As promised, we are expanding our vegetable seed planting guide and including ARIZONA. This is one of many region-specific guides offered here at Mary's Heirloom Seeds. Find a complete list on our Growing Tips & Videos page.
Who doesn't like Salsa? There are so many variations of Salsa, mild to hot, mango to jalapeno and even green tomato salsa. Creating a Salsa Garden is easy! Mary's Heirloom Seeds has made things even easier with Mary's Salsa Pack Seed Combo!
My first suggestion, Coconut Pellets! They make seed-starting "oh so easy." Before you just go crazy and start planting all of the seeds it's important to decide which varieties you would like to include and how long each will take to mature.
Onions: Not everyone likes onions in their salsa. I do! I prefer a red onion. The Red Burgundy onion matures in approximately 100 days. If you decide to grow this onion it should be planted first. If you choose a bunching onion or a "green onion" you can wait on planting. Bunching onion varieties take about 40 days to mature.
Tomatoes: I prefer to use a smaller tomato for salsa like the Ace 55 or Roma. Both varieties take approx 75-80 days to mature so they should be started one month after the onion (if you chose the red). A larger option is a Beefsteak. For fancy salsa, try Emerald Green or Amana's Orange tomatoes.
Peppers: For a mild salsa you can use Anaheim instead. For a hot (or hotter) salsa I use Jalapenos. For the crazy, burn your mouth for a week salsa, use Serrano Peppers or Habanero! These pepper varieties also take 70-80 days to mature and should be planted at the same time as the tomatoes.
Cilantro planting should be staggered throughout the year. By planting multiple cilantro plants it will allow you to harvest as you need it instead of all at once. Plant Cilantro at least 30 days before the rest of the Salsa Garden plants mature. I recommend succession planting Cilantro for a plentiful harvest.
Recap- Onions: 100 or 40 days Tomatoes: 75-80 days Peppers: 70-80 days Cilantro: 30 days
Fresh Salsa
Ingredients
5 large tomatoes, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tomatillo, diced (optional)
salt to taste
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
Directions
In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine tomatoes, onion, cilantro, garlic, lime juice, tomatillo, and salt to taste. Mix well. Add 1/2 of the jalapeno pepper, and taste. If you desire your salsa with more of a kick, add the remaining 1/2 jalapeno. If you are satisfied with the salsa's heat, do not add the remaining jalapeno pepper. Cover the salsa, and chill until ready to serve.
Mary's Salsa Pack is available @ Mary's Heirloom Seeds for only $18. (Gift wrap not included)
Make wonderful homemade salsa fresh from the garden! One packet of each. Includes: - Thessaloniki Tomato -Jalapeno Pepper -Anaheim Pepper -Red Burgundy Onion -Cilantro
A great addition to Mary's Salsa Pack is the natural and Organic Soil Amendments.
I use DIY Organic Liquid Plant Food on my own veggies and I love it! The difference in plant growth, flowering and crops has been fantastic.
All of the seeds listed are open-pollinated, non-gmo & non-hybrid, non-patented, untreated, heirloom garden seeds. Mary has signed the Safe Seed pledge.
Most orders place Monday-Thursday ship within 48 hours, except for Holidays.
If you follow us on our facebook page, you might have seen that Doc (the other half of Mary's Heirloom Seeds) was hospitalized this week. Unfortunately, that mean that several seed orders shipped out a bit late.
GREAT news this morning, we are finally home and healing AND seed orders are already shipping out!! If you have not receive an email confirmation with tracking info, please follow up with me.
To thank you all for your patience and kind words, we are offering a pretty big sale on NEW seeds and a few favorites. SALE starts NOW thru Wed, Nov 9th Please share this sale with your friends!
