Gardener Gifts

The flowers in this blend of Beneficial Insect Blend wildflower seeds were selected to attract predatory insects such as lacewings, hover flies, and ladybird beetles. With a healthy population of these insects in your garden, pest species like aphids, thrips, and caterpillars will be controlled naturally.

This AAS award winning compact bush bean is great choice for the new gardener. The bushes are low-growing, self-supporting and shallow-rooted, making it suitable for container gardening. The plant is generally trouble-free and produces tasty 7" long, round green pods. Like other bush beans, Derby produces a one-time crop but the beans have a good holding ability so growers can enjoy an extended harvest. The above average yields are also easy to pick. Lengthen the growing season with succession planting until mid-summer. Derby is resistant to Common Bean Mosaic Virus

Callistephus chinensis. The King Size China Asters are very showy, and make superb cut flowers. The King Size Formula Mix blends the whole series: Appleblossom, Mid-Blue, Pink, Rose, Red, and White. These sumptuous flowers top stems around 90cm (35") tall and bloom all summer. The plants are very upright in growth, with numerous multi-branching stems. Be sure to take frequent harvests of cut flowers, or at least keep the plants dead-headed to prolong and enhance the bloom time. Please follow the planting and spacing instructions closely.

Annual

Mentha spicata. Compared to peppermint, spearmint has a less aggressive flavour that has fruity undertones. This mint is easy to grow, and it's fast, too. In boggy settings it can spread by underground rhizome, but this is easy to control by growing it in containers. The leaves dry well and even fresh they make a nice tea — an even nicer mojito. Sow the seeds indoors a month or two before the last frost date, and transplant out when night time temperatures are steadily above 10°C (50°F). Ninety days later, expect white to lilac flowers that are both edible and highly attractive to bees. This mint is perennial and hardy to Zone 4.

Among the largest available snow peas, these 10-13 cm (4-5") long pods are produced on 1.2m (4') tall plants that require a trellis. The large white flowers of this heirloom variety are pretty enough to use as cut flowers. Mammoth Melting Sugar snow pea seeds produce pods are sweet and tender, even sweeter and more tender than Dwarf Gray Sugar. Plants are high yielding, early, uniform, and productive. This variety is more productive in cool weather, so it's perfect for early spring planting, and a second planting in early August for fall production. Mammoth Melting Sugar is Wilt resistant.

Matures in 70 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)

A great substitute for Mammoth Melting peas, Avalanche snow pea seeds grow into 15cm (6") pods that are sweet and tender. Plants are "semi-leafless" so they put more energy into producing pods, making for higher yields of snow peas. Plant two to three rows close together and plants will intertwine, providing support for each other. Expect a height of 90cm (36"). Avalanche is resistant to Fusarium Wilt race 1 and powdery mildew. Plant this reliable snow pea from spring to mid-summer in rich, fertile soil.

Matures in 60 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)

Fancy umbels in shades of purple, pink, and white. Purple Kisses' large, 8-13cm (3-5") blooms are easy to grow and make fantastic, long-lasting filler flowers in bouquets. The tall 90-120cm (36-48") plants are also highly attractive to pollinators in the garden.

Callistephus chinensis. The Blues Mix is an excellent choice for the cut flower garden. It blooms from July to October on strong, upright, multi branching stems to a height of 75cm (30"). The mix of large and small flowers appear in blues, purples, and white, but all with the ruff of fully double petals. All are attractive to pollinating insects and hummingbirds, and they look magnificent in a large bouquet. Be sure to take frequent harvests of cut flowers, or at least keep the plants dead-headed to prolong and enhance the bloom time. Please follow the planting and spacing instructions closely.

Annual

CERTIFIED ORGANIC. Glacier Organic are among the earliest maturing of early season tomatoes. The productive little plants are compact and well suited to containers and balcony growing. Glacier's 'saladette' fruits are small at just 5cm (2") in diameter, but they are very sweet, with a superior flavour to some other early maturing varieties. The stout plants grow to only 60-75cm (24-30") tall, and bear most of their fruit in a concentrated set. The plants are relatively cold tolerant and perform well in short season northern gardens.

Determinate (bush) Matures in 55 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)

CERTIFIED ORGANIC! Black Krim Organic tomato seeds are extremely popular on the West Coast and beyond. A favourite of gourmet chefs, this unique heirloom tomato consistently wins top place and receives rave reviews at taste trials. The fruits are extremely juicy with incredibly complex sweet, smoky flavours and a hint of saltiness. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle of sea salt for a zesty snack. Also great sliced with fresh mozzarella, basil, and drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

The fruits mature late and are prolific producers of large fruits in the range of 227-454g (8-16 oz). Typically, they range from dark purple to mahogany skin with green shoulders and green tinted flesh.

Originally from the town of Krymysk near the Black Sea, Black Krim Organic tomato seeds grow plants that are exceptionally hardy. Naturally disease resistant, the plants adapt well to adverse conditions in a wide range of climates. Healthy, attractive vines reach 1.8 metres (6') or more and require heavy staking or caging to support excellent yields of large, heavy fruit.

