Contrary Mary’s Plants & Designs
Annuals Cucumbers Eggplants Herbs Melons Peppers Squash/Zucchini Tomatoes
Other Veggies Succulents
Welcome to Contrary Mary’s and our fresh and sassy (dare I say Contrary) new offerings for 2026! Our opening day for the season shall be (drum roll please!) Friday April 24, 2026. This is the time of year that I’m schemin’ and dreaming and narrowing down our growing list (and believe me, it’s oh so very hard to keep it manageable ‘cuz I wanna grow EVERYTHING!). I’m in the process of updating my pages to reflect my decisions, so please check back often for changes. It is also not too early to put in a wish list/pre-order cuz ya know I’m Small but Mighty and grow limited amounts per variety. Please feel free to text (815)521-9535 or email me with pre-orders, great thoughts, feedback, and pictures (you KNOW how I adore hearing from my Plantheads!).
WARNING TEASER AHEAD I am also going to be growing a VERY limited amount of exotic and tropical annuals, tons of herbs and pollinator attractors, and of course our extensive offering of Heirloom, open pollinated, organically grown (not certified) tomatoes, peppers, and other yummy veggies. I also have greatly expanded my offerings of Sensational Sassy Succulents and am VERY excited about showcasing them!!! MORE TO COME SO PLEASE STAY TUNED AND CHECK BACK OFTEN!!!!!!!!
Our opening day for the 2026 season is:
Friday April 24, 2026
Our hours will be as follows (please note we are CLOSED both Mondays and Tuesdays):
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
| 9A-5P | CLOSED | CLOSED | 9A-5P | 9A-5P | 9A-5P | 9A-5P |
WE ARE ALSO ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE SPECIAL PICK UP TIMES..JUST ASK!
I just wanted to showcase these Microtomatoes and rave about how mahhhhhhvelous they are! I have been growing them for a few years now and they are becoming some of my absolute FAVES (dare I say like little Shelties in a pot, that’s how adorable and outstanding they are!). Look, just look at the gobs and gobs of fruit they produce on wee little munchkin plants! And they are not just adorable, they taste as splendid as they look! Mine produce from mid May to frost with sometimes a slight pause for breath when it gets super hot (just a week or so). Just make sure you have a container that has holes in it and you put a goodly amount of Tomatotone and Worm Castings incorporated in the soil. I also site mine where they have a tad of shade during the hottest part of the day. There is absolutely NO EXCUSE why EVERYONE can’t grow at least one of these Tomato Machines! I double-dog dare ya!!! All of the feedback that I’ve gotten has been positive. And I’m trying many more varieties this year, so hopefully I won’t sell out like I’ve done the last few years and everyone will get a chance to try these Little Wonders!
And please remember if you are coming for anything special, CALL OR EMAIL FIRST!!!!!!!!!! Just because it is listed on the website does not mean it is currently available. WE DO SELL OUT AND I DON’T WANT YOU TO BE DISAPPOINTED!
In the meantime, check out our ANNUALS 2026 page, TOMATO page (over 100 varieties available.I know, a wee bit over the top, plus I finally updated my new top ten-ish list), PEPPER page, our egg-celent EGGPLANT page, our Mountains of Marvelous MELON page (with a new introduction), our Gobs of Crispy and Quirky CUKES page, our Herds of Handy HERBS page, our Sassy and Stupendous SQUASH/ZUCCHINI page, and our miscellaneous (but of course gotta-have OTHER VEGGIESpage.
I am soooooo looking forward to hearing from and seeing (safely) my precious Plantheads! PLEASE take care of yourselves, and remember to be extra kind. We so very much appreciate and are grateful for your support and patronage. Chins Up, Trowels Out, and Smiles On.Stay Safe and Think Green!!!
Contrary Mary, Contrary Charlie, Lexi, Finnegan, Geordie, Lily, and Maggie May
2026 Summary:
Our Opening day for the season is Friday April 24, 2026
OPEN WEDNESDAYS THRU SUNDAYS
9:00 am to 5:00pm (CLOSED Mondays and Tuesdays).
Appointments CAN be made outside our normal opening hours.
You can place a text or phone order at (815) 521-9535 or,
order via email contrarymary@contrarymarysplants.com
Order pickups can still be arranged even when we are open for walk-ins.
