Viewing comments posted by Horseshoe

What a fun plant to grow, folks!
Considered an edible gourd, this one does double duty. When picked at the 10" stage, the fruits are eaten either raw or gently cooked/stir-fried. Delicious. If left to mature on the vines, they tend to gain in size, become hollow inside, and the outer skin becomes hard like many other gourds. Great for crafts or other decorations. One of my friends even made a didgeridoo out of one for me!

Train them up a fence or trellis for the straightest fruit or let them sprawl on the ground for a more curved/twisted product.

One of the best, if not "zee best" okra I've grown in 30 years. Pods are smooth and remain tender even when 8 to 10" long. Each plant produces as much as 100 pods, far exceeding many other varieties.

Stewart's Zeebest has become my most favored okra, far surpassing the old standby Clemson Spineless that I grew for decades.

Chioggia beet is one of the prettiest, most colorful beet you could grow. Cutting open the root you'll be amazed at the beautiful red/white interior.

Not only are the beet roots edible (either baked, pickled, or made into Borscht) but the tops are also delicious! A gardener's bargain from top to bottom!

Although the photos are listed as "roots" sweetpotato actually produces "tubers". None-the-less the product is a healthy and delicious treat, easy to grow and seldom plagued by pests.
The foliage is also delicious when cooked as you would greens. Beware, deer also are aware of the tastiness of sweetpotato plant.

Highly productive, heavy foliage protects fruit from sunscald. Highly tolerant to most tomato foliage diseases, produces all summer.
A 1923 introduction from Buckbee Seed Company, named in honor of US President Lincoln.
Fruits can be a tad bigger than 1 pound but average slightly less than a pound.

I've grown it every year since 2002, a definite must-have in every garden that offers tomatoes!

Bhut Jolokia (a.k.a. "Ghost Peppers") was considered the hottest available until 2009 when Trinidad Scorpion was proven to be higher on the Scoville scale.

I first grew this tomato in 2004, having received seeds from Gary Millwood who acquired them directly from Lettie Mae "Granny" Cantrell in eastern Kentucky. She stated she received the seeds from a soldier who had returned from the war in Germany, hence we know they're of German descent. (Granny Cantrell was a young 95 year old the year she shared the seeds, passing away at age 96, even having a garden up to her time of death.)

The first year of my grow-out the plant grew to the top of a 6' cage, flopped over and grew back to the ground and by the first killing frost the vines had grown a good 12-15 ft outward from the original root system.

Flavor is outstanding, somewhat "sweet" more than acidic but certainly not bland/mellow. The texture is one of those perfect meat-to-juice ratios, offering just enough solid to hold onto your tongue while the juices carry the flavor over your taste buds and, if you're not shy, dribble down your chin!

NOTE: The original "working name" included the word "Red" but after several grow-outs the color was dropped from the name by most connoisseurs. The epidermis is clear over a red interior which normally puts a tomato in the "pink" classification. Granny Cantrell, Granny Cantrell's German, and Granny Cantrell's German Red are all one and the same. (My name preference is "Granny Cantrell's German".)

Trinidad Scorpion (aka Trinidad Moruga Scorpion) has a Scoville heat rating of 1.2 million, superseding the former highest-heat rating of Bhut Jolokia (at "only" 1 million).

Crimson clover, a fantastic "green manure" and much more.

Crimson clover is a great fall/winter cover crop, protecting the soil from erosion, offering nitrogen to the soil, buffers the soil temperature extremes helping to keep soil biota more active and, when turned under, adds to the tilth of your soil.

In addition to the above when crimson clover flowers it brings in the bees and other beneficial bugs which contribute to pollination and helps create a balance of diversity in the "bug kingdom", a much -needed environment.

Crimson clover seed is easily broadcast by hand or by a "whirly bird" type seed sower. Broadcast 30 to 60 days before your first frost/hard freeze for best results. Till or rake seed shallowly for best ground contact. Once established it will easily winter over in many zones.

Imperial Star artichoke will produce flower buds the first year if given 250 hours of cold treatment, a.k.a. "vernalization".

This is done by starting your seeds early enough to allow seedlings exposure to temperatures below 50ºF. Although daytime temps may be in the higher range (60-70º F) if night time temperatures drop to 50º or below vernalization will still take place. Keep in mind, freezing temperatures and/or frost is detrimental to seedlings; protect from either.

Although considered a "popcorn" due to it being considered "everta" this cultivar is most often grown for the young immature cobs you normally find in Oriental stir-fry and also in pickled dishes. Delicious either way.

Easily grown in the home garden; one of the "funnest" vegetables to grow! Can be planted in small areas as well as the larger fields. Best plant spacing is 10-12 inches apart offering full sun. No doubt it can also be grown in wash tubs or other large containers, preferably five plants minimum for good pollination. Allow 75-85 days to maturity.

Plants produce multiple stalks (often 3 to 5) and produce as much as 20 cobs per plant. (Average seems to be between 10-15.) NOTE: Pick cobs five days after silks appear for the perfect stir-fry. This will also initiate more cobs forming if weather is suitable. For those of you who prefer popcorn leave cobs on plant to dry.

Excellent tomato both in growth habit and fruit production.

Firm, meaty fruit. One of the last of the truly "low acid" tomatoes still available. (Not recommended for canning due to its low-acidity.)

One of the few hybrid tomatoes I grow; well worth growing.

Excellent growth habit, excellent flavor ("old fashioned flavor--acidic but not to excess); produces abundantly all summer.

A long time favorite in my area. Pink Girl produces extremely well up until frost.

Fruit is large (8 oz average) and juicy, smooth and highly crack resistant.

Beautiful compact growing plant, topping out around 25 inches. Once established it is very low maintenance, produces many blooms (I've had up to 8 or more at a time on mine).

Flowers are a buff/pink with a dark eye and slight ruffling/fringed edges.

One of the best Oriental persimmons available. Mine produced several fruit on Year 3, nearly 50 fruit on Year 4, close to 300 fruit in following years.
Branches of Sheng can be somewhat weak and when loaded with fruit will easily break in heavy winds; planting them near a windbreak will benefit them from losing branches.

Sheng persimmon is one of the non-astringent varieties and can be eaten out of hand once the fruit is soft, no need to wait for a frost as with wild persimmons.

Grows to 25 ft tall but can be easily trimmed to maintain a more compact tree.

Another one of my favorite peppers! Aconcagua, named after the mountain range in South America, is a sweet pepper of the elongated variety growing approximately 11 inches long and 2-3 inches wide! It’s fantastic for eating fresh in salads or for grilling (I recommend an olive oil and garlic baste!) as well as for stuffing! Yummy!

Fun to grow, fun to eat, fun to say its name out loud! (Now let's all say it together, A-con-caw-gwa! Now you'll remember it for adding to your wish list!)

A must-have in your vegetable garden as well as your "edible landscaping" flower beds. While most bell peppers grow for a period of time in the green stage then turning to their final color (red, orange, yellow, etc) much later in the season Islander is one of the few that begins its growth as a purple/lavender-colored pepper, skipping the green stage. (Immediate color for your salads!)

Left to mature further the fruit grows on to become orange and eventually bright red, oftentimes showing orange with red streaks during the color change.

Sweet, delicious, a treat for your eyes as well as your taste buds!

A must-have if you like low maintenance roses!
Long blooming, no-spray, very hardy once established.

Definitely an attention getter.

Betty's White okra, named after Betty Harrison of Hillsborough, NC. Betty's parents rec'd seed stock as a wedding present in the early 1900's from relatives who'd grown this variety since the late 1800's.

Highly prolific. Best when pods are picked at 3 - 5 inches.