If I could only grow one variety of tomato each year, Candyland would be it. These teeny toms - a currant variety - literally taste like pops of sugar, and are

non-stop, prolific producers. Long after other tomatoes in our gardens are finished, Candyland keep fruiting until the hardest frost kills the plant.

Indeterminate + requires staking

$4 each or

3 for $10 (save $2!)

This variety of cucumber is the closest we've found to a traditional English cuke from the grocery store. Long, slender, thin-skinned fruits with fewer seeds than regular home-grown cukes, especially when picked early.

Requires a trellis + full sun. Harvest regularly to encourage more flowers to form.

$4 each or 3 for $10 (save $2!)

A delightful novelty veggie in my food garden, Cucamelon - aka mouse melon - look like miniature watermelons! Hailing from Mexico and Central America, these distant cucumber cousins have a bright, refreshing taste with a citrus tang. They're totally unique and kids, especially, love them.

Cucamelons rarely make it in the house, as I snack on them while tending my gardens. But when they do, they're sliced in a salad or bring a small to a veggie platter. I preserve them like pickles, too. And just had a customer tell me they put them in cocktails!

Cucamelon vines need a structure to climb as they grow. My favourite way is to guide them along a tomato cage when growing in a container, but any sturdy trellis will work. Once flowers appear, start checking for fruit after a week.

Type: annual fruit (although eaten as a veggie, like tomato)

Height: plant 1 ft tall, vines up to 10 ft.

Light: full sun

Moisture: well drained, rich warm soil - amend with compost before planting

$4 each or

3 for $10 (save $2!)

Alice’s Dream have indigo shoulders on rosy golden fruit, while the plant itself has purple undertones - you can’t miss her in the garden! This medium-sized beefstake variety is a fabulous slicer with a creamy texture. If you love a simple plate of sun-kissed homegrown tomatoes sprinkled with salt + pepper, she’s for you. Juicy, lower acid, melt-in-your-mouth.

Indeterminate + requires staking

$4 each or

3 for $10 (save $2!)

This architectural plant is absolutely stunning at all stages, from the moment it pokes its feathery head out in the spring to the yellow-tipped flower umbels in the fall. 

We grow Bronze Fennel in our food garden for the delicious anise-tasting leaves and seeds, but also as an incredible pollinator magnet that increases biodiversity. It's a host plant for several swallowtail butterfly species, including Anise Swallowtail and Eastern Black Swallowtail, while its nectar is an important food source for many types of bees and wasps. We've also spotted Ruby Throated Hummingbirds paying a visit!

The leaves of Bronze Fennel are delicious fresh in salads, and can be dried for seasoning. All parts of the plant, including the seeds, make a delicious and soothing tea.

NOTE: This a perennial plant with roots, not the bulb-forming fennel veggie you may be more familiar with.

$4 each or 3 for $10 (save $2!)

$4 each or

3 for $10 (save $2!)

Developed in the northern Canadian province of Manitoba, these deep red tomatoes withstand cooler temperatures + our shorter growing season. An early producer, maturing in only 60 days. Tangy, sweet + slightly acidic, they make fabulous canned tomato sauce + salsa, and the perfect salad tomato.

Bush variety determinate + requires little staking

$4 each or

3 for $10 (save $2!)

A delightful stiped cherry tomato made up of yellow, red + orange striations, Sunrise Bumblebees look absolutely stunning on a bed of greens or in a caprese salad. Juicy + lower acid than a standard red tomato, these heirlooms are deliciously sweet with crack-resistant skin. Harvest regularly to keep the plant producing.

Indeterminate + requires staking

$4 each or

3 for $10 (save $2!)

$4 each or 3 for $10 (save $2!)

I love the neon green interior of this heirloom beefstake tomato. It’s stunning on a plate layered with a deep red cousin such as Manitoba - serve them drizzled with olive oil, basil and creamy goat cheese. Emerald Evergreens are smooth + sweet with a rich flavour, a chonky slicer. Try them fried, or make green tomato sauce!

Indeterminate + requires staking.

$4 each or

3 for $10 (save $2!)

These Black Cherry tomatoes are perfectly rotund, perfectly plump + the biggest we’ve ever grown. Characterized by a deep mahogany hue, they have a rich, smoky flavour that pairs beautifully with BBQ season, particularly grilled romaine salad (trust me).

Indeterminate (can reach 8 ft!) + requires staking

$4 each or

3 for $10 (save $2!)

Dark crimson plumes along with large burgundy leaves make passersby stop in their tracks when they see Amaranth Velvet Curtains growing in our gardens. This Dr. Seuss-like plant is a must-grow for late summer and fall bouquets along with sunflowers and asters.

Easy to grow, full sun, well draining soil, can grow up to 4 ft tall! Dries wonderfully, too.

$4 each or 3 for $10 (save $2!)

$4 each or 3 for $10 (save $2!)

$4 each or 3 for $10 (save $2!)