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 COMMON GOOD FARM 2017 VARIETAL INFORMATION 
Tomatoes --- Peppers -- Eggplants
       
From anticipated varieties; some may not be available until mid May; many are limited in quantity.  All information provided as clearly & comprehensively as possible...pardon any errors on our part!  There might even be a few more varieties than listed below!

We focus on open-pollinated & heirloom varieties (open pollinated means it is true to it's parent fruit & a hybrid is a cross between two parent fruits), and heirloom is a fruit/veg that is presumed to be from varieties at least 50 years old. There are solid hybrids that are worth growing that have been around for a decades. 

None of these (open pollinated, hybrid or heirloom) are the same thing as GMO (genetically grown). We buy seed from smaller seed companies that have taken the Safe Seed Pledge to not purvey, grow or use GMO seed themselves. All our plants are certified organic & certified biodynamic.

F1 indicates it is a hybrid...again...there are some great veggies that are hybrids and have their place. And again, a hybrid is not at all, in anyway, the same as GMO.  Lots of fabulous open pollinated and heirloom varieties also!
 
Determinate Tomatoes
Bush/short season are other names for these early season/shorter season producers...fruit earlier, shorter amount of time, can benefit from staking or caging...plant both & you won't have to wait as long for great tomatoes! We plant about 18" apart & provide staking for less fruit waste & to prevent sun-scald.
 
DETERMINATE/BUSH (short season) TOMATOES

• Crimson Sprinter:  Brilliant candy-apple red color. Medium-sized 5 - 7 oz fruits are abundant & ripen nicely on the vine.  Notably high lycopene content.  Holds well due to its thick skin. Semi-determinate
• Fireworks: HEIRLOOM 5 -7 oz. red fruits; yields well & early. Open pollinated. One of our best & most consistent early producers. Seed saved from our own farm.
• Iron Lady F1:  blight resistant, dense juicy flavorful red slicer…produced well for us in 2013 heat & dry.
• Mt. Princess: nice red tomatoes…one of our earlier varieties.
• Nova: determinate paste/plum type – wonderful tomato that keeps producing!
• Orange Blossom F1: medium-firm, globe-shaped fruits average 6-7 oz., have a nice texture, and are mildly flavored, balanced with a little acidity…one of our field favorites!
• Oregon Spring: Produces 4” oval red slicers developed at Oregon State University.
• Ranger F1: determinate paste, good tomato flavor…prolific!
• Roma VF:  Excellent paste open-pollinated tomato. Popular for canning or making sauce, juice or drying. Plum shaped fruit ripen to a bright red with meaty interiors.
• Rutgers - classic, semi-determinate, great tomato!
• Siletz: one of our quickest to produce…nice red slicer, good flavor.
• Taxi: Great yellow tomato for short season. Grows to about 2 feet tall & 2 feet across. Expect heavy yields of mild, non-acid light yellow tomatoes for 3-4 weeks.

INDETERMINATE/VINING/LONG-SEASON TOMATOES : These fruit later than bush/determinate types & should fruit until frost. Need support...we plant 2' apart.

