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Annuals For Sale - Spring 2010


Below are all the annual plants we plan to offer at this Sale. Weather conditions and other unforeseen factors may affect whether all of these varieties will actually be available at the Sale itself.

You may filter this list by selecting the crop or type of plant that you would like to see.






Crop Namesort icon Type Description Thumbnail
Annual Herbs Cilantro Does well in cool weather throughout the winter and early spring! Great made into a pesto. Flowers are beautiful and edible. The seeds of cilantro are called coriander. If you haven’t tried fresh green coriander in your cooking, you must!
Annual Herbs German Chamomile

Summer annual, grows to 3 feet. Flowers can be used fresh or dried for tea. Very ornamental.
Borage Blue Borage The blue-flowered form of Borage (Borago officinalis) is a fabulous addition to any garden.  This beautiful hardy annual is a vigorous plant which can produce hundreds of azure-blue flowers, especially useful for attracting honeybees and other beneficial insects.  Once established and going to seed, it will become a welcome “volunteer” in your garden forever!
Borage flowers are one of the best-loved edible flowers, tasting remarkably like cucumber and used raw in salads, herb waters or vinegars, or as a garnish on any sort of dish.  The leaves are commonly cooked in Italy- raviolis are stuffed with Borage leaves in Genoa, and elsewhere are served like spinach or dropped in batter and deep-fried as fritters.
Borage White Borage The white-flowered form of Borage is much more rare than the blue.  Very similar in appearance to Blue Borage, this hardy annual produces a great show of pure white star-shaped flowers which have all the same attributes and benefits as the blue.
Culinarily it is used in the same ways as the blue, but has an even more delicate, sweet flavor- also like cucumbers.  The two forms do not cross with each other, so you can always have the two beautiful colors growing together in your garden!
Broccoli Calabrese Brought to America by Italian immigrants in 1880s. This popular market variety has tight central heads that can reach 8 inches in diameter. After central head is harvested, many side shoots follow.
Broccoli DeCicco Compact 2- to 3-foot plant produces 8-inch central head. After central head is cut, many side shoots follow. Very early. 60 to 90 days from transplant. Heirloom variety.
Broccoli Waltham 29 Medium to large head of good quality. Heirloom variety.
Cabbage Copenhagen Market Green Cabbage Introduced in 1909. Solid heads reach 6 to 8 inches in diameter, weighing 3 to 4 lbs.  Medium-sized plants are ideal for smaller gardens.  60 to 100 days from transplant.
Cabbage Early Jersey Wakefield Conical, solid, tightly folded heads are 10 to 15 inches tall by 5 to 7 inches in diameter, weighing 3 to 4 lbs. Very early. 60 to 75 days from transplant. First grown in New Jersey in 1840.
Cabbage Golden Acre Green Cabbage Early Copenhagen Market type.  Uniform, round gray-green heads; firm and dense; 6-7 inches in diameter; weighing 4-5 pounds: Small plants permit close spacing.
Cabbage Large Drumhead Savoy Green Cabbage Flattened 5-lb. savoyed heads of fine flavor. A popular old French variety that pre-dates 1885.
Cabbage Mammoth Red Rock Red Cabbage Red cabbage introduced in 1889. Solid, round heads are 8 inches in diameter and weigh up to 7 lbs. Vigorous variety with a fine flavor. 98 days from transplant. 
Cabbage Perfection Drumhead Savoy Green Cabbage

Large drumhead-type with finely crinkled, savoyed leaves on compact, short-stemmed plants. Mild and sweet flavor; good keeper. Heirloom introduced before 1888.
Cabbage Premium Late Flat Dutch Green Cabbage

Solid flat heads are 7 to 8 inches deep by 10 to 14 inches in diameter. 100 days from transplant. Beautiful shape!
Cabbage Red Acre Red Cabbage Globe-shaped deep purple heads, 5 to 6 inches in diameter, weighing up to 4 lbs. Solid heads. Excellent storage.
Cabbage Tete Noire

