Organic Vegetable Seeds

Colorful, long-standing heirloom with green leaves and crunchy stalks that show off in a rainbow of colors, including red, pink, white, and gold.

50 Days.

Approx: 245 Seeds.

START SEEDS OUTDOORS

In early spring, when danger of frost is over, sow seeds in well-worked, fertile soil in full sun. Sow seeds 1/2 inch deep and 1 inch apart in rows 10 inches apart, or broadcast thinly for bed planting. Firm soil well over these irregularly shaped seeds to ensure good germination. If first sowing germinates unevenly, plant more seed as seedlings catch up quickly. When large enough to handle, thin seedlings to final spacing of 8 to 10 inches apart so these large plants have room to grow and mature. Transplant extras or enjoy young thinnings as early greens and salads.

GROWING NOTES

Chard grows well in a wide range of conditions and can take some light frost. In mild winter areas, it can be grown year round. Give seedlings enough room, because chard grows into large vase-shaped plants 2 feet tall.

HARVEST AND USE

Begin harvesting when plants are well established and have at least 6 to 8 leaves. Both stalks and leaves make great eating. Chop and steam or sauté with garlic and olive oil. Use like spinach in lasagna or minestrone soup. Try tasty chard leaves stuffed and poached in broth with a dash of olive oil and fresh lemon.

Our unique, space-saving, climbing zucchini grows up any fence or trellis, bearing abundant tender fleshed and truly delicious, nutty tasting rich green zucchinis, easy to find and harvest with no bending down!

58 Days.
Seed Count: 13-15

START SEEDS OUTDOORS

Squash needs full sun, rich fertile soil and warm temperatures. Plant only when spring weather is warm and settled and night temperatures stay above 55°F (13°C). Train these vigorous climbing vines up 6 to 8 foot stakes or a fence or trellis where they will make a lush leafy arbor or canopy and save garden space. Plant in full sun, sowing groups of 2 to 3 seeds 1 inch deep and 4 inches from vertical supports. Thin to the strongest seedling for each pole or to 12 inches apart along a fence.

GROWING NOTES

Amend soil well before sowing with lots of aged manure or compost. Protect young seedlings from marauding birds by covering with plastic berry baskets at planting time, removing when plants get crowded. Thin properly to get best quality fruits and highest yield. As young plants grow, tie them to supports.

HARVEST AND USE

Harvest these luscious, rich green zucchini when no more than 5 to 6 inches long for top flavor and texture. Frequent harvesting keeps plants producing tasty new fruits.

Slice to briefly steam or stirfry. Or cut in half and grill or roast these succulent squash until tender, then sprinkle with fresh parsley, dill, basil or thyme. Try the tasty blossoms sautéed or stuffed and baked.

Gardener’s Delight cherry tomato has a wonderful, old-fashioned flavour and produces long trusses laden with clusters of 6-12 2.5cm, crack-resistant, bright-red morsels. A mid-maturity variety that can be grown in many regions without protection.

How To Grow, Timing:  Start indoors in early spring over bottom heat. When seedlings germinate, remove from the heat and grow under bright lights. Grow seedlings on for 6-8 weeks at around 10°C. Early season tomatoes can be planted out once night time temperatures are reliably above 7°C – or later. Other types should be transplanted out when night time lows are 10°C or warmer – or later. Optimal soil temperature for germination: 25-35°C. With bottom heat seeds should germinate in 7-14 days.

How To Grow, Starting:  Sow seeds 5mm-1cm deep. Keep seedlings under very bright light to prevent legginess. You may have to pot on seedlings more than once before they go out to allow for root growth. Space bush (determinate) transplants 45-60cm apart and vine (indeterminate) types 50-75cm apart in rows 1m apart.

How To Grow, Growing:  Ideal pH: 6.0-6.8.  Tomatoes like fertile, well drained soil that is rich in organic matter. Dig in finished compost and manure, and add 1 cup balanced organic fertilizer beneath each transplant. The nutrition from heavy clay soils is excellent for tomatoes, but they are slow to warm, so transplanting should be done later. By the same token, lighter soils warm more quickly, so transplants can go out sooner. Adding glacial rock dust will supply all the calcium they will need. Regular watering is vital, but don’t let the plants sit in water. Tomatoes are tropical plants so they require full sun and lots of heat. Vine varieties will require some kind of support such as a wire to grow up, or a trellis to be tied to as the plant grows. Bush types benefit from the support of a tomato cage in order to prevent sprawling. At the time of final transplant, plants can be buried up to their first pair of true leaves. This will encourage greater root growth, helping with both nutrient uptake and the plants’ ability to stand up to dry conditions.
Stop watering around the end of July to encourage the fruit to ripen. If tomato plants are grown under cover, you can encourage pollination and fruit set by tapping the stem from time to time. Tomatoes do not rely on insects for pollination. Vibrating the plant shakes pollen loose within the flowers, which then self-pollinate.

