Vegetable Seeds

Calendula officinalis. Fiesta Gitana calendula seeds are a dwarf selection of double flowers in a rich, warm range of colours from deep orange to pastel cream. Plants are compact, growing to only 30-35cm (12-14") tall, so they are perfectly suited for containers or edging the garden bed. The flower petals are edible, and look superb sprinkled over salads and smart drinks for your summer parties. Keep Fiesta Gitana calendula deadheaded for the tidiest look and the longest flowering period. Simply pull or snip off any flowers the day after they fade. Once established, Calendula need little care, so they make good candidates for xeriscaping.

Annual

C. pepo. Eight Ball is a novel, round zucchini with dark green skin and some yellow speckling, borne on an easy-to-pick, bushy plant that only grows to about 1m (3') wide. Eight Ball zucchini seeds are an All America Selections Winner with great productivity, uniformity, and flavour. Harvest only a day or so after pollination for tender, exotic looking, spherical zucchinis with just the right tender texture and mild taste. Eight Ball is a good candidate for large containers or raised beds, and will produce lots of fruits over several weeks if plants are regularly picked. Provide fertile soil, and use a balanced organic fertilizer at transplant time.

Matures in 40 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)

A very dependable and productive variety! One of the earliest maturing peas, with a dwarf habit. Produces 10-12.5 cm (4-5") pods with 8-10 large, sweet peas. Good yielder. An all purpose pea that grows under a wide range of conditions. Successive sowings every two weeks until early June, while the soil is still relatively cool, will prolong the harvest season.

Days to Germination: 5 to 10 days

Days to Maturity: 55 to 60 days

Growing Height: 18"

The perfect all purpose variety. Medium early variety. Dark red round roots that are sweet, tender and fine-grained throughout. Ideal for use fresh, canned, pickled and frozen. Tops are great for salads too! Beets grow quickly and can be re-sown every 2 weeks until mid-summer.

Please Note: Seed tapes require consistent moisture to ensure best germination.

Days to Germination: 10 to 12 days

Days to Maturity: 50 to 55 days

Mesclun Gourmet Greens Mixture is a gourmet blend of salad greens. Enjoy the complementary flavors and textures of Arugula, Endive, Red Kale, Red and Green Romaine, Salad Bowl, and Lolla Rossa Lettuce. Beautiful in the garden and on the plate!

Noted for its combination of flavors, colors, and textures, it is a fun choice for salads. The leaves are most enjoyable if harvested when young and crisp.

Please Note: Seed tapes require consistent moisture to ensure best germination.

Days to Germination: 7 to 10 days

Days to Maturity: 40 to 65 days

Best Container Size: 12"+

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)

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)

Sometimes listed as Fingerling or Long Purple Italian, Long Purple Eggplant seeds produce stocky, productive plants that bear four or more fruits per plant. The fruits are dark purple and club shaped 20-25cm (8-10") long and around 6cm (2.5") in diameter. The flesh is firm and mild in flavour, and it's lovely when cooked, taking on the flavours it is cooked with. This old heirloom variety arrived in American gardens back in the 1850s. Try growing this eggplant in a three to five gallon pot on your patio. Eggplants thrive in hot weather, and this variety does particularly well in northern areas.

Matures in 60 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)

Capsicum baccatum. This eye-catching variation on the Bishop's Cap pepper variety is a new, award winning hybrid with superior plant vigour and higher yield than its OP cousins. The flattened disc shaped pods of Mad Hatter provide a crisp and crunchy texture for snacking at the mature green or red stage. Grown in arid conditions, the peppers will take on a slight heat around the seed cavity, but otherwise the flesh remains sweet and mild. This All America Selections Winner grows to a maximum height of 122cm (48"), but it's suitable for large containers and super productive in open field or high tunnel settings.

Matures in 65-70 days to green, 85-90 days to red. (Hybrid seeds)

Kolibri kohlrabi seeds produce surprisingly uniform bulbous stems with bright purple, extremely smooth skins over succulent and crisp white flesh. This variety can become quite large without losing any of its appealing texture. The purple colour of Kolibri is so appealing that they really stand out in the garden. Kohlrabi has the attractive texture of a crisp apple with a mild Brassica flavour that hints of cabbage. Its crispness lends it well for use in salads with thick dressings. Shredded, it makes a delicious coleslaw. And like its Brassica cousins, kohlrabi is an excellent source of phosphorus and potassium as well as dietary fibre, and (somewhat surprisingly) vitamin C. Winner of the RHS Award of Garden Merit.

Matures in 55 days. (Hybrid seeds)

This winter-hardy heirloom is a distinctive black colour on the outside with a milky white and tender interior that packs a bit of bite. Large turnip-shaped 8-10cm (3-4") diameter globes with deep black skins over solid, crisp, pungent, pure-white flesh. Black Spanish Round radish seeds have very tall tops, and are primarily grown for winter storage. They will stay fresh all winter if stored wet sand. This variety was introduced before 1824, and is listed in some old seed catalogues as Noir Gros Rond d'Hiver. Plant Black Spanish Round radish seeds in mid to late summer and eat when it is the size of a quarter. Space radishes 8-10cm (3-4") apart.

Matures in 60 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)

Mildly hot, 15cm (6") long green peppers borne on vigorous, upright, bushy 45-60cm (18-24") tall plants. Anaheim pepper seeds are an heirloom from southern California have been around since at least 1913. The tapered fruits have thick walls that are excellent or roasting or smoking, and will mature to dark red if left on the plant. Much less hot than a Jalapeno at 100-500 SHUs. In a warm climate, the plants will bear continuously over a long period, with good foliage cover to protect the fruits. The fruits are two-celled with an appealing, crisp, crunchy texture. Anaheim makes a good, very mild substitute for Ancho in chile relleno recipes.

Matures in 70-90 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)

Enjoy the thick, dark green, crinkled spinach leaves either raw or cooked. Heavy yields and slow to bolt and go to seed. This cool weather vegetable is easy to grow in rich, well-drained soil. Requires plenty of moisture.

Days to Germination: 7 to 21 days

Days to Maturity: 40 to 48 days

Best Contianer Size: 12"+