The Modern Farmsteads Growing List for 2020
After spending hours pouring over seed catalogs and deliberating over what will grow well along the Front Range here in Colorado, we are excited to say that our much-anticipated growing list is finally here!! As I write this, the majority of the seeds have been sown and they are doing well in the greenhouse. We have put together the seed portfolios of what we will be growing this year for all our garden consult clients and have listed the plant choices electronically below. The list is divided into two categories - those that are growing in the greenhouse and we will be selling as plants and also the list of seeds that we will be selling for sowing directly into your gardens.
P.S. BI is short for Botanical Interests, BC is short for Baker Creek seeds and WBF is the abbreviation for Wild Boar Farms (Brad Gates) The descriptive summaries are taken directly from the seed companies themselves, hence the quotation marks.
Price list:
Individual 2.5-inch pots of seedlings - $2.50
Individual 5-inch pots of seedlings - $5.50 Ready in early May (Except artichokes which are available now.)
Individual 7-inch pots of tomato seedlings - $7.50 Ready in early to mid-May
Seedlings for purchase
Tomatoes
San Marzano Lungo No2 (“This is a newer selection of this famous Italian cooking tomato. Long, cylindrical fruit is filled with thick, dry flesh and few seeds. This heavy producing variety is a standard for many Italian farmers and chefs” - BC) This is a staple tomato we grow at Modern Farmsteads every year. It is great for freezing and canning.
Costoluto Genovese (“The fluted, old Italian favorite that has been around since the early 19th century. The fruit is rather flattened and quite attractive with its deep ribbing. This variety is a standard in Italy for both fresh eating and preserving and known for its intensely flavorful, deep red flesh. This variety has also become very popular with chefs in this country.” - BC) We grew this for the first time last year and like its beauty and versatility.
Speckled Roman (“A cross between 'Antique Roman' and 'Banana Legs', this unique roma will wow you with orange and yellow stripes! It not only looks extraordinary, it's a first-rate performer in the garden and in the kitchen. 'Speckled Roman' is a prolific producer; fruits have meaty flesh and few seeds, perfect for sauces. Vigorous vines reach 6' or more.” - BI) This one is new to Modern Farmsteads this year.
Great White (“75 days. Large, 1-lb giant with creamy white fruit. This tomato is superbly wonderful. The flesh is so good and deliciously fruity, it reminds one of a mixture of fresh-cut pineapple, melon, and guava. One of our favorite fresh-eating tomatoes! Fruit is smoother than most large beefsteak types, and yields can be very high. Introduced by Gleckler’s Seedsmen.” - BC) This tomato is new to Modern Farmsteads this year.
Cour di Bue (“70 days. A wonderful, Oxheart-type heirloom has been a favorite in Italy for many years. Beautiful, 12-oz, heart-shaped fruit has a delicious sweet taste. Great for fresh eating or cooking. Large vigorous vines. One of the best-tasting tomatoes, these have perfect flavor! Hard to find and so beautiful looking.” - BC) This variety is new to Modern Farmsteads this year.
Solar Flare (“6-10 oz. fruit, Beefsteak, Red with Gold Stripes, Very Meaty with Luscious Sweet Red Tomato Flavor. F-7 Cross from Beauty King, selected for flavor, WOW Factor, production, increased earliness, scab resistance. Mid / Early Season, full body red, slightly sweet. This variety is a workhorse.” - WBF) This one is new to Modern Farmsteads this year.
Pink Berkeley Tie Dye (“8-12 oz. fruit, Beautiful, early, and very sweet rich flavor. 10 out of 10 people liked it better then Cherokee Purple in a farmers market taste off. Early to mid-early, 65-75 days. Compact indet. Regular leaf. Port wine colored beefsteak with metallic green stripes. Excellent sweet, rich dark tomato flavor.Fabulous. Marginal tomato climate recommended.” - WBF) This is one of our all-time favorite tomatoes ever. Prolific and the flavor is incredible.
