Originating from the alpine regions of Savoy , the 'Winter King' cabbage is a traditional, hardy variety , renowned for its remarkable resistance to cold . Its large, dense head , enveloped in fleshy, finely blistered leaves , testifies to an exceptional adaptation to harsh climates and prolonged winters .

In the garden, it stands out for its vigorous growth , robust habit , and ability to remain in the ground until the first hard frosts without losing quality. This late-maturing variety is a cornerstone of autumn and winter vegetable gardens , cultivated as much for its storage capacity as for its long-lasting nutritional value .

'Winter King' cabbage fits naturally into ecological rotations and associated crops , offering a stable, generous and structuring presence at the heart of the garden in the cold season.

Probably originating from southern Europe , this mixed kohlrabi brings together up to five varieties in a range of hues , from tender green to deep purple , creating a vegetable garden that is as colorful as it is bountiful . Its swollen part, emerging from the stem, forms a fleshy head that sits just above the ground, while its vigorous foliage can also be harvested.

A hardy, quick-maturing biennial plant, kohlrabi adapts well to short growing seasons . Its compact shape , early growth , and discreet flowering make it an ideal crop from spring to autumn , particularly in communal and shared gardens .

At Jardins de l'écoumène , this blend is carefully produced despite the challenges of seed production in cold climates. Each seed is the fruit of patience nurtured by a passion for life.

Le chou-rave Violet hâtif de Vienne est une variété ancienne reconnue pour sa précocité et la finesse de sa chair. Son renflement sphérique, d’un violet lumineux à l’extérieur, renferme une chair blanche, juteuse et délicatement sucrée lorsqu’il est récolté jeune.

La plante développe un feuillage dressé et élégant, porté par des tiges élancées qui donnent au chou-rave une allure légère et bien structurée. Cette variété est particulièrement appréciée pour sa régularité et sa capacité à produire rapidement des raves tendres, sans devenir fibreuses si la récolte est faite au bon moment.

Au jardin, le Violet hâtif de Vienne s’épanouit en conditions de saison fraîche à tempérée. Il préfère les sols riches, bien ameublis et maintenus frais. Sa croissance rapide permet des semis échelonnés, offrant des récoltes continues sur une bonne partie de la saison.

Originating in Central Europe , the Styrian naked-seed pumpkin is an ancient variety remarkable for its naturally shell-free seeds , ready to be eaten or processed without peeling. Rooted in Austrian agricultural tradition , it was once cultivated as much for its abundant fruit as for its seeds, rich in nutritious oils , used notably to produce the famous Styrian pumpkin seed oil .

In the garden, this squash stands out for its impressive vigor and creeping habit , forming large protective leaves and beautiful fleshy fruits, green or striped, containing a treasure trove of oil-rich seeds . It attracts pollinators in abundance thanks to its generous summer flowering, while also playing a structuring role in crop rotations , effectively covering the soil and limiting erosion.

In an ecological and gourmet vegetable garden , the Styrian embodies a balance between rustic aesthetics, nutritional richness and seed autonomy , offering the gardener harvests that are as abundant as they are precious.

Originating from the ancestral lands of the Algonquian peoples of Northeastern America, the Algonquian Pumpkin captivates with its generous shape and warm color , reminiscent of the hues of the calm fires of early autumn . This traditional variety, passed down through generations, carries within it the living memory of Indigenous cultures , where it served as both a nourishing food and a natural container once the fruit was dried and hollowed out.

In the garden, it spreads its vigorous creeping habit , forming long, fertile vines that flourish under the late summer sun . Its fruits, often globular to slightly ribbed, contain dense, orange and sweet flesh , ideal for soups, purees, tarts or winter preserves.

Rustic and resilient , it integrates easily into a diversified vegetable garden , promoting long rotations , while celebrating cultivated biodiversity and the culinary heritage of early peoples.

La citrouille Cheyenne Bush est une variété buissonnante appréciée pour sa croissance contenue et sa production régulière. Contrairement aux citrouilles coureuses, elle forme un plant compact, idéal pour les petits jardins, les potagers urbains et la culture en contenants généreux.

Ses fruits ronds, bien formés, arborent une peau orange vif à maturité. Leur chair est dense, savoureuse et polyvalente, adaptée autant aux préparations sucrées que salées. La plante fleurit abondamment et fructifie sans exiger de grands espaces, ce qui en fait une excellente option pour les jardiniers souhaitant cultiver des cucurbitacées sans envahir le jardin.

Au jardin, Cheyenne Bush apprécie la chaleur, le plein soleil et les sols riches, bien drainés. Sa croissance est régulière et prévisible, permettant une bonne maîtrise de l’espace et des interventions culturales. Les fruits se développent près du plant, facilitant l’observation et la récolte.

