2026 Veggie Starts
I grew these seeds in organic soils with local natural sheep wool added in to both act as nutrient and help hold water as well. You can plant them into the soil with the wool. A few of these come highly recommended by Sacramento backyard gardener Kyle Hagerty. And he has created videos on why he loves Striped German, Carbon, and New Girl Tomato variety the most. https://www.instagram.com/urbanfarmstead/
Striped German: Very large, beloved tomato. Great for sandwiches and slicing. Bicolor red-and-yellow fruit. The flat medium-to-large tomatoes with variable shoulder ribbing are shaded yellow and red. The marbled interior looks beautiful sliced. Complex, fruity flavor and smooth texture. Medium-tall vines bear 12+ oz. fruit. Indeterminate.
Carbon Tomato: A non-splitting version to Cherokee Purple. These have won taste awards coast to coast in the last few years. The fruit is smooth, large, and beautiful, being one of the darkest and prettiest of the purple types. They seem to have an extra dose of the complex flavor that makes dark tomatoes famous.
New Girl: First early, great flavor. Fruits avg. 4–6 oz. and have better flavor and are more disease resistant than Early Girl. Widely adapted. Indeterminate.
Piennolo Rosso Storage Tomato (red): Small red tomatoes that have an incredible hang time. Piennolo Rosso is a traditional Italian “storage” or “winter” cherry tomato, famed for its ability to hang in bunches and remain fresh for months, often until spring. Originating from Vesuvius, it has thick skin, intense red color, and a sweet, tangy flavor with a characteristic pointed tip. Growers often suggest limiting water a few weeks prior to harvest. Harvest earlier on and you can let them ripen while hanging inside. If they split open - use fresh or preserve.
SWEET PEPPER SEEDS, MINI BELL MIX: This colorful mix of dainty bell peppers is an old Ohio family heirloom. This trio of mini red, yellow, and chocolate bell peppers was introduced to the Seed Savers Exchange by member Lucina Cress. Lucina received the seeds from an elderly neighbor woman and began to grow them out. The 2-inch mini bell peppers became locally famous, as Lucina would sell hundreds of jars of cabbage-stuffed pickled peppers at her local church bazaar each year. We love these little peppers for snacking, stuffing, or pickling. Plants produce an abundance of tiny colorful orbs, easy to grow and so rewarding.
SWEET PEPPER SEEDS, CANARY BELL: A superior sweet pepper! The medium-sized, thick-walled green fruit ripens to bright yellow. Sets early and produces all summer. Superb in salads, and a premier type for grilling. Exceptional flavor, very productive two-foot plants.
