New information for 2012 Coming Soon

Other Vegetables' Variety Descriptions

Please note: In descriptions below, OP designates an Open Pollinated (non-hybrid) variety; F-1 designates a Hybrid variety.

Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris, except as noted)

• Beurre de Rocquencourt – 50 days. Bush habit, yellow wax snap bean.  This productive and flavorful heirloom variety is also known as Golden Rocky. OP
• Golden Roc d’Or – 55 - 60 days. Bush habit, yellow wax snap beans with sweet “beany” flavor.  Plants will  grow to 16 – 20” in height. OP
• Chinese Green Noodle Bean - 60-80 days. (Vigna unguiculata ssp. sesquipedalis) This variety is an early Asian green long bean. Pods are best harvested at 12 – 18”. Also known as Yardlong Bean, Asparagus Bean, Snake Bean, Chinese Long Bean. OP

Cucumbers (Cucumis sativus)

• Beit Alpha - 55-65 days.  Expect good yields of sweet, burpless cucumbers with no bitterness.  This Middle Eastern type of cucumber has smooth dark green skin, is best picked small at 5-7", and may be used without peeling. OP
• Chelsea Prize - 60 days. This hybri's vigorous vines produce long, slender, thin-skinned English cucumbers with delicious, crispy sweet flesh. F-1
• Japanese Climbing – 68 days. Vines produce long, slim fruit that are very crisp and mild and easy to digest.  Fruit have firm flesh with few seeds. Best grown on trellis or other support. OP

Eggplants (Solanum melongena)

• Neon – 65 - 70 days, F-1. These plants produce plenty of attractive fruit with “glowing” pink-purple skin and sweet white flesh. Fruit size is approximately 8” long by 3” wide. A favorite for both appearance and flavor.
• Dusky – 62 days, F-1. Expect high yields of good quality 9" long oval eggplants with dark purple skin. Reliable producer.
• Baby Black Chuchu – 45 days, F-1. This variety produces small oval-to-round fruit, about 1 - 3” in diameter weighing about 1 – 3 oz with shiny, dark purple-black skin. The bushy plant is very productive. (This variety is also known as Indian Black Baby eggplant.)
• Calliope - 64 days, F-1. Plants produce high yields of attractive oval fruit with striking white and purple stripes.  Fruit may be used either as baby eggplants when 2" long or allowed to mature to 4".
• Casper - 75 days, OP. The prolific plants produce attractive ivory-colored medium-sized fruit that have a pleasant, mild flavor.
• Ichiban - 61 days, F-1. This Japanese eggplant variety is productive and flavorful with very dark purple skin and tender flesh. Excellent for home gardens. 

Gourds (Langerneria siceraria)
Expect sprawling vines that may be trained on a trellis, if desired, or allowed to trail along the ground. The first gourds can be expected to mature in about 120 to 150 days. There are three types from which to choose:

• Bottle or Birdhouse type – this variety has been used by crafters to make birdhouses and other containers.

Lettuce (Latuca sativua)
There are at least two varieties per 6-pak, one green and another red or with red highlights, selected from the following list:

• Black Seeded Simpson
• Buttercrunch
• Butterhead "Speckles"
• Lolla Rosa
• Merveille de Quatre Saisons
• Redina
• Red Oakleaf
• Red Salad Bowl
• Rouge d'Hiver
• Ruben's Red Romaine
• Salad Bowl Blend of additional red and green varieties

Melons (Cucumis melo var. reticulata)

• Courier (Galia type) - 85 days, F-1.  These 4.5-5.5 pound fruit have richly scented green flesh and a crisp texture. Their flavor is between that of a cantaloupe and a honeydew.

Pumpkins

• Rouge Vif d’Etamps - (Cucurbita maxima) 95 days, OP. Flattened and ribbed large fruit are a deep red-orange, running about 10-15 pounds. This variety is decorative with flesh that is tasty in pies and other recipes calling for pumpkin or winter squash. Also known as Cinderella Pumpkin.
• Musquee de Provence - (Curcurbita moschata) 110 days, OP.  These large flattened pumpkins resemble wheels of cheese and ripen to a rich brown color.  Deep orange flesh is dense and of fine flavor.  The fruits may weight up to 20 pounds and hold well in storage.

Summer Squash (Curcurbita pepo)

• Golden Zucchini – about 55 days. Bush plants produce slender fruit are bright golden-yellow with a typical zucchini size and shape. Plants grow to about 3 feet with the serrated foliage typical of zucchini types. OP
• Lebanese White Bush Marrow – about 50–60 days. This is a “white-skinned” (pale green) type of zucchini, often sold in grocery stores as Middle Eastern zucchini. The fruit have a mildly nutty flavor. They are also more club-shaped and less bitter than typical dark green zucchini. OP
• Cocozella di Napoli - 55 days.  This heirloom Italian zucchini produces long, ribbed fruit that are pale green with dark green stripes. OP

Winter Squash

• Baby Blue Hubbard (Curcurbita maxima) 90 days, OP.  Rare, this variety produces fruit that are smaller versions of Blue Hubbard squash with a smoother blue-grey shell.  The 4-6 lb. size fruit are a better size for the typical houhold than the larger Hubbard types, which generall weigh in about 10-20 lbs.  This variety has a sweet, low-fiber flesh that stores well.  Also known as Kitchenette and Blue Ballet.

Strawberries – Please see the note below for explanation of  growth and fruit bearing habits.

• Albion – This everbearing, day-neutral* variety is a recent release from UC Davis and is expected to become popular with commercial growers. Fruit is long, conical, symmetrical; firm with excellent flavor. Resistant to some fungal diseases.
• Chandler – Semi-early, June bearing* variety (tends to bear all at once). Medium-large, long to flattish wedge shape, moderately firm, juicy berries with good flavor. Used in commercial production in southern California.
• Hood - A June-bearing* variety that produces large, bright, glossy red fruit turning dark when fully ripe.  Fine, sweet flavor, excellent fruit quality.  Excellent for preserves and jams, good for all other uses.  Plants are vigorous and very productive, resistant to root rot and mildew.
• Shuksan - This June-bearing* variety produces large, glossy bright red fruit with slightly indented yellowish red seeds.  The fruit have medium-firm flesh and are excellent for freezing and preserves.  The plants are large, vigorous and produce many runners.  The variety has good disease resistance, cold-hardiness and can successfully grow in locations with imperfect drainage.

  * Note: “June bearing” strawberry varieties are harvested over a short time period, with most of the fruit ripening at the same time, but not necessarily in the month of June. In contrast, “Everbearing day-neutral” varieties bear smaller quantities of fruit at one time but may be harvested over a longer season, often producing until daytime temperatures have cooled off significantly in the fall.