Garden Layout 2020 - Bed A1

This bed is inside the high tunnel that John put up for me this year.  It's a 17 ft. x 3 ft. raised bed. I transplanted the sweet pepper plants and direct sowed the rest of it. All of the lettuce were planted using seed mats.

I've already posted about the sweet peppers, so I'll just list the ones in this bed. Go here to see details about each one. 

• Atlant (3 plants)
• Cardinal (3 plants)
• Zoltoy Fazan (3 plants)
• Bill's Striped (3 plants)
• Orange Sun (3 plants)
• Antohi Romania (2 plants)
• Pippin's Golden Honey (3 plants)
• Red Belgium (3 plants)
• Aranyalma (1 plant)

The green beans are all bush type:

• Calima - Pinetree Garden Seeds - a favorite of ours, these are in our garden every year.
• Big Kahuna - Burpee  

The lettuce, several 1ft. square of each. There are LL (loose leaf), B (butterhead) and R (romaine). If there is a company name by them, I purchased them, otherwise they came from a trade in my FB garden group:

• Red Coral - LL - Nikitovka Seeds
• May Queen - B
• Cimarron - R
• Merveille Des Quatra Saisons - LL
• Sanguine Ameliore - B - Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
• Paris Island Cos - R - Seeds Now
• Bronze Beauty - LL
• Buttercrunch - B - Park Seeds
• Sylvia - R
• Speckled - LL
• Godar - B - Nikitovka Seeds
• Ruby Red - LL
• Manoa - B - Trade Winds Fruit

Everything is up and growing with the exception of some of the lettuce. I may have to replant here and there, but for the most part they are doing great! 

This Year's Sweet Peppers

This may seem like a lot of pepper plants, but I like to freeze them and have them for recipes all through the year, as well as enjoy them fresh while we can. Besides, what else am I going to do during the quarantine? ha!

Atlant - (Red) Mid-season variety (130-140 days) for open ground and greenhouses. Scrub grows up to 70-75 cm high, requires support during fruiting period. Large, cube-shaped fruits.

Cardinal - (Black) The variety is early ripening, unusual coloring. The plant is medium-sized. The position of the fruit is inclined to the ground. The fruit is cone-shaped, smooth, glossy, dark purple in ripeness.

Zolotoy Fazan - (Yellow) Also known as Golden Pheasant. Medium early variety(100-110 days from germination to mature).  Plant height 50-60 cm. Fruits are heart shaped , yellow-orange color, weight 150-200 gr., good taste. The flesh is juicy, sweet, aromatic, the wall thickness of 7-9 mm. Recommended for cultivation in the open field and greenhouses.

Bill's Stripped - (Red) elongated fruit, generally 6 to 8” long, horn-shaped and lightly lobed, sometimes tapering to a blunt 2-4 lobes at the bottom but other times more pointed (even on the same plant), but always red with lengthwise stripes that appear yellow to cream on green fruits and lighter red to cream on fully ripe fruits.

Orange Sun -  (Orange) 80 days. Capsicum annuum. Plant produces good yields of 5" long deep orange sweet bell peppers. Peppers turn from green to deep orange when mature. Plant has green stems, green leaves, and white flowers. Peppers are very sweet and have thick walls and are excellent for salads, stir fry, and gourmet dishes. A variety from the USA.

Antohi Romania - (Yellow/Red) Eastern European frying pepper. Smooth, 4" long by 2" wide, tapered, pointed fruits are pale yellow and ripen red. The upright plants have good branch strength and yield early and heavily. 

Pippin's Golden Honey - (Orange) This colorful sweet pepper ripens from a deep dark purple to a bright honey-mustard, to a cheerful golden orange. The 3-4" fruits have thin walls, making it great for stuffing, pickling, or eating fresh. This is one of the many peppers traded by Philly Area folk artist Horace Pippin for bee stings from H Ralph Weaver's hives in West Chester in the early 1940s. In a deep freezer, nearly half a century ago, William Woys Weaver found these seeds (as well as those of the Fish Pepper and many others) in labeled baby food jars.

Red Belgian - (Red) Capscium annuum, Excellent sweet early pepper. A heavy producer, Red Belgian Pepper starts out yellow and ages to red. Crunch 3-4″ fruit are great fresh picked or on a salad. 50 days from transplant for yellow fruits and 70 days for red.

Aranyalma - (Yellow) I couldn't find a description of these online, but from the photo, these are a pimento type pepper. Should be fun to see what develops.

Carmagnola Rossa - (Red) “Carmagnola Rosso” is one of the four morphological types of regional peppers grown across 26 neighboring towns in Italy. The Carmagnola peppers have been successfully cultivated in the area of Carmagnola in the province of Turin for over a century. The four shapes include: ox horn (lungo o corno di bue), square (quadrato), tumaticot o mujá, and trottola.

Petite Marseilias - (Orange) Petit Marseillais is an heirloom sweet pepper from the South of France.  These sunset-orange fruits are about five inches long, two inches wide, and beautifully wrinkled or wavy. The plants are two feet tall and consistently loaded with peppers 

Zulu - (Black) Sweet pepper 'Zulu' (Capsicum annuum) is an interesting variety, whose fruit turn almost completely black as they ripen. These plants stand out with high yield and produce attractively looking, rectangular fruit consisting of thick, dense and sweet flesh.