This traditional red French cabbage is very rare outside of Europe.  Solid deep-red heads are of very good quality.
Calendula Geisha Girl Pretty blooms are deep orange, double and have inwardly curved petals.  Very unique flowers which look much like chrysanthemums.
Calendula Indian Prince Height 24 inches.  Dark orange flowers on top and mahogany beneath.
Calendula Orange Porcupine A lovely selection of the old “Radio” variety with beautiful quilled petals, bright orange in color.
Calendula Pacific Beauty An “English Cottage Garden” variety that reaches 24 inches and blooms throughout the year.  Large flowers in yellow, orange, cream, and apricot.  Attracts beneficial insects to the garden.
Calendula Pink Surprise A lovely calendula with apricot flowers tinged with pink.  Frilly flowers bloom over a long season.
Calendula Resina Bright yellow flowers with a few orange ones, with light-colored centers. Unusually aromatic flowers have an especially high resin content – the best variety for making tinctures and oils.
Calendula Solar Flashback

A very elegant calendula.  The light pink petals with a touch of yellow on the outermost tips and maroon undersides give these flowers a softer, more gentle look than the bright orange and yellow hues of most calendula.
Celeriac Brilliant Large, solid smooth roots with white interior that resist pithiness.
Celeriac Large Smooth Prague Large root almost spherical, evenly shaped without rootlets and with smooth skin. Mild tasting flesh. Variety introduced prior to 1885.
Celeriac Monstor Polgi

A French Variety from the early 1600’s which has a very large, round, well-formed root with few side shoots.  An excellent keeper.
Celery Giant Red Extra hardy heirloom variety with red stalks which blanch to pink if protected from the light.
Celery Golden Self Blanching Compact, full-hearted plants to 25 inches high. Blanches readily to a golden-yellow color. Flavor delicate and very good.
Celery Utah Taller and greener than Golden Self-Blanching, the bottom portion of the stalk can run close to a foot in length. Fine flavor – can be harvested at various stages of maturity.
Cipollini Onions Red Marble

A deep red Italian cippolini onion with an earthy, rustic flavor.  Grown to maturity, it measures 1½“ to 1 ¾“ in diameter and a flattened 1” in depth.  Its firm flesh makes it good for prolonged storage.
Collards Champion Dark, blue-green foliage and winter hardy. Bolt-resistant and non-heading.
Collards Georgia Southern Large, moderately crumpled, blue-green leaves. Grows back after being harvested. Mild cabbage-like flavor. Vigorous, upright spreading plant to a height of 4 feet or more. Popular traditional cultivar, introduced prior to 1885.
Collards Morris Heading Heirloom collard is called “Cabbage Collards” by Southern Old-timers.  Makes loose heads which are dark green and slow bolting.  Tender leaves- very delicious!
Kale Fizz

A unique kale with finely lobed leaves in golden green, maturing quickly to deep emerald.  The young leaves are tender and delicious as baby greens – just right for salads.  Allow plant to reach full size and you’ll have ideal stir-fry greens with great taste and smooth texture.
Kale Frizzy

An OAEC selection. A highly dissected Russian Red Kale which has the appearance of a blue-green frisee. So incredibly tender that it can be used raw in salads. Extraordinarily beautiful.

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Kale Lacinato

Known as Tuscan Black Cabbage (Cavallo Nero) or Dinosaur Kale. Tall plants with savoyed, strap-shaped leaves up to two feet long.  Tolerates heat well, and is one of the sweetest, tastiest kales. Very ornamental.

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Kale Lacinato Rainbow

A fabulous cross between Redbor and Lacinato kales with frilly green leaves overlaid with hues of red, purple, and blue-green. Very vigorous and cold-hardy.

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Kale Red Ursa

A heavy-ribbed, broadly curled, Siberian-type kale with extra frills and deep red-purple color. Excellent flavor in salads and stir-fry.

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Kale Russian Red Kale

Leaves with red-purple venation and wavy leaf margins resembling an oak leaf. An heirloom from 1885 that is also called Canadian Broccoli. Very tender and tasty, even in summer heat.