Originating in Brazil , the Moranga pumpkin is an heirloom variety renowned for its sweet, mealy, and flavorful flesh , prized in many traditional recipes. Its round, ribbed fruits , a vibrant orange , bring color and abundance to the autumn vegetable garden, while embodying the generosity typical of tropical squashes adapted to temperate climates.

In the garden, Moranga develops a vigorous, creeping habit , quickly covering the ground with dense foliage that naturally suppresses weeds and retains moisture. Its sustained growth , natural resistance , and generous fruit size make it a first-rate food plant in a vegetable or permaculture garden .

Adapted to long rotations and open-space cultivation, it contributes to species diversity , attracts pollinators in summer, and offers a luminous and structuring presence until the end of the season.

Originating in France , the Étampes Red Bright Pumpkin is an iconic heirloom variety , closely linked to the imagery of autumn. Its broad, flattened shape , smooth, vibrant orange-red skin , and impressive size make it a squash that is as decorative as it is nutritious. Once widely cultivated in 19th-century Parisian markets, it has retained its place in contemporary organic gardens thanks to its hardiness, productivity , and mild, slightly sweet flavor .

In the garden, it develops a generous, creeping habit , with large, velvety leaves that cover the ground and protect its rounded fruits from direct sunlight. It adapts well to long crop rotations , thrives in rich soil, and elegantly heralds the arrival of autumn harvests .

In the kitchen, its meltingly tender orange flesh is ideal for soups, purées, gratins, tarts, or jams , bringing warmth and sweetness to seasonal dishes. It's a pumpkin that keeps well in a cellar and provides a consistent and generous source of sustenance during the colder months.

Originating in Russia , the Early Russian pickling cucumber is a traditional and hardy variety , prized for its small, firm, crisp, and non-bitter fruits , which can be enjoyed from the first weeks of summer . Renowned for its early maturity , it is among the first cucumbers to be harvested from the garden , offering abundant yields even at the beginning of the season.

When young, it can be eaten fresh, in salads or simply eaten raw , revealing a tender, juicy flesh with no bitterness whatsoever. It is also perfect for pickling , thanks to its compact size and slightly pungent skin which retains aromas well during fermentation or pickling.

In the garden, it stands out for its vigorous growth , dense foliage, and resilience to the variable conditions of a temperate climate. Compact in size, it integrates easily into an organic vegetable garden , contributing both to summer abundance and the preservation of culinary traditions.

Originating in the United States , the National Pickling cucumber is an iconic variety , developed specifically for making homemade pickles . Its short, fleshy, and very crisp fruits , with a slightly warty skin, are perfect for pickling : they absorb flavors well while retaining the firm and juicy texture so sought after by pickle lovers.

In the garden, this variety stands out for its rapid and vigorous growth , its creeping or semi-climbing habit , and its ability to produce continuously throughout the summer. It adapts well to cultivation in rows, in the ground or on small supports, making it ideal for compact and productive vegetable gardens . Highly productive, it allows for frequent harvests , encouraging both fresh eating and artisanal processing .

National Pickling is therefore a reliable and generous companion , perfect for extending the flavors of summer in colorful and tangy jars.

An old variety originating from Northern Europe, the 'Blanc de Hollande' cucumber is mentioned as early as 1835 in a French agricultural work. Having fallen into oblivion for a time, it was preserved by heritage seed producers concerned with biodiversity.

In the garden, it displays a vigorous climbing habit , clinging to supports with its tendrils like any classic climbing cucumber. Ideal for trellises and vertical gardening, it saves ground space while producing generously throughout the warm season .

Its creamy-white fruits, devoid of bitterness, were traditionally used for pickling (preserved in vinegar) or eaten fresh in salads, adding a touch of originality to summer dishes. This rare and hardy variety is now attracting the attention of gardeners seeking forgotten flavors and botanical curiosities.

Originally from Asia, the lemon cucumber is striking for its round shape and sunny yellow hue , reminiscent of a vibrant fruit fallen from the sky. Less common than its elongated green cousins, it is prized for its sweet and refreshing flavor , without the bitterness found in many classic cucumbers.

In the garden, it truly shines when grown vertically: its vigorous climbing habit benefits from being trained on a trellis, which showcases its round, bright, and easy-to-pick fruit. A generous, playful, and nutritious variety, it finds its place in diverse vegetable gardens, attracting attention and sparking curiosity both on the plate and on the vine .

Native to Africa and long cultivated in the tropics, this bitter-free fruit-vegetable is covered in small, soft spines that only pique curiosity. Its fresh flavor, somewhere between cucumber and a hint of sweetness , makes it a surprising addition to salads, stir-fries, or marinades. The young fruits, about the size of walnuts , can also be pickled in vinegar like gherkins.