An excellent starter pack! Includes 10 varieties of organic,
non-GMO seeds (25 seeds per pack), Coconut Coir seed starting pellets,
Plant Markers, organic plant food and detailed growing instructions
Organic, Heirloom, Non-GMO Seeds: St. Valery Carrot, Tom Thumb
Lettuce, Roma Tomato, Black Beauty Eggplant, Blue Lake Bush Beans, New
Jersey Wakefield Cabbage, National Pickling Cucumber, Early Scarlet
Globe Radish, Yellow of Parma Onion and Black Beauty Zucchini
8 ounces Organic Plant Food 3-4-4
Options: 24 Coconut Coir Pellets OR 50 Coconut Coir Pellets
An excellent starter pack! Includes 8 varieties of organic,
non-GMO seeds (25 seeds per packs), Coconut Coir seed starting
pellets, Plant Markers, organic plant food and detailed growing
instructions
Organic, Heirloom, Non-GMO Seeds: Atomic Red Carrot, Little Gem
Lettuce, Roma Tomato, Blue Lake Bush Beans, Lacinato Kale (aka Dino
Kale), Marketmore Cucumber, Early Scarlet Globe Radish and Black Beauty
Zucchini
8 ounces Organic Plant Food 3-4-4
8 ounces Azomite - essential trace minerals
Options: 24 Coconut Coir Pellets OR 50 Coconut Coir Pellets
A more recent addition to our combo packs includes our homesteader packs.
And
now we have created on more combo pack. This one includes PRINTED
instructions from some of our more popular articles and tutorials as
well as seeds, germination supplies, organic pest control and organic
soil amendments
Includes
SEEDS from Mary's Garden Pack, Companion seeds, your choice of 50 or
100 coconut coir pellets (for seed starting made simple), Plant Markers,
Organic Neem Oil and 2 of our most popular (and easy to use) Organic Nutrients
If you have additional questions please feel free to ask.
Another one of my favorite heirloom varieties is the Thai Roselle, also called Jamaican Sorrel, Florida Cranberry or Red Thai Hibiscus. This is another unique variety that would make a great addition to your garden! From Mary's Heirloom Seeds, "A valuable plant for making cranberry-flavored bright red beverages, jelly, pie and tea. Much grown in Asia and the mid-east as the flavor is wonderful. A tasty sauce can be made by boiling and sweetening the fleshy calyxes; the leaves are also used to make a drink. The entire plant of this Hibiscus is red and very beautiful. Start early, unless you live in the far-south. Citrus-flavored flowers are delicious on frozen deserts. Also called Jamaican Sorrel, Florida Cranberry and Hibiscus"
Roselle was called “Florida cranberry” in the 1890s. The flowers and young leaves are edible and have a citrus tang.
Hibiscus, of which Roselle is a variety of, is a tropical plant, but if started indoors it can be grown successfully in more northern climates. You want to start your Thai Red Roselle around the same time you would plants like peppers, tomatoes and eggplants. Since this is a heat-loving plant, you want to give it as much of a head start as you can.
Thai Red Roselle is susceptible to aphids, so either use an organic spray or companion plant to control insects. Roselle branches should be pruned when they are 12-18 inches tall to help control height. These plants can reach up so 6 feet in height.
From esgreen, "Botanically speaking, it's Hibiscus sabdariffa L. (family Malvaceae) and it’s the bushy H. sabdariffa var. sabdariffa that produces the edible products.The edible parts used to make “juice” or tea (actually, an infusion) look like reddish dried-up buds. In fact, they’re not flowers but calyces. It’s the calyx, the red, fleshy covering enclosing the flower’s seed pod, which is used for flavoring, cooking and food coloring. The flower of this variety of sabdariffa is yellow, white or light pink.
Roselle(Hibiscus) has been used in folk medicine as a diuretic and mild laxative, as well as in treating cancer and cardiac and nerve diseases. Although information is limited, the potential for hibiscus use in treating hypertension and cancer, as well as for its lipid-lowering and renal effects, are being investigated.
Although roselle is being studied, it hasn’t yet been proven to have the healing powers of bael fruit. It is high in calcium, niacin, riboflavin, vitamin C and iron, as seen on this Purdue University page. And the beverages have no caffeine. In East Africa, "Sudan tea" is consumed as medicine to cure coughs. In Guatamala, roselle is believed to cure hangovers. In Senegal, a roselle extract is said to lower blood pressure. In India, Africa and Central America, infusions made from roselle calyces or seeds are prescribed as a diuretic, to stimulate bile production and to treat fever."
