The Marigold Potager – A Zone 3 Prairie Garden

I have just sent off the rest of my seed orders. Now to wait for them to roll in. It’s getting to be sowing time for some of them, so all of a sudden I anxious about how long they will take to get here, hahaha. I went from la-di-dah to omg : )

Seriously though, there is no worry. Anything we would start in the next two weeks, can wait an extra bit and be just fine. You want to get a wiggle on as soon as the seeds arrive, though, if you are growing peppers, eggplants, celery, artichokes, luffa gourds from seed.

As with last year, I am sticking to Canadian companies only and buying from companies that have the $5 letter mail option (and some ship for free!). Means I can order from a few companies without breaking the bank.

Tomatoes

Over the years, I have trialed hundreds of different heirloom tomatoes. Even now, with my smaller property, I tend to do my 80/20 thing. 80% of the tomatoes are tried and true favourites, while 20% are new to me varieties.

Slicers are your everyday tomatoes. The ones you buy at the grocers to put in salads, sandwiches, fresh eating. I am combining the small saladette tomatoes into the group, too, as they are bigger than cherries, though small sized slicers.

• Black Krim (The Incredible Seed Company) – This one is a favourite every year. Great producer of lovely, big, deep purple tomatoes with a rich, deep, savoury flavour. Indeterminate. 70 days.
• Black Prince (The Incredible Seed Company) – The tomato that got me hooked on heirlooms. known for its unique and rich flavor. It is a medium-sized tomato that is typically dark red or purple in color, with a deep, almost smoky taste that is both sweet and slightly tart. Indeterminate. 74 days
• Early Siberian (The Incredible Seed Company) – . “This tomato makes me want to eat a burger!” Such a fleshy & succulent slicer. Red, cue-ball sized tomatoes grow in clusters of 3-5 & are uniform in size. A classic tomato in both flavour & looks. 5’ plants require support. Determinate. 70 days
• Glacier (The Incredible Seed Company) – As its names suggests, this early tomato is great for northern climates! Plants average out at 2 1/2 to 3 feet, with loads of round red tomatoes! Sweet fruit are 2 to 3 inches in diameter and reddish-orange. Determinate. 55 days. One of my all time favourite early tomatoes, for flavour.
• Green Zebra (The Incredible Seed Company) – Green Zebra Tomatoes are one of the very most popular and delicious green varieties. They are excellent in salads and for slicing and very productive. The sweet, tangy green fruit are ripe once the fruit develop a slight yellow backing to its darker green stripes. Indeterminate. 72 days.
• Stupice (The Incredible Seed Company) – This indeterminate tomato has an avid fan base. Tomato enthusiasts describe Stupice tomatoes as having a rich and complex flavor with a hint of sweetness. Great for eating fresh, as well as for use in salads and salsas. Small tomatoes, shorter vines, very early at 50 days. I’ve been growing this one, on and off, for over 20 years.

With paste tomatoes, I tend to stick to mostly determinate varieties, as they all ripen at about the same time. This allows us to make to do two batches of canning, one larger one of tomato sauce and a smaller batch of salsa two weeks later.

The biggest problem hubs has with processing the tomatoes is that the fruits are usually smaller than the indeterminates. Therefore, this year, we are growing some of both. I’ll never stop doing trials : )

• Heinz 2653 (Annapolis Seeds) – Determinate and early maturing paste tomato. Excellent choice for growers with shorter or cooler seasons that have trouble getting big yields of other paste tomatoes. Sets fruit and ripens quickly, so it’s also a good choice to beat late blight. Fruits are smaller than other paste tomatoes, with a distinctive roma-like shape and very little juice.
• Roma VF (The Incredible Seed Company) – Dependable, productive, easy to grow. The plants are disease resistant and the fruit are good for canning, cooking and drying. The VF stands for verticillium and fusarium resistance. Heirloom. Determinate. 65 days
• San Marzano (Gaia Organic Seeds) – famous  Italian variety of deep bright red, crack-resistant, and uniform looking tomato. Tomatoes don’t ripe at the same time so great for market gardeners. Little juice and very few seeds that makes it good for sauce. Indeterminate paste tomato. 85 days.