• Amish Paste: HEIRLOOM  PASTE  produces an abundance of thick-fleshed, acorn-shaped fruits weighing 8 oz. Few seeds; excellent sauce tomato.
• Black Krim:  HEIRLOOM Originally from the Isle of Krim on the Black Sea. Deep rich black-red color; yields 3 – 4” flattened beefsteak fruits with deep green shoulders. Intense, slightly salty taste; for fresh eating or cooking.
• Black Prince: (available later!) HEIRLOOM Mahogany brown fruit with unusual brown shoulders becoming orange-red at blossom end. Rich fruity flavor. Smooth, rich, fruity tomato flavor. 3-5 oz., 3” fruits show less cracking than typically seen in most heirlooms.
• Brandywine: HEIRLOOM Big and beautiful! This classic variety was one of the first to bring recognition to the heirloom label. Known for its perfect balance of sugars and flavor. Dark pinkish-red flesh is smooth and juicy, so make sure to have a napkin handy! Fruits are very large, weighing 1 lb or more. Pick just before ripe to avoid cracking. Potato-leaf variety.
• Cosmonaut Volkov HEIRLOOM: Reliable producer, even in colder summers. Deep red, slightly flattened 8 – 10 oz. fruits with sweet rich flavor.
• Crnkovic Red HEIRLOOM: Brought to the US by Yasha Crnkovic. Good yields of pink beefsteak fruits, weighing up to 1# each. Fruits have near perfect shoulders that almost never crack. Great full tomato flavor.
• Copia: orange/yellow & pink beefsteak with deep flavor & large fruits.
• German Johnson: HEIRLOOM  Vigorous, higher-yielding Brandywine type with excellent flavor. Sets deep pink excellent  fruits with lots of deep, acidic tomato flavor & a rich texture.  One of our farm favorites!
• Gilbertie Paste: HEIRLOOM PASTE Long, slender shape with characteristically green shoulders and a slight crook in the neck. Narrow fruits are on average 7” long and 10-12 oz. Flesh is very solid, with a beloved rich flavor that makes excellent sauces and soups. Very small seed cavity.
• Green Zebra: A true green tomato with deep green striping. A delicious, tangy salad tomato, ripe just as the green fruit develops a yellow blush, accentuating the darker green stripes. Lots of 3-4 oz. fruits.
• Hillbilly Potato Leaf: HEIRLOOM   Gorgeous bicolor beefsteak tomato, great for slicing. Beautiful yellow 1 pound fruits are streaked with red on the blossom end. Sweet & juicy. Heavy producer.
• Hungarian Heart: HEIRLOOM Brilliant reddish-pink oxheart type fruits are enormous—frequently exceeding 1#. firm and meaty like all oxheart types—great for paste, canning or fresh use. Rich tasting, solid flesh across each hefty slice! Originated outside of Budapest, Hungary around 1900.
• Japanese Trifele Black:  Pear-shaped fruit has green-streaked shoulders, deepening to a burnished mahogany and finally to a darkened, nearly black base. The meaty interior has similar shades and a complex flavor.
• Jaune Flamme: HEIRLOOM Excellent smaller yellow tomato, with some fruity zippy flavors. Very productive. Think Sungold cherry all grown up!
• Moskovich Red: grows fast, great slicer…indeterminate that starts producing earlier!
• Nebraska  Wedding: semi-determinate HEIRLOOM Listed in the 1983 Seed Savers Exchange Yearbook by Dorothy Beiswenger of Crookston, MN. Reliable producer of stunning 4" round fruits with glowing orange skin. Well-balanced flavor.
• Nepal: HEIRLOOM Soft, meaty red fruits. Excellent tomato flavor with medium acidity. Yields well; 10 oz fruits.
• Peron: great red slicer, does well every year for us in the field.
• Pruden’s Purple: HEIRLOOM Large pinkish-red beefsteak with a sweet & tangy flavor.
• Ruth’s Perfect: HEIRLOOM Mid-season favorite red slicer, 7 oz. fruits on sturdy plants. From Ruth Zinniker,  Biodynamic farmer.
• San Marzano: HEIRLOOM PASTE Superior paste with high solid content, heavy yields, excellent for canningand sauce. 5-6 oz. fruits, about 3” long.
• Striped German: great yellow & pink beefsteak…nice flavor!
• Sunkist F1: nice producer of high quality fruits.
• Super Lakota: HEIRLOOM (like Super Sioux) Large, early, red. Thick walled, 6 – 8 oz fruits. Juicy, great slicer. Old fashioned flavor.
• Sweet  ‘n’ Bright (Hellfrucht):  A small salad tomato, classic tomato flavor with great disease resistance for early and mid-season harvest with cascades of bright red glossy 2-3 oz. round fruit.
• Tang – lovely orange indeterminate slicer

 
CHERRY TOMATOES - not an all inclusive list!:)

• Bing Cherry: Exceptional flavor is sweet with a rich tomato flavor, well-balanced acid & thin skin. Plants are loaded with clusters of medium sized, 1” red cherry tomatoes. Indeterminate
• Black Cherry: Vigorous regular leaf plants covered in clusters of 1" round cherry tomatoes. Dusky purple-black fruits bursting with rich flavor—sweet and complex. Indeterminate
• Bumblebee varieties: Pink, Purple & Sunrise – all variations of striped nice-size cherry tomatoes. Great flavor, no cracking & a delight to pick & eat!
• Esterina – similar to Sungold, maybe better with less cracking
• Gold Nugget - also similar to Sungold...lovely flavor, less cracking & still fruity.
• Igleheart – also similar to Sungold…open pollinated, small, prolific
• Indigo Rose - slightly larger, deep purple fruit!
• Peacevine Cherry/Saladette: heavy yields of many fruited clusters. Red fruit; excellent flavor. An occasional orange fruit will appear. Named for its high content of gamma amino butyric acid, a calming body sedative.
• Red Pear:
• Red Pearl: grape type, solid producer…lots of fruit!
• Sweetie: just like it says...sweet! And disease resistant with great tomato flavor!
• Sungold Cherry F1: Wonderful fruity flavor; yellow-orange, very sweet. Yields heavy, best for home garden & fresh eating!
• Washington Cherry: nice clustering red cherry tomato
• Whippersnapper:  HEIRLOOM very small red clustered fruits. Heavy yields. Great for kids to eat out of hand in the garden.
• White Cherry: just like it says!

