The consistently warm temperatures of late spring and early summer will see most legumes and cucurbits sprout and grow with both haste and health. The few varieties we start indoors transplant and acclimate easily in balmy June.

On our website you will find many species of Beans listed as both Vegetables and Pulses. Amongst the vegetables you will find “snap” and “wax” beans, including our absolute favorite, Beurre de Rocquencourt. These butter yellow wax beans from France are borne early on bush plants with nice lilac flowers.

Other “snap” beans that we love include pretty purple Blooming Prairie, long striped Rattlesnake, and flat meaty Meraviglia di Venezia Romano from Italy. All of these may be sown directly into warm garden soil at any time in June.

As a recovering vegetarian I feel entitled to speak on the value of dried beans, or “pulses”. Beans are meat when you dare not eat whatever Field Roast is supposed to be. And Good Mother Stallard beans are the meatiest. Dense and flavorful, they hold their shape when cooked and even retain their markings, making them ideal for cold bean salads. Adzuki beans are another versatile favorite, and an especially easy garden occupant: bush plants produce tons of tender green pods with tiny red beans that are not only meaty but sweet! One of the most common fillings for mochi in Japan is anko, or adzuki bean paste. Northern gardeners tend to eschew cowpeas, but there are at least a few worth growing here, and Fast Lady Cowpeas are one of the easiest and best for small kitchen gardens thanks to their sturdy bush habit, pretty yellow flowers and tender white beans that cook up fast into a delicious creamy soup or cassoulet.

It may not be the coolest but far and away the most economically valuable bean we sell is Trail of Tears. This outrageously productive old heirloom pole bean is dual-purpose: the young green pods are delicious and tender, and the dried black beans make fantastic soup all winter long. Adaptive and reliable!

The “cucurbits” are a huge family of fruits represented throughout the world. We know them as Squash, Melons, Zucchini, Cucumbers and Gourds. They are all very similar in their cultural needs, and they detest cold weather. Some of the winter squash we grow and sell, like Marina di Chioggia, require more warm days to ripen than most northern gardeners have to give them, so we do start them indoors early. Likewise some gourd seeds, like Sicilian Serpent, need so much heat and moisture to sprout that it is easier to start them inside.

We grow and sell only the most reliable watermelons for our cool maritime climate: Black Tail Mountain and Early Moonbeam. Likewise our cantaloupe are early and usually indestructible: Minnesota Midget and Noir des Carmes. Crisp little Sakata’s Sweet is unlike most melons grown in the United States and is wildly prolific in a hot summer. Eat them like apples, thin skin and all!

Another unusual melon used for preserving is the rare Mango Melon, which is actually utilized as a vegetable in the Caribbean. The hard fragrant flesh can be used for pickles or cooked up in chutneys. Think of it as a sweeter chayote. Like the citron above, the plants are incredibly productive and not very fussy.

As with Trail of Tears, I want to mention of our beloved dual-purpose squash, the delightful Tromba d’Albenga. Vines are easily trellised and produce tons of long solid fruits that make for delicious zucchini when young, and a good “butternut” when mature. And fantastically decorative! Easy and early for us!

Yes, we have increased our standard shipping rate because the actual price of postage has increased. But we continue to offer oodles of seeds for just $1.75! Festoon your garden with Cinnamon, Thai, Lemon and Lime Basil, goofy little Mouse Melons and Burr Gherkins, Strawberry Spinach, Sweet Alyssum, the best blue Bachelor Buttons, Oaxacan Red Epazote, and big tall bouffant Aztec Marigolds! Even perennial De Belleville Sorrel is just $1.75 all the time!