Indeterminate tomatoes continue to grow and produce fruit until they are killed by frost. Remove any suckers (stems growing from the crotch of leaves) to keep the foliage under control, and they will set a later crop of larger fruit. Determinate varieties normally set fruit in a concentrated time period. Their suckers are not normally removed, though some trimming helps with ventilation.

How To Grow, Harvest:  Harvest when the fruit is the desired colour. Green tomatoes can be ripened indoors at a cool temperature when they are blemish free. Very dark green tomatoes are unlikely to ripen fully.

Vine (indeterminate), Matures in 65 days.

Approx:40 Seeds.

Adorable mini butternuts that are the perfect single serving size! Butterbaby is an excellent choice for home gardeners with its early maturity and high yields per plant. Uniform .5-.9kg tan fruits have sweet, dark orange flesh and good storability. Semi-vining plants.

How To Grow, Timing:  Direct sow or transplant in late spring once the soil is warm. Start transplants indoors 3 to 4 weeks prior. Optimal soil temperature: 25-35°C. Seeds should germinate in 7-14 days.

How To Grow, Starting:  Sow seeds 2cm deep. Sow 3 seeds in each spot where you want a plant to grow, and thin to the strongest plant. Space summer squash 45-60cm apart in rows 90-120cm apart. Give winter squash and pumpkins even more room with a minimum of 90-120cm apart in rows 120-180cm apart.

How To Grow, Growing:  Ideal pH: 6.0-6.8.  These big plants need lots of food. Use 1 cup of complete organic fertilizer worked into the soil beneath each plant. All squash grow male flowers first, at later female flowers. The female flowers have tiny fruits at the base of their petals and require pollination by bees mostly. Incomplete pollination often happens at the beginning of the season, and results in misshapen fruits that are withered at the blossom end. Just discard these damaged fruits before they begin to rot. Encourage bees to visit the garden by growing Phacelia, sunflowers, or buckwheat for improved pollination.

How To Grow, Harvest:  Summer Squash: Pick when small, if fruit gets big the plant stops producing. Check the plants regularly.

Winter Squash: Fruit is ripe if your thumbnail doesn’t mark the skin and the stem is dry and brown. Cut the stem about 4cm from the fruit. Squash survive a light frost, but store better if harvested before frost.

Storage: Field-cure for 10 days in the sun, or cure indoors in a warm room for 4 or 5 days. To prevent mould sponge the skins with a solution of 10 parts water to 1 part chlorine bleach. Store at 10-15ºC with low humidity with good air circulation. Try on a shelf in the garage.

King of the North Organic is one of the most reliable and productive bell peppers for northern gardens. It is known for its ability to produce substantial, blocky peppers in short, cool seasons. The plants are sturdy and upright, with thick-walled, lobed fruits that ripen from bright green to vivid red and get even sweeter as they do.

How To Grow, Timing:  Peppers need plenty of time to mature before they will bloom and set fruit. Start indoors six to eight weeks before the last frost date, and grow under bright lights. Transplant only when weather has really warmed up. Night time low temperatures should be consistently above 12°C before hardening off pepper plants and transplanting outdoors. Soil temperature for germination: 25-29°C. Seeds should sprout in 10 – 21 days.

How To Grow, Starting:  Sow indoors 5mm-1cm deep. Keep soil as warm as possible. Seedling heating mats speed germination. Try to keep seedlings at 18-24°C  in the day, and 16-18°C at night. Before they become root-bound, transplant them into 8cm pots. For greatest possible flower set, try to keep them for 4 weeks at night, about 12°C . Then transplant them into 15cm pots, bringing them into a warm room at night, about 21°C.

How To Grow, Growing:  Soil should have abundant phosphorus and calcium, so add lime and compost to the bed at least three weeks prior to transplanting. Mix ½ cup of balanced organic fertilizer beneath each plant. Though peppers will tolerate dry soil, they will only put on good growth if kept moist. Harden off before planting out 30-60cm apart. Five gallon containers also work well, but require good drainage and regular irrigation. Using plastic mulch with a cloche can increase the temperature by a few degrees. Pinch back growing tips to encourage leaf production. This helps shade the developing fruits and prevents sun-scald in hot summers.