 
EGGPLANT

• Black Beauty:  Early maturing northern variety, classic shaped oblong fruits. Most plants set 3 – 4 fruits each. SIMILAR: Diamond, Florida High Bush, Nadia, Nubia, Michal & others possible.
• Fairytale F1: Bush type with classic deep purple fruits; great for containers or raised bed or in an open garden.
• Listada di Gandia: One of the most beautiful eggplants. A specialty purple striped Italian eggplant with an oval egg shape. Petite fruits sit nicely in the palm of your hand. Plants are very productive and fruits are tender and delicious, averaging 6-8” long. Skin is thinner than most Italian types. SIMILAR: Violetta.
• Little Finger:  Slender 4 - 6 in. fruit with a glossy black skin. Harvest when fruit is young and cook quickly for delicate flavor. The benefits of a traditional eggplants combined with the Oriental shape oblate fruits. LIMITED.
• Millionaire Asian: Long purple fruits with solid production.
• Patio Baby F1: bush type with smaller deep purple fruits; great for patio, smaller gardens and containers.
• Ping Tung: Asian, long purple variety. Consistent producer of 8” narrow fruits.
• Rosa Bianca:  nice size deep pink/light purple fruits.
• Snowy Eggplant:  Somewhat smaller version of white-skinned eggplant. Think traditional eggplant with mild flavor & white skin.
• Violetta: jItalian variety, elongated deep purple fruit

 
 
PEPPERS - HOT: SWEETS: BELLS
BELL PEPPERS

• Abay Gold: limited quantity; wonderful yellow pepper
• California Wonder: Prolific plants produce large thick-walled fruits. Deep green color will turn red when left to mature.
• Diamond Bell - very pale yellow bell with good, but not overpowering, pepper flavor.
• Golden California Wonder: Light yellow bell
• Iko Iko: Purple & yellow peppers ripening to tangerine & red.
• Jupiter:  Green bell, nice large size. Good flavor & lovely to pick in the field & garden.
• King Crimson: Early pepper are medium-sized & blocky.
• King of the North: Sturdy plants, green-to-red bell. One of our farm favorites.
• Orange Bell: nice producer of lovely fruits
• Purple Star: Thick-walled peppers that are fully purple when ripe. Nice flavor turning deep purple-red.
• Sweet Chocolate: a smaller bell with a slightly sweet, complex flavor. Harvest when chocolatey brown.
• Yankee Bell: Open pollinated. Blocky 3-4 lobed fruits are medium sized and a bit smaller than some hybrids. Good quality and uniformity.

 
SWEET SPECIALTY

• Goddess Banana: HEIRLOOM An extremely popular pepper. Large, pointed fruits measure 6-7" & 1½". The mild yellow peppers will turn brilliant red if left on the plant. A favorite for pickling or fresh eating.
• Carmen F1: A beautiful pepper of the Italian "bull's horn" (corno di toro) type with great flavor. Carmen has a lovely, sweet taste for salads &  roasting, especially when partially or fully red-ripe. Tapered fruits avg. 6" long x 2 1/2" wide, 5 oz. (142 gm), and ripen from green to deep carmine red.
• Corno di Toro: HEIRLOOM Italian variety known for the horn shape. Sweet flavor of red mature fruits.
• Feher Ozon:  HEIRLOOM Stout juicy sweet peppers start white, ripening to yellow, orange then red. Great sub early on for green peppers. High yields. Smaller fruits. Traditionally dried for paprika. Can have a slight hint of warmth sometimes.
• Lipstick: Pointed thick-walled 4” fruit. Use fresh or roasted.
• Shishito: Small mild Japanese pepper for roasting, pan-frying, grilling. Harvest when green. Very limited.
• Stocky Red Roaster: Italian frying pepper. Sweet attractive thick walled 4-6” long & 2” wide.

