West Coast 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.

CERTIFIED ORGANIC! This is the extra early hybrid that organic guru Eliot Coleman raves about for cool season growing under cover in early spring and late fall/winter. Napoli carrots become incredibly sweet after frost as they literally convert starches into sugars as a kind of carrot anti-freeze. It is rated by many as one of the best tasting carrots available, and wonderful as baby roots. Plant Napoli Organic carrot seeds in August in a raised bed or beneath a cloche, and experience the full flavour of winter "candy carrots." 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 55 days. (Hybrid seeds)

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)

Salad Bowl lettuce seeds are a traditional stand-by for salad mixes. These large, lime-green rosettes resist bolting for a long time in summer and do not get bitter. The frilly, deeply cut oakleaf shape has excellent flavour and good texture. They add loft and character to salad mixes. Rapid cool-weather growth makes it a prime candidate for spring cold frame growing. This heirloom lettuce dates back to 1952, the year it was given a well deserved AAS Award. It's also a winner of the RHS Award of Garden Merit. Give it a try in patio containers to keep near the kitchen. The individual leaves are a nice addition to sandwiches, or just as garnishes.

Matures in 60 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)

Flat, dark green leaves are deeply cut, with a rich parsley flavour ideal for cooking or salads. Dark Green Italian Parsley Seeds are easy to grow, sturdy plants with stiff upright stems. Holds flavour better than the curly kind when dried. Use parsley in companion planting: Parsley likes asparagus, carrots, chives, corn, onions, and tomatoes. The leaves can be sprinkled on asparagus to repel asparagus beetles, and around roses, to improve their scent. Let some of your parsley go to bloom to attract hover-flies and predatory wasps. Parsley is a biennial plant that forms a long (edible) tap root. Choose deep pots for container growing.

Matures in 80 days

Mokum carrot seeds are back by popular demand! The finest flavour and so crisp and delicate that it actually has to be hand dug, not just pulled out by the tops. You can enjoy these as baby carrots (they colour up quickly) or longer at 15-20 cm (6-8"). These deep orange carrots are high in Vitamin A and sugars. Mokum is an Amsterdam type - an imperator with blunt (as opposed to pointed) ends. Be sure to plant this variety in soil that has been deeply cultivated. Use a garden fork to break up all dirt clods and remove all stones. And thinning carrots is critical if you want them to grow straight and unblemished.

Matures in 60 days. (Hybrid seeds)

Flavourful pale centres are surrounded by thick green outer leaves on enormous upright plants. Parris Island Cos romaine lettuce seeds can be planted close together for a long harvest of little leaves for gourmet salads. Given space and time to grow to full size, Parris Island forms huge heads up to 30cm (12") tall, but even at this crazy size, the leaves are tender and succulent, with mild flavour. Dating back to 1952, this heirloom lettuce is named after the actual Parris Island off the coast of South Carolina. Parris Island Cos is tipburn and mosaic tolerant. Winner of the RHS Award of Garden Merit.

Matures in 75 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)

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)

Plant Forest Green parsley seeds in your organic herb garden. The plants have short, strong stems that support big clusters of highly curled, dark-green leaves. The flavour is distinctly savoury without being bitter. Parsley adds a subtle, but key flavour to a host of Mediterranean dishes. It is widely used in companion planting because its strong scent repels insects like the Asparagus Beetle. Parsley likes asparagus, carrots, chives, corn, onions, and tomatoes. The leaves can be sprinkled on asparagus to repel asparagus beetles, and around roses, to improve their scent. Let some of your parsley go to bloom to attract hover-flies and predatory wasps.

Parsley is a biennial plant that forms a long (edible) tap root. Choose deep pots for container growing.