We have just recently started eating cherry or grape tomatoes. They were not much of a priority to us before… but now we grow a few : )

• Black Cherry (West coast Seeds) – Rich, juicy cherry tomatoes with wonderfully complex, sweet flavour and firm texture. The little fruits of this variety look exotic and taste irresistibly delicious. Indeterminate. 65 days. I picked these seeds up in person at the local greenhouse, but rarely ever purchase from them.
• Gardener’s Delight (The Incredible Seed Company) – tall, indeterminate vines produces long trusses of bright red, cherry tomatoes. 65 days.
• Gardener’s Sweetheart (The Incredible Seed Company) – One of the most breathtaking tomatoes! This delicious, crack resistant, cherry tomato grows to 6-8 feet in fertile, well watered soil. Gardener’s Sweetheart produces amazingly, long clusters of heart-shaped fruit, in most cases 12 – 18 inches! Tomatoes themselves are sweet, juicy and are at their best when allowed to ripen fully on the vine. Indeterminate. 70 days. I grow this one annually.

Beefsteaks are my favourites to grow and to eat. There is just something amazing about big, juicy tomatoes that fill the sandwich with just one slice.

• Dwarf Bush Beefsteak (The Incredible Seed Company) – Determinate, 62 days. Dwarf bush tomato grows to 3 feet tall, produces large, red, beefsteak tomatoes. Thin skins, few seeds, open-pollinated variety.
• Hungarian Heart (Gaia Organic Seeds) – I love Oxheart types tomatoes, they are so meaty, with few seeds. This family heirloom, introduced to the U.S. in 1901 by Hungarian winemaker John Simon, produces large pink oxheart fruits that can weigh over a pound. Known for its few seeds and resistance to cracking, it thrives in wet weather. Ideal for fresh eating, canning, and making roasted tomato sauce, this variety is a favorite for its full flavor and versatile use in the kitchen. It was shared with the Seed Savers Exchange in 1988 by Simon’s son, Ed, and remains a cherished variety for many. INDETERMINATE. 75 days.
• Pink Berkeley Tie-Dye (The Incredible Seed Company) – Produces masses of massive, gorgeous fruit that are disease resistant, full of that exquisite and complex dark tomato flavour. Fruits are juicy with the perfect texture for a slicer. It is also an indeterminate, meaning it will go on fruiting FOREVER – at least until frost – but, this tomato is compact in its growth habit, so you won’t be trying to wrangle 12 foot vines. A consistent winner of taste tests the world over. I love, love, love this tomato. My dog was named after this tomato ; ) Open-pollinated. Indeterminate. 65 days.

If I happen to find some before sowing time, I will pick up Fargo’s Yellow Pear for my workshops, too.

Determinate, Indeterminate & Semi-Determinate Tomatoes – Read about the differences here.

Peppers

I find that peppers grown in hot hottest spot produce and fare the best in our short gardening season. Grow them in pots or raised beds, in the greenhouse or along the south or west wall of your house. Do not water too often, just once or twice a week.

Did you know that you can grow your own spices? I am in need of fresh paprika, am running low, so will be growing the peppers this summer. You can also grow your own cayenne, chili powder, etc… It is super easy to do. Grow, dry, and buzz in the grinder. Organic, homegrown spices.

Be careful not to overwater Hot Peppers or they will have little to no heat, will instead be bland and watery tasting.