Tequila Sunrise - (Orange) Fruits ripen from green to orange. Carrot-shaped fruits grow to 5 inches with firm crunchy flesh is mildly peppery and sweet. 60-78 days from transplant.

Largo de Reus - (Red) Mid season. Largo de Reus from Spain is a huge sweet bell pepper from Spain. Plant height is 70-90 cm. The aromatic, red pods can reach lengths of 12-15 cm. They are thick-walled and juicy. Great for salads, stuffing, cooking, roasting, stewing, grilling. High yielding.

Bogdan - (Yellow/Orange) A sweet yellow and orange pepper from the Ukraine. 

Weaver's Mennonite - (Red) Capsicum annuum, old heirloom of the Weaver's family from Lancaster County, Pennysylvania, USA. Documented around 1860 and possibly even older. 
Small round flattened peppers, stuffing type. 3 to 4 cm in diameter. Ripens from green to red. Very firm and crispy thick flesh with a good taste, no heat. Bush-shaped plants of 60 cm with a compact structure. 
Strong, early and highly productive variety. The fruits can be left ripe on the plant for a long time.

That's the sweets. Next post I'll document the hot peppers that I'm growing!

This Year's Tomatoes - The Dwarfs (S-Z)

Finishing out the dwarf tomatoes I'm growing this year:

Shadow Boxing - Short plants. 78 days. From one of the most respected breeders in the tomato industry, Tom Wagner, who brought us Green Zebra and many other wonderful varieties. Delightful, large saladettes are an amazing kaleidoscope of colors with deep purple shoulders. Some of our fruits had less anthocyanin, and a few had none. Nice complex flavor. Juicy.

Sharpei Pink -  Mid-season (110-120 days) open pollinated variety. Determinate (bush) tomato, plant grows 70-100cm (27-39in.) tall. Medium sized, ribbed, pink heart-shaped tomatoes, weight 250-300g (9-10oz.) with an excellent taste.

Siletz - 52 days. Solanum lycopersicum. Open Pollinated. Early maturing plant produces high yields of 10 to 12 oz deep red tomatoes. They are sweet and flavorful. Perfect for salads, sandwiches, and canning. Plants will yield well even in cool weather. Cold tolerant. It is parthenocarpic, meaning it can set tomatoes without pollination.

Sophie's Choice - 55 days. (Determinate) Introduced 1997.] Highly productive, flavorful and large-fruited. Ripens ahead of all other extra-early varieties in our trials. Unlike other extra-early varieties, the fruits are flavorful and large, averaging 6-8 oz and weighing up to 12 oz. Large fruits with orange-red exteriors and deep-red interiors on small plants, only 18-24 in. tall. 

Spiridonovskie - I had a hard time finding anything about this one, only that it is an early producer and from Russia. 

Sweet Adelaide - Sweet Adelaide is a regular leaf dwarf variety that produces oblate medium to medium large fruit that ripen to a crimson pink color. The flavor is well balanced, on the sweet side, and the variety is quite prolific.

Tasmanian Chocolate - A small plant with abundant flavor, Tasmanian Chocolate retains the superior qualities of its heirloom parentage. Unlike traditional heirlooms, it is well-suited for patios and containers (owing to its tidy plant habit and short stature) and only needs a standard tomato cage for support. These burgundy 4–6 oz., ribbed tomatoes are richly flavored and perfect for slicing onto sandwiches. 

Tennessee Suited - 80 days, determinate dwarf — 'Tennessee Suited' is a vigorous, rugose, regular leaf variety that produces fruits that are a rich purple color (clear skinned black) with green stripes. They are medium-sized (four to ten ounce), smooth, oblate in shape, very juicy and tender with a delicious, well-balanced flavor that is neither too tart or too sweet.

Uluru Ochre - 65 days, dwarf — The vigorous, dwarf, rugose, regular leaf plants are relatively compact, quite early to produce and prolific. Producing a good yield of medium to large sized (six to twelve ounces) oblate uniquely colored tomatoes that are essentially the first "black/orange" variety we've seen - orange flesh with green overtones, and somewhat amber/orange/green in appearance. The flavor can be a bit variable season to season, but at its best, it has an absolutely delicious, smokey flavor.

Utonyok - An orange dwarf and that's all I have on this one. Nothing online.

That's the entire list now of the dwarfs that I'm planting this year. Some have already been planted out and the rest will be put in pots. Should have them all in this week if the rain will let up!

Next I'll post on the couple of indeterminate tomatoes I'm growing and then next up is the peppers! The sweets are all planted, and about 1/2 of the hots are in. If this rain lets up, I'll be able to get those done in a day!

This Year's Tomatoes - The Dwarfs (N-R)

I'm just about done planting out all of these dwarf tomatoes that I have room for. A few more this week and then I'm done! I'm pulling plants out of the greenhouse now and setting them out for the spring. Lots of work to be done!

