Vegetables - Plants

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!)

$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!)

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!)

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!)

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!)