Seeds

Right on Red is part of the Hungarian Cheese series of peppers. These are round and squat and slightly flattened, with thick, succulent walls. Starting green, Right on Red ripens to a very sweet, very red finish, and it stores well after harvest. These peppers are perfect for the lunch box for raw munching, but their thick walls mean they stand up well to stuffing and stewing. The plants are robust and fast growing, and could be grown in the field or greenhouse, or even the patio container. This is a sister product to Yes to Yellow and Orange You Sweet. All three are available in the Hungarian Cheese Blend.

Matures in 65 days. (Hybrid seeds)

Viola cornuta. Pink and maroon tipped petals surround a bright yellow centre streaked with distinctive black markings. Rose Antique Gem are hybrid pansies that are heat tolerant, but also have strong overwintering ability. Flowering occurs in early spring through late May, and again in the fall, into early winter. Masses of flowers appear atop short plants that only grow 15-25cm (6-10”) tall. This is a good candidate for containers or edging, and it looks great around the edges of raised vegetable beds. The flowers are edible, and are sensational if they are candied before adding to fancy desserts.

Salvia rosmarinus. Rosemary has stiff stems with crisp, fir-like leaves and a strong, rich aroma. Dried leaves release more flavour if freshly crushed. Plant in full sun in the garden or a big container. This is one of the woody stemmed perennial herbs, and in the right spot, plants can become large and shrubby. If growing Rosemary seeds in containers, protect the plants from severe winter weather by taking them into a protected area like a garage or garden shed. The flowers of this oil rich herb are fragrant and very attractive to honeybees and other wild pollinators.

To harvest, cut entire branches from the plant, and dry indoors, hanging upside down in some airy place free from direct sunlight. Once dry, the leaves can be pulled off and stored in sealed containers. They remain aromatic for many months.

Lathyrus odoratus. Royal Family Blend sweet pea seeds produce tall vines that bloom after Mammoth and before Late Spencer, so they can be sown with these other varieties for a whole summer of cut flowers. These graceful and elegant plants have more heat resistance than the Spencer Series, very large flowers, and long stems on vines that reach 150-180cm (36-48"). Blooms of crimson, lavender, mid-blue, navy blue, rose pink, salmon pink, scarlet, and white appear over a long period, especially when plants have all their spent flowers removed. Try Royal Family in a hanging basket or decorative patio container.

Annual

Our earliest red cabbage that performs well spring to fall. Ruby Ball Improved’s 1-1.4kg (2-3lb) dense purple heads hold well for a flexible harvest. Its small size means it is perfect for close spacing in the garden and dense plantings in the field. Add a late planting of Ruby Perfection to extend the season into late fall.

Matures in 72 days

Exposure Full Sun

Salvia officinalis. CERTIFIED ORGANIC! The wonderfully aromatic, silvery-green leaves of sage bring a potent savoury accent to stews, soups, salads, and traditional stuffing. Beneficial insects love this plant and hummingbirds will feed from sage flowers. Direct seed organic sage seeds in early spring and thin to 30cm (12") apart. Harvest half of the plant before the purple flowers open in June, and dry the leaves in an airy spot away from direct sunlight. After flowering, cut back by a third to get a burst of fresh new leaves.

Tropaeolum majus. Salad Blend nasturtium seeds bring brilliant colour to summer salads. Salad Blend nasturtiums feature spurless, half-double flowers in tangerine, soft salmon, deep gold, deep mahogany, bright scarlet, cream and cherry-rose. Pick and wash a handful of these bright summer flowers and just tear them into pieces over a summer salad. The result transforms a simple salad into a work of art. Nasturtiums are very easy to grow, and quite drought tolerant, so they are a fine choice for xeriscaping. In the right environment nasturtiums will self sow and come back year after year.