Matures in 80 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)

Dwarf Grey Sugar snow pea seeds produce the earliest and most dwarf edible pods of all. The prolific, bushy vines grow to 1.5m (5') tall, and benefit from staking. Very attractive sweet pea-like flowers are followed by clusters of flat, fleshy, curved, semi-pointed pods. These are light green and average 6-8cm (2.5-3"), appearing at the tops of the plants for easy picking. This old heirloom variety was listed once as Dwarf Gray Sugar Cabbage Pea, and has been in production since before 1773. Dwarf Grey Sugar snow pea seeds were first sold commercially in 1892 by D.M Ferry and Company. This is one of the best choices for growing pea shoots and pea tips.

Matures in 66 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)

Lavendula angustifolia. This open plant is an early flowering selection with more blue in the flowers. Dwarf Munstead lavender seeds are the most aromatic of the English lavenders, giving off a sweet and delicate perfume. It is great for drying, hung by itself or with other tiny flowers. Dwarf Munstead works well in containers or raised beds, and will reward the grower with masses of aromatic cut flowers that can be easily dried. Lavender flowers are edible, and highly attractive to pollinators. Sow some Dwarf Munstead Lavender seeds in your organic herb or vegetable garden this year. Plant height: 38cm (15").

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)

Mentha x piperata. Hot, rich mint aroma issues from the crushed or dried leaves of this spreading perennial plant. Consider growing Peppermint seeds in containers, as it will become hard to control over the years. Both the leaves and flowers can be dried for teas or use in stews and sauces. Peppermint grows well in moist soil in full sun to heavy shade. Mint flowers are edible, and highly attractive to bees and other pollinators. Mint plants spread by an ever-expanding rhizome that grows parallel with the soil. Along its length, new stems emerge with new leaves and flowers. This is why many gardeners prefer to grow mint in containers than in the open soil.

Genovese organic basil seeds are the very best Italian pesto variety of basil. This is the traditional Italian heirloom variety of basil. It has shiny, large, almond-shaped leaves have a more pronounced flavour, and stores well if chopped and frozen in ice cube trays. Pinch growing tips for bushier plants that grow to 60cm (24") tall. Basil is a heat loving tender annual plant that requires good drainage and ample moisture during hot weather. If flowers develop, either save save the resulting seeds or separate them from the plants and sprinkle over pasta or salads. Basil flowers are highly attractive to honeybees and other wild pollinators.

Basil can be planted as a companion to tomato plants. It is said that basil improves the flavour of tomatoes.

Easter Egg II radish seeds are a blend of six distinctly coloured radishes. The flesh is white and the roots can become relatively large without getting pithy. Look for white, rose pink, bubblegum pink, amethyst, mauve, scarlet and purple roots. The uniform roots are round, crisp, and flavourful, with tops that are good for bunching. Get the most out of your radish bed with this blend of diverse colours for spring and fall growing. Provide some frost protection, and you may be able to grow for winter harvests. Once radishes begin to bolt in response to warm soil in early summer, they should be pulled and composted. The process cannot be reversed, and a bolting radish is no good for eating.

Matures in 28 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)

C. pepo. When Jackpot zucchini starts producing, you'll think you hit the jackpot! Bushy plants have few spines, very high yield, and continuous production. Very similar to Ambassador in terms of its upright growth along one single stem, but even earlier to mature. Jackpot zucchini squash seeds fruits are cylindrical, and perfect to pick at 17cm (6") long, not long after the flowers are pollinated. Jackpot zucchini squash seeds make an excellent replacement for Ambassador zucchini seeds. Its upright growth makes Jackpot a good candidate for raised garden beds, or any place where space is limited.

Matures in 50 days. (Hybrid seeds)

Manitoba Tomato seeds produce vigorous determinate plants that thrive in cool climates with short seasons. An early producer with excellent yields, Originally developed in the mid 1950's by the Morden Experimental Farm in Morden, MB to ripen during the short summer season. An excellent choice on the West Coast.

A prairie favourite, Manitoba tomato plants bear medium-large fruits 170 grams (6 oz). The bright red fruits have smooth skin and firm, meaty flesh with a refreshing, tangy tomato taste. Well suited for slicing and preserving.

Determinate (bush)

Matures in 60 days (Open-pollinated seeds)

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.

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.