It's no secret, I love to plant seeds. Wildflowers are a favorite since they add so much color to the garden and attract beneficial insects and beautiful pollinators. Wondering what to plant in FALL?
Planting Time in Mild-Winter Areas
If you live in an area with minimal or no winter frosts (parts of California, Florida, southern Texas or parts of the South West) you can plant wildflowers any time, however, the hottest time of the year is not recommended. It is best to take advantage of the rains and plant in the fall when the rain begins.
Planting Time in Cold-Zones
If you live in snow zones or areas with bitter-cold winters, it is best to wait and plant in the spring or some even say you can plant in fall. The advantage of planting in the fall is you will see those blooms earlier than if spring planted. Fall Planting - Timing - best to wait until after a good hard frost. The seeds will not sprout until the spring when the soil has warmed up enough for germination.
Unless specifically buying a shade-loving mix, wildflowers like full sun. But they don’t like soggy, wet feet, so a good draining location is a must.
Give your pollinators a good food source and enjoy the long lasting blooms in your garden or backyard.
Just a few from our HUGE selection of pollinator-friendly varieties include
"Scientists concluded that an almond tree can compensate for the lack of nutrients and water in the short term by storing the nutrients and water in the fruits instead, but cannot compensate for insufficient pollination"
All of the seeds listed are open-pollinated, non-gmo & non-hybrid, non-patented, untreated, heirloom garden seeds. Mary has signed the Safe Seed pledge.
$10 Order Minimum
Most orders place Monday-Thursday ship within 48 hours, except for Holidays.
We've had quite a few request about what to do with left over seeds. At Mary's Heirloom Seeds, a packet of Snowball Self-Blanching Cauliflower contains 200 heirloom seeds. If you don't plant all 200, You can share them with your friends and family or you can store them for next season/year.
For the best germination rates, try to use all stored flower and vegetable seeds the next growing season. Seed health and viability goes down the longer the seeds are stored.
If you save seeds from your own produce, seeds should be completely cleaned and dry before storing.
Paper is the best storage option for seeds. Packets should be labelled with date of storage and variety of seed.
If you are storing purchased seeds they have already been cleaned. If possible, store seeds in their original packaging to avoid mixing up seed varieties.
As promised, we have added a bunch of new varieties for 2017 and they are available NOW! It took us almost 2 weeks to get all of the new seeds packaged up AND package up our current offerings!
Don't miss out on these for your 2017 garden!
*Click the images below for full descriptions and background on each heirloom variety*
The best early green bean for gardeners who desire good flavor, disease resistance, and high yield. 5½ in. long pods. Fairly hardy under adverse conditions and well suited to greenhouse use. Resistant to common bean mosaic virus (race 1) and tolerant of powdery mildew.
Snap bean for home gardens, local market, shipping fresh and for freezing. 15-17" vines, bushy, sturdy, and strong roots. Pods round to heart-shaped, straight, 5-1/4", fleshy, low fiber, tender, stringless, and medium dark green.
Red Acre is a tasty organic cabbage variety that produces shocking reddish-purple, globe shaped heads that can add real color and beauty to your vegetable garden. Liven up any salad with Red Acre's spectacular color.
Red Acre Cabbage is resistant to cabbage yellowing and is especially suited for small gardens as it takes up less space than other cabbage varieties.
Originated around 1870. Also called "Giant Musselburh" or "Scotch Flag" Leeks date back to the time of the Ancient Egyptians. Their popularity has grown through many cultures since then.
A strain of the old Danish variety Amager, named for the island of Amager near Copenhagen. Amager is mentioned as far back as the 15th century by Dutch colonists. Introduced in the United States in 1887.
