New and Interesting Vegetable and Flower Seeds

How do you decide what to plant in your garden every year? We’ve perused catalogs and websites of HGSA seed sellers for a sampling of interesting varieties, new and old. Experiment with one or two alongside of your tried-and-true favorites.

Tomatoes

Left to Right: Shimmer hybrid from Burpee.com is an enchanting small plum tomato bursting with flavor. Tasmanian
Chocolate tomato from Reneesgarden.com is strong yielding and compact (good for pots!) with a delicious, well-balanced
flavor. Dwarf Awesome tomato from Victoryseeds.com produces high yields of 6-8 ounce, deep yellow tomatoes. Inside, the
juicy flesh displays oranges, yellows, pinks, and reds.

Peppers

Left to Right: Brenda F1 Tomato from NESeed.com is a late-maturing hybrid determinate Roma, a vigorous plant that
produces an exceptionally high yield. Mad Hatter Pepper from Burpee.com is a productive plant with fruits that have a
refreshing, citrusy floral flavor that remains sweet, only occasionally expressing mild heat near the seeds. Organic African
Devil Pepper from Sustainableseedco.com grows 1-2" long and is extremely hot; fruits are used to make dried/ground spice,
and are great for sauces. They turn from green to orange to red when mature.

Salad Fixins

Left to Right: Maiko lettuce from Westcoastseeds.com falls somewhere between classic Bibb and romaine. Upright and
beautiful, it is an all-season lettuce, slow to bolt in heat and tolerant of cold. Edible Flower Mix, from Hudsonvalleyseed.com
is a collection of nature’s intricate natural candies, beautiful in the garden and edible. SloBolt Leaf Lettuce from
Gardensalive.com remains sweet, even in warm weather; it's a great choice for summer planting.

Broccoli and Kale

Left to Right: Castle Dome hybrid broccoli from Rohrerseeds.com is a heat and cold adaptable plant with early maturing
heads that are deep and domed with tight, small beads. Black Magic Kale from Territorialseed.com performs well from spring
plantings. Its neat, tight habit sets it apart from other lacinato types. Ironman Kale Mix, from Highmowingseeds.com is
ideally suited for baby leaf production. Use the young greens raw or add to juices, smoothies and sautéed dishes.

Herbs and Teas

Left to Right: Gourmet Chef basil blend from Rohrerseeds.com is a combination of Corsican, Genovese, Lemon and Lime
basils, great for cooking and perfect for attracting pollinators as well. Lemon mint from bbbseed.com is wonderfully aromatic
and attracts hummingbirds and a host of pollinators. Use the flowers and leaves in teas or sachets. Red Drops Hibiscus
(Hibiscus sabdariffa) from Territorialseed.com is grown as an annual in zones colder than USDA zone 9. The shrubby plant
bears late season flowers, which ripen into the ruby red buds used in teas.

Cukes

Left to Right: Honey Boat Delicata squash from Highmowingseeds.com produces long fruits with striped coppery skins. They
hold well in storage, keeping their exceptional sweetness. Silver Slicer Cucumber, from Hudsonvalleyseed.com is a pale,
slender slicer bred by Cornell for powdery mildew resistance. Sponge Luffa Gourd from Sustainableseedco.com produces
renewable, 100% organic and biodegradable bath sponges! Presoak seeds; germination can be slow.

Melons

Left to Right: Tuscan Mini Melon and Galia Mini Melon from Mountain Valley Seeds, trueleafmarket.com, both weigh in at
about 2½ pounds. Excellent in flavor and vigorous in habit; vines can run 8 or more feet. Sales of Porcelain Doll Pink
Pumpkin from NESeed.com support the Pink Pumpkin Patch Foundation, a non-profit that supports breast cancer research.
Fruits average 16-24 lbs, and their sweet flesh is excellent in pies and soups.

Fun Flowers!

Left to Right: Zinderella Zinnias from Harrisseeds.com have tufted blooms and strong 2-3 ft stems, perfect for cutting.
Chantilly Summer Flame snapdragon from Reneesgarden.com is a multi-shade mix of open-faced, bell-shaped flowers on
graceful 2-3 foot spikes. They offer glowing color in the garden or in the vase. Black Velvet Nasturtium from
Botanicalinterests.com is both edible and glamorous. Reddish-black blooms stand out in salads. Red Cornflower from
Victoryseeds.com blooms May through summer if planted in early spring. Plants grow 1-3 feet in height. Neo Rose Celosia
from Harrisseeds.com is excellent for cutting and drying, unique in form and color and has a consistent bloom habit.

Left to Right: Shock-O-Lat Sunflower from Botanicalinterests.com is a tall, dark beauty, excellent for cutting. From
Americanmeadows.com: Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa), a beautiful orange Monarch butterfly plant, is native from
Canada to Florida. Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium), a native prairie perennial, is easy to grow and boasts
bluish/green foliage and white blooms with unique seed pods. Suntastic Sunflower from Westcoastseeds.com is an All
America Selections winner bred for container growing. It blooms up to three times in a season! Vibrant orange Mexican
Sunflowers (Tithonia rotundifolia) from bbbseeds.com are tall and heat loving and a must for butterfly gardens.