250 +/- seeds per pack unless otherwise noted in description.
Bull’s Blood Beet Beta vulgaris 45 days. A beet selected for its tasty vermillion red foliage. Adds colour and texture to any salad. The leaves can be snipped repeatedly and grow back several times. Excellent for season extension in fall or an early start in spring. 150+ seeds.
Danvers Half-long Carrot Daucus carota 75 days. A classic American heirloom carrot developed by market gardeners in the 1870’s in Danvers, Massachusetts. Roots are rich, dark-orange, 8 inches long, conical and taper to a blunt tip. Widely adapted and high yields even in heavier soils. Superior winter storage variety. 500+ seeds.
St. Valery Carrot Daucus carota 70 days. One of the best remaining open-pollinated carrots available for home gardens. Uniform, smooth roots that size up nicely for fresh eating or winter storage. This French heirloom dates back to before 1885 and was renowned among market gardeners in the 19th century.
Gigante Kohlrabi Brassica oleracea 120 days. Not technically a root crop - more like a stem-crop! Unlike other kohlrabi, this Czechoslovakian heirloom doesn’t get woody even when it grows enormous – up to ten inches in diameter! Gigante’s crisp white mildly tangy flesh will add zest to your meals while you await the first edible greens of spring. Sow in spring for late fall harvest. A root cellar staple.
Round Black Spanish Radish Raphanus sativus 55 days Large roots up to 4 inches across, with a crispy and crunchy piquant white flesh. Can be eaten raw in salads or cooked in stir-fries. Direct sow in mid to late summer for best taste, size and to avoid bolting. Can be stored in the refrigerator or root cellar until spring. An old heirloom variety documented as far back as the 16th century.
American Purple Top Rutabaga Brassica napus 90 days The large, yellow, globe-shaped roots have purple shoulders when mature at 4-6” diameter. Flesh is fine grained, sweet, and turns bright orange when cooked. First introduced in the 1920’s from a reselection of the old Purple Top Yellow variety, dating back to the 1850’s. Direct sow seeds in mid-June for an exceptional fall harvest that will store over winter.
Melford Rutabaga Brassica napus 100 days A very rare rutabaga cultivar with dense and crunchy yellow flesh. Stores extremely well in the root cellar or refrigerator. Develops a unique sweetness after a few frosts. No longer common in commercial circulation.
Hollow Crown Parsnip Pastinaca sativa 100 days. A very old heirloom parsnip that was listed in old seed catalogues as far back as 1879. Said to be one of the best tasting of the heritage cultivars, with 12 to 14 inch roots in good loose soil. Delightful in fall or the following spring after spending the winter in the ground. Parsnips can withstand freezing and convert their starches to sugars when exposed to cold. Sow early in the season – as soon as the ground can be worked.
Mammoth Sandwich Island Salsify Tragopogon porrifolius 110 days. An easy to grow, though somewhat unknown delicacy in the world of root crops. Looks like a thin, delicate parsnip, with tan skin and creamy snow-white interior. Excels in soups and stews but can be baked or roasted as well. Sow in early May and keep well-watered until emergence. Harvest until the ground freezes and allow some to overwinter for delicious and beautiful edible flowers the following summer. ~ 200 seeds.
Scorzonera Scorzonera hispanica 80 days. A little known and underappreciated root vegetable in north America. Sown in early spring, scorzonera will produce slender straight roots with black skin and white flesh by mid-fall. The roots can overwinter in the ground with mulch cover, and will regrow the following year. In the 2nd year, early leaves are edible, as well as the yellow, daisy-like flowers. ~ 100 seeds.