 
HOT PEPPERS

• Alma paprika: a smaller pale yellow fruit with just a hint of warmth…very nice.
• Anaheim:  Long mildly hot peppers traditionally roasted green, used for chiles rellenos or for drying & stringing in dried red ristras.
• Ancho: Nice pepper for roasting, salsas & stuffing! Big size like a deep green bell…but definitely not a bell! SOLD OUT
• Bolivian Rainbow: Rainbow colored fruits, about 1 in. in size. Very hot! Some are deep yellow, deep purple, orange & red as they mature.
• Black Hungarian: Highly ornamental & useful in the kitchen. Green foliage is highlighted by purple veins & beautiful purple flowers. 3 - 4" fruits similar in shape to Jalapenos, but black ripening to red. Medium-hot with good flavor.
• Beaver Dam:
• Cayenne Joe’s Long & also Ring of Fire: Classic cayenne shape & heat. 2-3 ft. plant produces an abundance of hot, straight, tapered, 4" fruits. Excellent quality. Good dried or fresh. Red when ripe. Ready into mid-May.
• Carolina Reaper: THE HOTTEST PEPPER! (or is there another one…someone’s trying to up the heat game out there!?) REALLY – HANDLE FRUITS WITH & EATING WITH CARE!
• Fatalii: darn hot!
• Ghost Pepper/Jhot Bolokia: SUPER HOT!
• Habanero, Magnum: Super hot! Avg. 2" x 1 1/4", wrinkled fruits ripen from dark green to light orange.  May be used fresh or dried. Key ingredient in Jamaican "jerk" sauces. Prolific yields in most summers.
• Habanero, Chocolate:
• Hot Claw:
• Hungarian Hot Wax:  a yellow-green long pepper with mild-medium heat…great for eggs, salsa and anything in between!
• Jalapeno, Early:  Hot Jalapeno with early ripening & hot bite. Blunt peppers can be eaten dark green or wait until red. (also have El Jefe Jalapeno)
• Jalapeno, El Jefe: (also Jalafuego & Craig’s Grande)
• Serrano, Hot Rod
• Trinidad Scorpion – LIMITED – second or third hottest pepper there is. WATCH OUT!

PEPPER TYPE                    SCOVILLE UNITS – heat index            
                         
Alma paprika                  0 - 100
Anaheim                            500 ~ 2,500
Ancho                                 1,000 – 2,000
Ancho poblano                             3,000
Beaver dam                     500 –  1,000
Black Hungarian          1,000 – 2,000
Bolivian rainbow         20,000 – 40,000+
Bulgarian carrot          2,000 ~ 5,000
Cyklon                                                1,000 to 5,000
Fatalii                                  over 250,000
Feher Ozon Paprika   0 – 100
Fish                                       5,000 – 10,000
Hot claw                            5,000 – 30,000
Hot purira                        5,000
Hungarian hot wax    4,000 – 9,000
Jalapeno                            2,500 – 9,000
Magnum orange habanero  150,000 – 325,000
Maya red habanero                   200,000 – 300,000
Naga Jolokia "Ghost Pepper"  1,020,000 ~ 1,578,000
Nu mex joe parker Anaheim                500 – 2,500
Ring of fire cayenne 30,000–50,000
Serrano                              8,000 ~ 22,000
Tabasco                             30,000–75,000
Thai dragon                    75,000 – 140,000
Trinidad maruga scorpion     150,000 - 2,200,000
 
Eggplant
 
Black Beauty :  Early maturing northern variety,  classic shaped oblong fruits. Most plants set 3 – 4 fruits each. SIMILAR: Diamond, Florida High Bush, Nadia & others possible.
 
Listada di Gandia  : One of the most beautiful eggplants. A specialty purple striped Italian eggplant with an oval egg shape. Petite fruits sit nicely in the palm of your hand. Plants are very productive and fruits are tender and delicious, averaging 6-8” long. Skin is thinner than most Italian types. SIMILAR: Violetta.
 
Little Finger :  Slender 4 - 6 in. fruit with a glossy black skin. Harvest when fruit is young and cook quickly for delicate flavor. The benefits of a traditional eggplants combined with the Oriental shape oblate fruits. LIMITED.
 
Ping Tung : Asian, long purple variety. Consistent producer of 8” narrow fruits.

Rosa Bianca: pink-purplish medium size eggplant... a lovely producer
 
Snowy Eggplant :  Somewhat smaller version of white-skinned eggplant. Think traditional eggplant with mild flavor & white skin.
 

annual organic plant sale   

We love growing our healthy certified organic vegetable & herb plants for fellow gardeners! Folks come from near & far for their new-er favorites they have discovered through us. Plants are also available at our booth at Old Cheney Farmers Market & at Open Harvest in Lincoln. The largest selection is at the farm when we hit peak season in early-mid May.

Look for the sale again for 2018! We open late April each year. We still have a few perennial herbs at market - August 2017.

A fairly expansive - but possibly incomplete listing of tomatoes, peppers & eggplant varieties for plants are listed on this page. Not all varieties of tomatoes, peppers and eggplant are available at all times, as we cycle through several plantings but try and keep a wide range available!
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We feature a wide variety of plants -- focusing on vegetables & herbs, as well as some flowers. We have lots of heirloom & open-pollinated varieties. We grow many of our favorites from our own field production because of reliability, taste and productivity, as well as other favorites that are consistent producers for the home garden. And of course unique varieties that you will not find in any garden store! All grown from seed right here, using our own compost for our greenhouse potting/grow mix for a solid foundation to get things started!

Our plants are certified organic & certified Biodynamic. Started from seed in our on-farm greenhouse, where else in Nebraska can you get such a wide-range of certified organic vegetable planting stock...great quality, grown right here!

Questions about what we have available? Contact us! We love to help you grow your own wonderful garden!