Pink Jazz (“Legendary tomato breeder Fred Hempel has introduced one of his most stunning varieties yet, the Pink Jazz tomato! This big beefsteak often weighs in at 1 lb each, dripping with sweet, tomato flavor which is also often described as having peach undertones. Leviathan pink fruit are tiger-striped with light pink yellow” - BC) New to Modern Farmsteads this year.
Blue Beauty (“4-8 oz. fruit, Selection from a cross with Beauty King and a blue tomato. Great production. Medium Large fruit, Meaty Pink beefsteak with a lovely dark blue Anthocyanin top. Good hang on the vine ability, sunburn, and crack-resistant. Very good flavor.” - WBF) This was a Modern Farmsteads MVP last year. Love the flavor!
Black Beauty (“World’s Darkest Tomato-- the darkest tomato we know! A dark, meaty, very rich-fleshed tomato with extreme anthocyanin expression (same antioxidant in blueberries and blackberries). So dark that some tomatoes turn solid blue-black on the skin. Deep red flesh is among the best tasting of all tomatoes. Rich, smooth and savory with earthy tones. Hangs well on the vine and stores very well, and the flavor improves with room-temperature storage. Our own Dave Kaiser tasted it at the 2015 National Heirloom Exposition and proclaimed it as the BEST tomato he had ever eaten!”- BC) - At MF this is our favorite tomato for flavor hands down but they are a little slow to ripen.
True Black Brandywine (“80-90 days. Potato leaf. This fine variety was sent to us by our friend, famed seed collector and food writer, William Woys Weaver, of Pennsylvania. It was passed down to him from his Quaker grandfather’s collection dating back to the 1920s. As to its history, Will states “The ‘true’ Black Brandywine was bred sometime in the late 1920s by Dr. Harold E. Martin (1888-1959), a dentist turned plant breeder who is best remembered today for his famous pole lima with huge seeds. Dr. Martin lived in Westtown, Penn., only a few miles from my grandfather’s place in West Chester, and the two were gardening buddies. It was through that connection that his grandfather managed to wheedle seed out of the good doctor, as well as the details on how he created it. Dr. Martin always had a high opinion of his plant creations and did not like to share them. He charged 25 cents a seed for his lima, unheard of in those days. And he never released his Black Brandywine to a seed company, nor did he share it with many people, so I am fairly certain it never circulated among growers like his popular lima bean. According to my grandfather, Black Brandywine was a controlled cross between Brandywine and the original brown Beefsteak tomato otherwise known as Fejee Improved. Fejee Improved is probably extinct.” We thank Will for entrusting us with this great-tasting tomato that is extra large in size and full of the deep, earthy and sweet flavor that has made blackish-purple tomatoes so popular. Some fruit tended to crack, but the yield was heavy, and the plants were vigorous and did well in our hot Missouri summer. Superior for salsa and cooking. We enjoyed these all summer, both fresh and in countless recipes. A great home garden variety that will surely become a favorite.” - BC) -New to Modern Farmsteads this year.
Black Krim (“This Russian heirloom originated in Krymsk on the Black Sea in Russia. Baseball-sized fruits weigh 10–12 ounces and have reddish-brown flesh filled with a rich, slightly salty flavor. Fruit sets well in heat and is a reliable "black" tomato, producing even under adverse conditions from summer to fall. Provide support for plants that can reach 6' or more.” - BI) So many of you asked for this last year so we are growing them this year!
Aunt Ruby’s German Green Tomato (“85 days. One of the largest green beefsteaks. Can grow to over 1 pound and is delicious. It has brilliant, neon-green flesh with a strong, sweet, and fruity flavor, much tastier than most red tomatoes. This family heirloom from Germany is beautiful. The winner of the 2003 Heirloom Garden Show’s taste test.” - BC) New to Modern Farmsteads this year.
Ananas Noir the Black Pineapple Tomato (“A most exciting new tomato, it is wonderful in every way. This unusual variety was developed by Pascal Moreau, a horticulturist from Belgium. The multi-colored, smooth fruit (green, yellow and purple mix) weighs about 1½ lbs. The flesh is bright green with deep red streaks. Everyone loves its superb flavor that is outstanding, being both sweet and smoky with a hint of citrus. The yield is one of the heaviest we have ever seen! Be the first at your farmers market to have this new classic.” - BC) This variety is new to Modern Farmsteads this year but with 46 reviews on the Baker Creek site we had to try it.
