The outdoor gardening season is upon us in the northeast, and if you've been looking forward to it since last year, you've probably already started the bulk of your seeds by now. For plants like peppers and tomatoes, you're at that almost-too-late point to start from seed, but if you're determined enough do not wait any longer. You still have plenty of time for your fall and winter greens/vegetables, and we've got some great picks for this year. The only seeds we sell are from
High Mowing Organic Seeds - they're 100% organic and now
Non-GMO Project Verified. They are the first seed company in the United States to be recognized by that organization, look for the label:
We carry a variety of their seeds, but here are our favorites for 2015:
Sylvetta Wild Arugula - One of the spiciest and most flavorful of all of the arugula varieties (in our opinion), a great salad or micro green. Plants grow slowly, stay compact and are very resistant to temperature extremes (slow to bolt and make for a great fall/winter crop).
Golden Nugget Tomato - These plants produce a LOT of tomatoes, starting pretty early on in the season. 1-inch, juicy fruit, resistant to cracking.
Rosie Basil - We love the unique dark purple color of this basil, plus it is very aromatic with strong stems and uniform germination. Great as a micro green, too.
Bangles Mini Bell Pepper Blend - A pretty mix of different shades of mini bell peppers (fruit develop to about 1.5" wide). Each plant has a different color of pepper that ripens to red, gold or chocolate.
Chioggia Guardsmark Beet - An improved strain of the traditional heirloom Italian Chioggia beet, these have better uniformity and are bolt-tolerant. Plus the "bullseye" markings just look cool.
Toma Verde Tomatillo - It is very hard to find organic tomatillos, so why not grow your own? Tart when picked early, fruit get sweeter as they ripen. Make your own salsa verde.
Tadorna Leek - A great fall/winter crop, but they need a long season (110 days to maturity). You want to get these going and in the ground ASAP, that way you can start harvesting them in the fall. We like the Tadorna strain due to their strong disease resistance.
Pirat Lettuce - This heirloom lettuce variety is one of our absolute favorites. Not only does it have great flavor, coloring and texture, it can handle almost anything. Heat tolerant, resistant to downy mildew, tip burn, white mold and bacterial head rot. Perfect for an outdoor garden but works just as well indoors.
