West Coast Seeds

This AAS award winning compact bush bean is great choice for the new gardener. The bushes are low-growing, self-supporting and shallow-rooted, making it suitable for container gardening. The plant is generally trouble-free and produces tasty 7" long, round green pods. Like other bush beans, Derby produces a one-time crop but the beans have a good holding ability so growers can enjoy an extended harvest. The above average yields are also easy to pick. Lengthen the growing season with succession planting until mid-summer. Derby is resistant to Common Bean Mosaic Virus

Personal size mini melon with a wonderfully sweet flavour. Tasty Bites’ .5kg (1#) fruit have light yellow netted skin and deep orange flesh, developed by crossing an ananas and a Charentais. Vigorous plants with good disease resistance produce high yields of these tasty treats. Fruit ripens over a long period making this a good choice for gardeners and market growers.

Matures in 75-80 days

Exposure Full Sun

Lathyrus odoratus. Its rich colour range is dominated by blues and purples, but accented by the occasional highlight of scarlet or pure white. The stems are long, sturdy and uncommonly straight for excellent cut flowers. The vines are not huge at five feet tall, but larger than described them in our catalogue. We have them on a trellis growing quite upright, and they are still very much in bloom in early August. We rate the fragrance at medium-strong (6/10), but as cut flowers, they are among the best. Keep cutting flowers or removing any seed pods that form in order to prolong the flowering period. Try Bijou sweet peas in large containers to bring colour and fragrance to your patio garden.

Annual

Fordhook Giant Swiss chard seeds produce dark green, very savoyed leaves are borne on thick, greenish-white stalks. This cold-hardy variety is versatile, reliable, decorative and flavourful. It can also stand up well in summer heat. The Fordhook in its name refers to Fordhook Farm, which was a research farm run for the Burpee seed company from the 1750s until 1981. It's called Giant because the leaves rise a full 60 to 70cm (24-28") above the ground, with stalks that are 7cm (2.5") wide. Fordhook Giant Swiss chard seeds perform well, and provide abundant crops all season, even after light frost. It is noted to be particularly good for poultry feed as well. Winner of the RHS Award of Garden Merit.

Matures in 60 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)

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

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)

Gorgeous peach blossoms top the vigorous 2m (6.5') vines of Sunset runner bean. Worth growing for the eye-catching blooms alone, it is equally rewarding to grow for its prolific harvest of beans that can be used as fresh green snap or dried shell beans that are lavender with black speckles. Enjoy the dried beans all winter in savory soups and stews.

A special blend for the cut flower grower and owners of big vases! Giant Blue Point Zinnias produce dahlia-flowered zinnias with tall stems in large double blooms. Crimson red, lilac, rose, canary yellow, deep red, white and orange. This is the earliest flowering variety. Giant Blue Point Formula zinnia seeds zinnias are long blooming with excellent disease resistance. Picking off the dead flowers (deadheading) will prolong the bloom time, but so will cutting them for bouquets. The colours are brilliant and the stems are strong and upright, perfect for cutting.

Annual.

A blend of wildflowers that are not preferred food sources for deer or are resilient to being foraged. In times of weak grazing, deer may still nibble on these plants, but the contents of Deer Resistant wildflower seeds were chosen for their resilience to deer. Great for planting on the Gulf Islands and BC Interior, where deer can be a real nuisance. The mix will also work in any other North American setting, attracting pollinators like bees and butterflies, but foiling marauding deer. Recommended rate of application: 115g per 1,000 square feet.

Strawberry Blonde French marigold brightens the garden with its colour changing blooms in lovely shades of yellow, coral, and rose. An excellent choice for containers and landscape borders. In cooler temperatures, colour contrast is more distinct. Keep spend flowers deadheaded for a continuous carpet of blooms midsummer to fall. Mounded hait of 20-25cm x 20-25cm (8-10" x 8-10.

Mentha spicata. Compared to peppermint, spearmint has a less aggressive flavour that has fruity undertones. This mint is easy to grow, and it's fast, too. In boggy settings it can spread by underground rhizome, but this is easy to control by growing it in containers. The leaves dry well and even fresh they make a nice tea — an even nicer mojito. Sow the seeds indoors a month or two before the last frost date, and transplant out when night time temperatures are steadily above 10°C (50°F). Ninety days later, expect white to lilac flowers that are both edible and highly attractive to bees. This mint is perennial and hardy to Zone 4.

This early maturing popcorn has tall plants with two ears each, that average 13-15cm (5-6") long. Pink Popcorn corn seeds produce excellent popping corn that yields lots of fluffy white kernels with a great rich flavour. The beautiful pink to mauve kernels are attractive for decoration. This is not a variety for eating corn on the cob, but rather for drying and popping. The stately tall plants are attractive in the summer garden.

