This heirloom is called Contender because it competes for the championship of all beans.  This early variety is a heavy yielder with medium-green, stringless pods that can be harvested within 50 days!

Contender is delicious straight from the garden to the table, and also retains great flavor when canning or freezing.  What a winner!  

Plant your seeds in the spring after the last chance of frost, one inch deep in full sun and in rich, well-drained soil.  Heirloom beans like soil that is slightly acidic, with a pH of about 6.5.  Plant two seeds every 4-6 inches.  When plants are about one inch tall, thin to one plant every 4-6 inches.  Rows should be spaced 2 to 3 feet apart.  If planted in a 4 foot wide bed, sow two rows that are 18 inches apart.  

Matures in 50 days.  Smooth pods are 6-8" in length.  For a continuous harvest, sow new plants every 7-14 days up to 50 days before first fall frost.

Tolerates mosaic virus, greasy pod and heat.

Contender was bred by the Southeastern Vegetable Breeding Laboratory, Charleston, South Carolina.  It was released in 1949 with the cooperation of the Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida Agricultural Experimental Stations.

"Cool Beans!"

By Miss Lady Bug

Rich Sweetness 132 melons are delicious little gems.  This variety puts out small fruits that are perfect "one size " servings.  The fruits have beautiful orange and green stripes, and weigh only about ¼ lb.  The flesh is white and fragrant, and has a sweet mild taste that's similar to a honeydew.

Kids love to grow these, so it's a great project to share with them.

This heirloom melon is from the Soviet Union and produces all season long.

Sow directly in the garden about two weeks after the last frost of spring.  Plant seeds one inch deep, 12 inches apart, in rows 3 feet apart.  Or plant in mounds, 4-5 seeds per mound, with mounds about 3 feet apart.  

As with any melon, they prefer a hot, sunny location with fertile, well drained soil.  Keep moist, but be careful not to over water.  Most melons take up a lot of space, but you can easily trellis the delicate vines of this variety.

I hope you will try this delicious little melon in your home garden.

By Miss Lady Bug

Southern Giant Curled Mustard is old heirloom from the Southern US. Even though mustard greens are a staple in the south, they will grow just about anywhere in cool weather.

The frilled leaves have a horseradish-mustard flavor that is enhanced by sweet vinegar.  This combo makes the basis for a tasty salad.  Or, try cooking a mess the traditional southern way by boiling the greens with salt pork, ham hocks, or bacon.  Serve up with some cornbread!

This heirloom is a cool-season crop that prefers fertile, well-drained soil, and full sun.  Amend the soil with compost or manure before planting to provide nutrients, and improve drainage.  Plant in early spring or, for fall crops, 6 to 8 weeks before first fall frost.  In Zones 8 and warmer, sow seeds in the fall for winter use.  Plant seeds directly into soil 1/8" deep, about 1" apart, and in rows 15" apart.  Keep the soil moist until the seeds germinate.  Thin plants to 6-8" apart.  Mulch to keep the soil cool and moist.

Mustard greens generally don’t have problems with pests because they grow quickly, and grow in cooler weather when insects are less likely to be stalking your garden.  You still need to check them regularly for pests just in case.

Store your unwashed, fresh greens in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.  They should stay fresh for about a week.

Southern Giant Curled Mustard in the garden.

Smaller 'pickins' for a salad.

By Miss Lady Bug

Who wouldn't like a sweet garden pea called Green Arrow?  This heirloom should be included in every home garden.  It's an excellent pea for fresh eating, freezing, or cooking.

This heavy yielder provides 4-5 inch pods, each loaded with 8-11 bright green peas.

Peas like it cool!  They make a great spring or fall crop.  The seeds can germinate in temperatures as low as 45 degrees and the plants thrive in temperatures below 70 degrees.  Cool weather makes them sweet so plan accordingly.  Plant seeds one inch deep and three inches apart in well drained organic soil.  Green Arrow is a tall variety that likes to climb, so provide some type of trellis.  Keep the soil moist, especially after the first flowers appear.  This will aid in the development of nice plump peas.

Be patient for about 70 days and you will have a lot more than two peas in a pod.  Harvest the pods regularly so the plants will continue to produce, and be sure to enjoy a few of these tiny sugar bombs while you're still in the garden!

Now smile about your harvest, sit, and shell.  Press the pods open with your fingers and push the peas out.  Take note that as soon as peas are picked, they start converting their sugars to starches, so try to serve them as soon as possible to capture the sweetest flavor.

Tip:  When the plants are at the end of their lifecycle, cut the tops off and leave the roots in the soil.   The roots have nodules containing nitrogen.  When the roots die, the nitrogen will be incorporated back into the soil.

Hailed from England, peas were eaten immature and fresh and considered a luxury of early modern Europe.

Get Your Heirloom Pea Seeds Today!

By Miss Lady Bug

Cowpeas are a beautiful, old-time southern pea.  They thrive in hot, humid weather and are favored by many Southerners.  

Purple Hull can be eaten young as a snap pea, but is mainly grown for dry peas, where the pods are left on the vine until they are mature and dry.  The young, green shoots are also edible.

This heirloom is a bush to semi-vining plant that produces purple pods that are six to seven inches long.  The pods grow in bunches which makes for easy harvesting.  The seeds are cream colored with pink or purple eyes.

Plant in full sun when the danger of frost has passed, and the soil has warmed.  Soak seeds for a couple of hours then sow one inch deep and four to six inches apart.  Matures in 65-70 days.

Cowpeas are native to Nigeria, where they were originally transported to the New World aboard slave ships in the eighteenth century.

