Cucumbis melo v. flexuosus. Same family as melons. Also called yard-long cucumber. Loves hot weather. Pick when 12 – 18″ long. Mild, sweet, crisp flavor. Ribbed. Frost Tolerance – None.

Companion plants include sunflowers, corn, peas, beans and radishes. – Dislikes aromatic herbs and potatoes.

Cucumis sativus. Consistently produces, through hot and cool weather, 8-9″, slicing cucumbers! Disease resistant.

Companion plants include sunflowers, corn, peas, beans and radishes. Dislikes aromatic herbs and potatoes.

Lagenaria siceraria. The famous bottle-shaped gourd you can grow for birdhouses! Give them plenty of room or trellis.

Companion plants include: corn, nasturtiums.

Pisum sativum. Snow pea (flat, edible pods). Famous for its sweet, mild flavor. Delicious raw, in stir-fries or cooked “al dente”. Tall, 24-30″ vines bear smooth, 4″ pea pods as long as the weather remains cool. Frost tolerance – good.

Companion plants include: beans, corn, carrots, radishes and turnips.

Pisum sativum. Snap pea. (Edible pods, edible peas.) The earliest snap pea. Short 2’ vines need no support. Both pods and peas develop well and are exceptionally sweet. Most of ours get eaten in the garden.

Companion plants include: beans, corn, carrots, radishes and turnips.

Cucurbirta pepo. Because of its storage and shipping qualities, black zucchini has become a favorite for market gardeners. Dark-green, long, straight, cylindrical fruits on fairly heavy bush.

Companion plants include: corn, nasturtiums.

Cucurbirta pepo. Bush zucchini with straight, smooth, dark-green fruits. Best when harvested at 6-8″. Pale greenish-white flesh. Vigorous. Frost Tolerance: None.

Companion plants include: corn, nasturtiums.

Cucurbirta pepo. Picture-perfect yellow squash with gracefully arched stems. Produces abundantly. Harvest early as baby squash or wait until 5-6″ long for slicing.

Companion plants include: corn, nasturtiums.

Cucurbirta pepo. Can be either baked or boiled to make vegetable spaghetti. Top with fresh tomatoes and Parmesan cheese. A delicious treat, especially for kids who don’t like veggies!

Companion plants include: corn, nasturtiums.

Cucurbita moschata. Tan, 8-10″ fruits with rich orange flesh. Improved and selected variety with richer flavor and larger yields. Probably the most popular winter squash.

Companion plants include: corn, nasturtiums.

Solanum lycopersicum. Determinate. A delicious, disease resistant offering for warmer climates and greenhouses. Rather large, determinate plants produce numerous beautiful smooth fruits averaging 6-8 ounces.

Citrullus lanatus v. lanatus. Produces juicy red melons up to 40 lbs in size. Tough skin and large leaves prevent sunburn. Drought tolerant.

Ocimum basilicum. Specially selected strain from the mountains of northern Italy. More tolerant of cold climates than other varieties. Deep, rich basil flavor. Silky, dark-green leaves that should be pinched back to provide summer-long pleasure from the same plant. 12-18″ tall.

Coriandrum sativum. Coriander. Whispering the words “fresh cilantro” makes our mouths water! Indispensable for Chinese, Thai, and now Mexican recipes. Produces incredibly fragrant, glossy, bright green leaves. New strain selected to resist bolting. Cilantro flowers turn to Coriander seed. Grows 6-20” tall.

Anethum graveolens. Garnish cucumber salads, cold summer soups or freshly baked mountain trout with the lacy, pale gray-green leaves of this most popular herb. Yellow, umbrella-shaped summer flowers are quite beautiful as cut flowers. Easy to grow for foliage or seeds. 2-3′ tall.

Dimorphotheca sinuata. South Africa. Daisy-like flowers in apricot, salmon, yellow, cream, and white with good depth and texture. Extremely hardy. Tolerant of high winds, hot sun, cold nights. Easy-to-grow. 12″ tall.

Rudbeckia hirta. Numerous yellow flower heads grow on their own stalks. The flower head is up to 5 inches across, with 15-19 ray flowers, deeply veined and slightly toothed on the tip. The center is 1 inch or more across, green to dark brown.

Eschscholzia californica. California’s state flower. One of the easiest and brightest additions to a wildflower garden. Brilliant, golden-orange blossoms appear early and remain until first snow. Easy to grow. 12-18″.

Papaver rhoeas. Brilliant red to pink, crinkled flowers on slender, hairy stems. This classic poppy will grow almost anywhere without being invasive. Easy to grow. 18-24″.

Cosmos bipinnatus. Good weed competitor, does well in heavy soils, and is strong nitrogen fixer. Attracts beneficial insects to the growing area at the start of the season.

This mixture is composed of long-lasting flowers. Nothing brightens up a room like a vase of fresh flowers. Mix contains both annuals and perennials to provide cut flowers for many years to come.

Collection of annuals: Baby’s Breath, Bishop’s Flower, Blanketflower, China Aster, Clarkia, Cornflower, Cosmos, English Wallflower, Gaura, Gloriosa Daisy, Iceland Poppy, Lance-Leaved Coreopsis, Mexican Hat, Painted Daisy, Perennial Lupine, Plains Coreopsis, Purple Coneflower, Rocket Larkspur, Shasta Daisy, Sulphur Cosmos and Sweet William Pinks.

This annual and perennial mixture is a colorful and tasty blend of edible flowers. The colorful flowers in this mix have tangy, spicy, peppery, sweet floral, licorice, or minty flavors. Most are surprisingly delicious.

Borage, Calendula, Chives, Cilantro, Cornflower, Dianthus, English Daisy, Johnny Jump-Up, Lavender Hyssop, Lemon Mint, Nasturtium and Pansy.

Tagetes patula.  Beautiful mix of French and African marigolds, blended to enhance bloom season and increase diversity. Traditional bold red, tawny orange, rich gold, and lemony yellow blossoms brighten gardens while repelling insects. Great for in-ground or container gardens. Will grow almost anywhere without being invasive.  Can be grown as a cover crop. Easy to grow. 12-14″.

Companion plants: Good for asparagus, eggplant, melons, potatoes, squash, and tomatoes. Dislikes: beans.

Tropaeolum minor. Edible. Deep-green, shield-shaped leaves and brightly-colored, yellow and orange, open-faced flowers add sharpness, peppery taste and a flamboyant touch to summer salads and sandwiches. 12″ tall. Great conversation starter at the dinner table.

Zinnia elegans. A must for every cutting garden. Produces 4-6″ single, semi-double, and double flowers. A mix of yellows, roses, scarlet, green, orange, pink, red, purple, and coral. Height 40-50″ tall.

Another awesome resource is the Wildflower Handbook by Bill McDorman.  Through ecologically sensitive seed saving and quality seed
production, there has never been a better opportunity to enjoy the magic of the wild in your home garden. Join us in the endless adventure of planting wildflowers. Feel free to experiment. Try woodland, meadow or mountain favorites. Select by color, height, time of blossoming. Unknown successes await you only if you get started.
This PDF is organized into 4 sections: The Basics, Planting Strategies, Planting Instructions, and CHARTS indicated by growing difficulty of the wildflowers. Download instructions will be emailed upon purchase.

Basic Seed Saving, Written by Bill McDorman. A handy and easy to understand reference book on the Why’s and How’s of saving seeds. Add as many as you like for your community, organization, or holiday gift lists!