The 4th of July weekend is approaching fast. Wow! We are very excited to have lots of great plants for your garden, and produce, vegetables, herbs for your consumption, as well as gorgeous flower bouquets to grace your home.

You can find us on this week at Hattie’s Garden on Thursday and Friday from 2 to 5, at the Garden Shack Farmers Market on Thursday from 2 to 6, and at the Historic Lewes Farmers Market (HLFM) on Saturday from 8 to 12. If these times/dates do not work for you, please email Hattie to make other arrangements.

Plants for your Garden

Tomato Plants

Yes, there is still time to plant tomatoes. My good friend, Tommy Eliason of Kalmar Farm says July 4th is the drop dead date for planting tomatoes. If you get them into the ground July 4th, you will definitely have tomatoes.

My July 4th tomatoes have always been welcome as the first ones begin to look tired. For cherry and grape we have SunGold and Honeybunch Grape cherry tomatoes. The SunGold tomato is a very quick grower (57 days) and always the first to ripen on the vine here at Hattie’s Garden. You should have SunGolds by the end of August on these nice healthy plants. Another fast grower we love is the Honeybunch Grape (62 days). This small soft grape tomato is sweet and delicious and crack resistant. And by “soft” we mean, you won’t have to chase it around the plate with a fork or spit out the skin!

For large tomatoes, we have Pruden’s Purple — the fastest growing heirloom we grow and as good as a Brandywine. We have other large tomatoes, but Hattie has a confession. She planted the last batch of large tomatoes and forgot to label them. We know what the plants are within a variety or two, but they an unmarked lot. Therefore, we are offering these very healthy plants at half-price. They include Big Beef, New Girl, and a couple of heirlooms. If you are the adventurous type, please try one of our “mystery” tomatoes. They are all very good!

Herbs

Some of you had requested Marjoram and that is now available. We continue to offer basil and all of our other herbs. One unusual offering this year is our White Sage, (a native American smudge sage). This large bush is perennial in our zone and is a beautiful plant.

We also have have Lemongrass plants available. Lemongrass is easy to grow and like Rosemary and Mint, is great for repelling bugs. It can be grown in the ground (and very useful if you want a natural fence) or in large pots (5 gallon or larger) that you can keep on your deck or patio. You can trim leaves from the plant any time once the plant is at least a foot tall. To harvest entire stalks, use a sharp knife to slice each one off at the soil level.

Lemongrass is widely used as a culinary herb in Asian cuisine and also as medicinal herb in India. It has a subtle citrus flavor and can be dried and powdered, or used fresh. It is commonly used in teas, soups, and curries. We have assembled a Lemongrass FAQ that covers questions on how to use and prepare.

Pepper and Eggplant Plants

We also have most of our varieties of healthy pepper plants and eggplants. These plants are not root-bound as they were planted recently and they are ready to take off.

Flower Plants

A batch of Profusion Bedding Zinnias awaits you, as well as a beautiful mealy-cup salvia known as Victoria Blue. We have Globe Amaranth (Gomphrena) in mixed colors of pink, purple and white and in just purple. Colorado Yarrow is a nice perennial we are growing out in larger pots for you.

Produce, Herbs & Flowers This Week

Produce

• Beets — We will harvest the last of our “spring” beets this week.
• Hakurei Turnips — A new planting of these delightful salad turnips are getting ready to grace your table.
• Young Arugula — The arugula loves the cooler nights and has been doing very well for us … so much so that we have increased the size of the bags by 20-25%.
• Romaine Lettuce — Majestic heads of Red Romaine and Jericho (Green). These will go fast, so come early if you would like a head of romaine lettuce this week.
• Kale — Delicious delicate, early Hanover Kale (also called Premium Kale). Hand-picked young leaves only in half-pound bags; no large stems, no waste. A delicious tender salad kale, but also perfect for quick cooking.
• Produce from Deep Grass Organic — This week we are thrilled to be bringing you exceptional and certified organic vegetables. These will be available only at Hattie’s Garden and the Garden Shack Farmers Market.
  
  • Seedless Cucumbers — These cucumbers need no seeding or even peeling because their skins are so tender.
  • Zucchini — Delicate with an almost sweet flavor.
  • New Red Potatoes — Great for roasting, mashing, salads, soups/stews.
  • Large New Onions — No kitchen should be without the distinctive smell and taste of onions filling out the flavors of almost every type of cuisine imaginable.

Fresh Cut Herbs

• Mojito Mint — Still going strong, you may need this for your July 4th libations, but also perfect for anything where a good flavored mint is a necessary ingredient. This is a wonderful all-round mint.
• Flat Italian Parsley — Beautiful, large bunches of the ‘Giant of Italy’ culinary parsley. We use it in everything and it is so good for you.
• Rosemary — I love cutting the rosemary. Such a wonderful aroma.
• Sage — This Bergarrten Sage is the best culinary sage we have found. Try the nice large leaves sauteed in olive oil for just a couple of seconds, remove with fork and sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Crush and sprinkle on squash, use in bean soup, pasta, or as an accompaniment to burgers, as a side-dish or snack.

Cut Flowers

This week’s bouquets will include garden favorite snapdragons, beautiful tall blue ageratum, double-click cosmos in a range of colors, magnificent Dianthus Amazon Purple, delightful Gomphrena, and more.

Each bouquet is individually wrapped for you with a wet paper towel for safe transport home and comes with a packet of flower food. These bouquets should last at least a full week for you as we cut and condition them professionally.

Wishing everyone and safe and happy 4th of July weekend.

Yours in the Garden & at the Markets,