Southern Gardeners' Collection

Southern gardeners have different needs from those in the rest of the country.  Their plants must withstand scorching heat, intense humidity, and greater liklihood of pests and diseases.  Summers in the South are often too intense for tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants: gardeners there frequently start an early planting in late February or early March, in an effort to get a crop before summer shuts the plants down.  Many Southern growers like to plant again in late summer when the worst heat has passed, for harvest into the autumn, and we'll offer a few varieties for the autumn garden as well. Ordering for fall plants begins in June.

We have compiled the following list of varieties for spring planting for our friends in the Deep South.  We've attempted to identify varieties that are well adapted to intense heat and humidity.  All are open-pollinated, non-hybrid, non-GMO varieties.  Most are either products of old-school Southern university breeding programs, or they are local Southern heirlooms.  Either way they have a good prospect of yielding in the intense conditions found nowhere else in the nation.

We offer these varieties earlier in the spring than our main listings.  We anticipate availability on these varieties to run from early to late March 2010.  Items marked "Southern Collection only" will be offered exclusively from this one advance sowing; when these varieties have grown too large to ship, they will no longer be available. (The other items can be ordered in the regular listings and should be available all season.)

Available starting early March. E-mail us for details.                    abundantacres@yahoo.com

80 days - Indeterminate.  A favorite with everyone.  This large purple tomato is juicy and sweet-flavored but with just enough acid for a complex, smokey flavor. An old Cherokee Indian variety from the 1800's.

 

85 days - Indeterminate.  Potato-leaf plants yield up to 1 lb of dusky-pink beefsteak tomatoes. Creamy, sweet tasting flesh.  An old variety from Glasgow,  Kentucky;  grown by Emily Depp Coy from family-held seed since 1890.  Some cracking on shoulders looks like fireflies.  Very productive and beautiful.

Floradade (Red)  $3.00  Sorry, sold out for Southern shipping dates
80 days - Determinate.  From Dade County,  Florida, comes a winning tomato for the humid South;  developed by the University of Florida to be resistant to many of the particular problems that afflict tomatoes in southern states.  Nice sized fruit are round and smooth;  plants are quite productive.

Georgia Streak  $3.00   Sorry, sold out for Southern shipping dates 
90 days - Indeterminate.  Introduced by Southern Exposure Seed Exchange in 1990.  A stunning bicolor beefsteak type;  a study in red and yellow inside and out!  Red becomes more predominant as the fruits ripen to perfection.  Luscious fruits may reach 2 lb!  Flavor is mild and fruity.

Homestead  (Red)  $3.00  Sorry, sold out for Southern shipping dates
80 days - Semi-determinate.  Developed in the 1950's for growers in Florida and the southern states,  this 8 ounce tomato is wilt-resistant and productive.  At one time this was a very popular shipping variety.  Firm, tasty flesh, blemish-free under most conditions.

Jeff Davis (Red)   $3.00  Sorry, sold out for Southern shipping dates 
80 days - Indeterminate. A large potato leaf heirloom variety that produces 10-18-ounce, pink-purple slightly oval fruits.  1890 variety that hails from the B&O Railroad path that crossed Alabama.  Very high yield. Fruits have a creamy flesh, few seeds and are deliciously robust with sweet tomatoey flavors.  A particularly good variety for southern climates.  

Lillian's Heirloom (Yellow)  $3.00   Sorry, sold out for Southern shipping dates   
80 days - Indeterminate.  From Lillian Bruce of Tennessee,  this wonderful and rare Yellow Beefsteak is rich and complex in flavor, but produces very few seeds.  Fruits can weigh up to 20 oz.   Plants are potato-leaved, not common in yellow varieties.  Pale yellow color and considered one of the best.

Old Virginia (Red) Southern Collection only--not available for main-season shipping   $3.00
80 days - Indeterminate.  A great variety for the South.  This variety does very well in the heat and can produce large crops of 8 to 12 ounce fruit.  Wonderful full and rich tomato flavor from the past;  smooth and crack resistant.  A favorite from Southern Virginia.

75 days - Indeterminate.  Developed by the V.O. Porter & Sons Seed Company of Texas. Reputed to do well in the humidity of East Texas;  this red tomato produces in drought conditions as well.  The fruits are small, round and sweet.  Excellent in salsas, sauces and juice.

PEPPERS

Cayenne, Long Thin 

(Capsicum frutescens) Hot - 90 days.  Slender, long peppers turn bright red and are very hot.  The 2'-tall plants are vigorous and productive. This heirloom has been popular many years for drying, using as a spice, and also medicinally.  Adds heat to many a Chinese dish.

Charleston Belle  

70 days .  The first nematode-resistant bell pepper.  Large, beautiful fruit are smooth and of good quality.  A great pepper for the south and any areas where nematodes are a major problem.   Attractive, compact plants produce fairly early.   Developed by the USDA at Charleston, South Carolina.

Fish  

Hot - 80 days.  Multi-colored,  striped fruits include shades of brown, orange, white, red, and of course they all start out green.   Was used in the Baltimore area before 1950.  An African-American heirloom used in the fish and shellfish dishes of the region.  Very ornamental white and green variegated leaves, often quite dramatic.

(Capsicum frutescens) Hot - 90 days.  This famous heirloom was introduced into Louisiana in 1848 and became the main ingredient in Tabasco Pepper Sauce.  This pepper is very hot and has a delicious flavor.  The magnificent plants grow up to 4’ tall and are covered with small, thin peppers.  Needs a warm summer or can be grown as a potted plant.  Fruit ripen from green to orange, then red.

EGGPLANTS

Florida Market  $3.00   Sorry, sold out for Southern shipping dates
70-90 days.   Productive plants to 38" tall are good for Southern gardens.  Black-skinned  9" bell-shaped fruit fruit hold up well in the sun.  Resistant to fruit rot and phomopsis blight.

Listada de Gandia  $3.00 Sorry, sold out for Southern shipping dates
75-90 days.  Italian type 6-10" fruits are teardrop-shaped, white with purple stripes.  Very popular heirloom originating in France in 1850.  Recommended for Southern gardeners, but has been grown successfully at least as far north as Connecticut.

Petch Siam  $3.00 Sorry, sold out for Southern shipping dates
80 days.  This Thai variety is 2 - 3 inches round, with dark and light green stripes.  Very popular in Asian cooking.  Plants are vigorous and produce well.

Rosita  $3.00  Sorry, sold out for Southern shipping dates
70 days.  Developed in Puerto Rico in the 1940's,  Rosita is one of the loveliest eggplants around.  Pink-Lavender skin and white, mild flesh.  The fruit grows to 8 - 9 inches long and 3 -4 inches in diameter.  No need to peel these tender fruits.