Annual

San Marzano Lampadina 2 Organic tomato seeds are CERTIFIED ORGANIC! If it's not named (Lampadina 2) it isn't a real San Marzano, but this is assuredly the real McCoy. All the way from Italy, this rare heirloom is famous for its incredible flavour. The lobed fruits look like long, blocky red peppers with firm pulp and thick skins. They are perfect for canning or making pastes and sauces. The vines are vigorous and indeterminate, with excellent disease resistance. Once you taste this fantastic tomato, you'll wish you had twice as many plants. The fruits also keep for ages due to their low water content.

Indeterminate (vine) Matures in 78-85 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)

Ranks high in taste tests; no after cooking discoloration, high levels of Vitamin C. Excellent for boiling and baking.

Variety: Red Skin

Harvest: Mid

Potato Size: Large

Photos courtesy of Van Noort Bulb Co. & Florissa. 

Coriandrum sativum. Cilantro "Santo" is bred to be slow bolting. Direct sow short rows of Santo Long Standing cilantro seeds every other week from spring to late summer for continuous harvest. The mature seeds, better known as coriander, are easy to harvest, and used in many dishes - notably curry powder blends. Keep an eye you your cilantro crop because the flowering process (bolting) is famously quick in this plant. As soon as a central stem appears and the uppermost leaves become frilly, it's time to harvest the whole plant, roots and all. 

If growing for seeds, simply allow the plants to flower. Cilantro flowers are highly attractive to beneficial insects like Syrphid flies, lacewings, and lady beetles. Be warned that if the seeds are not harvested when they are mature, you will have volunteer cilantro plants for years to come.

Cilantro will grow somewhat leggy, but productively in partial shade, and it is quite tolerant of cool temperatures. With the protection of a cloche greenhouse, cilantro will continue growing all winter.

Seaside spinach seeds produce very uniform, dark green baby leaf spinach for fast harvests and high volume production. The leaves are thick and succulent, with well developed flavour. The upright plants grow at a moderate rate, and work well in winter high tunnels. It is the best choice we have seen for baby leaf growers, and has good resistance to downy mildew. With the correct timing, a small farming operation can produce a constant supply of baby leaf spinach nearly all year, which can be a lucrative option for your restaurant and CSA clients.

Baby greens in 25 days. (Hybrid seeds)

Cosmos bipinnatus. Reliable and well-loved single daisy shaped flowers with yellow centers bloom in white and various shades of pink. Pinching off the growing tip when the plant is about 15cm (6") tall will help keep this tall lacy plant bushy and erect. Do not overfeed, as rich soil will delay flowering. Sensation Mix cosmos seeds plant height 1.2-1.8m (4-6'). Stake these tall Cosmos in windy gardens, but in sheltered areas, this is not necessary. Deadhead (remove spent flowers) to extend the flowering period and keep plants looking their tidiest. Cosmos is quite drought tolerant so it makes a good candidate for xeriscaping. Provide some water in extreme drought. Sensation Mix won an AAS Award in 1936.

Annual

Shishito peppers are trending, turning up in gourmet menus across North America. They may be the perfect bite-sized pepper for blistering under the broiler and serving with a sauce. The 60cm (24”) tall plants produced buckets of slender, mild peppers in our field trials. And they kept producing into October. Tasty at the green stage, it matures first to orange and then to deep red when its sugars are the highest. Its thin walls make it ideal for tempura or roasting. We found that every tenth or twelfth pepper had a bit of heat to it, but they were still milder than a jalapeño.

Matures in 60 days. (Hybrid seeds)

Helianthus annuus. This selection of our loveliest short-growing sunflower seeds brings a mix of variety and spontaneity to the sunflower patch. Ideal for small city gardeners, they can also be grown in containers. The Short Blend Sunflowers contain a variety of field grown sunflowers ranging from 60-120cm (24-48") tall. Plant and enjoy all these lovely, height-challenged sunflowers. Even when they're small, sunflowers are extremely attractive to pollinators, so they are perfect for the edge of the organic vegetable garden, and will bring in scores of honeybees and other beneficial insects. Though their tiny seeds are, in theory, edible, they make better food for the wild birds that will frequent the garden in late summer.

Annual