Hattie’s Garden is open on Wednesday, June 22 and Thursday, June 23 from 10 to 4 for the sale of specialty-cut flowers, produce, meat, eggs, cheese, and fish.

We will also be at the Historic Lewes Farmers Market (HLFM) located at the George H.P. Smith Park on Saturday from 8 to 12.

What’s Available from Hattie

The following freshly harvested produce and flowers is available at Hattie’s Garden on Wednesday, June 22 and Thursday, June 23 from 10 to 4.

• Music Hard-neck Garlic — A porcelain variety of hardneck, Music is medium hot, with true garlic flavor. Easy to peel.
• Russian Red Hard-neck Garlic — A purple striped hardneck, Russian Red is rich and musky, very hot when eaten raw. Wonderfully rich and complex flavor with mellow aftertaste when cooked.
• Provider Green Beans — Widely used in many kinds of recipes, the ‘Provider’ variety is well flavored and delicious. We always pick them when they are young, and they store well for long periods of time.
• Hakurei Turnips — These sweet, mild white salad turnips are good raw or lightly cooked.
• Swiss Chard — Delightfully tender. By the bunch.
• Young Arugula — Triple-washed and bagged.
• Young Mixed Lettuce — Triple-washed and bagged.
• Mesclun — Triple-washed and bagged.
• Fresh Herbs — Italian Parsley, Cilantro and Dill.
• Fresh cut flower bouquets — This week we have Snapdragons, Amazon Neon Purple Dianthus, Double-click Cosmos, Benary Giant Zinnias and Tall Blue Planet Ageratum. Each bouquet comes with flower food, and is guaranteed to last at least a week.

What’s Available from our Other Vendors

The following meat, eggs, cheese, fish and other food products are available at Hattie’s Garden on May 25 and Thursday, May 26 from 10 to 4.

• AlaskaWild Seafoods — Flash frozen, wild-caught salmon, rockfish and cod.
• Chapel’s Country Creamery — Lots of delicious cheese made from milk from their pastured cows.
• Woodbine Farm (an affiliate of Chapel’s Country Creamery) — Pasture-raised pork and beef.
• Twin Post Farm — Free-range chicken eggs from Princess Anne County.
• Chrissy’s Bees — Butterbean and Wildflower Honey.

What’s Happening at Hattie’s Garden

We are also happy to announce that our garlic has been harvested! You may choose from a purple-striped hardneck known as Russian Red, or a popular porcelain hardneck called Music. Both varieties overwintered nicely for us and will provide our customers with plenty of flavor for months to come. Music has an exceptional shelf life of up to 9 months. This easy to peel medium spicy garlic with a well-developed flavor has no bitterness. The flavor does not disappear in the cooking. Russian Red is a popular purple-stripped hardneck garlic with a strong garlic flavor, but a warm, sweet aftertaste. Known as a Rocambole garlic, Russian Red is an Eastern European treasure.

This week, we are happy to have a full component of specialty cut flowers. We love our flowers and we hope you do too. We are professionals when it comes to our flower care and pay strict attention at all phases of growing, harvesting and post-harvest care of our flowers. If our flowers don’t last at least a week for you, we will replace them or give you a refund. For best color and best vase life, please use the flower food we include. It lowers the PH, feeds the flowers and keeps down any bacteria that may have been introduced. The best care for your bouquet starts with a clean vase. Be sure there are no leaves in the water and keep the bouquet out of the direct sun. You also will find our prices are extremely competitive, with a stem count that averages less than $1 per stem and plenty of nice filler.

Tomatoes! How many times we are asked: Do you have tomatoes yet? When will you have tomatoes? Why does no one have tomatoes yet?! With a cooler than normal spring, they will still be ready before you know it. I can tell you they are on the vine. Nice clusters of small green tomatoes are developing quickly for you. Try to be patient. The best tomatoes go with the season. Long hot days will soon bring them to you in abundance. We are growing several heirloom varieties in our two “tomato houses.” These are unheated hoop-houses that provide a somewhat protected environment to keep the vagaries of the climate at bay. Tomatoes don’t do well with intense rain events and don’t mind a bit of protection from the sun and intense heat we expect to endure at some point this season. We have put shade cloth on both hoop-houses and this helps to protect the blossoms from dropping off during intense heat events and protects any exposed tomatoes from sunscald. We also suffer much less from caterpillar damage or other insect damage when the tomatoes are under cover, even though the sides of these tunnels are wide open to promote air flow.

Tomato varieties in the hoophouse this year are organically grown, grafted plants. A grafted tomato plant consists of a disease resistance “root stock” with an heirloom or other variety called a “scion” grafted on top. Since most diseases for tomatoes come directly from the soil, the root stock helps protect the scion from the soil and often adds other features, such as vigor to the scion. Think peaches, apples, etc.

The very same principles are applied to tomatoes as to any other grafted plant or tree. Here are our hoophouse grafted tomato varieties: Pineapple Bicolor (large, delicious, yellow-orange tomato — my absolute favorite), Copia (a hybrid take on the Pineapple Bicolor with somewhat smaller tomatoes that we can’t wait to try), Cherokee Purple (who doesn’t love a delicious Cherokee Purple), Brandywine (the original pink Brandywine), and the great tasting red hybrid: Big Beef for those of you who just want a really good red tomato — especially those of you looking for that “Jersey” tomato!

We also have our usual variety of cherry tomatoes coming along both inside and out in the garden. Cherry tomatoes are much better at withstanding the vagaries of our climate and are oh so delicious, especially our diminutive Jasper Cherry, our delicious SunPeach Cherry and the famous Black Cherry. If your mouth isn’t watering yet, then perhaps you just are not a fresh tomato fan! I can hardly wait.

You may setup an appointment outside of our regular open hours by texting Hattie at 302-841-1896, or by sending an email to
hattie@hattiesgarden.com. Please indicate one or two times that work for you and she will get right back to you with her availability.

Directions to Hattie’s Garden

Hattie’s Garden is located at 31341 Kendale Rd in Lewes approximately 3 miles from Plantation Road (also known as Rt. 1D), coming inland on either Robinsonville Rd. or Beaver Dam Rd (Rt. 23 South).

Kendale Rd. is a short road (0.6 miles) between Robinsonville and Beaver Dam Road. The house is fifth on the left from Beaver Dam Rd, and has a large wooden fence in front of house with purple trim.

Park in the graveled area facing the fence. The plants will be setup at the end of the driveway and we should be close by. Produce and food is located inside the garage and you may enter through the side door. Just follow the signs.

Yours in the Garden and at the Market,