• Anaheim Salsa (Gaia Organic Seeds) – a salsa-type variety, feature easily digestible, mildly hot flesh. These peppers grow to impressive lengths of 6-8 inches on 2-3 foot tall plants. Renowned for their delectable taste, Anaheim Heirloom Peppers are popular in Mexico for roasting and stuffing, adding a flavorful kick to various dishes. Anaheim chilies are often roasted and used for chile rellenos. 500 to 2500 Scoville units. 85 days. I am growing them to make hot pickled peppers.
• Early Jalapeno (The Incredible Seed Company) – The vigorous 26 inch plants bear early and abundantly and are very easy to grow, ensuring a bumper crop. They are ready to pick when the peppers are dark green. 4750 Scoville units. 73 days.
• Hungarian Hot Wax (Incredible Seed Company) – A dependable, productive and one of the best for our shorter Canadian growing season! The smooth 5.5 inch fruit are red and yellow are comparable to jalapenos in terms of heat. 5,000 to 10,000 SHU. A great, mild chili for northern gardens. 60 (yellow) to 80 days (red). I am also growing these for pickling so that I can add colourful peppers to the jars – green, red, yellow.
• Kalosca Paprika (Gaia Organic Seeds) – A genuine Hungarian variety bred for the making of high quality spicy Paprika. Plants are 24-36″ tall  and produces abundant yields of 6″ long by 1 1/4″ wide fruits. Mildly hot at 250 to 500 Scoville units. 85 days.
• Matchbox Chili (Incredible Seed Company) – Fire-in-your-mouth hot and fruity at the same time. Compact plants are suitable for field or container growing and are covered in upright, 5 cm long peppers that ripen from pale green to bright red. Produce heavy yields in hot dry weather, cold damp weather, sandy soil or heavy clay. Open-pollinated. 40,000 Scoville Units. 80 days. Making my own chili powder.
• NuMex Joe E Parker (The Incredible Seed Company) – A great producer of medium hot chilies! Peppers average 6 inches in length and are rated as 2500 on the Scoville Scale. Make into chili powder, or into pickled peppers.

Sweet Peppers have the same needs as the hots. Water a bit more often once they are producing fruit so that you get nice, juicy, fat walled peppers.

• California Wonder (Burpee) – A great ol’ faithful in the world of heirloom peppers! California Wonder first appeared in the 1920s and produces large green, then red, bell peppers. This is a great all around open pollinated sweet pepper variety, adaptable to any home organic vegetable garden. 70 days.
• Golden Calwonder (The Incredible Seed Company) – Golden Calwonder is a great sweet pepper for Northern climates. These compact plants bare heavily and early. Peppers are ripe and sweetest when green has brightened to a brilliant gold. Lovely for fresh eating and grilling. 78 days.
• King of The North (The Incredible Seed Company) – Reputed to be one of the best peppers for northern regions, we’ve found King of the North does best in a hot sheltered location or in a greenhouse poly tunnel. When red and ripened it is truly delicious, full of flavour, very sweet and juicy. 75 days. This is a super reliable sweet pepper for Canadian growers.
• Orange King Bell (Gaia Organic Seeds) – robust, compact plants with erect, bush-like shape that can grow to a height of 24. High-yielding. Peppers are delicious, blocky, and have three to four lobes. These peppers turn from green to brilliant orange when they mature. 60 days.

Eggplants

I am giving eggplants their own segment, just as with the peppers and tomatoes. Not because many of you grow them, but because if you do want to grow them, they need to be started with your hot peppers and grown the same way. In the greenhouse or a hot wall, ideally in a pot or raised bed, so that they produce well. Do not overwater.

• Pingtung Long (The Incredible Seed Company) – Pingtung Long is a great early ripening Chinese eggplant. It is beautiful in the garden and plants are resilient in the face of drought. Their flavour is delicate and not as bitter as European varieties. 70 days.
• Piccolo (Gaia Organic Seeds) – Rather oval-shaped fruits are easy to slice and grill. Excellent for stuffing. High yield over long season, very vigorous parthenocarpic plants. Great shelf-life and a unique addition to market displays. 70 days.

