Guerilla Gardening

Today I was delighted to read about some "guerilla gardeners" in Tokyo. Check it out.

Gardens are Full!

Hi Project Growers,

Believe it or not, our community gardens are full for the 2008 growing season. Since plots sometimes become available during the course of the growing season we invite you to apply online, but make no payment. If a garden plot becomes available you will be notified.

Contributing to Food Banks

Common Dreams posted a story last week, "Food Banks Ask Gardeners to Grow Extra for Hungry", that is a good reminder of how we can use our gardens to help the community. You can donate produce to your local food bank. I don't know about you, but we always have more than we know what to do with, and it's a joy to share fresh, organic vegetables.

In Ann Arbor, we have Food Gatherers, a local non-profit that always welcomes donations of produce from your garden. Check our their donation page for details on how. We frequently have Project Grow volunteers who are willing to collect produce from one of the community gardens on a regular basis to make it easier to contribute. Watch for emails about that during the growing season.

Gardening to Save Money

An interesting article appeared in the New York Times over the weekend, titled: Banking on Gardening. It's about, what else, saving money by growing your own food. Apparently this year saw record numbers of new gardeners purchasing seeds and gardening supplies. At Greenview Gardens, where my husband and I have kept a vegetable garden for the last four years, we are for the first time seeing no vacant spaces.

Are you new to gardening? Do you garden to save money? Tell us about it by commenting on this post!

Join Our Flickr Fun!

you too can share your funny tomato photos with other Project Growers!

Project Grow is on the popular photosite, Flickr, and we would love for you to contribute your gardening photos to the "photo pool" we have created. Once you have a Flickr account (free), you can join the group and then add your photos. Or feel free to just visit the pool to see what Project Grow gardeners are up to!

Project Grow Plant Sale 2008!

Are you as excited for the Project Grow Plant Sale as we are??? It's coming up soon (May 3 and 4 and the 10th); check out the Project Grow Events page for details.

To get you excited I'm posting all that we plan to sell with descriptions. Enjoy!

Eggplants

• Applegreen Eggplant (62-70 days)-Productive upright 2-3' plants. Oval fruits are 5" in diameter with pale-green skin and mild white flesh, non-acid flavor, no need to peel.
• Diamond Eggplant (65-95 days) - Russian variety. Plants grow 20-25" tall and fruits are set in clusters of 4-6. Dark purple fruits are 6-9" long by 2-3" in diameter. Excellent texture and flavor, never bitter.
  
• Rosa Bianca Eggplant (80 days)- Italian heirloom, beautiful fruits are prized by chefs. Very meaty 4-6" round fruits, mild flavor and almost never bitter.
  

Hot Peppers

• Anaheim Hot (90 days)- Mild to medium-hot pepper popular for roasting, frying and stuffing. Prolific bearers of long, thin, two-celled fruits, 6-8 in. long when fully grown. Can be used green or red -- hotter when red.
  
• Bulgarian Chili Pepper- Vibrant orange, 2-3 in. carrot-shaped fruit has consistent heat and fine flavor. Extremely productive variety.
• Czechoslovakian Black Chile Pepper (90-100 days)- Productive bush yields many 2-3 in. mildly hot fruits, which are such a dark green that they appear black before ripening to red.
• Early Jalapeño - Heavy-yielding 3-3 1/2” blunt-end fruit can be eaten dark green or allowed to ripen to red. Delicious with that distinctive jalapeño flavor. Medium heat.
• Fish Pepper- (80 days)- Pendant fruits 2-3" long, ripen from cream with green stripes to orange with brown stripes to all red. Good for salsa. Medium-hot.
• Hot Portugal Pepper (65-70 days)- Sturdy upright plants, very heavy yields. Large smooth, glossy, bright-scarlet, fiery hot fruits taper to pointed tips, grow 6" or longer.
• Ring-O-Fire Cayenne Chile (80 days)- Packs even more heat than traditional cayenne. 4-6 in. fruits ripen to flaming red. Fiery flavor is good dried or fresh.
• Thai Hot Pepper (85 days)- Loaded with little 1⁄2" fruits ripening from green to red, averages 200 fruits per plant.
  

Sweet Peppers

• Chocolate Sweet Pepper (70-75 days)- Dark, shiny green fruits ripen to a rich chocolate brown. Excellent sweet flavor when fully ripe, average flavor when green.
• Hungarian Hot Wax (75 days)- Dependable and productive northern variety -plant sets fruit continuously. Produces upright, hot, yellow fruits.
• Jimmy Nardello's Sweet Pepper (65-70 days)- Excellent fresh or fried, the sweetest non-bell Pepper when ripe. Red when ripe, these 6-8 in. peppers have shiny, wrinkled skins.
  