Indeterminate (vine)

Matures in 80 days (Open-pollinated seeds)

Gorgeous jalapeno-shaped peppers mature from bright green to nearly jet black, and finally to intense scarlet red. The productive 60cm (24") tall plants are loaded with fruits of medium heat. Use these interchangeably with jalapeno peppers for a a dash of drama in dips and salsas. The flavour really brightens as they mature, and the colour stands out on market tables. Try Black Hungarian pepper seeds in patio containers but aim to keep the soil constantly moist during the growing season and allow for good air circulation around plants. Mildly spicy 1,000-2,5000 SHUs.

Matures in 70 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)

Centaurea cyanus. A mix of purple, blue, pink, and white papery blossoms bring summer colour to the garden. Try planting some Tall Mixed Cornflowers in a big clump at the edge of the yard for stunning summer colour. They are an excellent cut flower and they dry well, looking fresh for ages. Cornflowers are highly attractive to pollinators and beneficial insects like Syrphid flies. The flowers are edible, and the plants are drought resistant for xeriscaping. Deadhead spent flowers to prolong the bloom period, and to keep plants looking tidy. Tall Mixed Cornflowers seeds are easy to save from year to year.

Annual

Greek oregano organic seeds are CERTIFIED ORGANIC! Greek oregano offers the best, most pungently flavoured oregano leaves for cooking. Plants are very hardy when established and impart a wonderful wild mountain aroma in the garden with their tiny white or pink flowers. Bees adore oregano when it is in bloom. Germination may be slow, so be patient. Oregano is one of the best herbs for drying because it maintains a strong flavour for months after harvest. Pick and dry whole stalks or whole plants - hang them upside down in an airy place out of direct sunlight. Once the plants are completely dry, they can be stored in open plastic bags. Otherwise, pull off the leaves and store them in sealed jars.

Greek oregano pairs brilliantly with meats, eggs, and roasted vegetables like zucchini and eggplant.

Silky Sweet turnip seeds produce high yields of sweet white turnips with the most amazing texture. They really are silky — very tender with smooth flesh and a distinct sweetness. This turnip is ideal for spring and autumn harvests, and is best picked at 7cm (3") in diameter. It's a great candidate for succession planting. Direct sow short rows every two weeks starting at the last average frost date, and harvest just 35 days later. This turnip has high resistance to White Rust.

Matures in 35 days. (Hybrid seeds)

Lovely white flesh streaked with purple, and deep purple skins are the product of Mini Purple Daikon radish seeds. The flavour of the root is quite mild compared with the spicy (edible) leaves. Expect 5 to 10% white off-types. This is the perfect variety for kimchi or pickles, and just a nice raw addition to salads for crunch and visual appeal. Learn when to plant radish seeds in our How to Grow Radish instructions by clicking on the tab below. Daikon radishes do best in cool weather so they're a great crop for spring and fall growing, and can be harvested in the winter if grown with crop protection.

Matures in 40 days. (Hybrid seeds)

Smooth skinned, highly productive, and very tasty. Olympian cucumber seeds produced fruits mid-season in our trials, and performed as well outdoors in raised beds as in containers in the greenhouse. Fruits grow slightly longer than Marketmore at 22cm (8"). Olympian is a gynoecious Marketmore hybrid with tolerance to Anthracnose, angular leaf spot, scab, powdery mildew, and downy mildew. Gynoecious plants produce mostly female flowers for increased productivity, so the cucumbers just keep coming and coming all summer long. Provide steady moisture and fertile soil and you may be overwhelmed by the quantity of delicious fruits.

Matures in 65 days. (Hybrid seeds)

Olympia spinach seeds probably produce the best dark green plain leaf type for year round sowing and harvest. This fast growing spinach holds its leaves up off the ground and is an excellent choice for cooking and salads. Harvest promptly in mid-summer to preempt bolting. This variety was bred in the Pacific Northwest and is tolerant to downy mildew races 1, 2 and 3, 5, 8 and 9, 11, 12, and 14. Depend on Olympia for upright growth and attractive round leaves for spinach salad nearly any time of the year. Try this spinach in containers for baby leaf production in your patio garden.

Matures in 45 days. (Hybrid seeds)

These big beans have big flavour. The 15cm (6”) pods are broad, flat, stringless, and medium green. The intense flavour of these Italian beans remains even after canning and processing. Or enjoy them straight out of the garden when they are sweet and crisp. Romano beans typically grow on tall vines that need to be supported by canes or trellises. Campo di Fiori Romano bean seeds produce tidy (determinate) bush bean plants that have a shorter harvest window. That is, the beans will all come at once during a two to three week period. The trade off is the convenience of smaller bush plants that will produce well in large containers.

Matures in 58 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)

Stunning the garden, these snowy white mallows make excellent cut flowers. Gleaming white, massive 10cm (4") wide flowers glow in the moonlight. Aptly named Mont Blanc for its profuse blooms on a compact plant growing up to 90cm (36") tall earns this fast growing annual a place in the flower bed, front and centre. 

This romantic blend of pretty pink, rosy red, ivory/blush cornflowers are sure to charm. Many flowers feature two shades, lighter and darker. Some have white tips on each petal, giving the blooms a frosted appearance. These summer bloomers grow to 80-100 cm (32-40") tall.

Full Sun