Favorite Cool-Weather Crops

Overview

Now is a good time to talk about cool-weather crops, and Park Seed has a healthy list of cabbages, kales, mustards, and cauliflowers to incorporate into your fall planting articles.

The attached Cool-Weather Favorites Summary Sheet identifies 17 suggested plants and provides a thumbnail description of each.

Ideas

Unusual colors:

• Cauliflower Cheddar Hybrid (#5085); orange heads
• Mustard Red Giant (#5618); maroon leaves with deep green midribs
• Kale Redbor Hybrid (#5140); finely curled, deep red leaves
• Cauliflower Veronica (#5069); green heads, spiral cone-shaped florets (Spring’07)

Organic:

• Chinese Cabbage Kaboko Hybrid Organic (#5837)
• Cauliflower Cassius Hybrid Organic (#5839)

Health-Concious:

• Cauliflower Cheddar Hybrid (#5085); 25 times the beta carotene of standard cauliflower

Exclusively from Park Seed:

• Cabbage Sweet Surprise Hybrid (#5068)
• Cabbage Everlast Hybrid (#5565)

Ornamental Edibles:

• Kale Redbor Hybrid (#5140)
• Kale Winterbor Hybrid (#5733)
• Mustard Red Giant (#5618)

Returning customer favorite: Cabbage Tropic Giant

After an absence of several years, Park Seed is once again offering this unusually large cabbage. One happy customer noted, "We wanted to let you know how pleased [we are] to find that you have brought back Tropic Giant cabbage. We make our own kraut (none of that store stuff for us), and in 1997, [we] tried it. We've never had such nice big cabbage before or since. It made fine kraut. Hadn't been able to find it again until now, and we hope you have it regularly after this." Photo of customer with her Tropic Giant crop available on request.

Resources

Online:

• www.parkseed.com to view product details and images
• www.ngb.com for Year of Cabbages and Kales fact sheet

Interviews with:

Stephanie Turner. As Director of Seed Product, Stephanie is responsible for selecting the 1,100+ varieties of flower, fruit, and vegetable seeds offered by Park Seed. Possessing deep botanical knowledge, a genuine zest for gardening, and a warm sense of humor, Stephanie is an excellent interview subject for print, radio, or television journalists.

Karen Park Jennings. Karen is the granddaughter of Park Seed founder George W. Park and a life-long gardener. She has vast practical knowledge from years of hands-on gardening both at Park Seed and in her incredible home garden. Her wealth of knowledge and infectious laugh make her a joy to interview for any medium.

High Resolution Images Available:

• "Beauty shot" of each individual product
• Group shot of various cabbages and slaws on dinner table
• Happy customer displaying her Tropic Giant cabbage crop

Cool-Weather Favorites Summary Sheet

To view a full description and image of any of these products, go to www.parkseed.com and enter the product number into the Search field on the left side of the screen. Photos of each product are available on request as high resolution digital files.

Cabbage

• Cabbage Megaton Hybrid—#5547  The huge heads measure up to 16 inches in diameter and weigh a staggering 15 pounds, with a small core and plenty of rich, tender leaves tightly packed within the pale-green wrappers.
  
  Cabbage Tropic Giant Hybrid—#5729  Fully one foot across and weighing around 15 pounds, these whopping heads are flattish and round, with pale green leaves, well packed. [Customer testimonial and photo available]

Park Seed Exclusive

• Cabbage Everlast Hybrid—#5565  The mid-sized heads are blue-green, with excellent wrappers and a smooth, uniform appearance. Very sweet and juicy.
  
  
• Cabbage Sweet Surprise Hybrid—#5068  Bears dark green, 10- to 12-inch heads set quite high off the ground. Tolerant of thrips and black rot, as well as tip burn and bacterial speck. One of the best for storing (up to 4 months in a root cellar).

Organic Cabbage

• Chinese Cabbage Kaboko Hybrid Organic—#5837  Super-sweet Chinese Cabbage. Produces big heads, very densely packed with white-and-green leaves that you can harvest individually.

Red/Purple

• Cabbage Cairo Hybrid—#5066  These burgundy heads range from 3 to 6 pounds and average about 8 inches in diameter. Cairo has a mild, satisfying bite with no aftertaste.
  
  
• Cabbage Super Red 80 Hybrid—#5731  The round, rich burgundy heads weigh about 4 pounds, and hold up well in unseasonable heat or chill.
  
  
• Radicchio Indigo Hybrid—#5697  The 4-inch heads are very heavy, filled with tightly-packed leaves of deep burgundy-maroon against a pure white midrib. The flavor is equally strong—crisp and peppery.

Kale

• Kale Redbor Hybrid—#5140  Redbor's finely-curled, deep red leaves are sweet and tender. Attractive enough to use as an ornamental.
  
  
• Kale Winterbor Hybrid—#5733  Brilliant blue-green leaves, unsurpassed for extra-mild, sweet Kale tang. The frilly leaves reach 3 feet high and 2 feet wide. Beautiful as an ornamental.

Mustard

• Mustard Red Giant—#5619  Red Giant is a brilliant maroon with deep green midribs. It’s delicious and ornamental.
  
  
• Mustard Savanna Hybrid—#5618  Huge, tasty green leaves with a mild, fresh flavor.
  
  
• Mustard Southern Giant Curled—#5189  Bright green leaves are tinged with yellow at harvest, and the flavor is always pungent and full-bodied, with the authentic "mustard green" bite. An AAS winner from years past.

Cauliflower

• Cauliflower Amazing—#5730  The 10-inch heads are rounded, very dense, and tightly zoned into small florets. Bright ivory heads keep their color well, and the flavor is full-bodied, crisp, and tangy.
  
  
• Cauliflower Cheddar Hybrid—#5085  The domed orange heads measure about 4 to 7 inches wide and are very heavy, arising on vigorous plants. This hybrid contains 25 times the beta carotene of regular white Cauliflower, for extra nutrition in every bite.
  
  
• Cauliflower Veronica—#5069  The spiral green cone shapes that form the 7-inch heads make an unusual presentation, regardless of how you prepare them. The unique color complements the crisp texture and interesting flavor. (Note: this item won’t appear until Park Seed’s Spring 2007 catalog, but we thought you might enjoy learning about it now. Appearance is similar to Cauliflower Shannon—#5064, which is sold out.)

Organic Cauliflower

• Cauliflower Cassius Hybrid Organic—#5839  The heads are about 7 to 8 inches in diameter and deeply domed, with good density. The flavor is rich and nutty.