In the garden, its tropical vine grows vigorously, its twining stems climbing up to two meters , clinging to trellises with fine tendrils. Its three-lobed, velvety green leaves form a dense canopy that shelters a bright yellow bloom, a promise of a beautiful season.

To thrive, this vegetable needs sun, warmth, and rich, well-drained soil , sheltered from the wind and away from tomatoes and eggplants. Picked young, while still green , it offers a generous, unusual, and flavorful harvest all summer long—perfect for those who want to invite a touch of culinary biodiversity into the heart of the vegetable garden.

Le concombre libanais Green Finger est une variété appréciée pour sa finesse, sa douceur et sa grande régularité. Il produit des fruits allongés, minces et bien droits, à la peau vert foncé lisse, presque sans graines lorsqu’ils sont récoltés jeunes. Leur chair est croquante, juteuse et dépourvue d’amertume, ce qui en fait un concombre très agréable à consommer frais.

La plante est vigoureuse et productive, offrant une récolte continue lorsque les fruits sont cueillis régulièrement. Elle peut être conduite au sol ou palissée, ce qui facilite l’aération, la propreté des fruits et la récolte. En culture verticale, Green Finger exprime particulièrement bien son potentiel.

Au jardin, cette variété aime la chaleur, le plein soleil et les sols riches, bien drainés. Une croissance régulière, sans stress hydrique, permet d’obtenir des fruits uniformes et de qualité constante. Sa tolérance et sa productivité en font un excellent choix pour les jardiniers recherchant un concombre fiable et savoureux.

Originating in the United States, the Marketmore 76 cucumber is an heirloom variety renowned for its hardiness and ability to withstand cool temperatures. Prized for its vigorous growth habit and consistent fruiting, it has become a staple in the organic vegetable garden.

This cucumber is distinguished by its elongated, dark green, slightly ridged fruits, which are easy to harvest and retain their crispness. In the garden, it plays a valuable role by providing an abundant harvest even in temperate climates, bringing freshness and deliciousness to summer tables.

Its hardiness makes it an ideal choice for gardeners who want a reliable and generous crop while respecting the principles of biodiversity and the natural cycle of the garden.

Native to the warm regions of Mexico, the Mexican cucumber ( Melothria scabra ) has earned a prominent place in organic gardens for its resilience, productivity, and unexpected charm. Its light green mottled skin , small size , and oval shape are reminiscent of tiny watermelons, and offer a bright, fresh, and subtly lemony flavor .

In the garden, it displays a climbing, twining habit , ideal for trellises and elevated corners. Its dense foliage forms a light, green screen that shelters the soil and attracts pollinating insects , while its discreet yellow flowers punctuate the summer with successive blooms. This plant grows vigorously in warm temperate climates and often continues to fruit late into the season.

At once nourishing, decorative and generous , the Mexican cucumber is an ideal companion for summer crops , offering an abundant harvest of small, crunchy fruits to nibble on, pickle or surprise guests around a colorful plate.

Native to Asia, the Snake Cucumber fascinates with its sinuous and slender silhouette , evoking the discreet gliding of a reptile through the greenery. Botanically, it belongs to the same family as the melon ( Cucumis melo var. flexuosus ), although it is eaten young, like a cucumber. Its mottled skin of light and dark green , its crisp and delicately fragrant flesh , as well as its astonishing length—sometimes more than 60 cm—make it a unique fruit-vegetable.

In the garden, it thrives on trellises or fences , where its long stems climb gracefully, adding verticality and elegance to summer crops. Hardy and vigorous, it offers a generous harvest throughout the summer, particularly in warm, sunny climates .

Designed for small spaces , the Spacemaster cucumber is an ideal choice for urban gardeners , sunny balconies, and small vegetable gardens. Developed using modern breeding methods focused on compactness and productivity , it combines a bushy habit , easy cultivation, and bountiful harvests.

Whether in the garden or in containers, its short, branching plants adapt perfectly to pot culture without sacrificing the harvest. It offers an abundance of crisp, refreshing fruit , perfect for eating raw or slicing into summer salads. Undemanding and quick to produce, it's a practical, easy-to-grow, and truly accessible variety that allows you to cultivate freshness even where space is limited .

Originating in Southeast Asia, the Suyo Long cucumber is a traditional Chinese variety long cultivated for its long, slender, light green, speckled fruits. In the garden, it embodies freshness and summer elegance with its climbing habit and rapid growth.

With its slender, crisp, and very sweet fruits, this cucumber charms as much with its delicate flavor as with its exotic appearance. It proves a generous choice for gardeners exploring less common varieties, bringing diversity and originality to the vegetable garden.

This vigorous variety thrives on supports or trellises, thus optimizing growing space. It also adds an aesthetic and flavorful touch, ideal for bringing freshness to the kitchen during hot summer days.