West Coast Seeds

These most unusual Italian heirloom sweet peas are bi-coloured violet and deep maroon. Matucana sweet pea seeds are thought to be one of the first sweet peas to be introduced to Britain in 1700 by a Sicilian Monk, Franciscus Cupani.

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. 

Raphanus sativus. Daikon radishes are large and require deeply prepared soil, as they can grow to over 30cm (12") long. One of the best daikon radishes for summer, Minowase Summer Cross have white roots that are 15-20 inches long and 2.5" in diameter. The pure white flesh is excellent for salads, sandwiches, cooking, and pickling. Flavour is milder when grown to maturity in fall, in light soil, and with good irrigation. 

Sow and grow as you would turnips, thinning them to 15-20cm (6-8") apart. At each cultivation, push the soil over the top of the root. 

Matures in 50 days. (Hybrid seeds)

Helenor Organic rutabaga seeds are CERTIFIED ORGANIC! The colour develops early on these nice, uniform, round roots. The flesh is light orange and sweetly flavoured. Helenor is an excellent choice for fall and winter harvests.

Rutabagas are surprisingly versatile in the kitchen and are widely used around the northern hemisphere. They can be julienned and eaten raw as a side salad, or roasted, boiled, or grilled. Many recipes call for mashing rutabagas after cooking, and the classic Scottish dish neeps and tatties combines them with mashed potato. It is a useful winter source of vitamin C, and the roots will store for 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 90 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)

Matthiola longipetala. Spindly and insignificant by day, it is potently fragrant at dusk! Single, four-petalled flowers are a pale lilac. Best grown either in out-of-the-way spots or with Virginian Stock to combine their complimentary growing habits, colours, and fragrances. Shear back once for continuing scent from July until frost. Stocks prefer cool temperatures, but need full sun to perform well. Once the soil heats up in summer, plants tend to die back. Provide ample water, but very well drained soil. Sow Evening Scented stocks seeds on the surface of the soil. Many sources still use the previous Latin name for this plant, M. bicornis. If given some support, this branching plant will grow to 45cm (18") tall. If grown in containers, it will probably not grow upright.

Dark-green leaves are supported by thick, sweet, white stalks that are mild and juicy with a delicate flavour. Joi Choi pac choi seeds can be planted in cool soil and grow to 45cm (18") tall.

Stunning creamy white carrots with light green shoulders. Almost coreless, the sweet but mild flavour develops early so it is a great choice for baby carrots. This heirloom carrot variety is great for cooking, which brings out the sweetness even more. These tender, tapered, 15-30.5cm (6-12") roots have a pleasantly crisp and crunchy texture. White carrots are closest to the original carrots first cultivated hundreds of years ago.

Matures in 60 days

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.

Stunning the garden, these snowy white mallows make excellent cut flowers. Gleaming white, massive 10cm (4") wide flowers glow in the moonlight. Aptly named Mont Blanc for its profuse blooms on a compact plant growing up to 90cm (36") tall earns this fast growing annual a place in the flower bed, front and centre. 

Rudbeckia hirta. At 30–100 cm (12–39") tall, this North American native annual wildflower is immediately familiar, and conjures a sense of the heat of mid-summer. Dark brown cone centres are surrounded by pure yellow petals in flowers 5-8cm (2-3") across. Black Eyed Susan is a common name shared by many plants, but this is the annual that is native to the northeastern United States. Considered a short lived perennial, or biennial as seed will easily germinate by direct seeding. 

This is the earliest maturing collard we know of. Start harvesting just 50 days after direct sowing, and the tall, upright plants just keep growing. At maturity the leaves can measure over 60cm (24") from stem to tip, and they are held pointing upward, away from the soil. The petioles are long and substantial for easy bunching, and the plants are highly uniform in size and shape. The bluish green leaves of Top Bunch collards are just slightly savoyed, thick, with large cell walls. Once cooked, the flavour is rich and savory - very nice in soup or simply steamed on its own. Use succession planting from spring to the height of summer for a constant supply of thick, nutritious greens.

Matures in 50 days. (Hybrid seeds)

SUI CHOI. Wa Wa Sai cabbage seeds produce classic miniature napa cabbages or sui choi. The heads weigh approximately 500g (1 lb) each from spring or autumn sowing. And they are ready to harvest just 60 days from transplanting. Space plants around 20-30 cm (8-12") apart in the row. They have a lovely sweet flavour and crisp texture that works so well with noodle dishes. Sui choi is dramatically reduced in volume when cooked. Remove the loose outer wrapper leaves to reveal a tightly packed urn-like oblong napa cabbage within. This is an excellent choice for making kimchi at home. Wa Wa Sai has high resistance to clubroot. 

Matures in 60 days. (Hybrid seeds)

This impressive Salvia was a show stopper in our field trials, with tall spikes of true blue flowers that attracted bumble bees and other bees from mid-summer to the first frost. It blooms right into early October 

CERTIFIED ORGANIC! Varna Organic leek seeds produce what may be the ultimate summer leek. It grows so quickly that it can be harvested at the green onion stage for gourmet baby leeks when planted close together. Otherwise, grow this Bulgarian type leek out to full size at 45cm (18″) tall. The highly uniform, flavourful leeks are very cylindrical and quite thick. The dark green leaves are upright and rigid, with good tolerance to leaf diseases. Varna is named after a town (and region) in Bulgaria. Bulgarian type leeks are bred for size and flavour, and Varna lives up to both.

Matures in 60-80 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)

CERTIFIED ORGANIC! Traviata Organic eggplant seeds produce relatively large, spineless plants. The fruits are large, very dark purple, and have shiny skins and an overall appealing look. The classic bell shaped fruits are quite abundant on each plant, and the plants keep producing over a long season. The plants are well suited to greenhouse cultivation, but will perform in the field setting too. They are even productive in patio containers, but use fertile soil and provide plenty of heat. For container growing, select pots with good drainage at least three to five gallons in size. Harvest the fruits at 15cm (6") for the best flavour.

Matures in 58 days. (Hybrid seeds)

CERTIFIED ORGANIC! Fenugreek organic sprouting seeds produce large vigorous sprouts with a mild but exotic flavour. Fenugreek seeds can also be used to make a pleasant tea. Fenugreek provides a high quality protein, fibre, and wealth of vitamins including A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B15, B17, C, D, E, H, folic acid, and fatty acids. Its mineral profile includes calcium, chromium, iodine, iron, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, silicon, sodium, sulphur, and zinc. Fenugreek organic sprouting seeds are truly a super-food! Add to sandwiches, soups, and salads, or toss with sesame oil and enjoy them on their own.