Cherry Tomatoes
Principe Borghese (“70-75 days. Determinate. The Italian heirloom that is famous for sun drying. Small 1-to 2-oz, grape-shaped fruit is very dry and has few seeds. It has a rich tomato taste that is wonderful for sauces. Vines yield clusters of fruit in abundance, perfect for selling in fresh markets and making specialty products. We offer pure Italian seed.” -BC) New to MF this year.
Brad’s Atomic Grape (“Indeterminate. These elongated multi-colored large cherries grow in clusters. Lavender and purple striped when immature, turning to green, red/brown with anthocyanin blue stripes when fully ripe. The interior is green with a blushed red when extra ripe. This amazing variety is delicately sweet. The fruit holds well on the vine and post-harvest. The wispy foliage but produces a lot of fruit.” - WBF) We LOVE these tomatoes. The colors are beautiful and the tomatoes have incredible flavors. Marvelous in a salad.
Lucky Tiger “Staff & Customer Favorite! Elongated 2-inch fruit comes in stunning, jewel-toned shades of green and red, with hints of gold. This tomato gets top marks for flavor: tangy, sweet and complex with tropical notes and balanced acidity. Lucky Tiger has great market gardening potential. It stands out in the market display and is well suited for both greenhouse and field growing. The best snacking tomato we grow!”- BC) These are new to MF this year.
Tiger Cherry Roma (“60-70 days. Stunning, jewel-toned colors combine with a translucent quality to give these elongated cherries serious visual appeal! The fruit is similar shape to a mini Roma, but tastes much better! Some of the best tomatoes ever in taste tests. This is a mix of three, fantastic colored Tiger tomatoes: Pink, Green, and Blush Orange. These were bred by Fred Hempel and thrive outdoors or in the greenhouse. A wonderful “Cherry-Roma” collection.” -BC) We love these for flavor and the most amazing varied colors.
Chocolate Cherry (“'Chocolate Cherry' tomatoes—doesn't just the name make you hungry? These 1" purplish-red, delectable tomatoes are great for snacking on and add a little sweetness to salads and pasta. The prolific vines bear seemingly endless trusses with 6–8 crack-resistant fruits that will keep you coming back for harvest after harvest.” - BI) These are big and delicious. You won’t regret growing them.
Chocolate Pear (“70 days. Expect huge crops of “black,” pear-shaped tomatoes over a very long season. Chocolate Pear has a rich tomato flavor that has made heirlooms so popular! A great variety for CSAs and market growers. Light red in color, overlaid with swirls of varying hues of green or brown. Very unusual and decidedly one of the best!” -BC) We grew these by mistake last year and we’re so thrilled with them. Not a single one made it inside. We snacked on them all in the garden.
Sungold (“Rare in grocery stores, 'Sun Gold's' plump, tangerine-colored fruits are a special treat at the peak of flavor in the garden-very sweet and juicy! Provide support for vigorous vines that easily reach 6' long. Pick a bit early and ripen indoors at room temperature. Low-acidity tomato. Disease resistant.” -BI) These are a crowd-pleaser at all the farmer’s markets!! We couldn’t love them more. They are so sweet!
Big Sungold Select (Open-pollinated) - (“Looks and tastes like a larger Sungold. Sweet, fruity flavor. Great production. Cracks much less then Sungold for me.” - WBF) Planted 200 of these the last week of March. Hoping that they taste as great as the Hybrid. Experiment for us this year.