The Rest Of The Veggies

Artichokes – Purple Romagna (The Incredible Seed Company) – Purple Romagna Artichokes are a beautiful variety with true royal flair! We love all purple vegetables and these artichokes are no exception – plants can be grown purely for their ornamental and grand beauty, but also for their delicious chokes. 85 -100 days. I grow these for the bees.

Beets – Early Wonder (The Incredible Seed Company) – A wildly popular heirloom beet, adaptable to all seasons. Early Wonder heirloom beets form deep globe roots, 3-4 inches in diameter. They are prized for their tall tasty greens, which can reach up to 18 inches tall! This heirloom beet does especially well early in the season when soil temperature in your organic garden are still cool. 52 days.

Broccoli – De Cicco (Incredible Seed Company) – A wonderful old Italian variety, De Cicco Heirloom Broccoli produces multiple harvests. First, with one main broccoli head in the center followed by many side shoots that continue through the fall. Harvest the first head once it’s three inches in diameter and you will encourage bigger side shoots later on. 48 days.

Cabbage – Early Jersey Wakefield (The Incredible Seed Company) – This unique variety of heirloom cabbage has tall, pointed heads with excellent flavour. Early Jersey Wakefield Heirloom Cabbage is a very early maturing variety, with heads that average 2-3 pounds each and they resist splitting. 50 days. I love how early these are. You can beat the cabbage moths!

Carrots – Tendersweet (The Incredible Seed Company) – Sweet and crisp, easy to grow, and very reliable. The straight, deep orange carrot roots are smooth and almost coreless. They grow 9-10 inches long and their gorgeous colour is retained in cooking and freezing. 63 days. I have been growing these Imperator types (long, narrow) for the past 3 years and stopped growing all the others as they are so good.

Cauliflower – Purple Crush (Renee’s Garden Seeds) – This top-quality new cauliflower grows smoothly into big domed heads with a beautiful rich purple color and superb mild, nutty, sweet flavor. Purple Crush really looks sensational in the garden, and in the kitchen, the purple florets offer both extra antioxidants and great taste. 75 days.

Di Sicilia Violetta (The Incredible Seed Company) – Delicious fresh or cooked, this deep purple heritage Sicilian cauliflower turns green when cooked. This large variety will make offshoots once main head is cut. 80 days.

I prefer growing purple cauliflower as there is no blanching to do. Find it easier and always successful.

Celery – Tall Utah (OSC) – This open-pollinated variety produces vigorous plants with nicely flavoured, crisp stalks that can be enjoyed young or at their full height of 45 cm. It has an early maturity for a celery and is resistant to bolting under summer stress, making it a reliable choice for a demanding crop. 100 Days.

Cucumber – Tendergreen Burpless (The Incredible Seed Company) – Smooth, sweet and acid free. The tender blocky fruit are at their prime when smaller than eight inches long. Tendergreen is ideal for fresh eating and also makes for an excellent market cucumber. When picked young the fruit can also be used to make pickles. 60 days. I’ve been growing these for the past two years and really like them, very productive.

Gourd- Luffas (Gaia Organic Seeds) – Luffa is often used in Asian cuisine. Vining plants should be trellised so that the fruits can hang down as they develop. It is well-known for producing loofah sponges in the west. If the fruits are allowed to reach their full size & dried, they become intensely fibrous that is used to make sponges. 105 days. I chose this variety for the shorter maturity date, most are 150.

Lettuce – Loose Leaf Blend ( Burpee) – Five classic lettuce types and textures in a range of colors-Black-Seeded Simpson, Lollo Rossa, Red Salad Bowl, Royal Oak Leaf and Salad Bowl. These lettuces are all as beautiful as they are delicious and make for delightful salads, rich in color, flavor and texture. 45 days. I like cut and come again, sweet lettuces.

Lettuce – Red Salad Bowl (The Incredible Seed Company) – Loose leaf lettuce. Rich, deep red, tender leaves with a sweet flavour. These oak leaf type lettuce heads are slow bolting and perfect for a bright and colourful salad. 50 days. Recommended on ‘The Metabolism Plan/Recode’ diet.

