Dicentra formosa 14-20" tall. Heart-shaped blossoms in late spring. With good moisture, the lacy foliage look nice all season. Full to dappled shade. Z3.
Vaccinium corymbosum Early. 4-6'. Medium-large light blue firm fruit with excellent sweet flavor. Flavor holds up better than other varieties in the freezer. Vigorous upright high-yielding bush. Z4.
Covers a wide range of crops, while addressing orchard design, dynamics and horticulture in unparalleled detail. Pruning, planting, companion planting, spraying, not spraying—it's all here!
If thoughts of crisp carrots in March set your mouth watering, you'll love this well-illustrated tour of root cellar designs, featuring varietal selections, best storage conditions, and recipes.
Rubus spp. Mid. Large berries are firm, a little crumbly and sweet. Full-flavored and aromatic. Great for fresh eating, canning, freezing, jam, juice or pie. Z3.
Daucus carota (70 days) Open pollinated. French heirloom. Thick 5-7" long red-orange carrot. Performs well in heavy soil. Excellent flavor and long storage.
Apios graveolens var. rapaceum White flesh. (100 days) Open pollinated. Gorgeous and delicious root vegetable tastes like celery but slightly nutty, with a texture like potato. Stores well, great for winter stews.
Allium schoenoprasum (80 days) Open pollinated. Hardy perennial. 1-2' dark blue-green leaves are medium-fine, long and slender. Lilac-colored flowers bloom in June and July.
Thuja occidentalis 20-60'. Narrow and tall with twiggy branches, soft fibrous orange-brown bark, and distinct flat foliage. Good for screens and hedges. Z2.
Cornus racemosa 3-8' x 10-15'. Native multi-stemmed thickly branched suckering shrub with rounded domes of small 4-petaled white flowers that bloom in early summer. White berries on bright red fruit stalks. Z4.
Hordeum vulgare Annual spring grain. Truly hulless variety, which makes for quick, easy, low-tech processing. Fast-growing, and competes well with weeds. Tolerates drought and heavy soils.
Trifolium incarnatum Tender biennial legume. Up to 18". Rapid growth in cool weather makes this vigorous clover great for cover cropping and green manure. Crimson blooms attract bees and make good cutflowers.
Raphanus sativus var. niger Broadleaf annual. Roots penetrate hardpans and loosen soil down to 30" or beyond. Takes up available soil nutrients and prevents losses to leaching or runoff. Suppresses weeds if planted thickly.
Raphanus sativus var. niger Broadleaf annual. Roots penetrate hardpans and loosen soil down to 30" or beyond. Takes up available soil nutrients and prevents losses to leaching or runoff. Suppresses weeds if planted thickly.
With annuals and biennials, grasses and legumes and broadleafs, and roots of all shapes and sizes, this blend mimics natural diversity and encourages a flourishing and balanced microbial population.
Avena sativa Annual grass. A solid all-purpose oat. Generates biomass and smothers weeds. Tolerates bad weather and soil conditions. Excellent feed for cows and horses.
Gladiolus 22-26" tall. Marvelous miniature glads in mixed colors, bicolors and butterfly types. Very satisfying clumped in a bed or as cuts. Darling! Z6.
Vitis spp. Very Early. Large loose clusters of tender sweet pinkish-red grapes with a strawberry-like flavor. Good for fresh eating or juice. Stores well. Z4/5.
Eruca sativa (44 days) Open pollinated. Cross of two European heirlooms and selected for vigor and cold hardiness. Turns purple when it freezes. Full of flavor.
Diplotaxis erucoides (21 days baby, 50 days mature) Open pollinated. Wild Arugula. Deeply lobed dark green narrow leaves. Excellent for cold-season salads, but also shows good summer endurance.
Hablitzia tamnoides (45 days) Open pollinated. Perennial spinach-like green. Hardy vine from the Caucasus grows 6-9' long for 2-3 months beginning very early spring. Heart-shaped attractive leaves.
Montia perfoliata (40 days) Open pollinated. Small, heart-shaped leaves with a mild but succulent flavor. Use in mesclun and cut-and-come-again culture.
Valerianella locusta (60 days) Open pollinated. Heirloom. Vigorous large-leaf type of staple salad green. Best for sowing in spring for early summer harvest.
Lonicera × brownii 10-20'. Tall climbing honeysuckle. Non-invasive! Attractive to pollinators, especially hummingbirds. Species is native to North America. Z3.
Eutrochium fistulosum 4-6' tall. Dusky-rose flowers are held on beautiful wine-red stems dusted with a light purplish bloom. Adaptable to wet soils. Z4.
Brassica oleracea (gongylodes group) Green skin, white flesh. (130 days) Open pollinated. Czechoslovakian heirloom. Green kohlrabi can exceed 10" and 10 lb without getting woody. Crisp white interior is mildly tangy.
