Vegetable Seeds
Flower Seeds
Roots and Tubers
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Root Crops
If you're like me, root crops are the mainstay of a home-grown
winter diet. Having good storage conditions are important, but
having healthy and tasty crops to store away is key. Hope Seeds
is working on improving our techniques for producing seed for these
crops - most of them are biennials and require overwintering for seed
set. We've been able to collect and source some that meet our
high quality standards, and have included them here. You can find
potatoes, however, under the "Roots and Tubers" section on the
seed potato page.
Carrots
Turnip/Rutabega
Radish
Salsify
Carrots Approx. 750 seeds/g.
DANVERS 126
 70 days. Danvers
126 is still my favourite fresh and storage carrot. Lovely sweet
roots grow to about 7" on average, smooth-skinned (so not so many
dirt-filled crevices),
with blunt ends in sandy soils (pointy ends in heavier soil).
Tops are firm for easy hand-harvesting. Doesn't get woody
as roots mature.
Product code: 1101-CO
Price: 2g = $2.50, 10g = $10.00 |
Turnip/Rutabega Approx. 350 seeds/gram.
Okay - what's the difference between a turnip and a rutabega? Turnips
are really the roots that are best eaten small (i.e. 2" diameter) and
don't really store well after harvested. You'll want to eat them
through the growing season, don't leave them to grow huge as they get
woody quite easily. Pick them young and add them to salads,
stirfries, etc. Some folks refer to them as "summer turnips".
Rutabegas are the typical
winter storage root that you'll see in "stew packs" with cabbage and
carrots at the co-op or farm market in the fall. They're usually
harvested around softball-size, and hang on in the root cellar or back
of the fridge for a loooong time. For some reason, however, the
name rutabega has fallen by the wayside and most folks use the name
turnip for both turnips and rutabegas - just to be confusing!
GOLDEN BALL (Turnip)
 55 days.
Direct seed these in the garden as soon as soil can be worked,
and use thinnings for early spring salad greens. Golden-yellow flesh.
Product code: 2501
Price: 2g = $2.25, 10g = $7.50 |
PURPLE-TOP WHITE-GLOBE (Turnip)
Certified Organic
 60 days.
A mild flavour with white flesh. Roots have purple tops for pretty additions when sliced into salads.
Product code: 2503-CO
Price: 2g = $2.25, 10g = $7.50 |
MELFORD (Rutabega)
110 days.
A rare variety of rutabega that may be familiar to Rawlinson's previous customers. Yellow-fleshed, green tops and really tasty! If you're not a big turnip...I mean, rutabega fan, you just might be won over by this guy.
Product code: 2502
Price: 2g = $2.25, 10g = $7.50 |
Radish Approximately 100 seeds/gram.
RAT TAIL (Edible pods)
 45-50 days.
This is a unique and striking member of the radish family that is grown for the edible seed pods (called siliques),
rather than for the root. Pods are best harvested at about 6" and
are delicious raw, pickled or lightly sauteed, tasting much like their
rooty cousins. Each plant will reach about 3-4' in height and
bear abundantly (even more so when picked). Two to three plants
will provide enough for an average family. Rat Tail-type radishes
have been around for centuries and were once quite common in Europe and
even North America, however, now they're most often used in Asian
countries.
Product code: 2201
Price: 0.2g = $2.25 |
SPARKLER (Root)
25 days. The familiar little red globe with a white tip.
Product code: 2202
Price: 2g = $2.25, 10g = $7.00 |
WHITE ICICLE (Root)
33 days. Elongated root that is white both inside and out. Milder flavour than Sparker, except when grown under stress.
Product code: 2203
Price: 2g = $2.25, 10g = $7.00 |
Salsify Approximately 75 seeds/gram.
Not a common root vegetable, but not for any good reason! Very
distinctly flavoured, adding salsify root to soups and stews makes them
oh-so-gourmet. Grow salsify like parsnips, but leaving some in
the ground overwinter will let you take advantage of the pretty purple
flowers they set in the second summer.
MAMMOTH SANDWICH ISLAND
120 days. Roots are long and skinny, with off-white skin
and flesh. Leaves look a lot like grass (i.e. mark your rows!),
and deer love them - trust me!
Product code: 1102
Price: 3g = $2.50, 12g = $8.00 |
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