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Kale Russian White

Similar in appearance to Russian Red but with white venation.  More tender than Russian Red, with a squatter growing habit. Tends to be very bolt-resistant. The most productive kale we know.

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Kale Shiny Diney

An OAEC original, selected in our gardens!  A beautiful kale with glossy, dark, almost black, strap-shaped leaves which contrast nicely with the blue-green chalky-surfaced leaves of traditional Lacinato or Dinosaur Kale.  It is a smaller plant with an even heartier taste.

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Kale Wild Red Russo Siberian

A diverse selection of flat-leafed and mossy curled kales. Very red, very cold hardy, very beautiful and high-yielding.

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Leeks Blue Solaise Leeks French heirloom with truly bluish leaves turning violet after a cold spell. Very large and sweet medium-long shaft. 100 to 120 days from transplant. Holds well in winter, but does beautifully all year round.
Leeks Bulgarian Giant A long, thin leek of the best quality. Light green leaves. Popular variety in Europe.
Leeks Giant Carentan Very rare European heirloom from 1874. Medium-sized leek with great flavor. One of the best leeks for over-wintering, and for early spring planting.
Leeks Giant Musselburgh Introduced in 1834. A popular Scottish leek. Enormous size, 9 to 15 inches long by 2 to 3 inches diameter. Tender white stalks. Nice mild flavor. Stands winter well. 80 to 115 days from transplant. 
Leeks King Richard Fast-growing summer leek. The thick white shafts can reach 12 inches in length. Light green upright leaves. Mild flavor.
Leeks Prizetaker English heirloom, also known as The Lyon. Very tall, up to 36 inches with a thick, pure white stalk. Very tender, mild flavor. 110 to 135 days from transplant.
Lettuce Akcel Butter Lettuce

Good early Butterhead with small compact heads. Very beautiful!
Lettuce Amish Deertongue Romaine Lettuce

Very rare. Brick red leaves with crinkled edge that is savoyed in the middle. Great spring lettuce.
Lettuce Bibb Butter Lettuce Also known as Limestone. An extremely rare variety – tiny 8-inch green heads with wonderful crunchy texture.
Lettuce Bronze Arrowhead Oakleaf Lettuce Our favorite oakleaf lettuce type. Grown at OAEC for 23 years. Very colorful and flavorful with great crunchiness. Awarded the bronze metal at the 1947 All American Selections.
Lettuce Bunte Forellenschluss Butter Lettuce The Butterhead companion to Forellenschluss Romaine. “Bunte” in German means colorful. Sweet, apple-green leaves splashed with maroon. Forms 8- to 10-inch loose head.
Lettuce Buttercrunch Butter Lettuce A highly refined long-standing Bibb-type lettuce developed at Cornell University – an All American Selections winner in 1963. Medium-sized dark green 12-inch heads with smooth, soft tender leaves and creamy yellow heart. Slow bolting and heat-resistant. Very popular variety.
Lettuce Capitane Butter Lettuce Beautiful medium-sized green Boston-type Butterhead lettuce. Tight heads with buttery central leaves.
Lettuce Czechoslovakia Butter Lettuce Beautiful red-tinged heirloom leaf lettuce which has been part of OAEC’s collection for twenty years.  Small 10 inch head has buttery green center leaves.  Very sweet and succulent.
Lettuce Dapple Leaf Lettuce Dark red, wavy leaves with sprinkles of yellow-green. Beautiful! Good taste.
Lettuce Flashy Butter Oak Oakleaf Lettuce

Compact buttery heads of puckered, emerald-green, oak-shaped leaves with a shock of brilliant maroon speckles.  Crisp tender crunchy texture with sweet buttery flavor.  A Frank Morton variety.
Lettuce Forellenschluss Romaine Lettuce