Purple Bumblebee (“60-70 days. Slightly elongated little cherries with the most outrageous striping in lime green and bronzy-purple! Crack-resistant fruit is produced all season long on plants that are unfazed by temperature extremes. The flavor is complex but sweet. Excellent holding quality makes this newer type outstanding for market. The bar for quality just got higher! From Artisan Seeds.” -BC) These are new to us this year. Planted last week of March
Sunrise Bumblebee (“70 days. Chefs love the luminous swirls of reds and oranges, inside the fruit and out! Everyone loves the sweet, fruity taste, too! Oblong little fruit weighs barely an ounce and sometimes shows a pronounced beak at the blossom end. Another member of the incredible new ‘Artisan’ series.” -BC) This is our first year growing these! Planted last week of March
Pink Bumblebee (“60-70 days. A stunning cherry tomato, of recent breeding from Artisan Seeds. The fruit has a bright, sweet flavor, and the color is vibrant fire-engine-red with golden orange striping. Vigorous vines yield crack-resistant fruit over a very long season. Tolerates cool nighttime temps and hot days. Salad will never be the same!” - BC) New to us this year.
Barry’s Crazy Cherry (“ Huge clusters of pale yellow, oval-shaped cherry tomatoes. Very good, sweet flavor. Huge harvest potential. Come from the largest cherry tomato clusters I have ever seen.” - WBF) We have never witnessed greater yielding tomatoes. Still have freezer bags full of them from the 2019 summer.
Micro Tomatoes
Orange Hat (“Our favorite new micro tomato! Extra dwarf bush plants reach just 6-9 inches in height but the plants are wildly prolific, offering oodles of tiny orange orbs that burst with a fruity sweet flavor. This is the perfect indoor or patio tomato, comfortably fitting in a 6-inch pot. Try these colorful and compact plants as an edible ornamental, mass planted in beds or borders or in mixed containers.” - BC) These are new to us this year. These are growing in our one of a kind hand-painted pots Look for them on Mother’s Day!
Mild Peppers
Anaheim (“Legendary extra large and mild chili pepper of Anaheim California. This mammoth roasting pepper originated from a line of chili peppers developed by Dr. Fabian Garcia in the 1910s in New Mexico. Those spicy chilis remained a staple of New Mexican cuisine, but when farmer Emilio Ortega introduced his variety to California in the 1990s, a more mild version was chosen to suit a more mild pepper palate in California. This offshoot, which has become a widely known mild chili ranges between 500-2,500 Scovilles units and is delectable for frying and roasting. Productive plants covered in large pods.” - BC) This is new to Modern Farmsteads this year.
Jimmy Nardello (“A customer favorite! This fine Italian pepper was grown each year by Giuseppe and Angella Nardiello at their garden in the village of Ruoti, in Southern Italy. In 1887 they set sail with their one-year-old daughter Anna for a new life in the U.S. When they reached these shores, they settled and gardened in Naugatuck, Connecticut, and grew this same pepper that was named for their fourth son, Jimmy. This long, thin-skinned frying pepper dries easily and has such a rich flavor that this variety has been placed in “The Ark of Taste” by the Slow Food organization. Ripens to a deep red, is very prolific, and does well in most areas.” - BC) We grew these last year and loved the twisty-turny way they grew. More prolific than bell peppers.
Sweet Banana (“This Hungarian heirloom from 1941 is the traditional pickling type. It is very long, bright yellow, and thick-walled. Not a pickler? Enjoy it fresh as a snack or in salads, throw it on the grill, or use in any recipe calling for sweet pepper. Peppers will turn to an orange-red if left on the plant. A good short-season choice and successful in containers.” - BI) We love how prolific these are and they work great for pickling if that’s your jam.
Violet Sparkle (“A dazzling heirloom jewel from Russia, this breathtaking sweet pepper wins top marks across the board for unmatched beauty, vigor and of course, flavor. Each medium-sized heart-shaped fruit shines brilliantly like stained glass. The bushy, compact plants are so loaded with fruit that they look like ornaments on a tree! The violet sparkle outshined even the earliest and productive peppers in our trials and we are delighted to share this superior strain, sure to be a hit with home gardeners and farmers alike.” - BC) This variety is new to us and we are super excited. LOW QUANTITIES LEFT
Shishito (“A favorite old Japanese variety which produces 3 inches long, slightly wrinkled fruit that is perfect for making tempura and other traditional recipes. Fruit is emerald green in color, ripening to red, and mildly flavored with just a bit of spice. It really is superb and is the standard with many chefs.” - BC) These and Padron’s are our all-time favs at MF. They grow like pepper weeds and we eat pounds of them from mid-summer onwards.
