West Coast 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)

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)

CERTIFIED ORGANIC! The leaves of this amazing “sugar plant” have extracts said to be 300 times sweeter than sugar. Useful as a sweetener for diabetics and dieters, research has shown that Stevia has additional uses in treating blood pressure problems. The plant, which does well in the border or in containers, grows to 60cm (24″) tall, with clusters of tiny, but attractive white flowers emerging from the tip of every branching stem. Pick fresh leaves from the plant and chew them to release a very surprising, unmistakable, sugar-like quality. Give Stevia a nice sunny spot in your herb garden or patio container garden, with fertile, well drained soil. Note: Certified Organic Stevia seeds are sold by seed count, not weight.

Tropaeolum minus. This sumptuous mixture includes flowers from solid blood red to cream with red flecks and edges. Bloody Mary Nasturtium seeds produce low growing, clump-forming plants with darker than average leaves. The edible flowers are typically spicy, but also have a certain sweetness. This annual works well in containers, and blooms continuously from June to August. It was a very popular hit in our summer trials, and drew a lot of attention.

Annual

Melissa officinalis. Plant lemon balm seeds and rub the light green leaves for a sudden hit of lemon scent. Use in bouquets to lemon scent a room or brew an invigorating medicinal tea. Lemon Balm seeds produce a herbaceous perennial self-sows and bees love it. Plants grow vigorously so keep self-sown seedlings thinned out. The plants are deer resistant, so a useful filler plant for coastal areas. Chop back the plants by two thirds once the flowers have faded to prevent self sowing and to encourage the growth of new leaves. This plant belongs in every organic herb garden and has been cultivated for centuries as a medicinal plant.

C. pepo. A new semi-bush spaghetti squash variety with bright yellow skin, and superior interior quality. The strands of flesh are fine and tasty. Pinnacle spaghetti squash seeds can be grown more densely in the field for higher yields. Plants are early maturing with large, oval fruits 18cm (7") long by 13cm (5") in diameter. Fruits average 1.5kg (3 lbs) each. No spaghetti squash will grow more compactly than Pinnacle. Sunflowers make an excellent companion plant for squash because they bring pollinators into the field from far and wide. You'll have fewer aborted fruits and better overall pollination and production by interplanting squash and sunflowers.

Matures in 85 days. (Hybrid seeds)

Lettuce Leaf basil seeds produce very large, bright, puckered green leaves with a glorious aroma. Provide high soil fertility and a light, well-dug soil to get the largest leaves. We recommend using potting soil with two tablespoons of Gaia All Purpose 4-4-4 per liter of soil. Try this mix in containers in your patio herb garden. Tear the big leaves into salad mixes or use whole leaves to wrap savory morsels like brochettes or salad rolls. Lettuce Leaf Basil is a sweet basil, with milder flavour than the Genovese types. It's perfect for the home gardener, but it also makes an eye catching and unique bundle for the market table.

Nicotiana alata. This flowering tobacco stands regally in the garden at 1-1.5m (3-5') tall, with a cascading head of pure white, tubular flowers that attract moths and hummingbirds.  It looks splendid among other tall flowering plants such as Agastache and foxgloves. Grow Jasmine Tobacco Nicotiana seeds in a warm spot in your garden, in full sun. Pollinated by moths, this Nicotiana's flowers become particularly fragrant after dusk, so plant some near a window and let the scent waft in during summer.

Annual

Allium cernuum. If you spend enough time looking in the dry woods, rocky outcroppings, and prairies across North America, you will eventually discover Nodding Wild Onions growing in scattered clumps. Individual stems arise to a height of 45cm (18") from bulbs in the ground. In early and mid-summer, they bear umbels of white to rose coloured, pendant flowers that nod and wobble in the wind. These are highly attractive to short-tongued bees, but not to grazing deer. Each flower develops into a spherical fruit, which splits at the end of summer to reveal more shiny black seeds. Beneath the soil, the bulbs split and multiply just the way tulips do. These perennial wildflowers are hardy to Zone 2, and while they are technically edible, it's a good idea to wait until a small colony has developed, and then harvest them judiciously as a summertime treat. Grow in full sun to part shade, or in freely draining containers.

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

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.

Viola cornuta. These perky little flowers are old-fashioned heirloom favourites and look like miniature pansies with lavender, yellow, and white faces. Direct seed Johnny Jump Up viola seeds from April to July. Sow seeds 0.6cm (0.25") deep, and they should germinate in 12-14 days. Johnny Jump Up viola seeds self sow fairly readily, but they do not take over, and can be easily raked under if unwanted. These look rather good in containers, and their flowers are edible. If you want to try your hand at making candied violets, Johnny Jump Ups are the place to start. Or simply pick some of the fresh flowers and scatter them over salads and summer meals.

Hardy Annual