The most beautiful lettuce of all! A loose-leaf heirloom Romaine from Austria with lime-green leaves and dark red splotches. Great flavor and excellent in cold weather. The name translates “speckled like a trout’s back”.
Lettuce Grandpa Admire's Leaf Lettuce Bronze-tinged leaves in large 14-inch heads. Very tender with mild flavor. Slow to bolt. George Admire was a Civil War veteran born in 1822.
Lettuce Kalura Romaine Lettuce

A very large Cos-type green romaine.   Great taste and good heat tolerance.  
Lettuce Lingue De Canarino (Canary's Tongue) Oakleaf Lettuce Italian heirloom with full heart and lime-green tasty leaves. Three distinct leaf types fill out this loose, mild-tasting 8-inch rosette. Good in salad mixes. Works very well in the fall or spring.
Lettuce Little Gem Romaine Lettuce

A sweet little miniature Romaine. Sometimes called “Dwarf”. 6 inches across and 6 inches tall. Very succulent, crispy texture.
Lettuce Mikola Butter Lettuce Heavy, succulent red Butterhead with large, rounded, slightly ruffled leaves.  Does well in heat.
Lettuce Mottistone Leaf Lettuce

A gorgeous speckled summer crisp/Batavia type lettuce.  Plants are medium-sized and upright.  Great flavor.
Lettuce Parris Island Cos Romaine Lettuce

A tasty romaine type.   Uniform heads are pale-green inside,  and the outside is dark green.  Developed around 1949, named after Parris Island, off the East Coast. 
Lettuce Reine des Glaces (Ice Queen) Leaf Lettuce Slow-bolting variety. Dark green deeply-cut pointed lacy leaves. Medium to dark-green crisp heart and crunchy texture. Very succulent and sweet taste.
Lettuce Ruben's Red Romaine Lettuce

Deep burgundy 12- to 14-inch heads. Sweet and juicy savoyed leaves with an emerald-green base. A great cool weather variety.
Lettuce Speckled Red Butter Lettuce Mennonite variety from 1799. Incredibly beautiful bright heads covered with red speckling.
Lettuce Tom Thumb Leaf Lettuce Treasured as the oldest American lettuce still available. This diminutive Butterhead is perfect for small gardens or for children’s gardens. Miniature English heirloom 4 to 6 inches across. Ruffled juicy leaves.  Enough lettuce for one salad! Can be served whole.
Mustards Golden Streaks Green Mustard Mustard with delicate thread-like leaves of light green color.  Gentle, spicy taste and very attractive in salads.
Mustards Green Wave Green Mustard Heavily curled, frilly bright green leaves great for salad mix or full-sized bunches.   Mustardy hot taste mellows when cooked.  Slow to bolt. 
Mustards Old Fashioned Ragged Edge Produces fine salad greens when young. Leaves are long, narrow, deeply cut, and ruffled. Quite beautiful!
Mustards Osaka Purple Red Mustard Beautiful Japanese mustard with deep purple pigment throughout the leaf surface. Leaf edges are wavy and curled. Large purple leaves with a pungent and sharp taste. Use young leaves in salads, and steam or stir-fry when mature.
Mustards Purple Wave Red Mustard A cross between Osaka Purple and Green Wave mustards developed by Alan Kapuler of Seeds of Change. Light purple leaves with green edging and semi-frilled leaf margins. From 1 to 2 feet tall. Robust, hot, and spicy flavor. 70 to 80 days from transplant.
Mustards Red Feather Red Mustard An OAEC original, as featured in our 2005 catalogue. A sharply-toothed cross between Old Fashioned Ragged Edge and Red Giant mustards.
Mustards Red Giant Red Mustard A beautiful Japanese red mustard with large paddle-shaped leaves which are green with a deep red venation. Very ornamental.
Mustards Red Giant Indian A beautiful Japanese red mustard with large paddle-shaped leaves which are green with a deep red venation. Very ornamental.
Mustards Ruby Streaks

Finely serrated leaves, dark green with maroon veins. Flavor is sweet and slightly pungent. Incredibly beautiful!
Onions Ailsa Craig 110 days from transplant. Huge straw-yellow globe. Firm, sweet, mild flesh. Short term storage, sweet Spanish type.
Onions Long Red Florence or Rouge de Florence