• King of the North (70 days)- The best red bell for northern gardeners where the seasons are cool and short. Sweet flavor.
• Klari Baby Cheese (65 days)- Ripens yellow to orange to red. Great for pickling whole. Ripens from white to yellow to red.
• Pimento Sweet Pepper (74-100 days)- A large, thick-walled pepper with sweet, succulent flesh. An extremely heavy producer of 3 in. long, heart-shaped fruit. Best when ripened to scarlet red.
  
  

Tomatoes

• Anna Russian (70 days)- An excellent, gorgeous tomato. Early maturing 1-pound fruit. Superb rich old-fashioned, tomatoey flavors with lots of juice. Indeterminate.
• Armenian (90 days)- Large flattish yellow and orange flesh with some red marbling. A bi-colored beefsteak with great flavor and unusually strong flavors for a bi-colored. Indeterminate.
• Aunt Ginny’s Purple (79 days)- A productive beefsteak that yields 1-pound, deep-pink tomatoes that are smooth with little cracking and contain juicy flavors that some people claim are equal to the Brandywine. Indeterminate.
• Lillian’s Yellow Heirloom (90 days)- Late maturing, large (up to 20 ounce), oblate bright yellow fruit with pale yellow interior and very, very few seeds. Great tasting. Indeterminate.
• Aunt Ruby’s German Green (80 days)- Beefsteak fruits, 5" by 4" deep, weigh one pound or more. Sweet juicy flesh, refreshing spicy flavor. Pick when soft to the touch. Indeterminate.
• Bisignano #2 (80 days)- Wonderfully flavored, with medium to large (four ounces to one pound), red, variably shaped fruits - oblate to elongated. Great for canning and sauces. Indeterminate.
• Black from Tula (80-85 days)- Good yields, 3-4” fruits. Indeterminate.
• Black Krim (60-90 days)- Slightly flattened 4-5" globes with dark greenish-black shoulders, turns almost black with enough heat and sun. Excellent full flavor. Indeterminate.
• Black Zebra (85 days)- 1 1/2" round fruit with purple/brown skin with green stripes containing rich tomato flavors with hints of smoke and sweetness
• Box Car Willie (80 days)- Produces 10 to 16-ounce, smooth, bright-red with an orange tinge. Excellent tasting tomatoes- very juicy. Good resistance to disease and cracking. Indeterminate.
• Brandywine (90 days)- One of the best tasting tomatoes available to gardeners today. Large pink beefsteak fruits to 2 pounds. Incredibly rich, delightfully intense tomato flavor. Indeterminate.
• Brown Berry Cherry (75 days)- Warm, earthy brown fruits are a great color addition. Excellent sweet juicy flavor, extremely heavy producer. Indeterminate.
• Burpee’s Quarter Century (75 days)- A medium sized smooth round red tomato originally offered by Burpee in the late 1800's. Resists cracking. Indeterminate.
• Caspian Pink (90 days)- One of the best tasting tomatoes available to gardeners today. Large pink beefsteak fruits to 2 pounds. Incredibly rich, delightfully intense tomato flavor. Indeterminate.
• Cherokee Chocolate (75 days)- Warm, earthy brown fruits are a great color addition. Excellent sweet juicy flavor, extremely heavy producer. Indeterminate.
  
