

Eggplant; Florida Highbush

Solanum melongena. A true heirloom from early 20th century Florida. Upright plants with large dark purple fruits high off the ground. Drought and disease resistant. Start indoors now!

Kale; Red Russian

Brassica napus v. pabularia. Dark green oak leaf cut leaves. Richer in vitamins and minerals than many other greens. Red and purple hues intensify after fall frosts, give way to tender and sweet rich dark green kale when cooked, also good raw. Very disease resistant. Direct seed outside now or save for fall.

Companion plants include dill, chamomile, sage, peppermint, beets and onions.

Lettuce; Black Seeded Simpson

Lactuca sativa. Loosefleaf. Sets the standard by which to measure all looseleafs. Large, light-green, broad, frilled leaves with exceptionally crisp, fresh flavor. Lettuce is a cool weather crop.

Companion plants include carrots and radishes.

Lettuce; Salad Bowl Red (Leaf)

Lactuca sativa.Loose leaf. The beauty, flavor and tenderness of Salad bowl with solid red color, fuller head and slightly more compact shape. Delicious. Withstands hot weather as well as the green salad bowl. Excellent flavor!

Companion plants include carrots and radishes.

Lettuce; Red Cimarron (Romaine)

Lactuca sativa. Romaine. Add to salads color along with the unmistakable texture of a delicious romaine. Broad, flat, crisp leaves range from dark red to bronze.

Companion plants include carrots and radishes.

Onion; Nebuka (Evergreen Bunching)

Allium fistulosum. Perennial. Our most hardy and delicious bunching onion. Evergreen survives even the most severe winter conditions. Allow some to winter over for early spring harvest, even in the snow. Bunching onions/spring onions like cooler weather

Companion plants include: beets, lettuce, tomatoes, strawberries, chamomile. Dislikes: peas, beans.

Pea; Oregon Sugar Pod

Pisum sativum. Snow pea. (Edible pods, edible peas.) Famous for its sweet, mild flavor. Delicious raw, in stir fry, or cooked ‘al dente’. Tall, 24-30″ vines bear smooth, 4″ pea pods as long as the weather remains cool. Plant now.

Companion plants include: beans, corn, carrots, radishes and turnips.

Pea; Sugar Ann

Pisum sativum. Snap pea. (Edible pods, edible peas.) The earliest snap pea. Short 2’ vines need no support. Both pods and peas develop well and are exceptionally sweet. Most of ours get eaten in the garden. Plant now.

Companion plants include: beans, corn, carrots, radishes and turnips.

Pepper; Cal Wonder 300 TMR (Sweet)

Capsicum annuum. The most disease resistant strain from the famous California Wonder. Vigorous, 24-48″ plants produce thick-walled, blocky 4-4″ green fruits which turn red if allowed to mature fully. Start indoors now and transplant outside after mid March.

Radish; Champion

Raphanus sativus. Our favorite round, red radish. Exceptionally sweet flavor! Stays crisp even when large. Crisp, red roots avg 1.5″ in diameter. Flesh is white. Holds well in storage. 25 days. Plant now.

Companion plants include: cucumbers, peas, cabbage and lettuce and nasturtiums. Dislikes hyssop.

Spinach; Bloomsdale

Spinacia oleracea. Sweet, rich flavor and good texture have assured the popularity of this heirloom for generations. Tender, large, thick, crinkled, deep-green leaves on upright stems. To assure a season long supply, plant every 2 weeks. Plant now or save for winter.

Squash; Black Beauty Zucchini (Summer)

Cucurbirta pepo. Because of its storage and shipping qualities, black zucchini has become a favorite for market gardeners. Dark-green, long, straight, cylindrical fruits on fairly heavy bush. Hot weather.

Companion plants include: corn, nasturtiums.

Squash; Vegetable Spaghetti (Winter)

Cucurbirta pepo. Can be either baked or boiled to make vegetable spaghetti. Top with fresh tomatoes and Parmesan cheese. A delicious treat, especially for kids who don’t like veggies! Winter squash are actually grown in the summer. They’re called winter squash because, if correctly harvested, they store well into the winter.

Companion plants include: corn, nasturtiums.

Swiss Chard; Fordhook

Beta vulgaris. Fordhook outperformed all Swiss chards in our trials. Dark-green, savoyed leaves. Enlarged white stems with crisp and delicate flavor that reminds us of a mild celery. Plant early and often. Cooler weather plant.

Companion plants include: onions. Dislikes: pole beans.

Tomato; Ace 55 (Determinate)

Solanum lycopersicum. Determinate. Heirloom. Large, deep red fruit with low acid content – one of the few tomatoes to make that claim. Crack-resistant. heavy foliage shades fruit to protect them from sunburn. This tried and true variety is resistant to verticulum wilt (V), fusarium wilt (F), and alternate stem canker (ASC). Start inside now and transplant after the last frost date.

Tomato; Floradade (Determinate)

Solanum lycopersicum. Determinate. A delicious, disease resistant offering for warmer climates and greenhouses. Rather large, determinate plants produce numerous beautiful smooth fruits averaging 6-8 ounces. Start inside now and transplant after last frost date.

Watermelon; Crimson Sweet

Citrullus lanatus v. lanatus. Bright red color, fewer, smaller seeds and an above average sugar content. Commonly weighs between 20 and 30 lbs. Adaptable to a large range of growing conditions. Kansas. 1963. Likes hot weather.

Cilantro; Slo-Bolting

Coriandrum sativum. Coriander. Whispering the words “fresh cilantro” makes our mouths water! Indispensable for Chinese, Thai, and now Mexican recipes. Produces incredibly fragrant, glossy, bright green leaves. New strain selected to resist bolting. Cilantro flowers turn to Coriander seed. Grows 6-20” tall. Cilantro is a cool weather crop. Plant now or wait until late fall.

Flower; Edible Flower Mix

This annual and perennial mixture is a colorful and tasty blend of edible flowers. The colorful flowers in this mix have tangy, spicy, peppery, sweet floral, licorice, or minty flavors. Most are surprisingly delicious.

Borage, Calendula, Chives, Cilantro, Cornflower, Dianthus, English Daisy, Johnny Jump-Up, Lavender Hyssop, Lemon Mint, Nasturtium and Pansy. Likes cooler weather.

Flower; Marigold Mix

Tagetes patula.  Beautiful mix of French and African marigolds, blended to enhance bloom season and increase diversity. Traditional bold red, tawny orange, rich gold, and lemony yellow blossoms brighten gardens while repelling insects. Great for in-ground or container gardens. Will grow almost anywhere without being invasive.  Can be grown as a cover crop. Easy to grow. 12-14″. Hotter weather friendly.

Companion plants: Good for asparagus, eggplant, melons, potatoes, squash, and tomatoes. Dislikes: beans.