Seeds

C. maxima. Burgess Buttercup squash seeds were first introduced by the Burgess Seed Company in Illinois in 1932. Since then, this reliable heirloom has been producing small, 1.5kg (3 lb) turban shaped fruits with dark green skins and the unmistakable navel or dome at the blossom end. The golden orange flesh inside each fruit is sweet and finely textured, never watery. The thin skins are extremely hard, but that is key for long term storage. These popular squashes won't last right through winter the way a hubbard or delicata might, but you should bring one to Christmas dinner, and impress your friends and family.

Matures in 115 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)

Adorable mini butternuts that are the perfect single serving size! Butterbaby is an excellent choice for home gardeners with its early maturity and high yields per plant. Uniform .5-.9kg (1.25-2lb) tan fruits have sweet, dark orange flesh and good storability. Semi-vining plants.

Matures in 80 days

We love the flavour and delicate texture of the leaves for lettuce wraps! Buttercrunch butterhead lettuce seeds are a Bibb type lettuce that forms a tight little rosette of soft, dark-green, upward-facing leaves surrounding a tender, pale centre. The small hearts don't become bitter in hot weather. Later plantings stand well into fall and make good growth in spring cold frames. Buttercrunch lettuce is a good candidate for growing all winter if you can provide cloche or greenhouse protection, or even a simple cold frame. Sow some extra early indoors in February for transplanting to the cold frame in March.

Matures in 67 days. (Open-pollinated 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)

The vibrant oranges and yellows of Canary Yellow Swiss chard seeds bring cheerful colour to spring and winter gardens. The young stalks are a deep orange colour while the larger, more mature stalks turn a bright yellow to contrast beautifully with dark green glossy leaves. This variety has exceptional leaf quality and it lasts for ages in the fall garden. The depth of colour increases as the plants develop throughout the season. By mid-summer the stalks should be deep, golden yellow. Try Canary Yellow as gold-streaked baby leaf salad greens, or let it grow to its full glory in the garden. Winner of the RHS Award of Garden Merit.

Matures in 50 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)

Rudbeckia hirta. We did a double take when we saw this remarkable Rudbeckia during the summer flower trials. Large and very attractive bronze and chocolate coloured blooms appear over a very long flowering period from mid summer to frost. Cappuccino Rudbeckia seeds are an excellent garden performer with huge, richly coloured flowers to 10cm (4") across covering plants growing to 45-50cm (18-20") tall. This Rudbeckia would work well in a half-barrel or other large containers, and it looks sensational in big plantings. Impressive, low maintenance, and drought tolerant for xeriscaping. Deadhead spent flowers for a longer display. In very mild conditions, this plant may survive to bloom a second, or even third year. We treat it as an annual.

Annual

SUMMER HARVEST. Caraflex Organic Cabbage seeds are CERTIFIED ORGANIC! Small, very pointed, highly uniform heads that can be planted more densely. Caraflex has tight wrapper leaves that protect the tender, crunchy, sweet interior from weather and pests. Very nice flavour for a summer harvest cabbage. A shape that is becoming ever more popular in Europe and North America. Fresh, sweet, and tender cabbage leaves. These Pointed cabbages tend to be milder and sweeter, and have more tender leaves than round heads. Easier to braise, these cabbages make an excellent alternative to lettuce. Caraflex is an improvement on traditional pointed cabbage types. Has excellent holding capability and firmness. Produces 1.5-2 lb heads , storing up to 8 weeks. Presents well as a baby cabbage. Winner of the RHS Award of Garden Merit.

These seeds are coated with an inert, organically certified layer which helps to minimize clumping in storage and seed sowing machines. The coating is approved by organic certifiers in Canada, the US, EU, and Japan.

Matures in 50 to 65 days. (Hybrid seeds)

Carolina Reaper is one of the hottest peppers on record at an alarming 1.5 million SHUs (it has peaked at 2.2 million). The small peppers mature from green to fire engine red and are gnarled and bumpy with a distinctive pointed tip called "the stinger. This species of pepper can be grown as a perennial in warmer climates (or heated greenhouses) or brought inside over winter. They are somewhat challenging to grow and will need protection to increase heat and lengthen the growing season in most regions. Please take extreme caution when handling the seeds and eventual fruits they produce.

Super-hot peppers can be somewhat challenging to grow. The seeds can be difficult to germinate, and they need a long, hot season to produce fruit. Start indoors early and use bottom heat and seedling domes to create the warm, humid conditions they need to germinate. Be patient as germination may take 21-28 days or longer, even under ideal conditions.

Please use extreme caution when handling the seeds and fruits!

Matures in 120 days. (Open-pollinated seeds).

Nepeta cataria. Not just for cats! Tall pink and white flower spikes are great in fresh and dried arrangements. Use the leaves in salads, sauces, teas, and soups - and of course fresh or dried for the cats! Catnip seeds are a good choice for a bee attractor that works well in containers on cat-free balconies. Protect seedlings from cats.

Catnip (and a few of its close relatives) contain the compound nepetalactone, which is extremely attractive to domestic and wild cats. It has the same effect on leopards, lynxes, and tigers as it does on house cats. Roughly 33% of all cats do not respond to catnip, and the response is believed to be hereditary.