How To Grow, Harvest:  When the fruit is large and firm it is ready to pick. Or wait for the fruit to ripen further turning red, yellow, brown, or purple. The sweetness and vitamin C content go up dramatically as the fruit changes colour. If you pick green, the total numbers of peppers harvested will increase. Fruit that sets after late August will not usually develop or ripen. Pull out the entire bush just before the first frost and hang it upside down in a warm, dry place to ripen hot peppers.

Matures in 70 days.

Approx: 10 Seeds.

Newham little gem lettuce looks like a rose with its rounded, outward-curving leaves. Fast to mature, emerald green heads have a nice open yet upright habit and tight center, like a butterhead. It looks lovely in the garden, on the plate, and on the market table with our other compact varieties Truchas and Breen. Vigorous and reliable spring through fall and a good performer with protection to extend the season.

How To Grow, Timing:  Lettuce grows best in cool weather in the spring and fall, but it can be grown in the summer, and all winter long in milder regions. Sow short rows every 2-3 weeks following the last average frost date for a continual harvest. Using a cloche, cold frame, or greenhouse over mid-late summer plantings can extend the harvest period right into winter. Optimal soil temperature for germination: 10-22°C. Seeds should sprout in 7-15 days, depending on conditions. Lettuce seeds don’t sprout easily when the soil temperature is over 22°C in summer. Get around this by sprouting them indoors in a cool area, or pre-sprout by sprinkling seeds on a damp paper towel and placing it in a plastic bag in the fridge for a few days. In hot weather most lettuce goes to seed rapidly, so have new plantings ready to go, and watch for “good resistance to bolting” in the product description.

How To Grow, Starting:  Direct sow or start indoors and transplant. Sow seeds 5mm deep, or on the surface of the soil where the soil can be kept evenly moist. Space or thin heading lettuce to 30cm apart. Space or thin looseleaf varieties to 20-25cm apart. Space rows for all types 45-90cm (18-36″) apart. Babyleaf lettuce can be planted quite densely, as it is harvested at an immature size. Sowing babyleaf lettuce seeds closely together in narrow rows makes harvesting simpler.

Note on Pelleted Seeds: A number of our lettuce seeds are pelleted for machine planting. The white clay ball that covers each seed makes them easier to handle and easier to see when planted. While most lettuce seeds need to be barely covered (or sown on the surface of the soil), pelleted seeds need to be buried by about 1cm. Please keep your newly sown pelleted seeds evenly moist – use more water than with conventional seeds. If the soil is allowed to dry out, the clay pelleting material can wick water away from the seed, causing uneven or lower germination.

How To Grow, Growing:  Ideal pH: 6.0-6.5.  Aim for a soil with ample drainage and lots of organic matter. Add compost and lime at least 3 weeks prior to planting. One cup of balanced organic fertilizer per 3m of row will give adequate nutrition. Seedlings should be hardened off by reducing water and putting the plants outdoors 2 or 3 days before transplanting. This will help to prevent transplant shock and premature bolting. Regular watering is essential to prevent leaves from developing a bitter taste.

How To Grow, Harvest:  Pick individual leaves or wait and harvest full heads. Mature summer lettuce stays in prime eating condition only a short time, so harvest promptly and keep planting. In fall and winter the plants stay in good harvest condition longer.

42 Days.

Approx: 50 Seeds.

Highly ornamental, very large rosettes of frilled & ruffled deep red leaves with hidden emerald hearts. Tasty, eye-catching and disease-resistant French lettuce for all seasons.

Approx: 850 Seeds.

Non GMO

START SEEDS OUTDOORS

In cool early spring weather, start seeds in finely worked soil in full sun. Sow 1/4 inch deep and 2 inches apart in rows 6 to 8 inches apart and cover lightly. Tend carefully and keep evenly moist. Gradually thin out extra seedlings, leaving remaining plants standing 12 inches apart so lettuces have room to size up and fully mature into big butterhead rosettes. For a constant supply, make several sowings a few weeks apart until summer weather turns hot. Plant again in late summer for fall harvest.

GROWING NOTES

Lettuce thrives in cool conditions with consistent moisture. Weed, water and be sure to thin carefully to proper spacing for best quality heavy heads. If birds are attracted to young seedlings, cover with floating row covers or netting. Make a shade structure in hotter climates to extend the growing season.

HARVEST AND USE

Savor young thinnings in your first spring salads. Then harvest outside leaves as needed, or let plants mature and cut well-filled out heads. Be sure to thin properly and keep evenly moist for sweet tasting, full heads. Pull and discard or compost over-mature plants if they begin to elongate (“bolt”) in hot weather as leaves turn bitter at this stage.