• Cherokee Purple (75 days)- A medium sized smooth round red tomato originally offered by Burpee in the late 1800's. Resists cracking. Indeterminate.
• Cosmonaut Volkov (72 days)- 1-2 pound fruits. Round, slightly flattened fruits have a full, complex flavor and nice acid/sweet balance. Indeterminate.
• Crnkovic Yugoslavian (80 days)- Prolific, disease resistant heirloom that produces large, 1 lb.+, pink beefsteak fruit that is meaty, juicy, with a robust, complex tomato flavor. Indeterminate.
• Cuostralee (85 days)- A French beefsteak heirloom that produces heavy quantities of huge (1-2 lbs.), red, blemish-free fruits that have intense, balanced flavors. Fruits are typically 4-inches across. Indeterminate.
• Dr. Wyche’s Yellow (78 days)- A beefsteak heirloom that produces slightly flattened, smooth, blemish-free, golden-yellow fruit with a meaty interior and few seeds. Rich flavor. Indeterminate.
• Dunneaux (85-90 days)- Large late season paste tomato that lost its ID tag. It might be Howard German, but I just dunneaux. Good fresh eating, in addition to great sauce.
• Ethel Watkins’ Best (70 days)- Originally from Australia, this tomato has a unique flavor when eaten slightly under-ripe. When fully ripe, it is sublime! Consistently a winner with Ann Arbor’s tomato tasters.
• Eva Purple Ball (70 days)- Delicious, round, 2 to 3-inch, blemish-free, pink-purple fruits. Indeterminate.
• Evergreen (72 days)- Large, up to 2 lb fruit that stay green when ripe. Mild, delicious slightly sweet-spicy flavor. Lime green with yellowish shoulders when totally ripe. Indeterminate.
• Pete Motza’s Evergreen (80 days)- Good yield of 4-7 oz amber and green fruit, very good flavor. Indeterminate.
• German Johnson- A popular American heirloom tomato from the South, 'German Johnson' produces large pinkish-red fruits with meaty flesh and few seeds. A good slicing or canning tomato. Very productive and fairly resistant to disease. Indeterminate.
• Glacier (58 days)- Produces an early crop and continues to bear the entire season. Good flavor. Determinate.
• Glasnost (75 days)- An open-pollinated variety from Siberia producing 3", smooth, red-orange, dense, meaty fruit. Excellent flavor. Indeterminate.
• Gold Brooks (70 days)- An accidental cross that won the Ann Arbor tomato tasting held in 2004. This is seed from the F2 generation selected from a plant that had large, yellow beefsteaks with good texture and flavor.
• Goldie (75 days)- Large deep orange beefsteaks are full of flavor and juice. Indeterminate.
  
• Green Zebra (75-80 days)- Green 11⁄2 - 21⁄2" fruits with various shades of yellow to yellowish-green stripes, sweet zingy flavor. Very productive plants. Indeterminate.
• Hog Heart (86 days)- 2 1/2 to 3-inch long red fruit, shape varies from a banana shape to a heart-shape. Excellent sweet flavors with moderately juicy flesh. A top paste tomato for sauces. Indeterminate.
• Kellogg’s Breakfast (80-90 days)- Large beefsteak-type fruits are 1-2 pounds, juicy and meaty and truly orange in color. Delicious rich flavor. Indeterminate.
• Macrocarpum Lutea
• Olga’s Round Yellow Chicken Egg (70 days)- Very heavy production of 2 1/2" 4-6 oz. round yellow-gold thick-skinned tomato with a slightly tart flavor. Indeterminate.
• Orange Banana (85 days)- Sprawling plants with good yields of 1 x 2 1/2" 2 oz. plum-shaped orange paste with pointed ends and a good sweet-tart flavor. An all-purpose plum tomato with good disease resistance. Indeterminate.
• Oaxacan Jewel (85 Days)- Beautiful 1-2 pound, yellow beefsteak tomato with red streaks throughout the fruit. Wonderfully rich, sweet flavors. Indeterminate.
• Pachino (75-80 days)- A medium-sized mid-season red tomato from Sicily by way of Orvieto, Italy. Fruits have an intense, tangy tomato flavor that makes great sauces and is excellent fresh.
• Peacevine Cherry (75 days)- So named because of the high amino acid content which has a calming effect on the body. Indeterminate.
• Pineapple- An heirloom garden favorite that grows to 2 lbs. This bi-colored, slightly flattened, yellow beefsteak has a red blushing and streaks on the outside. Taste is wonderfully mild with tropical fruity-sweet flavors. Indeterminate.
  
