Seeds

CERTIFIED ORGANIC! Like many crops, when fennel bulbs are ready they need to be harvested — if they're not picked right away, they tend to bolt. When fennel plants bolt, the growth is very fast, almost sudden. The quest for bolt-resistant bulbing fennel has led to the new hybrid, Preludio Organic. Its bulbs are heavy and substantial, shiny smooth on the outside, and packed with flavour. They are dense and uniform, with firm, crisp texture, and the tops are verdant and upright, so they look fabulous on the market table. This is the best variety for late summer and early fall harvests in most areas.

Matures in 80 days - 50 days for baby bulbs. (Hybrid seeds)

C. maxima. This old heirloom is thought to have been originally cultivated in Brazil, possibly prior to European contact. Moranga simply means 'pumpkin' in Portuguese, and it is sometimes listed as abóbora moranga. Its sweetness and pleasant texture make it an excellent cooking pumpkin, but its deep lobes and pinky orange exterior make it highly ornamental as well. The plants are vigorous and productive, and have an unusually high number of male flowers. Fruit sizes varies from 4-8 lbs. The fruits develop light coloured stripes as they mature, which indicate where the creases between each lobe will form.

Matures in 95 days. (Open pollinated seeds)

Cosmos bipinnatus. Purity cosmos seeds yield single snow-white flowers to lighten the dark areas of a cottage garden. Regular dead heading will encourage continuous flowering from summer into late autumn. The ferny foliage on this variety is graced by the flowers up to 10cm (4") in diameter on plants that grow to about 76cm (30") tall. Stake this variety if growing in exposed areas, or use Green Garden Netting to keep plants upright. When they are just two feet tall, let their tips grow through a layer of netting lain flat over the bed. This will give them all the support they need.

Annual

Purple Beauty pepper seeds produce compact, bushy plants with thick protective foliage. The fruits begin to form mid-summer, starting as big, blocky, 3-4 lobed green bell peppers, before maturing to an astonishing bright purple colour. Purple Beauty was grown out from the original hybrid Purple Belle and now produces open pollinated seeds for seed saving and home seed production. The flavour of these remarkable fruits is mild, sweet, and succulent, with a fine, crispy texture. The cut fruits look absolutely spectacular mixed with yellow or orange peppers, so they belong in every foodie's garden. Peppers will turn green when cooked.

Matures in 75 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)

Purple Bumble Bee Organic tomato seeds are CERTIFIED ORGANIC! Super cute cherry tomatoes with red skins and purple stripes. The sweet round fruits have excellent flavour and grow to a uniform 4cm (1.5") across. They hang in long trusses from tall indeterminate vines. Try Purple Bumble Bee in a 5 gallon (or larger) container, but be sure to provide the support of a trellis or string, as the vines are vigorous. Keep the plants picked and snip back any suckers so the fruit production is limited to one central vine.

Indeterminate (vine) Matures in 70 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.

Enjoy the diversity that carrots can bring to the garden. Plant Rainbow Blend carrot seeds to grow purple, white, red, and nice big orange carrots all in the same row. Get the most out of this collection by sowing as evenly as possible to reduce thinning and waste. Repeat sowings will provide a polychromatic carrot bounty from late spring to winter. Kids will love the variety of colours - and flavours.

Matures in 75-110 days. (Hybrid and open-pollinated seeds)

Rainbow Candy Crush is an edible kale that is highly ornamental. The large plant has an upright growing habit and leaves are plentiful, forming a bushy appearance at maturity.

Tagetes patula. Red Cherry is an ornate, bi-coloured marigold. The yellow centres of these long-blooming flowers are framed by red petals that feature yellow edging. The foliage on the plants are full and grow 25cm (10") tall. Perfect for patio containers, beds and borders. Marigolds are great companion plants and act as a deterant for some pests.

Annual

Red Iceberg lettuce forms a rosette of tasty, nutritious, and richly red outer leaves as it grows. Eventually a tightly-packed, pale green iceberg head forms at its centre, gilded with red markings on the outside. The interior is sweet and mild, with a very pleasant, crisp texture. The head holds well against the heat of summer with a delayed seed set. This was a standout in our seed trials and drew a lot of attention.

