This years varieties, at least as planned, include a vast array of heirloom veggies as usual, some are stand-by old friends, and some are new and exciting. The list so far includes (most seed is heirloom, all seed is organic):

• Bean, bush: Bountiful (1897) [47-50 days]
• Bean, bush: Empress (re-named 1979) [55 days]
• Bean, bush: Pencil Pod Golden Wax (1900) [50-65 days]
• Beet: Carillion [58 days]
• Beet: Chioggia aka Candy Stripe (1840) [50 days]
• Beet: Detroit Dark Red (1892) [60-65 days]
• Broccoli: Romanesco [75-100 days from transplant]
• Broccoli: De Cicco (1890) [48-85 days from transplant]
• Cabbage, red: Mammoth Red Rock (1889) [98 days from transplant]
• Carrot: Danvers Half-Long (1871) [65-87 days]
• Carrot: Minicor
• Cucumber, pickling: Double Yield (1924) [50-60 days]
• Endive: Galia
• Fennel: Florence
• Leek: Blue Solaize [100-120 days]
• Lettuce, romaine: Forellenschuss [55 days]
• Lettuce, looseleaf: Lollo Rossa [55 days]
• Lettuce, butterhead: Tennis Ball (1850) [50 days]
• Melon: Sakata’s Sweet [85-95 days]
• Onion, sweet-storing: Walla Walla (day neutral)
• Onion, scallion: Summer Bunching
• Pea, snap: Amish Snap [60 days]
• Pea, shelling: Sutton’s Harbinger (1898) [52-60 days]
• Potato, yellow storing: Yukon Gold [100-120 days]
• Pepper, sweet bell: Orange Bell (1989) [90 days from transplant]
• Pepper, sweet bell: Sweet Chocolate (1965) [58-86 days from transplant]
• Raddicio: Indigo
• Rhubarb: MacDonald
• Shallot: French Demi-Long
• Spinach: Monnopa [45-60 days]
• Squash, winter: Waltham Butternut Cucurbita moschata [83-100 days]
• Tomato, paste: Amish Paste [85 days from transplant] indeterminate
• Tomato, slicing: Cherokee Purple [80 days from transplant] indeterminate
• Tomato, beefsteak: German Pink [85 days from transplant] indeterminate
• Tomato, paste: Opalka (1900) [85 days from transplant] indeterminate
• Flower, Sweet Pea: Cupanis
• Flower, Nasturtim: Black Velvet
• Flower, Hollyhock: Nigra
• Herb: Provincal Lavender
• Herb: Dill
• Herb: Winter Savory
• Herb: Rosemary
• Herb: Marjoram
• Herb: Thyme
• Herb: Oregano
• Herb: Hot and Spicy Oregano
• Herb: Peppermint
• Herb: Lemon Balm
• Herb: Basil
• Fruit, Fig: Hardy Chicago
• Fruit, Strawberry: unknown variety

Remember how we mentioned that those local to the Ether Garden can benefit? Your first opportunity is right now! If any of the veggies or flowers above interest you, drop us a line! The Ether Garden is offering packets of seed in small numbers to local reader-gardeners. We will also be offering seedlings in May, and you can place dibs on seedlings at this time as well! Unfortunately we cannot offer herbs or fruit seed/starts at this time, but this may change later in the season. This is a great opportunity for those of you who simply don’t need a full packet of seed, but want to start your own. This is also a great way to get heirloom seedlings raised organically and locally.

The seeds have begun arriving! This is the first of what should be two shipments from Seed Savers Exchange. Later on mid-march we should be getting a shipment of seed potatoes, but right now we’ve got seeds. Previously I posted about the varieties we’re planning on growing this year, so let’s take a look at what we got in the mail today.

From left to right we have:
Forellenschuss- a lovely spotted romaine lettuce
Tennis Ball- a petite buttercrunch
Monnopa- a pretty standard spinach
Lollo Rossa- a pretty pink toned ruffle looseleaf lettuce

We should be (hopefully) getting the strawberry spinach which Jeremy is quite excited about- it’s a bizarre and unique little plant and hopefully we can get our hands on it.

Next we have our peas, beans, and beets:
Amish Snap- as the name says, an amish variety of snap peas
Suttons Harbinger- a prolific shelling pea
Empress- a bush bean, don’t know much else about it
Bountiful- another bush bean, very prolific and is supposed to be a good canning bean
Detroit Dark Red- A good keeper of a beet, your standard red beet
Chioggia- also known as the ‘candy stripe’ beet is a sweet and pretty salad beet

And here we have our tomatoes:
Opalka- a rich tasting paste tomato
German Pink- a sweet steak tomato
Amish Paste- a standard paste tomato
Cherokee Purple- a dark fleshed steak tomato

Now- this isn’t to say I won’t get more tomatoes. My local food co-op carries local organic heirloom seedlings, and I’m likely to see something which sounds tasty and ending up picking a few more varieties. We’ll see how that goes.

Not everyone has a detail shot yet- we’ll get to the rest of them when it comes time to start or plant them. It looks like I’ll be starting my first batch of seed mid-march, and then again in early april. I’ve got some which need the extra time prior to transplant, and some which don’t quite need as much tender loving care indoors as the others.

• Bean, bush: Bountiful (1897) [47-50 days]
• Bean, bush: Empress (re-named 1979) [55 days
• Beet: Chioggia aka Candy Stripe (1840) [50 days]
• Beet: Detroit Dark Red (1892) [60-65 days]
• Broccoli: Romanesco [75-100 days from transplant]
• Broccoli: De Cicco (1890) [48-85 days from transplant]
• Cabbage, red: Mammoth Red Rock (1889) [98 days from transplant]
• Carrot: Kaleidoscope Mix {non-heirloom, from Cook’s Garden}
• Cucumber, pickling: Double Yield (1924) [50-60 days]
• Lettuce, romaine: Forellenschuss [55 days]
• Lettuce, looseleaf: Lollo Rossa [55 days]
• Lettuce, butterhead: Tennis Ball (1850) [50 days]
• Melon: Sakata’s Sweet [85-95 days]
• Onion, storing: Australian Brown (1894) [100 days from transplant]
• Pea, snap: Amish Snap [60 days]
• Pea, shelling: Sutton’s Harbinger (1898) [52-60 days]
• Potato, yellow storing: German Butterball [100-120 days]
• Potato, fingerling: Purple Peruvian [100-120 days]
• Pepper, sweet bell: Orange Bell (1989) [90 days from transplant]
• Pepper, sweet bell: Sweet Chocolate (1965) [58-86 days from transplant]
• Spinach: Monnopa [45-60 days]
• Spinach: Strawberry Spinach Chenopodium capitatum
• Squash, winter: Waltham Butternut Cucurbita moschata [83-100 days]
• Tomato, paste: Amish Paste [85 days from transplant] indeterminate
• Tomato, slicing: Cherokee Purple [80 days from transplant] indeterminate
• Tomato, beefsteak: German Pink [85 days from transplant] indeterminate
• Tomato, paste: Opalka (1900) [85 days from transplant] indeterminate

Still trying to find a non-hybridized strawberry, as well as a source for heirloom shallot sets. Other than that, we look like we’re good to go! Herbs will largely be taken as transplants from my mother’s garden, and seeds for herbs can be obtained late in the game and still produce heartily. Herbs are handy like that.