Tango Organic celery seeds are CERTIFIED ORGANIC! Improved breeding makes Tango the celery of choice for a wide range of growing conditions. It excels in southern Canada and the northern US. Its stringless stalks have very little fibre, but have a high water content and keep a remarkably refined taste. The leaves are strongly aromatic and useful in soups and savoury dishes of all kinds. Tango matures a little earlier than some of the others, and is recommended for market growers and home gardeners alike. Plus it's open pollinated, so it's well suited for seed saving. Winner of the RHS Award of Garden Merit.

These seeds are coated with an inert, organically certified layer which helps to minimize clumping in storage and seed sowing machines. The coating is approved by organic certifiers in Canada, the US, EU, and Japan.

Matures in 85 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)

Exposure Full-sun

Smooth-skinned, bright red radishes with a very round, uniform shape. Cherriette is bred to perform in higher temperatures, so it holds better potential for harvesting into summer. The ideal production time is spring and fall. The pure white flesh of Cherriette is dense and crisp, with a sweet, hot flavour. This is a very uniform radish variety that is slow to develop pith. Its tops are short, but sturdy for bunching. Cherriette has out performed the open pollinated varieties in our trials. Try Cherriette in window box type containers. Plant short rows every two weeks from March to early May, and again in September and October for fall harvests.

Matures in 24 days. (Hybrid seeds)

 Enjoy early blooms with unique colour, as early as 40 days after planting! Cherry Rose’s 7.5-10cm (3-4”) pollenless flowers are cherry red with light yellow tips and a dark center. Well-branching, 150cm (5') tall plants produce an abundance of blooms. 

Sow chive seeds at any time of year. Hardy, perennial, and easy to grow, the chopped stems and pink flowers add a fresh, mild green onion flavour to sandwiches, salads and baked potatoes. Clumps can be divided in spring or fall. If grown in containers, divide frequently enough to provide for constant lateral growth. Chives are surprisingly hardy and can be harvested all winter if given some protection from extreme cold. They are also quite drought tolerant, so they're good candidates for xeriscaping. The edible flowers are highly attractive to bumblebees, hoverflies, and other beneficial garden insects.

This is a blend of green and red lettuces selected for use as baby greens. These lettuces look spectacular in a container with their diverse shapes, colours, and textures, almost like a bouquet of flowers. Harvest the baby greens with scissors for an instant, pre-mixed salad. Grow in full sun from fall to spring, and in partial shade in the summer. Each pellet contains numerous seeds, so one or two pellets per 5" container is ample. The result is very attractive and fully edible.

Matures in 55 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)

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

Our tallest, darkest romaine, Coastal Star Organic performs brilliantly in spring and fall, and even in winter with some protection from hard frost. This romaine is early maturing with a high resistance to corky root. Heads are tightly packed around blanched tender hearts, and have an overall pleasant lettuce flavour. Growth is very upright on plants that average around 30cm (12″) tall. Even the outer wrapper leaves are held off the ground, so there no bottom rot issues. The dark colour of Coastal Star is thought to represent a more nutritious lettuce than the paler romaines like Plato II.

Matures in 65 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)

Coastal Star Organic romaine lettuce seeds are CERTIFIED ORGANIC! Our tallest, darkest romaine, Coastal Star performs brilliantly in spring and fall, and even in winter with some protection from hard frost. This romaine is early maturing with a high resistance to corky root. Heads are tightly packed around blanched tender hearts, and have an overall pleasant lettuce flavour. Growth is very upright on plants that average around 30cm (12") tall. Even the outer wrapper leaves are held off the ground, so there no bottom rot issues. The dark colour of Coastal Star is thought to represent a more nutritious lettuce than the paler romaines like Plato II. Pelleted seeds.

Matures in 65 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)

1.5 kg bag (550g per variety)

This early maturing popcorn has tall plants with two ears each, that average 13-15cm (5-6") long. Pink Popcorn corn seeds produce excellent popping corn that yields lots of fluffy white kernels with a great rich flavour. The beautiful pink to mauve kernels are attractive for decoration. This is not a variety for eating corn on the cob, but rather for drying and popping. The stately tall plants are attractive in the summer garden.

To harvest popcorn, allow the plants to turn brown and the ears to dry for as long as possible in the field. When harvested, the husks should be completely brown and the kernels hard. Harvest the ears and remove the husks. Hang the ears in mesh bags in a warm, dry, airy room, and let dry for several weeks. The ideal moisture content for popcorn is 13 to 14%. Once a week, extract a few kernels and try popping them. If the popcorn is jagged or chewy, it still has too much moisture. If the flavour and texture are good, remove all the remaining kernels and store them in airtight containers. They should remain in good popping form for several years.

Matures in 85 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)

Melothria scabra. Also known as the Mexican Sour Gherkin, cucamelon seeds produce vines that could be mistaken for regular cucumber plants. The plants are not quite as productive as cucumbers, but the fruits are amazingly cute and novel. They look like tiny watermelons, but have a very appealing cucumber flavour with slight citrus notes. Eat them fresh or pickle them for a crunchy treat. Harvest them at the 2cm (1") size, before the seeds develop. This is a heat loving tropical plant that is most productive in hot weather or a greenhouse setting. Start the seeds indoors and treat as you would a conventional cucumber seedling.

Matures in 67 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)

This versatile blend contains flowers that are equally beautiful in garden beds and in bouquets as they are long lasting cut flowers. This Cut Flower Blend contains annuals and perennials, so it will provide an ongoing source of flowers to brighten up any indoor space.

Annuals and Perennials.