They are a carbohydrate loaded with calcium, protein, and minerals, and they also contain vitamins B6 and K.

It's a tradition with many in the south to serve southern peas on New Year’s Day for prosperity in the New Year.

Best served with onions and cornbread!

By Miss Lady Bug

The Metki Painted Serpent Melon was a great addition to my garden this year.  This exotic heirloom produces very long fruit with dark green, and pale green stripes.  The flavor is excellent, tasting similar but sweeter than a cucumber.  They are deliciously crisp.

This is an ancient heirloom, introduced from Armenia into Italy as far back as the 1400’s.  Even though this Armenian fruit is typically grown as a cucumber, botanically, it is classified as a melon.

Sow seeds directly in the garden two weeks after the last frost of spring. Plant one inch deep, 12 inches apart, in rows five feet apart.  You can also sow seeds in hills or mounds, four seeds per hill, with hills five feet apart.  

If you live in a short season climate, start transplants indoors one week before your last frost date, and transplant into the garden about three weeks later.

Trellising is also an option but the fruits may need some extra support.

Matures in 65 days.  Happy gardening!

Melon Metki Painted Serpent

By Miss Lady Bug

I grew Diamond Eggplant this year with great success.  The plants grew about two feet tall and produced dark purple, teardrop-shaped fruits.

I grew them organically in raised beds, and they produced high yields and great taste.

This heirloom has a compact structure, and beautiful fruits that are 6-9 inches long.  The fruits have a firm texture and are rarely bitter.  This early variety will mature in 70 days (from transplant).

Eggplants are a warm-season fruit.  For growing instructions, see my post titled
“Growing Eggplant.”

Diamonds are delicious roasted, and served as a side dish.  They are also great as a main dish.
I invite you to try my recipe for “Diamond Eggplant Parmesan.”

The Seed Savers Exchange brought Diamond to this country from the Ukraine in 1993.

By Miss Lady Bug

Fine flavor and high yields… that’s what you’ll get when you grow Beit Alpha Cucumbers.  This heirloom is crunchy, very sweet, and delicious. The skins are so tender there’s no peeling required.  

Slice them for sandwiches, use them as a base for soups, or try the tangy cucumber salad recipe below.

This warm weather vegetable is a vigorous grower, and beautiful in the garden with large showy leaves.  Plant in late spring when the soil has warmed, directly into the garden.  Use a rich, well-drained soil.  Thin to 12 inches in a row or plant three plants per mound every 36 inches.  To save space, you can train cucumbers to grow up a trellis.  They thrive with plenty of moisture and full sun.

Cucumber beetles are the biggest concern when growing cucurbits.  They carry bacteria which causes a disease called bacterial wilt.  For the backyard gardener, row covers or screens can be used to protect small plants.  There is usually a peak in beetle activity in spring that lasts two to four weeks so planting a little later can sometimes be an advantage.

Harvest Beit Alpha fruits when they are about 8 inches in length and 1½ inches in diameter.  Keep mature cucumbers picked for a higher fruit set.  Matures in 55-65 days.

Beit Alpha originated in the late 1940s at a kibbutz farm in Israel.  Specifically, the Jezreel Valley which contains natural springs, and some of the most fertile farmland in Israel.

Beit Alpha Cucumbers

Tangy Cucumber Salad
Serves eight

Ingredients:

2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups Beit Alpha cucumbers, thinly sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1½ teaspoons dill, chopped

Directions:

Combine vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper in a glass mixing bowl.  Stir until sugar dissolves.  Add olive oil; stir.

Add cucumbers, onions, and dill.  Combine, cover, and chill for two hours before serving.  Serve alongside of your favorite meal.

Enjoy your harvest!

By Miss Lady Bug

I grew a bountiful crop of Blue Lake beans this year.  These dark green beans are tender and crisp.  The plants average 16" high and stand-up without any support.

Bush beans are determinate plants, meaning harvest will last for a certain amount of time and then the plants will dwindle.  They are prolific producers and my harvest lasted about two and a half months.  The plump pods are 5 ½ to 6 ½ inches long.  

When picked young, they are stringless.  They have excellent flavor and are one of the best beans for freezing, pickling, and canning. 

Plant your seeds after the last chance of frost one inch deep in full sun and in rich, well-drained soil.  Heirloom beans like soil that is slightly acidic, with a pH of about 6.5.  Plant two seeds every 4-6 inches.  When plants are about one inch tall, thin to one plant every 4-6 inches.  Rows should be spaced 2 to 3 feet apart.  If planted in a 4 foot wide bed, plant two rows that are 18 inches apart. 

They will mature in 50 to 60 days.  For a continuous harvest, sow new plants every two weeks up to 60 days before first fall frost.

This bean was developed in 1961 from the Pole Blue Lake. 

By Miss Lady Bug

Get your heirloom seeds!  I love vintage varieties that have been handed down for generations. 

A large percentage of gardeners order their seeds through mail order companies, and we all love receiving the newest catalogs.  Get yours in time for seasonal planting by exploring some of the sources below.

I have previously ordered from the top three listings and all three provided high germination rates.

Botanical Interests is my favorite (family-owned) seed company and we have teamed up as affiliates.  I love the fact that they provide beautiful seed packets filled with growing advice, facts, tips, recipes, and quality seeds.

They offer unique fundraisers for schools, churches, and garden clubs.  They also host interesting gardening blogs:  In the Garden, Creative Inspirations, and Seed to Saucepan (chef featured articles). 

Happy seed sowing!

By Miss Lady Bug