To harvest popcorn, allow the plants to turn brown and the ears to dry for as long as possible in the field. When harvested, the husks should be completely brown and the kernels hard. Harvest the ears and remove the husks. Hang the ears in mesh bags in a warm, dry, airy room, and let dry for several weeks. The ideal moisture content for popcorn is 13 to 14%. Once a week, extract a few kernels and try popping them. If the popcorn is jagged or chewy, it still has too much moisture. If the flavour and texture are good, remove all the remaining kernels and store them in airtight containers. They should remain in good popping form for several years.

Matures in 85 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)

Kitchen Basil Blend seeds combines three unique basil varieties with green and purple leaves for use in the kitchen. The Blend includes basil with large, smooth leaves that are suitable for pestos, pastas and salads, and also more pungent varieties to make vinegars and herbal teas. Basil flowers are also edible so add them to your dishes too!  Basil also makes sensational microgreens - they take a little while to germinate but are worth the wait for the gourmet flavour. This Kitchen Blend can be grown on the windowsill, in the garden or in containers on the patio. All types of basil enjoy warm, freely draining soil and lots of moisture in summer heat.

Recent conventional corn breeding has produced this outstanding triplesweet with two types of kernels on each cob: 75% sugary enhanced (SE), and 25% super sweet (sh2). A winner of the All-America Selections award, Honey Select corn seeds were bred for the home gardener, and the plants do not require isolation from other varieties to produce their fantastic flavour. This is the sweetest variety for the home grower. The combination of hybrid kernels means excellent flavour is matched by a long harvest window and good keeping after harvest. The tender, sweet ears average 20-23cm (8-9") long.

Matures in 79 days. (triplesweet hybrid seeds)

These wonderful large beans mature in 75-85 days when sown in the spring, or 6 months if fall sown. The plants grow 90-120cm (3-4') tall. The light green pods, which contain 6-7 large pale green seeds each, shell easily. Windsor broad bean seeds are superb for family gardens and easy for small children to handle. Broad Windsor is intended for growing as a food crop. The seeds it produces are large and succulent, unlike the small-seeded fava we offer as a cover crop. This large variety will fix nitrogen in your soil, so it’s perfect for planting in the fall, harvesting in the spring, and following with nitrogen loving crops like Brassicas, lettuce, or spinach. Fresh or dried, broad beans must be cooked before eating in order to rid them of potentially toxic alkaloids. The young, tender leaves can be eaten raw, or cooked like spinach. Broad beans are one of the world’s most ancient and widespread food crops.

Matures in 75-85 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)

Centaurea cyanus. A mix of purple, blue, pink, and white papery blossoms bring summer colour to the garden. Try planting some Tall Mixed Cornflowers in a big clump at the edge of the yard for stunning summer colour. They are an excellent cut flower and they dry well, looking fresh for ages. Cornflowers are highly attractive to pollinators and beneficial insects like Syrphid flies. The flowers are edible, and the plants are drought resistant for xeriscaping. Deadhead spent flowers to prolong the bloom period, and to keep plants looking tidy. Tall Mixed Cornflowers seeds are easy to save from year to year.

Annual

Thymus vulgaris. This woody little green plant spreads steadily over the years and has pretty pink flowers which bees love. English Thyme seeds plants grows to heights of 30cm (12"). Wonderful in Mediterranean cuisine, teas, potpourri and a key ingredient of bouquet garni. Thyme dries well, too - cut sprigs and tie them with thread for hanging out of direct sunlight. They remove the brittle leaves from the stalks and store them in a cool, dry, unlit place. Plants do well in containers, and they're drought tolerant, so consider them for xeriscaping. Cut thyme back by a third at the end of the season to encourage lots of spring growth and flower set.

Perennial

Large, fuzzy, cucumber-scented leaves and vivid blue flowers attract bees all summer long. Usually grown for the bees and flowers, young leaves can be cooked like spinach or used in salads. Also known as the star flower because of the arrangement of its petals, the flowers have a light cucumber flavour and will stun with their vivid blue petals. A dramatic use is to make ice cubes with the petals frozen into them and drop into cold drinks. Borage seeds contain oils with the highest concentration (20% to 30%) of the fatty acid GLA, even higher than Evening Primrose. Altogether a versatile, attractive and useful herb, add starry blue flowers to salads, drinks, berry desserts for visual appeal. Borage may self sow. It is attractive to bumblebees that must buzz at a certain resonance to release a jet of pollen.

Pomegranate Crunch Pelleted Organic romaine lettuce seeds are CERTIFIED ORGANIC! This petite lettuce is like a cross between a romaine and a butterhead, with small, dense heads with cherry red leaves and light green hearts with a splash of red. The leaf ribs are very clean and uniform. The colour transition from the outer leaves to the heart is very smooth, creating a beautiful contrast. The heads of this variety have very uniform size and shape. Seeds are pelleted and sold by seed count. Be sure to keep the seed bed constantly moist until germination. Pelleted seeds require constant moisture.

Matures in 45 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)

Dwarf sunflower for containers and small garden beds, perfect for children to plant! Big Smile has the classic bright sunny-yellow petals with a dark center. Compact, branching plants are 25-38cm (10-15”) when grown in pots and slightly taller at 30-60cm (12-24”) when grown in the garden. Bears Pollen.