Last Saturday I attended the Seedy Saturday event here in Toronto. The turnout seemed to have grown since last year and of course so did my purchases. Where I will be gardening this year is up in the air so I have tried to hold back on making any plans, decisions or purchases. But who goes to a seed sale and doesn’t buy seeds? Here’s what I bought:

– Sweet Pea ‘Black Knight’ — Once again indulging my love of black flowers… A scented, black heirloom from 1898.

– Adonis Annua — Circa 1500! Annual flower with red petals and feathery foliage. See a photo.

– Painted Lady Runner Bean — Hierloom. 1827. Due to a lack of space I like my plants to do double duty, being both aesthetically pleasing and edible. This runner bean has red and white flowers, is edible AND attracts hummingbirds! The package states it is RARE, which always sucks me in even though I know I shouldn’t take much stock in such claims (or care for that matter).

– Lemon Cucumber — Heirloom. 1894. I grew this round, yellow cucumber last year and can say with confidence that it is the best cucumber I have ever tasted! Soft and fresh.

– Rouge D’hiver Lettuce — 1800’s. A pretty heirloom with green leaves that turn to red. Claims to be cold and heat resistant which means I can plant it early, keep it late and grow it on my deck in mid-summer. See a photo.

– Dark Opal Basil — I traded some garden buttons for these from Colette at Urban Harvest. This is one of my favourite basils for drying although its dark leaves are really pretty fresh in a salad. I like it best sprinkled on top of homeade pizza.

– Bicolor Tomatoes (Pineapple) — I bought these because they looked like the stripey tomatoes I went crazy for last summer. I’m hoping these are similar but regardless I don’t know how you can go wrong with such a pretty tomato. See a photo.

– Tomatillo ‘Purpl de Milpa’ — I grow purple tomatillos every year. The pruple varieties aren’t any tastier than the green but they are colourful and ornamental.