Easter Egg radishes are perfect for a children's garden for two really good reasons: they grow VERY fast and produce amazing bright, happy colors that kids are just drawn to
All of the seeds listed are open-pollinated, non-gmo & non-hybrid, non-patented, untreated, heirloom garden seeds. Mary has signed the Safe Seed pledge.
Most orders place Monday-Thursday ship within 48 hours, except for Holidays.
Sorry (again) for the duplicate emails! We missed a few sale varieties so we are sending out an *UPDATE* as soon as we realized.
ALL Seeds listed below are between 99 cents and $1.50 each. This is a HUGE savings! ***To find out more info, click the image of the seed variety and it will take you to our website.***
We are currently working on new labels and packaging. If you purchase any of the NEW varieties for 2017, your order may be delayed up to a week. Please have patience as we are working as fast as possible gearing up for the 2017 planting season.
Coconut coir growing medium comes from the coconut's fibrous husk (known as coir) that is bound together by lignin (known as pith). After the husk is immersed in water for 6 weeks, the fiber is extracted mechanically, and the pith is left behind as a waste product and stored in heaps to age. Since the pith comes from the fruit, it is quite naturally rich in nutrients. Coconut coir growing mediums are dehydrated and compressed into a compact form for easy handling. With the addition of water, coir expands to an easy to work with growing medium.
The addition of water increases the volume 3 to 9 times, depending on the packaging of products. This process results in a 100% organic, biodegradable growing medium, making it a natural and safe growth medium of choice for growers. 1.5 pounds compressed brick Add water to increase volume 3 to 9 times!
-Unlike peat moss, which is highly acidic, coconut coir has a neutral pH level. Most garden vegetables and flowers grow best in neutral to slightly alkaline conditions. When you use peat to amend a garden bed, an addition of agricultural lime is often necessary to combat the higher acidity. With coconut coir, limestone isn't necessary unless the soil naturally has a higher pH level. Coir use results in both a monetary and a labor savings, since you don't need to purchase further pH amendments nor work them into the soil.
-Coir improves soil drainage in the bed while also helping to retain moisture in quick-draining soils. Since coir breaks down slowly, much like peat, it creates air pockets in the soil that allow excess moisture to drain away from plant roots. The coir itself holds onto some moisture so the drainage doesn't occur too quickly and the soil doesn't dry out completely. These dual drainage and retention properties allow coir to improve moisture management in both heavy clay soils and dry, sandy beds.
-Peat moss, which coir replaces as a soil amendment, takes centuries to regrow once harvested. Coir is completely sustainable since it is a natural byproduct of coconut harvests, and coconut trees produce new coconuts every year. Using the coir in the garden keeps it out of the landfill where it would otherwise go. Coir can take a century or longer to fully break down in these landfills, so it's more sustainable to use it to improve your garden soil.
If you live in Florida, plant Peppers in January thru early March. There are a few varieties that can grow year-round in the Florida heat.
For cooler climates, Start seeds indoors under bright fluorescent lights in early spring, eight weeks before your last spring frost date. If possible, provide bottom heat to keep the plants' containers near 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure the seeds stay slightly moist. Seeds should sprout within three weeks. Transfer seedlings to larger containers when they are about six weeks old. Don't set peppers outside until at least two weeks after your average last frost date, during a period of warm weather. Always harden off seedlings by gradually exposing them to outdoor weather a few hours each day for at least a week before transplanting them outdoors.
If you have don't have a short growing season and you're willing to wait, you can always plant seeds outside after your last risk of frost. Peppers need warm weather to germinate and survive.
Starting Peppers from Seeds
I recommend soaking your seeds in water for up to 24 hours. This has increase the amount of seeds that germinate and how quickly they sprout. Use organic potting soil if you are seed-starting indoors or in small containers to be transplanted outside. Whether you direct sow or plant in containers, plant pepper seeds approx 1/4 inch below the soil. Pepper seeds germinate in as few as 7- 21 days.
