Vegetables, Herbs and Flowers

(O. basilicum) Beautiful lilac flowers with dark red stems. Excellent contrast with green basil. Spectacular as a garnish, in salads, or for adding color to basil vinegars. Very uniform, all purple Italian strain. Annual.

The 15" dark green oval fruits are covered with pea-sized, bright yellow "stars" and usually one larger "moon". Foliage is also spotted. The fruits have sweet pink flesh and brown seeds. This watermelon created a sensation in 1981 when Merle Van Doren of

Italian variety with pretty rugose (puckered) foliage. Very heavy set of mild 2-3 ounce fruits perfectly suited for making sauce, salsa, and paste. Tends to fall off the vine when fully ripe. Determinate, but requires trellis, 75 days from transplant.

A piquant pepper from the Republic of Georgia, up to eight inches long, with thick, crunchy flesh. Two-foot high plants produce copious amounts of fruit throughout the season. An excellent salsa pepper. 90 days from transplant. Hot. ±3,800 seeds/oz.

(aka Red Winter) French historic variety described in Vilmorin's The Vegetable Garden (1885). Produces a compact 10-12" head with a green heart and brown-red leaves. For spring, summer, and fall planting. Romaine, 60 days. ±33,000 seeds/oz.

(aka Roseheart, Chinese Red Meat) Round 2-4" white radish with a stunning dark pink and white interior. Flesh is surprisingly sweet, crisp, and refreshing. Best grown in cool weather. Warm days, cool nights, and adequate nutrition and moisture result in a

A top-quality, late-maturing onion with golden, globe-shaped bulbs weighing an average of 1 pound, this variety hails from northern Italy. It has a mild, sweet taste when fresh, but its flavor intensifies when it is stored. One of the best onions varietie

(C. pepo) Introduced in 1973 by W. Atlee Burpee of Philadelphia, bred from genetic material supplied by Dr. Oved Shifress. This vivid yellow fruit was the first commercial B (bicolor gene) cultivar. Crisp and mild-flavored zucchinis are borne prolifically

(C. maxima) Introduced in 1952 by Burgess Seed & Plant Co. This is a bush version of the original Buttercup variety introduced in 1931. Flattened dark green turbans with a distinctive button on the blossom end. Typical fruits weigh 3-5 pounds. Super sweet

Leaves are used to ward off insects and as a medicinal tonic. Attractive shrubby plants with fine grey-green foliage and numerous yellow flowers in spires, 48-70" tall. Perennial in zones 3-8.

Introduced to SSE in 1979 by SSE member Mike Cannon of New York. Sweet Italian variety given to him by Phil Tolli. Large, dependable yields of 5" long scarlet-red peppers. This is one of our all-around favorites for fresh eating, frying, and canning recip

(aka Yellow Peach, White Peach) Originated with Elbert S. Carman in 1890 under the name White Peach. This strain came from Dennis Schlicht and is named after the Wapsipinicon River in northeast Iowa. Heavy producer of 2" round fuzzy yellow fruits. Sweet,

(C. moschata) This butternut, an AAS winner in 1970, was the result of years of patient refinement and selection by Professor Robert Young of the Massachusetts Agricultural Experiment Station in Waltham. Prized for its straight necks, rich dry yellow-oran

(aka Rainbow Chard) Australian heirloom from Digger's Garden Club. Technicolor mixture of Swiss chards with shades of red, orange, purple, yellow, and white tastes as good as it looks. Seed crops of all the different colors are grown in isolation to maint