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)

Bull's Blood beet seeds produce baby greens in 35 days, or wait 50-60 days for beetroot. This is the classic choice for salad and micro-green growers. The beautiful dark red, smooth leaves have a particularly pleasant flavour. Harvested as baby greens, they look spectacular in salad mixes. If the leaves are not harvested, the plants produce uniform, round, tasty, red beetroots. The deep red colour of both the leaves and root are thought to contain high levels of nutrients and antioxidants, which qualifies Bull's Blood organic beet seeds as a super-food.

Matures in 50-60 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)

Ipomoea tricolor. It is a great shame that so many gardeners confuse this tidy heirloom annual with the invasive bindweed, Convovulus arvensis. Both share the name Morning Glory, and both have trumpet shaped flowers, but the similarities end there. Heavenly Blue morning glory seeds produce short vines bearing copious, huge, intensely blue flowers that open each morning and then fade to pink before closing for good in the evening. Every day more flowers open from mid to late summer. It looks spectacular climbing along a fence or trellis, with really large flowers that can only be described as Heavenly Blue.

Note: This variety is not an invasive weed.

Annual

Boro organic beet seeds are very, very sweet and CERTIFIED ORGANIC! Boro is probably the sweetest beet variety we have encountered. The medium red roots have smooth skins and can be harvested any stage between 8-15cm (3-6”) in diameter. The strong tops grow back quickly from selective picking. Boro seeds are organic film-coated for smoother passage through sowing equipment and better visibility in the soil.

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 days. (Hybrid seeds)

Exposure Full-sun or partial shade

Satureja hortensis. This delicate, aromatic little plant grows quickly in rich soil. Used in bean, pea and lentil recipes, summer savory has a more delicate flavour than winter savory. Sow Summer Savory seeds in the spring. After flowering, pull it up and hang to dry. Let a few plants go to seed, and it should come back the following year. This herb grows to 25cm (10") tall.

This is the better known savory - it is an annual plant as opposed to perennial Winter Savory. Maritime Canadians know and love it, and use it the way sage is used elsewhere. It's nice with poultry stuffing and stews, and it is a key ingredient in herbes de Provence.

Breen Pelleted Organic romaine lettuce seeds are CERTIFIED ORGANIC! Breen is a slow-growing miniature red romaine lettuce with an elegant, urn-shaped head. Its superb, rust coloured leaves have olive-green undertones and nicely contrasting veins. Breen is slow to bolt and looks lovely tucked in among green lettuces. The leaves are firm and crisp with excellent flavour. PELLETED SEEDS - sold by seed count. Pelleted seeds are great for precision sowing. The seed coating is certified organic and made from an inert clay mixture. Let Breen mature for harvest after most of your other lettuce has been already cut.

Recommended for hydroponic and aquaponic growing.

Matures in 45 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)

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.

Tropaeolum majus. Tip Top Alaska mix Nasturtium seeds produce cream-on-green foliage with single yellow, orange, and deep red flowers, clustered in compact 30cm (12") mounds. Tip Top Alaska series will stay compact so they are perfectly suited to containers. Plant Tip Top Alaska mix Nasturtium seeds in hanging baskets, raised beds, or as companion plants in your organic vegetable garden. These compact Nasturtiums are very bushy, and do not form the long vines found in some other varieties. The foliage is extremely decorative, and the flowers, leaves, and seeds are all edible. Nasturtiums are drought resistant and suitable for xeriscaping.

Annual

Wonderful flavour in a personal sized watermelon. Crisp, juicy melons with dark, striped, firm skin over rich red flesh. Black Beauty Mini Watermelon seeds grow nice and compact plants with excellent flavour. Fruits grow 2 to 2.5kg (4-5.5 lbs). Picking watermelons from the vine, when they are at peak ripeness, is really amazing. The fruit is at its maximum sweetness, and the flavour is intense. This is not like store-bought melons at all. To check for maturity, watch the tendril nearest the stem that leads to the fruit. As soon as it withers, the fruit has reached its top ripeness.

Matures in 80 days. (Hybrid seeds)