Tomatoes Pineapple

Herbs Arugula/Roquette

This is a beautiful tomato inside and out. What initially caught my eye was the beautiful streaks of red in the yellow flesh of the diced fruit. Even diced, this tomato is beautiful. The tomato is a deep orange-scarlet with gold and yellow shoulders. Some of the gold and yellow streaks down the sides of the tomato through red. The flesh has a sweet, fruity flavor. Not much is known abouth the history of this heirloom. It has been grown in family gardens and shared with neighbors for many years. The vines grow 4-6 feet and produce single fruit up to 2 pounds.

Annual. 6-8 in. plant.Tiny white flowers. A delicious salad green with a spicy flavor.

Tomatoes Pink Accordian

Herbs Basil, Bush

This is another one of my favorites and a really funny-looking fruit. The tomato is deeply ribbed and almost shaed like a pyramid- absolutely bizarre looking! Inside the tomato, it is partially hollow so it is geat for stuffing The flavor is sweet and somewhat fruity. This is another toamto where little is known about where it originated. The vines grow 4-6 feet in height and produce single, 8-16 ounce fruit.

Annual. 6 in. plant. White flowers. Grown for its distinctively flavored, fragrant leaves.

Tomatoes Principe Borghese

Herbs Basil, Dwarf Greek

This is an Italian heirloom used primarily for sun-drying because of the extraordinary color and flavor when dehydrated. The dried fruits store well. The plants rarely grow over 36 in. but need staking because of the hundreds of fruits produced.

Annual. 6 in. plant. White flowers. Grown for its small, intensely flavored leaves.

Tomatoes Purple Calabash

Herbs Catmint

This is one of the most interesting heirloom tomatoes I know. It is deep pruple, almost burgundy, flattened, with deep ribbing. It has a rich, sweet, somewhat acidic flavor. The 6-8 ounce fruits grow singly, on vines 4-6 feet in height.

Perennial. 12-18 in. plant. Abundant tiny purple flowers on stalks. Soft, crinkled gray-green leaves. Sweet, spicy aroma. Contains nepetalactone, the active ingredient in catnip. Use the leaves in teas for tension, sleeplessness.

Tomatoes Red Zebra

Herbs Catnip

This tomato stood out in a pile of striking tomatoes. Its bright scarlet skin was streaked with orange, gold and yellow, and then ever so often a random streak of green would cascade over the shoulder and down to the bottom of the tomato. I can only describe the flavor as rich and “tomatoey”. I thought after I tasted this one, “Now that’s a delicious tomato”. All of the zebra tomatoes, Red, Green and Big, originated in the United States. The vines grow 4-6 feet and produce clusters of three to five, 2-3 ounce fruit.

Perennial. 24-36 in plant. White or lilac flowers. Grown for its mildly mint scented leaves which are attractive to cats and make a medicinal tea which can be used as a cough or fever remedy.

Tomatoes Roman Candle

Herbs Chervil

Roman Candle is most distinctive. It is one of the largest paste tomatoes and its brilliant lemon yellow skin is striking. It is very fleshy and the flesh is grainy, but it has an unusually strong “tomatoey” flavor for a paste tomato. I can imagine that it would make a delicious paste or salsa. This tomato originated as a sport of Speckled Roman. The vines grow 4-6 feet and produce clusters of four to six, 4-6 ounce fruit.

Annual. 24 in. plant. White flowers. Grown for its tasty leaves that are more delicately flavored than parsley and a superb addition to salads or soups.

Tomatoes Russian Persimmon

Herbs Chives

This variety was introduced into the US by the Seed Savers Exchange. The plants are 30-36 in. and produce high yields of 3-4 in. round, yellow-orange fruit. The beautiful colors of the fruit and their mild sweet flavor make this a winning combination for the patio garden.

Perennial. 6-8 in. plant. Bluish-pink to lavender flowers. Grown for its mild oniony flavored hollow green spears.

Tomatoes Silvery Fir Tree

Herbs Chives Garlic

This variety was introduced into the US by the Seed Savers Exchange. The foliage is very different from most tomatoes. It is feathery and carrot-like and silver-gray in color. The plants are very compact – 24 in. tall, but produce heavy crops of 3-3 1/2 in. slightly flattened, round, red fruit. This plant loves to be grown in a container and visually it is a superb addition to the patio garden.

Perennial. 12 inch plant. Greenish white flower. The stems are flat not hollow like regular chives. Both stems and flowers may be eaten. Both have a 0mild garlic flavor. Used as a condiment like regular chives.

Watermelon Golden Midget

Herbs Marjoram (Sweet)

This will soon be an heirloom, but for now it is an excellent, if not unusual, patio garden plant. The compact vines produce a profusion of miniature 3 lb. watermelons with a sweet and refreshing taste. When the fruit is ripe it turns a striking golden yellow that contrasts beautifully with the salmon pink flesh. This is a MUST HAVE for the container garden.

Annual. 12 in. plant. White or pink flowers. Grown for its fresh leaves which are a delightful condiment for salad and its dried leaves which are used to season vegetables, turkey, pork, lamb and eggs and make a wonderful tea. Sweet marjoram, unlike other herbs retains its full flavor when dried.

Herbs Oregano, Italian

Herbs Parsley, Plain or Single

Tender Perennial. 6-9 in. plant. Small clusters of white flowers. Grown for its fresh or dried leaves which are intensely aromatic and flavorful. An ancient use of the flower tops was as a dye which would color wool purple and linen rust brown.

Biennial. 12 in. plant. A popular European variety, this parsley has large flat, dark green leaves with long stems. Strong flavor.

Herbs Parsley, Triple Curled Forest Green

Herbs Thyme

Biennial. 12 in. plant. Densely curled dark green leaves on short stems. Mild flavor. Beautiful ornamental plant.

Perennial. 8-10 in. plant. Pink or violet flowers. Grown for its intensely aromatic fresh or dried leaves which must be harvested before flowers open. The leaves when added to honey produce an excellent honey, as a spice it is essential with lamb and is a pleasing seasoning for red meat, poultry and fish.