Seeds

Period Seed Dealers Saving Seeds

The Kitchen Garden Tools Varieties Herbs Pest Control
A Year in the Garden 1861 Bibliography

The following are the seeds currently available from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, which they have dated to before 1870:

Bean
Asparagus—Green Pod Red Seed [Pre-1860]
Purple Hyacinth—[Pre-1802]
Scarlet Runner—[Pre-1750]
Black Valentine, Stringless—[Known prior to 1850]
Taylor's Dwarf Horticultural (Shelly, Wren's Egg)—[Dates to early 1800s]
Sulphur (Golden Cranberry, China Yellow)—[Introduced about 1839]
Genuine Cornfield (Scotia, Striped Creaseback)—[Possibly pre-Columbian, cultivated by Iroquois]
Kentucky Wonder (Old Homestead)—[Introduced before 1864, then known as Texas Pole]
Potomac —[Dates from Virginia side of Potomac before 1860]
Ruth Bible —[Kentucky since 1832]
Blue Coco—[Pre-1775 French heirloom]
Worcester Indian Red —[Reported Native American, pre-1868]

Beet
Chioggia (Dolce di Chioggia) Early Season—[Pre-1840 heirloom]

Cabbage

Early Jersey Wakefield--[about 1840]
Early Flat Dutch--[pre-1875, possibly pre-1855]
Premium Late Flat Dutch—[1840]

Carrot
Long Orange Improved—[Introduced in 1620 by Dutch breeders and brought to North America by early settlers]

Celery

Large Smooth Prague (Turnip Rooted Celery)—Celeriac [Pre-1870.]

Corn
Bloody Butcher Dent—[Introduced about 1845]
Blue Clarage (Ohio Blue Clarage) Dent—[developed west of Appalachian Mountains in Ohio/WV area between 1830 and 1850]
Reid's Yellow Dent—[1840's]
Black Mexican (Mexican Sweet, Black Iroquois)—[1864]
Stowell's Evergreen Sweet—[1856]

Eggplant
Listada de Gandia Bicolor—[France about 1850]

Kohlrabi
Early Purple Vienna—[prior to 1860]

Lettuce
Black-Seeded Simpson—[about 1850]
Oakleaf—[about 1771]
Schweitzer's Mescher Bibb—[1700s]
Tom Thumb—[pre-1850]
Tennis Ball—[pre-1804]

Okra

Cow Horn—[pre-1865]

Onion

Yellow Potato (Yellow Multiplier, Hill Onion, Mother, Onion)—[prior to 1790]

Parsley

Dark Green Italian (Plain Leaf)—[by 1807]

Parsnip

Hollow Crown (Sugar)—[before 1850]

Pepper

Cayenne, Long Red—[pre-1827]

Pumpkin

Connecticut Field (Big Tom, Yankee Cow)—pre-1700
Seminole—[in Florida in 1500s]
Small Sugar (New England Pie)—[Pre-1860]
Tan Cheese—[pre-1824]

Radish

White Icicle (Lady Finger)—[pre-1865]
Black Spanish Round—[pre-1824]
China Rose (Rose Colored Chinese, Scarlet China Winter)—[about 1850]

Scallop

Early White Bush (White Patty Pan) Squash—[pre-1722]

Squash

New Zealand Summer—[1772]
Yellow Crookneck—[about 1700]

Tomato

Large Red—[by 1843]
Red Cherry (Old Fashioned Red Cherry) —[before 1840]
Riesentraube—[Pennsylvania Dutch by 1855]
White Wonder—[pre-1860]

Turnip

Amber Globe (Yellow Globe)—[prior to 1840]