More Seed Packets Arrive

I recently received my 2017 seed order from Johnny's Selected Seeds out of Winslow, Maine. While Johnny's might have the most visually boring seed packets in the industry, they certainly come close to having one of the best selections available of both open pollinated and hybrids seeds for sale. They are one of my favorite seed companies and I love it when the new catalog arrives in the mailbox each year. Of all of the seeds that I ordered from them this year, I think I am most excited about:

"Cupcakes Mix" Cosmos - 90-100 days. "Novel Cosmos resemble fluted cupcake wrappers. As showy as Double Click with lighter weight blooms held upright on stems. The light colored, finely pleated blooms float above the foliage, reminding us of Degas' paintings of Ballerinas. A small percentage of flowers have lovely, tufted centers. Height, 40-50"."

"Oklahoma Mix, Improved" Zinnia - 75-90 days. "Bright colors, excellent vase life, and low susceptibility to powdery mildew. Prolific, 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 inch double and semi-double, petite, yet sturdy blooms. Excellent, reliable accent flowers for market bouquets, wedding flowers, and event work." Height 30-40".

"Oklahoma Carmine" Zinnia - A Hot, pink selection of the "Oklahoma Mix, Improved".

"Jazzy Mix" Zinnia - 1980. 75-85 days. "Similar to Persian Carpet but with a wider range of colors. Attractive fully-double and semi-double blooms are 1-2" in size. Bright but earthy tones add unique accents to specialty bouquets." Height 20-26".

"Choice Mix" Centaurea. 65-75 days. " Classic Cornflowers. Upright plants produce abundant 1-1 1/2" blooms. Great edible flower for decorating desserts and salads. Blue, pink, red, and white" Height 30-38".

"Striped Armenian" Cucumber - 63 days. "Unique appearance and excellent flavor. Also know as Painted Serpent. Unusual, slightly fuzzy, serpentine fruits are slightly ridged with alternating dark and light green stripes. Harvest from 8-18". Delicious and different."

"Gazelle" Spinach - 36 days. "Best suited for Fall/Winter Harvest. Dark green, smooth, oval-to-round leaves with good flavor. Long stems, very uniform leaf shape and plant habit. Suitable for baby leaf and bunching.High resistance to downy mildew races 1-13."

"Full Sun Improved"  Sunflower - 65-75 days. "Single stem. Dark Center. Southern growers prefer this variety for Winter production." Height 70-80".

"Winter Sweet" Winter Squash -95 days. "Unparalleled eating quality and extra long storage. Winter Sweet delivers a combination of sweetness, flaky texture, and depth of flavor that has made it a favorite on our research farm. A more reliable producer than Confection, it also keeps very well and improves in storage. Fruits average 4-5 lbs., are light grey with a charcoal mottle. Best eating quality between 2-5 months after harvest. Average yield 3-4 fruits per plant."