Seeds

One of the earliest tomatoes for your garden is also one of the best tasting – mild and sweet with good texture. Golden Nugget offers one inch fruit that are borne on compact plants (20 to 26 inches) and have a concentrated fruit set. Fruit weight 1/2 to 3/4 of an ounce. Developed by James Baggett at Oregon State University, for cooler growing conditions. Determinate. 55 days.

French explorers probably brought this okra to America in the early 1700s. Plants reach more than 7 feet in height and produce an abundance of large, light green, curled pods 8 to 10 inches in length. Harvest at 6 inches for best flavor and texture. Great for your favorite jambalaya dish. 55 to 60 days.

Extra-large blocky bell peppers mature from green to bright yellow on sturdy plants that are highly productive. Thick-walled peppers are 4 to 5 inches long and nearly as wide. They are heavy and quite meaty, perfect for adding bright color and sweetness to salads and stir-fries, or try them roasted and charred on the grill. Plants are resistant to Tobacco Mosaic Virus. 70 days.

Heirloom variety from Maine offers beautiful, 8 to 10 oz. orange fruit with few seeds. Meaty and delicious, their flavor is sweet yet tangy. Valencia ripens earlier than many other orange tomatoes, making it a good choice for gardeners with shorter seasons. Indeterminate. 76 days.

Beautiful pink beefsteak fruit are lovely to look at as well as having an excellent, sweet yet complex flavor. Meaty, blemish-free tomatoes average 1 lb., but sometimes become twice that large. Vigorous, potato-leaved plants yield heavily, which may be due in part to this variety holding up well despite exposure to disease. Heirloom variety from a woman named Olena in Odessa, Ukraine. Indeterminate. 85 days.

This rootstock is known for producing plants with good generative growth, meaning a better balance of flowers and fruit to leafy growth, resulting in heavier yields of tomatoes. It is also known to promote a longer production cycle, extending the season. Resistant to Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus. This is a well-proven rootstock variety favored by an increasing number of growers.

Round to slightly elongated-shaped cherry tomato is bright red and prolific with excellent flavor and plenty of juice. This variety practically grows itself, resisting most diseases and setting loads of fruit. Great for salads and can even be used for juice. Australian Heirloom. Indeterminate. 70 days.

This heirloom variety was passed down from Mrs. Maxwell, who lived in Missouri and whose friend from Italy gave her the original seed. Tomatoes are 1 to 2 lb. dark-pink beefsteaks with luscious flavor and juicy, meaty texture, just right for eating fresh, canning, or even making sauce. Vigorous, potato-leaved plants are prolific and bear earlier than some other beefsteak types. Indeterminate. 80 days.

A tomato that is red and green-striped is so unusual that it's safe to say that you've probably never seen anything like it before. Although deep red and green outside, its interior is green with pink extending up into the middle. The appearance is so striking and different that we couldn't help noticing it growing in a patch of Copia tomatoes. Fruit is medium to large with a mild, sweet flavor. Indeterminate. 85 days.

This big sister of Green Zebra green is mild and tasty with the same color and shape, but fruit reach 5- 6 inches and 8 to 9 ounces. Plants are very productive. Indeterminate. 80 days.

Imagine tremendous harvests of pretty pink-red scalloped tomatoes with great flavor and you have the essence of what Big Raspberry offers. Perhaps the name comes from the fruit's rosy pink color or from the way it covers the plant like raspberries on the bush. These meaty sweet tomatoes become 6 to 10 ozs. and really load up on vigorous potato-leaf plants. Heirloom variety. Indeterminate. 75 days.

Compact plants bear lots of pure white 7-in. long eggplant with tender, mild flesh. Plants seem to perform well even in cool weather, so gardeners in short-season areas can also expect large harvests. If you have never grown white eggplant before, you will be pleasantly surprised how sweet and delicately textured they are. Let their mild flavor and meaty texture stand out in dishes where vegetables are the centerpiece. 70 days.