Oblong, bright red onions. Very mild and sweet, great for salads and pickling. A delicious Italian heirloom. Very rare.
Onions Newburg

A Seeds of Change original.  Hot storage onion with 3-4” globe-shaped amber bulbs.  Crisp white flesh, excellent keeper.
Onions Southport Red Globe Large dark purple-red skin with pink flesh.  Globe shaped.  Dependable variety, stores well. Introduced in 1873. 100 to 120 days from transplant.
Onions Southport White Medium-sized globe-shaped bulb. Thin, pure white skin. Very firm with pungent white flesh. Stores well.
Onions Texas Early Grano Vidalia-type yellow-brown onion with a sweet, tasty flavor.  Developed in Texas in 1944.
Pac Choy Tatsoi Beautiful flat-growing Pac Choy with rosettes of dark green, spoon-shaped leaves. Tender, mild flavor. Can be used fresh in salads or as a stir-fry green. Grows low or prostrate like lettuce. 55 days to maturity.
Parsley Favorite Moss A moss curled variety with dark green uniform leaves.  Plants stand to 13 inches and have a strong upright habit which keeps the leaves off the ground.   Favorit has a bright clear parsley flavor perfect for garnishing and tabouli. 
Parsley Italian Dark Green Flatleaf

Standard heirloom dark green flat-leaved variety. Extremely sweet and tasty – much more flavorful than curly varieties.
Parsley Italian Flatleaf Standard heirloom dark green flat-leaved variety. Extremely sweet and tasty – much more flavorful than curly varieties.
Parsley Italian Gigante Very flavorful flat-leaf parsley which produces a very large, productive, and vigorous plant.
Peas Atitlan Open-pollinated snow pea with medium-large pods, 3.5-4 inches long.  The 28 inch vines produce many tendrils but few leaves which can be grown with or without a trellis.
Peas Oregon Giant A vigorous white flowering snow pea that bears abundant 4-inch pods on 30-inch vines. Excellent flavor.
Salad Greens Arugula

Popular salad green with a pungent, spicy taste, almost reminiscent of hazelnuts. Sometimes called rocket or roquette. Can be made into a yummy pesto.
Salad Greens Curly Mallow

This mallow has unusual highly frilled leaves which can be used raw as a beautiful addition to salads.  The plant grows to 4 feet and continues to produce side shoots from which small leaves can be harvested.  Leaves can also be used as a nutritious potherb.
Salad Greens Mizuna Sometimes called Kyona. A very mild salad green and a main ingredient of many salad mixes. Traditionally a pickling vegetable in Japan.
Scallions Oasis A slender, sweet, white bunching onion, which matures in 65 days.
Shungiku Shungiku Variously called Garland or Edible Chrysanthemum or Chop Suey herb. Shungiku leaves are a delicious, richly-flavored ingredient in salads or can be added to sautees. Bright yellow flower petals are edible too!
Swiss Chard Bright Lights or Rainbow

Original selection of heirloom varieties with white, lemon yellow, orange, red and pink colored midribs with green leaves. Very tasty. Cold-tolerant. Incredibly beautiful ornamental. From Australia.
Swiss Chard Chadwick's Choice Originally from Alan Chadwick. Naturalized for over 20 years at Mariposa Ranch. Wide green leaves with thin white stems.
Swiss Chard Erbette

Heirloom from Italy makes a continuous harvest of tender young leaves for salads or cooking that look and taste much like spinach.  A “baby spinach” that re-sprouts and tolerates heat.
Swiss Chard Flamingo Pink

Neon, hot-pink chard – incredibly striking. Great picked young for salad or larger for braising.
Swiss Chard Fordhook Giant Introduced in 1924 by W. Atlee Burpee.  Has very large green leaves and white stems- very tasty!
Swiss Chard Oriole Orange A stunning all-orange selection. Perfect for home and markets. Orange chard is tender and just delicious!
Swiss Chard Rhubarb A deep red stalked chard. Very beautiful and productive.