• Pixie Red Rock (70 days)
• Rose de Berne (75 days)- Swiss heirloom variety of dark pink tomatoes with soft meaty flesh. Very rich flavor, good acid and sweetness. Indeterminate.
• Roughwood Golden Plum (76 days)- Beautiful 2-inch, orange paste tomato that is meaty with few seeds and a delicate, sweet flavor. Semi-determinate.
• Speckled Roman Paste (75 days)- Heavy fruit production of meaty 4-5 oz. oblong fruits until frost. Indeterminate.
• German Striped Stuffer (78 days)- This German stuffer tomato is red with yellow stripes and has very good flavor for a stuffing tomato. Indeterminate.
• Stupice (52 days)- Cold-tolerant tomato that bears an abundance of very sweet, flavorful 2 to 3-inch, deep red fruit. Sweet/acid, tomatoey flavor and production. Indeterminate.
• Yellow Pear Cherry (85 days)- Clusters of small bright-yellow, pear-shaped fruit. Very tasty. Like eating candy. Indeterminate.
• Zapotec (85 days)- Pink fruits are large, with ruffles like a pleated dress. They can be stuffed and baked like a bell pepper, or served raw. Indeterminate.
• Jaune Flamme (90 days)- Plant produces heavy yields of 3 oz orange tomatoes. Tomatoes are very sweet. Indeterminate.
• Bicolor Cherry (80 days)- Small, mostly one-ounce globe-shaped yellow and red bicolor fruits. Size is not consistent ranging from one to two inches in diameter. Excellent flavor - sweet and juicy. Indeterminate.
• Micado Violettor (80 days)- Rare. 4-6 oz. fruits. Vigorous 18-24 in. vines with 2 in. fruits of excellent quality and flavor. Indeterminate.
• Chadwick Cherry (70 days)- Flavorful, 1-inch, red fruits borne in vigorous clusters of six. Indeterminate.
• Green Cage
• San Marzano Paste (70 days)- A very productive, 1 x 5-inch, red paste tomato. A great addition to tomato sauces and salsas. Indeterminate.
• Manyel (75 days)- 3-inch, round, clear-yellow fruits look like hanging from the plant. Mildly sweet and juicy. Indeterminate.
• Santa Clara Canner (79 days)- Rich, complex flavor. Plant produces a great amount of red-orange fruit that is juicy, meaty and flavorful. Just as suitable for eating off the vine as it is for salads, cooking and canning. Indeterminate.
• Sutton (79 days)- Good yield. Medium-sized 8 oz. white slicer with irregular shapes and sweet fruity taste. Indeterminate.
  

Basils

• Purple Opal Basil- Beautiful lilac flowers with dark red stems. Excellent contrast with green basil, spectacular as a garnish, in salads, or for adding to basil vinegars.
• Lemon Basil (60-70 days)- The fragrant, small leaves combine the flavors of lemon and basil in a delightful way making it excellent fresh or dried in salads and dressings or dried in potpourris.
• Thai Basil (75-80 days)- Intensely sweet, anise-like fragrance. Leaves are green at the base of the plant becoming more purple toward the flowers.
• Genovese Basil (65-75 days)- Classic Italian basil. High leaf to stem ratio. Uniform, slow to bolt.
• Chen Basil (65-75 days)- A thinner leafed, profuse Italian large-leaf type basil. Bright green, glossy leaves. A slow bolting variety with a strong aroma and good flavor. Very disease resistant and good for pesto.
• Tulsey (Holy) Basil (65-75 days)- An excellent tea herb, but more highly valued as a companion plant and ornamental. Aromatic, fuzzy 2-inch leaves have an unusual scent, sometimes described as walnut, ripe bananas, or spice.
• Cinnamon Basil (75-90 days)- One of the finest tea basils, and also used in flavoring Mediterranean and Mid-Eastern-style dishes, the dark green leaves have a wonderful fragrance and a distinct cinnamon flavor.

Heirlooms, What's Growing On?

What are Heirloom Vegetables?
Heirlooms vegetables are defined as open-pollinated cultivars that were popular and available many generations ago, before large scale hybridizing. Some of these heirlooms are indigenous, some were brought to this country by immigrants, and others were passed down by farmers, families and gardeners.

Our Heritage
Imagine what it used to be like: Farmers and gardeners maintained their own vast seed collections of plant varieties. Over time these plant varieties diverged from the original stock and adapted to local tastes. But, when agriculture became industrialized, the premium on taste and local suitability was replaced by the ability to stand up to mechanical picking, trucking and storage.

Taste
It’s not just hype! Heirlooms are highly regarded for their flavors, textures, aromas, colors and other unique qualities. Come to Project Grow’s Fall Tomato Tasting and see what all the excitement is about.

Protecting Diversity
The USDA recognizes the need to recover, protect and sustain seed diversity to maintain the vitality of commercial crops. Each year, a small percentage of the USDA seed bank is planted out and fresh seed is harvested. Individual gardeners contribute too: Nonprofit organizations such as the Seed Savers Exchange have ever expanding seed banks and organized seed swapping. In fact, it’s a worldwide phenomenon!

Project Grow Heirloom Garden, Workshops and Events

• Located at the Leslie Science & Nature Center, our heirloom garden includes varieties of vegetables.
• We offer classes in heirlooms, seed saving and plant breeding, plus a Spring seed swap! Check out the Project Grow class calendar.
  
• Join us for our annual free Project Grow Tomato Tasting! Over 30 varieties of tomatoes are available for tasting -- vote for your favorite and see the winners online. For this year’s date and location, visit the Project Grow Website.