All peppers grow best under warm conditions, but gardeners in cool climates can keep peppers happy by using row covers. Choose a sunny site that has fertile, well-drained soil with a pH between 6.0 and 6.5. Loosen the planting bed to 12 inches deep, and thoroughly mix in a 1-inch layer of mature compost. Dig planting holes 12 inches deep and at least 18 inches apart, and enrich each with a spadeful of additional compost. Partially refill the holes, and situate plants so they are planted slightly deeper than they were in their containers. Water well.
Harvesting and Storing Peppers
You can eat peppers when they are mature yet still green (green peppers), although the flavor and the vitamin content of peppers improve as they ripen to red, yellow or orange. Use pruning shears or scissors to snip ripe peppers from the plant, leaving a small stub of stem attached. Bumper crops can be briefly steam-blanched or roasted and then frozen, either whole or chopped. Peppers are also easy to dry. Dried peppers quickly plump if soaked in hot water, or you can grind them into powders for your spice shelf.
Pepper Growing Tips
Be careful with nitrogen when preparing your planting holes, as overfed peppers produce lush foliage but few fruits. Use a high-nitrogen fertilizer only if you're growing peppers in poor soil.
In cool climates, use black plastic mulch in addition to row covers to create warm conditions for peppers. In warm climates, use shade covers during summer to reduce sunscald damage to ripening peppers.
Provide stakes or other supports to keep plants upright as they become heavy with fruits. Cover surrounding soil with a mulch of clean straw or grass clippings so ripening peppers don't come in contact with soil, which can cause them to rot.
Always wear gloves if handling hot peppers, and avoid touching your eyes or nose. If you do handle hot peppers bare-handed, immediately scrub hands with soap and warm water, rub them vigorously with coconut oil, then wash them again.
Tobacco etch virus (TEV), cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) and potato virus Y (PVY) can infect peppers grown in warm climates. Transmitted by thrips and aphids, these viruses cause leaves to become thick, crinkled or narrow and stringy.
Margined blister beetles may suddenly appear in large numbers in midsummer, especially in warm climates. These large beetles are black with gray stripes, and they devour pepper foliage. Handpick beetles, making sure to wear gloves to prevent skin irritation.
Pepper weevils can also be a serious problem in warm climates. Clean up fallen fruit daily to interrupt the life cycle of this pest, and trap adult pepper weevils with sticky traps.
Diatomaceous Earth is another great Organic solution to pest control. DE kills aphids, white flies, beetles, loopers, mites, snails, slugs, leaf hoppers, and harmful pests. Sprinkle DE around the base of the plant as well as on the leaves.
Tomatoes, parsley, basil, geraniums, marjoram, lovage, petunia and carrots. Onions make an excellent companion plant for peppers. They do quite well with okra as it shelters them and protects the brittle stems from wind. Chili peppers have root exudates that prevent root rot and other Fusarium diseases. Plant anywhere you have these problems. Hot peppers like to be grouped with cucumbers, eggplant, escarole, tomato, okra, Swiss chard and squash. Herbs to plant near them include: basils, oregano, parsley and rosemary. Never put them next to any beans, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts or fennel.
We hope you have enjoyed yet another informative growing article here at Mary's Heirloom Seeds. If you have additional questions please ask!
Of course, cucumbers need lots of sun—full sun, in fact. Vegetable gardens should have 6-8 hours a full sunlight a day. Cucumbers also like warm weather. If you have a limited growing season, start cucumber seedlings indoors early, so you’ll be ready to plant when the warm weather arrives. Wait until soil temperatures have reached 70 degrees Fahrenheit to transplant. Even light frosts will kill these plants. Cucumbers like soil rich in organic matter, well drained, and around a neutral pH (around 6.5). These all really go hand in hand, anyway. Just add some compost to your soil or your planter, and it should take care of the three soil preferences of cucumbers.
Cucumber plants are flexible with the pH level. So, they’ll do great as long as the pH level is around 6.5. Cucumbers are hearty plants and easy to grow. Just make sure they have full sunlight and soil is rich in organic matter. Remember, mulch helps soil retain moisture. When vegetables like full sun, soil tends to dry out quickly. Mulch will also keep the cucumbers off the soil away from pests and clean.
