Spring Garden Market is Finally Here!

Get ready for the 22nd Spring Garden Market, brought to you by the Santa Clara County Master Gardeners. The event is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 16 at History San Jose, 1650 Senter Road, San Jose.

Admission is free, parking is $6.

Again this year we will have a mind-boggling selection of 80 varieties tomatoes and more than 100 types of peppers, which is what we have become known for. There will also be hundreds of herbs, eggplants and ornamentals to choose from. New this year will be decorative succulent arrangements, all potted up and ready to go.

There will be more than 10,000 tomato plants this year, including the always popular Sun Sugar cherry, the classic Cherokee Purple. There also will be paste tomatoes, which are great for sauces and canning.

In order to extend your harvesting season as long as possible, opt for a few of the earliest fruiting — ripe in 50 to 60 days — and some of the tomatoes that take 90 to 100 days to ripen.

If you are growing in containers, look for determinate varieties that only grow to about 4 feet high.

If you love making salsa, try Jersey Devil or Opalka. Pair them with some new offerings from our “chili heads,” including Sweet Sunset, an early fruiting, very sweet, Italian variety that is great for frying. It is compact, and it’s good for containers, too.

Tunisian Baklouti is a hot pepper that is great for couscous and North African dishes. Etiuda is an orange bell from Baker Creek that produces a half-pound fruit.

Holy Moly is a mild pepper that turns chocolate brown when ripe. It is great for mole sauce.

If you love fire-breathing-hot, don’t miss out on Bhut Jolokia Ghost and Trinidad Scorpion. For great habanero flavor with a little less heat, try Aji Amarillo, Bulgarian or Martin’s Carrot.

Sweet pepper options include Corno di Toro, Romanian Gogosari and Cuollarici.

If you haven’t tried growing your own eggplant, give it a go. Not only are they easy to grow, they are beautiful plants as well. There will be nine varieties to choose from, including Little Prince, Nadia, Rosa Bianca and Long Purple. They are great in stir fry dishes, hummus and even on pizza.

We will have 17 varieties of basil, including the prized Tulsi (Holy Basil) from India. Other herbs include oregano, thyme, lemongrass and stevia.

Although we are known for our incredible edibles, we also offer more than 20 types of ornamental plants and flowers, including amaranth, cosmos, Rudbeckia and about 20 types of zinnia and 13 varieties of sunflowers.

In additional to the succulent pots, there will be dozens of succulents to choose from including aloe, aeonium, agave, echeveria and many more. Sampler packs will be available as well.

Although the plants are what might draw you to the sale, don’t miss out on the educational talks. You can learn about drought-tolerant plants, growing tomatoes, embracing your clay soil, composing and gardening with pests.

There will be information booths featuring Martial Cottle Park, UC Davis All-Stars plants, native plants and the master gardener help desk, and garden-based activities for the kids. More than 40 vendors will offer food, arts and crafts, tools, clothing, chicken coops and, of course, plants, plants, plants.

Rebecca Jepsen is a Santa Clara County Master Gardener.