Abundant Acres

Southern Gardeners Collection

Click here to access the end-of-season sale.

We are not accepting regular orders at this time. E-mail inquiries are still welcomed, and if we find we still have requested items available, we will reply with availability and target ship date, and ordering instructions.

Southern gardeners have different needs from those in the rest of the country. Their plants must withstand scorching heat, intense humidity, and greater liklihood of pests and diseases. Summers in the South are often too intense for tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants; gardeners there frequently start an early planting in late February or early March, in an effort to get a crop before summer shuts the plants down.

We have compiled the following list of varieties for our friends in the Deep South. We've attempted to identify varieties that are well adapted to intense heat and humidity. All are open-pollinated, non-hybrid, non-GMO varieties. Most are either products of old-school Southern university breeding programs, or they are local Southern heirlooms. Either way they have a good prospect of yielding in the intense conditions found nowhere else in the nation.

We offer these varieties earlier in the spring than our main listings. We anticipate availability on these varieties to run from late February well into March. Items marked "Southern Collection" will be offered exclusively from this one advance sowing; when these varieties have grown too large to ship, they will no longer be available. (The other items are regular listings and should be available all season.)

Available starting late February.

Since early shipping is the point of these offerings, items ordered elsewhere on the site will usually have to be shipped separately and an additional shipping charge will be billed.

PLEASE READ THE ORDERING INFORMATION CAREFULLY prior to placing your order.

Fully updated for 2008.

TOMATOES
Arkansas Traveler (Pink)
76 days - Indeterminate. This Ozark heirloom from Arkansas can take the heat and humidity! Crack and disease resistant fruits are 8 to 16 ounces. Pink/Red tomatoes with excellent flavor. A Southern favorite. A favorite of ours here in Missouri.

Atkinson (Red) Sold Out
75 days -Indeterminate. Bred by Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama and carried by Corneli Seed Co. of St. Louis, this Southern variety can grow up to 1 pound. It has a small core and meaty flesh. Green shouldered. Has good resistance to nematodes and fusarium wilt.

Bonny Best (Red) Southern Collection Sold out
75 days - Indeterminate. Introduced in 1908 by the Bonny Plant Farm in Union Spring, Alabama; this fine all-purpose variety does well in the South. The fruit is medium-sized and very meaty, with few seeds. While a wonderful table variety, this tomato is excellent for canning.

Cherokee Purple (Black)
80 days - Indeterminate. A favorite with everyone. This large purple tomato is juicy, and sweet flavored but with just enough acid for a complex, smokey flavor. An old Cherokee Indian variety from the 1800's.

Deppe's Pink Firefly (Pink) Southern Collection Sold Out
85 days - Indeterminate. Potato leaf plants yield up to 1 lb of dusky-pink beefsteak tomatoes. Creamy, sweet tasting flesh. An old variety from Glasgow, Kentucky; grown by Emily Deppe Coy from family seed since 1890. Some cracking on shoulders looks like fireflies. Very productive.

Floradade (Red) Unavailable until early May
80 days - Determinate. From Dade County, Florida, comes a winning tomato for the humid South; developed by the University of Florida to be resistant to the particular problems that affect tomatoes in southern states. Nice sized fruit are round and smooth; plants are quite productive.

Homestead (Red) Sold Out

80 days - Semi-determinate. Developed in the 1950's for growers in Florida and the southern states, this 8 ounce tomato is wilt resistant and productive. At one time this was a very popular shipping variety. Firm, tasty flesh.

Lillian's Heirloom (Yellow) NEW Sold out
80 days - Indeterminate. From Lillian Bruce of Tennessee, this wonderful and rare Yellow Beefsteak is rich and complex in flavor, but produces very few seeds. Fruits can weigh up to 20 oz. Plants are potato-leaved, not common in yellow varieties. Pale yellow color and considered one of the best.

Old Virginia (Red) Southern Collection Sold Out
80 days- Indeterminate. A great variety for the South. This variety does very well in the heat and can produce large crops of 8 to 12 ounce fruit. Wonderful tomato flavor from the past; smooth and crack resistant. A favorite from Southern Virginia.

Porter (Red) Southern Collection Sold Out
75 days. Indeterminate. Developed by the V.O. Porter & Sons Seed Company of Texas. Reputed to do well in the humidity of East Texas; this red tomato produces in drought conditions as well. The fruits are small, round and sweet. Excellent in salsas, sauces and juice.

Peppers

Cayenne, Long Thin
(Capsicum frutescens) Slender, long peppers turn bright red and are very hot. The 2'-tall plants are vigorous and productive. This heirloom has been popular many years for drying, using as a spice, and also medicinally. Adds heat to many a Chinese dish.

Charleston Belle Sold Out
70 days. The first nematode-resistant bell pepper. Large, beautiful fruit are smooth and of good quality. A great pepper for the south and any areas where nematodes are a major problem. Attractive, compact plants produce fairly early. Developed by the USDA at Charleston, South Carolina

Fish
Multi-colored, striped fruits include shades of brown, orange, white, red, and of course green. Was used in the Baltimore area before 1950. An African-American heirloom used in the fish and shellfish dishes of the region. Very ornamental white and green variegated leaves, often quite dramatic.

Tabasco
(Capsicum frutescens) 90 days.This famous heirloom was introduced into Louisiana in 1848 and became the main ingredient in Tabasco Pepper Sauce. This pepper is very hot and has a delicious flavor. The magnificent plants grow up to 4’ tall and are covered with small, thin peppers. Needs a warm summer or can be grown as a potted plant. Fruit ripen from green to orange, then red.

EGGPLANTS

Florida Market
70-90 days Productive plants to 38" tall are good for Southern gardens. Black-skinned 9" bell-shaped fruit fruit hold up well in the sun. Resistant to fruit rot and phomopsis blight.

Listada de Gandia Sold out
75-90 days. Italian type 6-10" fruits are teardrop-shaped, white with purple stripes. Very popular heirloom originating in France in 1850. Recommended for Southern gardeners, but has been grown successfully at least as far north as Connecticut.

Petch Siam New Sold out
This Thai variety is 2 - 3 inches round, with dark and light green stripes. Very popular in Asian cooking. Plants are vigorous and produce well.

Rosita New Sold out
70 days. Developed in Puerto Rico in the 1940's, Rosita is one of the loveliest eggplants around. Pink-Lavender skin and white, mild flesh. The fruit grows to 8 - 9 inches long and 3 -4 inches in diameter. No need to peel.