Matures in 50 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)

Bush. This compact bush tomato is early maturing and very productive. The red, cocktail-sized fruits (4 cm/1.5 inches) are larger than the average cherry tomato and they can be harvested in a cluster. The flavour is a delicious balance of sweet/acidic--perfect sliced in salads and pizzas. Red Racer has tolerance to Tomato Mosiac Virus, Fusarium and Verticillium Wilt. 

Red Russian Kale Seeds grow leaves that are flat, toothed, grey-green leaves with purple stems and veins really brighten after frosts. Tender for salads and good for bunching, the red and purple hues turn a rich, dark green colour when cooked. It may be richer in vitamins and minerals than other greens and is very disease resistant. This old time heirloom kale eventually goes to seed, producing tall towers of yellow flowers followed by edible seed pods. Seed saving is easy with kale, but don't let the plant drop its seed in your garden, or there will be kale in your future for years to come.

Matures in 50 days. (Open pollinated seeds)

The ultimate in a red-skinned storage onion, this one stores nearly as well as Copra. Sow Redwing storage onion seeds early to accommodate for its long days to maturity. The large, globe shaped bulbs are hard bodied, and uniform at 7-10cm (3-4") across. They have unique, deep red, glossy skins, and strong tops.

At the end of summer, when the onions have formed nice bulbs, harvest them as needed. At full maturity, the tops of the onions will fall over, signalling the end of growth and the time to harvest. If no rain or frost in forecast, knock each onion over the rest of the way. This will break the roots’ contact with the soil and begin the drying process. Leave the onions like that for two or three days.

At the first sign of rain or frost, bring the whole onion plants indoors and lay them out in a dry area away from direct sunlight. Leave them to cure for two to four weeks until there is no more green showing in the stems, leaves, or necks. During this time, the papery skins covering each bulb will harden and contract. Use scissors to trim off the roots, and cut around 2cm (1″) up the stem for each bulb. Store them in a cool, dark place in mesh bags or trays with breathing holes. A well cured storage onion can retain its desirable flavour and aroma for as long as 12 months.

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 110 days (Hybrid seeds)

CERTIFIED ORGANIC! Mung beans, adzuki beans, chickpeas, red clover, radish, and green lentils — big, crunchy sprouts that are perfect as a salad topping, or as a salad on their own. This is the perfect mix of mild, but distinct flavours that combine for a deeply satisfying garnish or side course. This blend handles dressing beautifully. Grow Salad Blend organic sprouting seeds using the Biosta sprouter and harvest handfuls of perfect sprouts in only four to five days. This sprout blend has been a popular seller at West Coast Seeds for many years, and is much loved for its substantial sprouts and their mild flavour.

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)

Certified Organic! In the Sandwich Booster Mix organic sprouting seeds are alfalfa, mung beans, red clover, and red radish. This is the combination that some studies suggest can prevent cancer and other serious health problems. And while it’s working wonders on your health, it also tastes good as well. Superb in salad rolls. A mixture of alfalfa, mung beans, red clover, and radish sprouting seeds. This blend has an appealing, crunchy texture, with a bit of succulence from the mung beans. This mix is superb for sandwiches and salads, and enormously healthy eating. Sprouts are easier to digest than mature plants, so your body will take better advantage of the powerful nutrients within. This blend provides vitamins, minerals, protein, and dietary fibre, all in a form that is easily digested.

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.

Our Scarlet Nantes carrot seeds are hand-harvested in the Northwest. This carrot has been grown and selected for North American conditions for at least 50 years, and is a workhorse variety that is widely adapted and often out-performs some of the more finicky nantes hybrids. Strong tops and excellent heirloom flavour in 18cm (7") roots that colour up early for optional harvests as baby carrots. When Scarlet Nantes reach maturity, they are some of the best storage carrots, and they freeze particularly well for winter use. This is also one of the top yielding juicing carrots because its tender flesh is so easily rendered.

Matures in 65-70 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)

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