southern exposure

An improved strain introduced before 1920, this variety has long been the standard for home and market use. The flesh is mild, yellow, fine-grained...

Reintroduced in 1987 by SESE, this Amish heirloom is possibly a variant of the Sun, Moon, and Stars watermelon introduced in 1920. The variety prod...

Amish Paste is one of the largest sauce tomatoes available, with indeterminate, tall plants producing heavy yields of coreless, top-shaped fruits t...

A family heirloom given to Dustin Swanland by his Italian aunt and introduced in 2012 by SESE, this indeterminate variety produces delicious fruit ...

Ancho Poblano is the classic choice for chiles rellenos when harvested fresh and green, at which stage they are known as poblanos. After ripening t...

Benning's Green Tint is considered one of the most beautiful and hardy varieties of Patty Pan squash. The saucer-shaped fruits have scalloped edges...

Introduced in 1902, Black Beauty is a dependable variety well adapted to the Mid-Atlantic and the South, producing dark purple fruits of high quali...

Black Spanish Round is a very hardy fall and winter radish with firm white flesh and thin, nearly black skin. The flesh is crisp and pungent, and t...

Black-Seeded Simpson is an old standard dating to around 1850 and one of the earliest loose-leaf lettuce types, well suited to early spring plantin...

Hailing from Naples, Bolloso Napoletano is a prized basil variety known for its robust flavor, with giant rumpled 6-inch leaves that are perfect fo...

Bowling Red Okra has been grown by the Bowling family of Virginia since the 1920s and was rated one of the best varieties in the Kerr Center's tria...

Prized for its distinctively flavorful fruit and highly rated in taste trials, Brandywine has achieved a national reputation as the flavor standard...

An heirloom fava bean well suited to the Mid-Atlantic and further south, Broad Windsor grows on 2 to 3 foot tall plants that yield 6 to 8 inch pods...

This 1934 All-America Selections winner is a classic escarole with large, broad, dark-green outer leaves enclosing round, deep 12–16 inch heads tha...

This looseleaf variety produces very attractive large oakleaf-shaped leaves with reddish-brown tips. It offers high yields, cut-and-come-again harv...

Bull's Blood is best known for its mild, dark leaves, typically harvested young for vibrant salad mixes even before the roots fully mature. The lea...

With seedstock courtesy of Hap Heilman, this variety begins producing pods when plants reach just 18 inches tall and continues until frost, with la...

A local favorite in Cajun country since the 1950s and introduced in 1989 by Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, this dwarf-type variety grows 2-1/2 to...

An Italian heirloom selected by Italian gardeners and introduced to the seed trade between 1914 and 1918, Calabrese Green Sprouting broccoli produc...

Introduced in 1928, this widely adapted variety is well-known and preferred by many market growers and gardeners. A smooth, blocky, mostly four-lob...

A fiery, red-hot seasoning pepper, the Cayenne Long Red produces fruits that grow to about ½ x 3–5 inches and can be used fresh or dried, making th...

This rainbow-colored Cherokee Long Ear Small popcorn, a blend of several strains passed down through generations, offers both beauty and flavor. It...

Cherokee Purple is a pre-1890 Tennessee heirloom reportedly of Cherokee origin, introduced by SESE in 1993, and included in Slow Food USA's Ark of ...

This ornamental hot pepper features a striking range of fruit colors that transition from purple to creamy yellow, yellow, orange, and red, all at ...

This Italian heirloom, cultivated since before 1840, features beautiful scarlet-red skin with interior rings of reddish-pink and white, creating a ...

Clemson Spineless is a classic All-America Selections winner producing 4–7 foot plants with few side-branches and ribbed pods up to 8 inches long. ...

Queen Mix cleome (Cleome spinosa) produces pink, rose, and purple flowers with many side blooms, attracting bumblebees and hummingbirds throughout ...

Also known as Big Tom or Yankee Cow Pumpkin, this pre-1700 cultivar of Native American origin remains one of the most popular varieties for large H...

Cosmos Mona's Orange, introduced in 1990 by SESE from a family heirloom originating in southern California, produces radiant orange, mostly single-...

Sensation Mix is one of the earliest cosmos varieties, producing large single flowers in a mixture of white, pink, and purple on tall 4–5 foot plan...

Costata Romanesca is an Italian heirloom zucchini favored for its exceptional flavor, with heavily ribbed fruits striped in alternating light and d...

This Texas heirloom, brought from Oklahoma by Marshall Crawford's family, is a fast-growing bibb lettuce known for its great flavor and exceptional...

This Italian heirloom, grown by Thomas Jefferson at Monticello, produces pale green fruits up to 36 inches long, though they are best harvested at ...

This Danish heirloom produces rich red beets celebrated for their tender sweetness in a distinctive 6 by 2 inch carrot-shaped form. Their unique cy...

De Cicco produces a central head ranging from 3 to 6 inches in diameter, followed by side sprouts that extend the harvest period considerably. Medi...

This upright loosehead lettuce produces slightly savoyed, triangular, round-tipped leaves with a succulent mid-rib, offering excellent sweet flavor...

Detroit Dark Red is a widely adaptable beet with a rich, dark red color that extends even to its dark green foliage. It has excellent flavor, is su...

Early Prolific Straightneck is a 1938 All-America Selections winner bearing straight, lemon-yellow, slightly club-shaped fruits of excellent flesh ...

Early Wonder Tall Top features tall tops ideal for harvesting as nutrient-rich greens, along with small to medium-sized dark red roots excellent in...

Eden Gem (Rocky Ford) is a classic muskmelon derived from the old 'Netted Gem' variety, which itself came from a chance seedling of 'Nutmeg.' The 4...

Edmonson is a family heirloom from Kansas dating to 1913, and one of the hardiest cucumbers available, with good resistance to disease, insects, an...

Fish Pepper is an African-American heirloom from Maryland with striking white and green mottled leaves and fruits that display variegated colors be...

Four O'Clocks Don Pedros Mixed Colors is a heirloom brought back from a mother's hometown in Spain, where the flower is locally known as Don Pedro'...

Garden Huckleberry is a productive 18-inch plant bearing heavy yields of dull black berries at full maturity that keep very well both on and off th...

German Johnson is a popular heirloom from Virginia and North Carolina, long a favorite at farmers markets, and is one of the four parent lines of t...

Golden Acre produces compact 5 to 7 inch heads weighing 3 to 4 pounds, and its small size allows for closer spacing in the garden. The variety is r...

Golden Bush Scallop is a golden-yellow, plump Patty Pan squash that grows on space-saving bush plants. Prolific and hardy, the plants bear continuo...

An English heirloom and longtime favorite for home gardeners, Green Arrow produces loads of 4 to 5 inch pods filled with plump, sweet, dark green p...