Heat tolerant, premium Dutch Bibb lettuce that reliably forms beautiful, softly folded heads of sweet and buttery tasting leaves with a delicate and really delicious texture.

Approx: 400 Seeds.

Non GMO

START SEEDS OUTDOORS

In cool early spring weather, start seeds in finely worked soil in full sun. Sow 1/4 inch deep and 2 inches apart in rows 6 to 8 inches apart and cover lightly. Tend carefully and keep evenly moist. Gradually thin out extra seedlings, leaving remaining plants standing 10 to 12 inches apart so they have room to size up and mature into full heads. For a constant supply, make several sowings 10 days apart before summer heat comes on. Plant again in late summer for fall harvest.

GROWING NOTES

Lettuce thrives in cool conditions with consistent moisture. Weed, water and be sure to thin carefully to proper spacing so seedlings have room to grow into full size heads. If birds are attracted to young seedlings, cover with floating row covers or netting. Make a shade structure in hotter climates to extend the growing season.

HARVEST AND USE

Keep growing plants evenly moist for sweet tasting, full heads. Savor young lettuce thinnings in your first spring salads. Harvest mature heads of these sweet crunchy leaves when they feel firm and well-filled out. Pull and discard or compost over-mature plants if they begin to elongate (“bolt”) in hot weather as leaves turn bitter at this stage.

Strong-yielding, short, sturdy vines bear heavy crops of beautiful, plump, mahogany red faintly striped tomatoes with delicious, well-balanced flavor. A perfect variety to grow in containers or small space gardens. Tasmanian chocolate tomatoes are heavy for their size, extra juicy and perfect for BLTs, sliced for salads or enjoy in good old-fashioned tomato sandwiches.  Semi-Indeterminate.

Approx: 47 Seeds

STARTING SEEDLINGS

In early spring, start indoors about 6 to 8 weeks before outdoor night temperatures are reliably in the 10-13°C. Sow seeds 1/4 inch deep and 1 inch apart in a container of seed starting mix. Keep moist but not soggy, and very warm, 27°C. Provide a strong light source until seedlings are ready to plant outside. When seedlings are 2 inches tall, transplant into individual 4 inch pots. Maintain at 21°C. Feed with half-strength fertilizer every 2 weeks until ready to plant. When nights reach 13°C, gradually acclimate to outdoor conditions. Plant these vigorous, early bearing vines 3 feet apart into rich soil in full sun.

TO GROW IN CONTAINERS

Use pots at least 15-18 inches in diameter and 18 inches tall. Use fresh potting mix to prevent soil borne disease. Transplant one seedling per pot. Water regularly: in hot weather, pots may need daily watering. Fertilize every other week with a low nitrogen fertilizer for strong plants and good yields.

GROWING NOTES

Tomatoes need at least 6 hours of full sun every day. Provide strong stakes or wire cages at planting time as plants get heavy with fruit. Mulch plants well to maintain even moisture. Pick fully ripe. Don’t store tomatoes in the fridge.

Incredibly tender and beautiful Romano-type beans with flattened yellow pods. Golden Gate is equally tasty harvested young at 12cm (5”) or at its full mature size of 25cm (10”) long and 2.5cm (1”) wide. Exceptional flavour compared to standard pole varieties. Enjoy an abundant harvest of these fancy beans. Colour is just as nice cooked as it is fresh.

68 Days.

Approx 40 Seeds.

NonGMO

How To Grow, Timing:  Direct sow from late spring to early summer. Try to plant during a warm, dry spell. Soil must be warm – if it is not warm enough, seeds may rot, especially our untreated seeds. Optimal soil temperature: 21-32°C.

How To Grow, Starting:  Seeds can be started indoors, or sowed directly. Set seeds 7-10cm apart and 3.5cm deep at the base of a support. Plants will climb by twining around almost anything. Try rough poles, lumber, re-bar, or build a strong trellis 2-2.5m tall. Seeds will sprout in 8-16 days, depending on soil conditions.

How To Grow, Growing:  Ideal pH: 6.0-6.5. Well drained, warm soil in full sun is best. Use 1 cup of balanced organic fertilizer for every 3m of row. Too much nitrogen in fertilizer or manure is often the cause of poor pod set and delayed maturity. If beans flower but do not set pods, the cause can be zinc deficiency. Try spraying the plants with kelp based fertilizer. Wet leaves on crowded plants are subject to diseases. Thin plants to increase air circulation and avoid touching the leaves while they are wet.

