2024 FRANKLIN CO PA PLANT SALE

                 2024 MASTER GARDENER PLANT SALE 

May 18  9 am - 1 pm, 425 Franklin Farm Lane, Chambersburg

RAIN OR SHINE

It important to note that availability of plants is determined by germination and condition of plants at the time of the sale. Links to Herbs and Flowers pages below.

Seriously, check out all the varieties that you can't find in local nurseries or garden centers.

PEPPERS

Hot Peppers

Aleppo

Big Jim

Bhut Joloki (Ghost)

Cayenne Long thin

Chiltipin

Fish (Heirloom)

Habanaro orange

La bomba Jalopeno

Ancho Giganta

Hinkelhatz (Heirloom)

Brazilian Star Fish

Aji Chinchi Amarillo

Sweet Peppers

California Wonder

Baron

Golden California Wonder

Cubanelle

Jimmy Nardello

Sheepnose Pimento

Lunch box Pepper mix

TOMATOES

Jet Star hybrid
Aunt Ruby's German green
Brandywine black
Giant Belgium
Mortgage Lifter
Tasmanian chocolate
Little bird red robin- Dwarf
Independence day
Speckled Roman
Patio Choice hybrid series red
Wherokowhai - dwarf large beef steak indeterminate 
Tamagotchi - hybrid Tamayo tomatillo
Sungold Select - cherry bite sized Open pollinated

VEGETABLES

Fairy Tale Eggplants

Cucumber 'Poona Kheera' (Cucumis sativa)

Cucumber 'Japanese Climbing' (Cucumis sativa)

Cucumber 'H-19 Little Leaf '(Cucumis sativa)

Watermelon 'Sugar Baby' (Citrullus lanatus)

Zucchini 'Magda' (Cucurbita pepo)

Eggplant 'Fairy Tale' 

Eggplant 'Diamond'

Squash 'Cocozelle'

Poona Kheera Cucumbers

HERBS

Thai Basil

Photos and list of 2024 Herbs

FLOWERS

Spanish Flag vine

Photos and list of 2024 flowers

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  HERB SAMPLER Second Edition (my book)

Buy one for yourself and consider getting a few more. They make great hostess gifts, housewarming, and anytime gifts.

The Second Edition Herb Sampler (2019) is available through Amazon. 

Just click this link to find it. 

2024 HERBS -MG PLANT SALE

 

Rain or Shine

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MOTHERS' DAY IS COMING  

                      HERB SAMPLER Second Edition (my book)

Buy one for yourself and consider getting a few more. They make great hostess gifts, housewarming, and anytime gifts.

The Second Edition Herb Sampler (2019) is available through Amazon. 

Just click this link to find it. 

Chile Pepper Plants: The Fruit that Keeps on GIving

By Karla Bingaman, Penn State Extension Franklin County Master Gardener Program

Peter Piper was on to something when he decided to pick a peck of (pickled) peppers. With all the different varieties and ranges of heat levels everyone should at least try them.

Based on Scoville Heat Units (SHU), here's a taste of a few of our planned offerings from hottest to our mildest and one that falls in between. With over a dozen varieties, we have a chile pepper plant to satisfy every hot head.

The hottest pepper plant we plan offer this year is the Bhut Jolokia (aka Ghost Pepper). With a Scoville range that can top over a million units this pepper isn’t for the faint of heart, but heat isn’t the only consideration. It has a fruity, slightly sweet flavor and when used in small quantities it can really enhance a dish. I recommend infusing it in butter that can be added to many of the dishes you already prepare. You get to enjoy the full breadth of this pepper when used judiciously. This plant can get quite large and does well in a tomato cage for containment and support.

The Brazilian Starfish is a medium heat pepper by most people’s standards. As with all chile peppers, the heat range can vary, but this maintains a medium heat often slightly spicier than a jalapeño pepper. The fruit is juicy and very sweet. It’s a great pepper to pickle and looks beautiful through a glass jar because of its unique shape. Use it in raw salads and salsa because it is delicious but also retains a lovely crunch. Due to its weeping shape with branches and leaves that droop downwards, this pepper does well when supported on a trellis or in a hanging basket - it’s the thrill, the fill, and the spill!

In the greenhouse, the Poblano Ancho Gigantea is the mildest of the hot peppers. It has just a hint of heat and a wonderful sweet, smoky flavor that lends itself well to roasting, and its large cavity is great for stuffing. If you let the peppers ripen to red then dry, you can use the ancho chiles in soups, sauces, and meat seasonings too. This plant has a short yield time and retains a bushy two and half foot height. It benefits from staking due to the pepper’s thick wall that makes the fruit heavier than most.

Is your mouth watering yet? Well, mark your calendar for the Master Gardener Annual Plant Sale, May 18 from 9 am to 1 pm at 425 Franklin Farm Lane, Chambersburg. We will have a Scoville chart highlighting the thirteen hot peppers we are growing along with nine sweet peppers, including the favorite lunch box size.

Please note that plant availability is dependent on germination and growth in the greenhouse.

MOTHERS' DAY IS COMING  

                      HERB SAMPLER Second Edition (my book)

Buy one for yourself and consider getting a few more. They make great hostess gifts, housewarming, and anytime gifts.

The Second Edition Herb Sampler (2019) is available through Amazon. 

Just click this link to find it. 

GIFTS FROM THE GARDEN

 

Whether a basket of cherry tomatoes, fresh bouquet of herbs, or home canned pickles, gifts from your garden are personal and most often lovingly appreciated. As you plan for the growing season consider adding plants for some homemade gifts.

From zucchini bread or mixed dried herb seasonings with a few recipes to an annual flower in a lovely container, our Sat., May 18 (9 AM - 1 PM) Annual Plant sale will have a wide selection of plants with gift possibilities.

Visit the herb table for lavender, chamomile, sweet marjoram, and lemon balm for sachets and sleep pillows - plus catnip to please feline friends. Look for Osin basil (delicious purple color), Greek oregano, and chives to create vinegars for use in marinades and salads.

There is always a wide variety of peppers super-hot to cayenne including the heirlooms of Hinklehatz and fish peppers. We plan on sweet stuffing and lunch box sized ones, too.

For the tomato tables we plan to have a variety of heirlooms and some of the standard hybrids plus several dwarf and container plants. There will also be two varieties of beefsteak tomatoes, bush and one indeterminate. There will be a variety of salad, slicers, and paste tomatoes of different colors, too.

Look for some unique vegetables such as the attractive 2” to 4” Fairytail eggplant sized for containers or vertical growing. We are trying the open-pollinated heirloom Poona Kheera cucumber—super crisp, fresh, and tasty was recommended by those who grew it on a trellis last year. For small spaces or large containers, there is Cocozelle zucchini—dark green with light green stripes. Listed as good for freezing and canning.

Whether an occasion calls for a present or you are just sharing with friends, gifts from your garden are sure to please.

Varieties available depend on seed availability and greenhouse growth.

Please remember it’s important to follow safe food-handling methods when preparing or preserving food.

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                    MOTHERS' DAY IS COMING  

                      HERB SAMPLER Second Edition (my book)

Buy one for yourself and consider getting a few more. They make great hostess gifts, housewarming, and anytime gifts.

The Second Edition Herb Sampler (2019) is available through Amazon. 

Just click this link to find it. 

2024 ANNUAL FLOWERS - MG PLANT SALE

Rain or Shine

****************************************

                        HERB SAMPLER Second Edition (my book)

Buy one for yourself and consider getting a few more. They make great hostess gifts, housewarming, and anytime gifts.

The Second Edition Herb Sampler (2019) is available through Amazon. 

Just click this link to find it.