Spicy Peppers
Poblano (“75 days. One of the most popular chilis in Mexico! 3- to 6-inch heart-shaped fruit is usually of gentle heat, at around 2000 Scovilles. Used green, after roasting and peeling, it is the classic pepper for Chile Rellenos. Dried, the fruit turns a rich dark red-brown and may be ground into authentic red chili powder. Plants reach 2 feet or so and require a long season.” - BC) We love to stuff these as a main dish for vegan friends.
Big Jim (“NuMex Heritage Big Jim) Big Jim smashes world records for largest chili pepper variety, with mammoth pods that reach a whopping 1 foot in length. The perfect pepper for Chiles Rellenos, grilling or stuffing, Big Jim delivers a perfect medium heat, a bit milder than an average jalapeño. A hardy and vigorous introduction from the chili pepper breeding project at New Mexico State University.” - BC) This variety is new to MF this year.
Padron (“These small-fruited peppers originated in Galicia, northwest Spain, where the bite-sized green fruit is sautéed in olive oil and served with coarse-ground sea salt in tapas bars across the country. Most of the peppers are relatively mild, but an occasional unpredictable hot one led a New York Times writer to call eating the dish a game of “Spanish Roulette!” Also fine for pickled peppers; the heat increases as they ripen to red. An authentic regional variety.” - BC)
Jigsaw (“(Capsicum annum) Jigsaw pepper is a stunning feast for the eyes! Leaves are multicolored in tie-dye patterns of lavender, cream, violet, sea-foam, and forest green, making it one of the most ornamental peppers. Short, stocky plants produce small, plum-colored fruit, about as spicy as a jalapeño. Try this dazzling edible ornamental in containers or borders, anywhere its ornate foliage can be admired.” - BC) This variety is new to us and we were excited about how they will look so beautiful as part of an edible landscape with their multi-colored foliage and fruit.
Brown Jalapeno (“Wildly productive plants are smothered in leviathan-sized chocolate-colored pods. These smoky and flavorful peppers average 4-6 inches and length, ideal for stuffing and roasting. High yields, fabulous sweet flavor, and vigorous growth habit, has earned brown jalapeño top marks in our pepper trials!” - BC) This is new to us at Modern Farmsteads this year.
Eggplant
Little Fingers (“65 days. Small, purple-black fruit is produced in clusters on sturdy, compact plants. The blunt-ended fruit may be harvested when finger-sized, but may also be allowed to grow larger with no sacrifice of its mild, sweet taste and tender texture.” - BC) We love these eggplants at Modern Farmsteads. These are the cherry tomato of eggplants - flavorful, prolific, small and a very pretty plant. Looks great in pots
Ground Cherries
Aunt Molly’s BC
Mary’s Niagra BC
Artichokes
Colorado Red Star (“An easier-to-grow artichoke, Colorado Red Star, can be grown as an annual from seed in a wide range of climates. The bracts range from purplish-green to paintbrush strokes of plum color, with a perfect globe shape. While artichoke has historically been a perennial vegetable, requiring 2 years or a period of vernalization, breeder Keith Mayberry developed the Imperial Star, a variety that will develop heads early in the first year with just 10 days of cool weather required! Colorado Red Star was the result of Keith crossing his green bract, Imperial Star, with purple varieties from Peru. The result: a 2- to 3-foot tall edible ornamental that produces stunning purple globes easily in the first season. Ideal for cold winter locations where overwintering perennial artichokes is difficult, it’s also perfect for hot southern climates where getting the requisite cold treatment for perennial types is not possible.”- BC)
Herbs - these will be available late April and Early to mid May
Common Chives BC
Chinese Chives BC
Basil Genovese BC
Basil Genovese Red Freddy BC
Basil Thai Sweet BC
Basil Lettuce Leaf BC
Bee Balm Lemon Golden BC
Chamomile Zloty lan BC
Fenugreek BC
Dill Bouquet BC
Dill Elephant Leaf BC