Onions – New York Early (Incredible Seed Company) – The New York Early Onion is a hardy, early-maturing variety known for its robust flavor and excellent storage potential. This onion produces medium to large, round, yellow bulbs that are sweet and pungent, ideal for fresh eating or cooking. It thrives in cooler climates, offering a reliable harvest within a short growing season. Its disease resistance and high yield make it a popular choice for gardeners in northern regions. 98 days.

Onions – Gladstone (Gaia Organic Seeds) – White onions that will keep for a decent amount of time in the cold room. 105 days.

Onions -Wethersfield Red Storage (Incredible Seed Company) – A historical home gardeners favourite, Red Wethersfield Onions was once used as currency in the town of Wethersfield Connecticut. The medium to large sized red onions grow and store well towards the end of Winter. I love this heirloom variety, such a great onion. 110 days.

Peas – Alderman (OSC) – Since its 1891 introduction, this handsome pea has maintained its place as the best of the tall varieties. Plants grow to 1.5 m or more in height and produce enormous crops of large, plump, dark green pods well filled with 8-10 peas of high quality. This pea tends to have a longer flowering period – which is great for extending the harvest. Peas are good fresh and quite suitable for canning and freezing. This is an excellent variety to go with when space is limited and soil is poor. Alderman is resistant to wilt. Known by two names, ‘Tall Telephone’ and ‘Alderman Tall’. 75 days. My favourite peas to grow as the vines are so tall!

Pumpkins – Jack Be Little (Gaia Organic Seeds) – Miniature, old-fashioned , tiny pumpkins are 3″ wide by 2″ tall and bright orange. Each plant will produce an average of eight pumpkins. Great for decorations and raw fruit can be hollowed out to make a cute serving dish. 6-12 fruits per vine. 95 days. I am growing this for ornamental decorations.

Radish – French Breakfast (OSC) – An older variety grown since at least the late 1870’s. Produces rich scarlet red roots with white tips that are crisp, mild and surprisingly sweet. A real favourite that has stood the test of time! Although frost hardy, roots will not tolerate freezing. Irrigation is essential for best flavour and root consistency. 23 days.

Radish – Purple Plum (OSC) – Unique, bright purple skin with firm white flesh. Crisp and sweet all season. Purple Plum is mildly hot, hardy and very adaptable to a wide range of soil types. Rarely, if ever pithy. Roots average 3 cm in diameter. 25 days.

Spinach – Countryside (OSC) – An improved smooth-leaf spinach, Countryside is a beautiful dark green, very uniform, baby leaf spinach variety. It has thick, smooth, round- oval leaves. Has good holding ability for a baby leaf and it has good bolt tolerance. 36 days.

Squash – Dark Green Zucchini ( OSC) – This compact, bushy variety will produce enough delicious, dark green fruits to feed the nation! Harvest fruit for best quality when 25-30 cm long. Grows 50-100 cm in height. This is the zucchini to have when you are pressed for space! Very easy to grow in half whisky-barrel sized containers. 45 days.

Squash – Saffron Yellow Summer Squash (Incredible Seed Company) – Smooth saffron coloured squash in incredible abundance is what you will find here. Fruit are sweet and delicious raw. 42 days. If you are doing ‘The Metabolism Plan/Recode’, you will want to grow this squash as it is eaten a lot, lot, lot….

Squash – Waltham Butternut (Incredible Seed Company) – A huge producer of light tan oblong fruit. The bright orange flesh tastes fantastic after a couple months in storage, making this variety perfect for winter keeping. The ever expanding vines are vigorous and constantly producing. 85 days.

I will update and repost this if I add anything as I am still looking for gherkins/Parisian cucumbers and Fargo tomatoes.

Can’t wait Till Summer ~ Tanja