For me, there are no more satisfying late-winter activities than sowing seeds and nurturing seedlings. Preparing, choosing, watching, and waiting offer a quiet form of excitement that grows gradually to a joyous crescendo when robust home-grown seedlings are ready for transplanting into the garden or larger pots. I hope many of you will get to experience this pleasure. Our seed selection this year is excellent, and now is the time to begin your indoor seed-sowing.
At Harlequin’s, I get to guide the creation of an enormous feast of seed and plant choices, so that you, our wonderful customers, can get what you want AND what you need. Most of you have found new favorites at Harlequin’s over the years, most of which we still offer. And we are always experimenting with new selections, too. Here’s a tiny taste of this year’s new vegetable start varieties in the Solanaceae family to get you salivating.
FRESNO CHILE PEPPER
70 days, Open-Pollinated, 2,500 – 10,000 Scoville Heat Units
A ‘foodie’ favorite, the Fresno Chili pepper is often confused with the jalapeño but has thinner walls (quick-drying), and takes less time to mature. Fresno often has milder heat when green and is hotter than Jalapeno when red, with a fruitier, smokier, more complex flavor. Like Jalapeno, fruits are two to three inches long, slightly curved, with smooth skin, ripening to fiery red. Use in any recipe calling for Jalapeno or Serrano chile peppers.
FENGYUAN EGGPLANT
65 days, Open-Pollinated
This slender Asian eggplant bears exceptionally long fruits, up to 12”. Its beautiful bright purple skin is so thin that peeling is unnecessary and creamy white flesh is reliably mild with no bitterness. Plants produce an abundance of fruit that can grow well over a foot long. Easy to grow and wonderful for grilling or adding to stir-fries. Harvest begins in just 65 days.
Magic Bullet, courtesy Adaptive Seeds
MAGIC BULLET TOMATO
70 days, Open-Pollinated, Indeterminate
If only all bullets were so harmless! The name aside, this new one-or-two-bite sized snacking tomato promises to be both a stunning gem-like beauty and an exceptionally delicious treat. Vivid gold, pink and green pointy fruits are capped and striped with deep indigo. The prolific fruits mature on strong, indeterminate plants in about 70 days from transplant.
CALIFORNIA SUNGOLD
65days, Open-Pollinated, Indeterminate
This may be the closest anybody has gotten to recreating the sweet, fruity flavor of the classic hybrid tomato Sungold in an open pollinated version. Whereas most attempts to develop an open-pollinated Sungold have started with dehybridizing the legendary Japanese F1 hybrid, breeders Kanti Rawal and Steve Peters took a different approach and started by crossing the types of fruit that Sungold was purportedly bred from. This approach was clearly a success! Bright orange 12-20oz. cherry tomatoes are nearly as sweet as Sun Gold hybrid, with characteristic thin skin but less prone to splitting, and form in clusters on vigorous medium-height indeterminate plants.
AMA ROSA POTATO
85-100 days, Open Pollinated, Great storage
A high yielding fingerling of superb culinary quality, with beautiful, smooth, burgundy skin and sweet, creamy red flesh that resists fading during cooking and is rich in anti-oxidants. Ama Rosa is delicious roasted, grilled, fried, baked, boiled, steamed or as mouthwatering pink chips. If harvested new, handle gently to prevent skinning. Also high in potassium, iron, antioxidants, and vitamins C and B6, and highly resistant to scab.