How to Plant Cucumbers
Cucumbers can be planted in containers, rows, hills, or raised beds. Be warned: one plant produces a lot of cucumbers. And, some plants can produce all summer long. So, think about spacing out plantings to harvest all season. As with Tomatoes, Peppers and Eggplant...I recommend soaking seeds for up to 24 hours before planting.
Containers Cucumbers grow as bushes or vines. Bush varieties grow well in containers. Refer to the variety list above for types of cucumbers suitable for containers and planters. Vine cucumbers will need a trellis, and there’s more space for those in a garden out in the yard. Rows You can plant rows of cucumbers once soil temperature is 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Space rows 6 ½ feet apart, and plants should have about 2 ½ feet between them. But check your variety, if growing a smaller cucumber plant, you may be able to add more plants in a smaller space. There are some varieties that only need 8-10 inches between the plants. Since cucumbers are a warm season crop, seeds do pretty well sowing directly into your garden. For row gardening, plant cucumber seeds about 6 inches apart. When the seedlings become established (have their second set of leaves- not just seedling leaves), you can thin seedlings to suggested planting space. By planting seeds 6 inches apart, you can count on getting enough cucumber plants. Hills A hill of cucumbers! Vine crops are often grown this way, like cucumbers, squash, and melons. The idea of hill planting is to start the root system in the center. From there they grow outwards, not competing with each other for water or soil nutrients. Again, hill planting is for your vine cucumbers. Hills need to be about 3 feet apart. Plant about 5 or so seeds in the hill. Once seedlings have established, reduce to only three plants. Instead of pulling up the seedling, just cut it off. This will prevent any disruption to the root system. Remember, vine cucumber plants are better trellised. These plants have healthier vines, and harvesting is easier since you can see the fruit. Raised Beds You can plant any type of cucumber in a raised bed. The benefit of using raised beds with cucumbers is soil drainage. Raised beds, in general, will provide well drained soil. Raised beds are my preferred gardening method and it makes gardening easier! It’s easier to reach the vegetables, control soil health, and control pests and weeds.
Companion Plants for Cucumbers
Growing these companion plants around cucumbers will be helpful: nasturtiums, radishes, marigolds, sunflowers, peas, beets, carrots, and dill. Some plants actually are bad to the health of cucumber plants. Avoid these plants around cucumbers: tomatoes, sage, and other aromatic herbs. For Organic pest control, use Companion Planting and Diatomaceous Earth. For more info read Using Diatomaceous Earth. For "muching insects," use our recipe for Organic Neem Oil spray.
Cucumber plants are easy vegetables to grow. There’s not a whole lot of work to do while you’re waiting to harvest: trellis vine cucumbers and water. Watering is key, and you need to water deep to reach all the roots. Cucumbers absorb and need a lot of water!
When to Use Organic Fertilizer
If you do not do so already, please use an organic fertilizer. Cucumber plants really absorb water, soil nutrients, and fertilizers around them. Chemicals are the last thing you want in your homegrown food. Fertilize cucumber plants about a week after they produce blossoms. You can fertilize about every 3-4 weeks. Make sure you don’t over fertilize. It can lead to misshapen cucumbers.
When to Harvest Cucumbers
Cucumbers are ready to harvest about 55-70 days after planting. It’s better to pick them early than late. Don’t wait to see how big the cucumbers get! Cucumbers get bitter as they grow bigger, and the seeds can harden, too. Get them before they turn yellow. To harvest, you can cut the vine about 3/8 inches above the cucumber. Or catch them at the right time, and they just pop off the vine. Cucumbers last longer stored in the refrigerator.
Cucumber Pests and Diseases
Keep an eye out for pests, like aphids, pickle worms, mites, and cucumbers beetles chomping on your cucumber plants. Common cucumber diseases are anthracnose, powdery mildew, downy mildew, bacterial wilt, and angular leaf spot.
