Cherry Belle Radish

The Tomato Pole Aunt Ruby's German Green, 'Lycopersicon lycopersicum', is an old Heirloom variety. It is not the prettiest tomato, but it is spicy and sweet and very delicious. We think Aunt Ruby's German Green is the best flavored green tomato. The tomatoes are a large, beefsteak type with 12 to 16 ounce fruits. Tomatoes need at least 1 inch of water a week. Soak to depth of 6 to 10 inches when watering. They need at least 6 hours of direct sunlight a day. Prune the intermediate tomatoes in order to keep a single stem.

The Pea Snow Oregon Sugar Pod, 'Pisum sativum', is a flat podded type pea that has great disease resistance and has tasty, stringless pods for stir fry or salads. This is one of the three vegetables that tastes much better garden grown than from a store. Oregon Sugar Pod produces a huge number of 4 inch tasty pods which are harvested and eaten when the pods are flat, before the seed forms. Successive plantings 1 week apart will prolong the harvest season.

The Pea Shelling Progress # 9, 'Pisum sativum', is an old favorite and this 18" plant needs no staking and has plump peas with a superb flavor. Remember when you were a kid how fun it was to pop open a pod and eat the peas? As an adult, you will enjoy the wonderful taste of Progress # 9 and appreciate the dwarf vines which require no staking! Progress # 9 has 5 inch pods with 7 to 9 plump peas per pod. Shelling peas should be harvested when when the pods are plump which is about 3 weeks after flowering.

The Radish Cherry Belle, 'Raphanus sativus', has a mild flavor and solid white flesh that makes the Cherry Belle very popular. This spring radish grows best during the cool periods of spring and fall. The Cherry Belle is great if eaten fresh, in salads, or in sandwiches. It can be grown inside during the winter. The flower pods are edible and they will grow in the shade. Harvest when the radish is 1 inch in diameter. Bigger radishes get pithy and hot.

The Corn Honey & Cream, 'Zea mays var rugosa', is excellent for small gardens and short growing seasons. If we had to choose two vegetables that were much better home grown than bought from a store, corn and tomatoes would be our choice. Honey and Cream allows gardeners with small plots or gardeners in northern climates to enjoy this wonderful flavor. Harvest the ears when the husks are dark green and the silks are brown but not brittle. Corn is usually ready 3 weeks after silks appear.