Common Names: licorice root, licorice, liquorice, sweet root, gan cao, gan zao, Chinese licorice

Latin Names: Glycyrrhiza glabra, Glycyrrhiza uralensis, Glycyrrhiza inflata

Background

Licorice root is cultivated throughout Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. It is used as a flavoring in candy, other foods, beverages, and tobacco products.

Licorice root has a long history of use, going back to ancient Assyrian, Egyptian, Chinese, and Indian cultures. It was used traditionally for treating a variety of conditions, including lung, liver, circulatory, and kidney diseases.

Today, licorice root is promoted as a dietary supplement for conditions such as digestive problems, menopausal symptoms, cough, and bacterial and viral infections. Licorice gargles or lozenges have been used to try to prevent or reduce the sore throat that sometimes occurs after surgery. Licorice is also an ingredient in some products for topical use (application to the skin).

Perennial (zones 7-10)

14-20 days

Well-drained

Part shade to full sun

12-36" apart

Licorice has long been appreciated as a flavoring in confections, liqueurs and other creations. It's use as a flavorful tea goes back even farther. Licorice tea does not taste exactly like the black licorice sticks you might remember from childhood. That's because most licorice candy is usually flavored with anise.

Diamond Eggplant is a high-yielding, Ukrainian heirloom variety known for its slender, dark purple, 6-8 inch long fruits that grow in clusters. It's an early-maturing, open-pollinated plant with excellent disease resistance, making it suitable for climates with short, cool, or northern growing seasons. The firm, non-bitter, and sweet flesh is versatile for grilling, roasting, and other culinary uses.  

Yield: High-yielding and prolific, producing a steady stream of fruits. 

Fruit: Slender, dark purple, and oblong, typically 6-8 inches long and smooth-skinned. 

Flavor: Firm flesh with a sweet flavor and no bitterness. 

Maturity: Early maturing, making it well-suited for regions with short growing seasons. 

Plant: Reaches about 2 feet in height and is known for good disease resistance and overall hardiness. 

Birdhouse gourd is a hard-shelled gourd, a type of tropical squash (cucumber family, Cucurbitaceae) native to northern Africa. 

These gourds display curvy, hourglass shaped fruits that are often dried out and used for bottles and birdhouses.

Quick growing variety with big thick leaf, reddish in color, soft and succulent.

Very fast growing indian spinach. Leaves are broad, green and thick. The plants are very tender and attractive. Repeat harvesting can start after 25 days of planting. 

A leafy vegetable with large, light green , round leaves and red nervures in the center. Tolerant to heat but not cold.

This variety has large, light green, round leaves and red nervures in the center. The plant produces a high yield of tender leaves even in warmer weather. Amaranth will tolerate hot, dry and moist condition but will not thrive in cold temperatures.  

Day to maturity: around 40 days. 

Leaf shape : round

Cold tolerance : Excellent

Heat tolerance : Excellent

Harvest from sowing : 25 days

Optimal temperatures : 25~35℃

Optimal temperatures (Fahrenheit) : 77 - 95

Amaranth has many common names: Chinese spinach, edible amaranth, bayan (Malaysia and Indonesia), Calaloo (Caribbean), klaroen (Surinam),Xian cai (Mandarin) Yin choi/in tsoi (Cantonese) Hi-yu-na, Jave hohrensoh (Japanese). Its’ origins are in the tropics of the Carribbean, Asian and African, but now has spread all over the world. They are exceptionally nutritious plants, and from ancient times, seed and leaves of cultivated and wild forms have been used by man for food, medicine and animal fodder. Many exhibit striking colors in leaves and flowers and have been grown as ornamental plants in the west. Known as Red Calaloo in the Caribbean, it has medium green, oval to heart-shaped leaves that are overlaid with burgundy red. Comparable to spinach in taste, the leaves are a good source of dietary fiber and contain high amounts of protein, vitamins, and minerals. It is often used in soups. For practical purposes the Amaranthus species can be divided into the following groups according to their main use today: leafy Amaranths, grain Amaranths, decorative Amaranths and weeds. Because the leaves of all Amaranths are edible, all can be considered a vegetable. The leafy Amaranths are the best for cultivating. They are erect, branching, short lived annuals with an average height of about 35cm-150cm when flowering. Leaves are soft textured and go limp quickly after being picked. Both the leaves and stems are edible and delicious. The flavor can be described as ‘like artichokes’ and ’spinach with a bit of a twang’. 

The largest-leaved spinach we’ve ever grown! A semi-savoyed variety with great cold-hardiness and bunch-ability. Best in early spring or fall, but can also be overwintered with protection. Giant Winter is not quite as cold-hardy as Winter Bloomsdale, but faster growing and more vigorous.

Giant Winter Spinach is a high yielding semi-savoy variety with dark green, glossy leaves and a great taste.

A really hardy spinach which will shrug off frost, gales and even snow to keep you picking right through the coldest months of the year.

The large, elegantly pointed leaves have a strong, rich flavour that's perfect in winter casseroles or lightly steamed as a delicious side vegetable.

To ensure a continuous supply of leaves try sowing in small lots each month.

The largest-leaved spinach we’ve ever grown! A semi-savoyed variety with great cold-hardiness and bunch-ability. Best in early spring or fall, but can also be overwintered with protection. Giant Winter is not quite as cold-hardy as Winter Bloomsdale, but faster growing and more vigorous

Packet: 9-10 grams of seed