Here are a few more of the tomatoes I'm growing:

Pink Passion - 65 days, determinate dwarf — The plants are vigorous, dwarf, with rugose regular leaves producing heavy yields of medium sized (four to seven ounce), heart-shaped, pink fruit with a delightful, balanced, sweet flavor.  Developed by members of the "Dwarf Tomato Project" as a selection out of the "Nosey family" (a cross between 'Roza Vetrov' and 'Anna Banana Russian' made by Patrina Nuske Small).  


Polish Yellow - This dwarf potato leaf type foliage tomato is from heirloom seed from Poland. Get a decent crop of attractive bright yellow tomatoes in the 4 ounce range.

Prima Gold - I can't find anything on this one on-line. It's another one I got from one of my Facebook garden groups. 

Purple Heart Dwarf - 70 days, determinate dwarf — The vigorous, rugose, regular leaf plants are among the most spreading and branching of the dwarf varieties.  Producing heavy yields of medium to medium large sized (six to sixteen ounce) heart shaped purple tomatoes. ‘Dwarf Purple Heart’ has deep crimson flesh with a delicious, well-balanced flavor. Although fairly large, the fruits also ripen relatively early.

Rosalinda - Dwarf Rosalinda tomato is the prettiest pink fruits that are ping pong ball sized. These are sweet, tasty, slightly fruity and inviting. Texture is very nice! Plants are 2.5 – 3 feet tall and would do good in containers. Indeterminate.

Rosella Purple - [Italian heirloom] 65 days. (Dwarf indeterminate) OSSI variety [Bred by the Dwarf Tomato Project, an international group of tomato enthusiasts devoted to breeding short tomato varieties with great flavor.] Similar to Cherokee Purple for great flavor and 6-10 oz. deep-purple fruits, but on shorter plants suitable for container gardening. Productive 36 in. plants need some staking to keep upright and to prevent sunscald. Fruits have few seeds. Rugose foliage. 

This Year's Tomatoes - The Dwarfs (H-M)

More dwarf tomatoes going in this year:

Husky Gold - The Husky Gold tomato is popular for its beautiful gold color and because it is compact growing, is often chosen as a patio or container variety. Growing award winning varieties always improves your chances for success, and the Husky Gold hybrid tomato was the winner of the 1993 All-America Selections award. It is resistant to cracking, verticillium and fusarium wilts.

Kangaroo Paw Green - 90 days, determinate dwarf — 'Kangaroo Paw Green' is a later season variety with plants that are vigorous, prolific, uniform, compact dwarf in habit with rugose, regular leaf foliage. The fruits are round to flattened-globe in shape, two to five ounces in weight, and green flesh and amber skin when ripe and are very tasty.

Mulate - Mulatte Dwarf tomato is a good producing and very tasty variety. Chocolate/bronze colored fruits can weigh 10 ounces, but most average 5-8. Plants are about 3 feet tall, yet need staking. Our fruits are usually sweet and have rich complex flavor. Texture is excellent, especially on a sandwich. Fruits begin to ripen about 75 days after transplant. Mulatte Dwarf can do well in larger containers or small gardens. Perfect as a snack, for garnish, cooking, slicing on a platter and also for market sales. A very good choice if you like rich tasting tomatoes!

Mandurang Moon - 65 days, dwarf — 'Dwarf Mandurang Moon' has rugose, potato leaf plants that produces lots of oval shaped, ivory colored, one to two ounce, cherry tomatoes with an excellent, well balanced flavor.

This Year's Tomatoes - The Dwarfs (E-G)

The next set of tomatoes for this year:

Electric Pinky - A prolific dwarf tomato plant that produces pink with yellow striped fruits on super compact plants. This is such a beautiful plant it really needs to be grown where it can be seen to be appreciated - deeply crinkled rugose foliage that is the most amazing chartreuse color in early spring and late fall.  During the heat of the summer foliage becomes the normal light green. An additional reason to grow Dwarf Electric Pinky where it can be seen is the plant produces its fruits tight up against the stem of the plant, so finding them is sometimes a challenge if you weren't looking for them. Nice even blend of sweet and acid fruits that average around 5 oz.

Faith's Purple Dwarf - I can't find anything on this tomato - it was sent to me from a Tomato group I belong to on Facebook. We'll find out what it's like soon!

Firebird - 75 days, dwarf — 'Dwarf Firebird Sweet' is a rugose, regular leaf dwarf-type plant that produces high yields of medium-sized, oblate-shaped, fruits that ripen to a crimson pink color with gold stripes. It is a beautiful tomato with a sweet, rich, well-balanced flavor. This "Dwarf Tomato Project" variety originated from a cross between an early generation of 'Dwarf Wild Fred' and Wild Boar Farm's 'Beauty King' by Vince Lavallo.

The Fuzz - Can't find anything on this one either.

Geranium Kiss - Stocky 2 ft determinate plants that grow like a nice bush. Would make an excellent tomato for urban and container gardens. Compact plants produce an impressive flush of 20-70, 1 oz fruits, 3-4 sets, a "one-stake wonder". Peace seeds original. Dwarf indeterminate.