This "beauty heart" type Chinese radish is the most popular variety grown in the middle and northern parts of China. It is also call watermelon radish. This variety is globe-shape, green shoulder with dark pink flesh. Because of their color, they are the perfect radishes to carve into flower shapes as garnish. It has a crisp texture and is mild and sweet flavored. Try eating fresh. Just thinly slice, top with fresh squeezed lime and a little salt and pepper or with sugar. For fall season sowing only.

Chinese celery is an aromatic plant with a strong, peppery flavor, thin, hollow, crisp stems, and delicate leaves. It is smaller than Western celery and is often used in soups, stir-fries, and other dishes for its potent taste, which becomes milder when cooked. Also known as kintsai or leaf celery, it is commonly used in Asian cuisines. 

Appearance: It features long, narrow, hollow stems that can be white to dark green, or even pink depending on the variety. The leaves are delicate and wispy.

Flavor: It has a pungent and peppery flavor that is more intense than standard celery. The taste softens and sweetens when cooked.

Usage: It is rarely eaten raw and is primarily used for flavoring in cooked dishes. It is excellent in stir-fries, soups, and fried rice. Both the stems and leaves are edible.

Growing: Chinese celery is often easier to grow than its Western counterparts and can be cultivated in smaller spaces like pots. It is typically grown as an annual, though it is technically a biennial. 

Kintsai Chinese Yellow Stem Celery, Boly, Cutting Celery, Nan Ling, Gin Cai, Kun Choy, Kan Tsoi

Round Zucchini have been popular in Europe for years. The Italians have their dark green Tondo di Piacenza, the French have the light green speckled Ronde de Nice, the Dutch have the "Roly Poly" (a loose translation from Burpee's marketers) and the British have their single serve striped marrow, Tender and True. There is even chinese produced seed of an almost white round zucchini. The common thread is that these zucchini are actually rather nice; solid, nutty, sweet, and as a bonus they are extremely early producers and are prolific if you keep harvesting the fruit. The compact plants are real workhorses of efficiency. They laughed at the limited nutrients and water of our sand lot trials!

These round zucchini from the above plants have matured to form a tough pumpkin-like or gourd-like rind. You must leave them on the plant until their colors have changed and they develop that hard skin. It takes several weeks beyond the immature stage that we usually consume summer squash at for the squash to mature. These are on the porch where they will "after ripen", for an additional month. The after ripening gives the seeds an extra amount of time to gain food reserves which will allow for healthier, more vigorous seedlings and better germination. Then they will be split with a sledge hammer (yes, the can be tough), seeds will be scooped out, washed in a mild soap solution and thoroughly dried to the "breaking" stage before storage. We used to spread out the seed on newspaper to dry but now we use drying screens which provide better air circulation.

Packet: 9-10 grams of seed

This Swiss Chard looks almost like rhubarb with it's red stalks and green leaves. It has a nice mild flavor, and is less bitter than other swiss chards. And it cooks up beautifully, with deep green leaves and beautiful red stalks and veins.

Packet: 9-10 grams of seed

Packet: 9-10 grams of seed

Dark green head with rosette. In spring, 30 days to baby, 50 days to full size. If grown for fall harvest, initial growth is a somewhat elongated head with large rounded leaves. After cutting, leave the root and crown and you will get the grumolo rosettes in the spring. Alternatively, plant later in summer and you should get rosettes the following spring.

Packet: 9-10 grams of seed

Pioneer cucumbers are a reliable slicing variety known for their smooth, dark green skin and straight, uniform shape. They typically grow 6–8 inches long with crisp, juicy flesh and small, tender seeds. This variety is valued for its mild, refreshing flavor and good resistance to common cucumber diseases, making it a great choice for home gardens and market growers.

Pioneer cucumbers are best enjoyed fresh due to their crisp texture and clean taste. Slice them into salads, sandwiches, and wraps, or serve with dips. They’re also excellent for light pickling, cucumber salads, and refreshing drinks like infused water. Their mild flavor pairs well with herbs, vinegar, and yogurt-based dressings.

Daikon Summer F1 (like Minowase Summer Cross F1) refers to heat-tolerant, fast-growing, Japanese hybrid daikon radishes ideal for summer planting, producing long, white, mild, sweet, juicy roots with firm flesh, good for salads, pickling, and stir-fries, often maturing quickly (around 50-60 days) with strong disease resistance. They need deep, light soil and consistent water to prevent bitterness, offering a crisp texture and a milder, less spicy flavor than smaller radishes, making them versatile for summer-to-fall harvests. 

Type: F1 Hybrid Daikon (Japanese radish).

Appearance: Long, conical, pure white roots, sometimes with a pale green shoulder.

Flavor/Texture: Mild, sweet, juicy, crisp, firm flesh, less pungent than red radishes.

Maturity: Fast-growing, around 50-65 days.

Uses: Excellent for salads, stir-fries, cooking, and pickling (especially kimchi).

Heat/Disease: Tolerant to heat and resistant to common diseases like Fusarium. 

Soil: Requires deep, loose, well-drained soil to allow roots to grow long.

Water: Consistent moisture is key for mild flavor; avoid drying out.

Planting: Best sown in summer for late summer/fall harvest. 

Minowase Summer Cross F1: A classic for summer crops, known for its mildness and vigor.

Japana F1: Another summer-sowing option with fine, dense flesh.