How To Grow, Harvest:  Because pole beans are always climbing, there are always beans at different stages of maturity. It is important to keep picking regularly so the plant does not fully mature seeds and stop producing new pods. If pods get fat with seed, the plant will stop flowering. The smaller the bean, the more tender they are.

The great feature of Eleonora Organic broad beans is that the plants stay relatively short, so they are not prone to falling over. This makes them the top choice for windy or exposed areas. The attractive bluish-green foliage tops upright, hardy plants that only grow to 80cm tall. The pods are high quality and very straight, with 5-6 seeds per pod. These are excellent for fresh eating with sweet, rich flavour. The seeds are ideal for freezing as they maintain their colour and flavour for months.

How To Grow, Timing:  Direct sow before the first frost date in mild winter areas. Direct sow late winter to mid-spring in other areas (tall, soft plants won’t withstand winter well). Optimal soil temperature: 10-21°C. Enrich the soil with compost prior to planting.

How To Grow, Starting:  Use a broad bean or combination inoculant to provide a source of nitrogen. Sow seed 5cm deep, 15cm apart in double rows. Each set of double rows should be 1m apart. Germination takes 10-14 days, depending on conditions.

How To Grow, Growing:  Ideal pH: 6.0-6.5.  Keep overwintered plants weeded. Provide stakes or strings between rows to stop plants from falling over.

How To Grow, Harvest:  Pick when the pods appear plump and begin to droop from the weight of the seeds. Shell (like peas) and cook or use in soup. For dried beans, wait until the pods start to shrivel.

100 Days.

Approx: 15 Seeds.

Widely regarded as one of the best snow peas for flavour, quality, and productivity. Oregon Sugar Pod II’s large, flat 10cm pods grow on 80cm tall plants. Expect high yields or 2 stringless pods per node. Excellent grown for tender pea shoots as well.

How To Grow, Timing:  Peas prefer cool weather. Plant as early in spring as the soil can be worked. If planting on the west coast after April 1, sow varieties that are listed as being enation resistant if you live in an area where aphids carry the enation virus. Sow again through the summer for a fall crop. The success of a fall crop will depend on the weather. Optimal soil temperature: 10-20°C. Seeds should sprout in 7-14 days.

How To Grow, Starting:  Soaking seeds is not advised for damp soils. Sow seed 2cm deep. After April 15th, sow seed 5cm deep. Space seeds 2-7cm apart in the row. Do not thin. If the seeds fail to sprout, try to dig some up and check for rot or insect damage. The challenge with untreated pea seeds is to give them an early start but to avoid rot.

How To Grow, Growing:  Use well-drained soil amended with finished compost. Add 2 cups of rock phosphate or bonemeal for 3m of row. Plant most varieties along a trellis or fence for support as they climb. Dwarf varieties do not need a trellis, but may benefit from the support of some twigs poked into the soil in the row.

How To Grow, Harvest:  Pick when pods at the desired stage. In theory, all peas can be harvested before the seeds mature, as snow peas, and then as tender snap peas, and finally as shelling peas. Most varieties have an intended maturity for picking. Make multiple sowings or grow several varieties to extend the harvest season.

How To Blanch peas:  Peas of all kinds freeze particularly well for use in the fall and winter. Prior to freezing, it’s important to briefly submerge peas in boiling water — this kills the natural enzymes that exist in peas that would otherwise reduce the nutrients and cause the peas to break down over time. We recommend using a large pot of water at a rolling boil, and a colander or sieve for dipping. Timing is everything. For snap and snow peas, dip the whole pods into boiling water for exactly two minutes, and then transfer the pods to a bowl of ice water. For shelled peas, ninety seconds is perfect. Use a timer. After ninety seconds, transfer the peas to a bowl of ice water. All peas (and pods) should then be dried thoroughly on kitchen towels before being stored in zip-top or vacuum bags, with as little air as possible in each bag.

60 days.

Approx: 75 Seeds

Tried and true all-season spinach for babyleaf and bunching. Organic Space is a growers’ favourite with its fast growth and good tolerance to both warm and cold temperatures. Thick, medium-dark green leaves are smooth to slightly savoyed with a nice gloss. Vigorous plants hold well without bolting and have an upright habit for easy harvest.

How To Grow, Timing:  Spinach does best in cool weather. Direct sow in the period four weeks before, and three weeks after the last frost date. Spinach will bolt once days get long and hot. Some varieties grow enough to harvest before they bolt. For continuous supply, plant every 3 weeks.

Sow again in the middle two weeks of August for a fall crop that, if cut at the soil level, will come back early the following spring where winters are mild. Shade summer-sown seed beds, keep very well watered, and sow more seeds than you need, as warm soil will reduce germination rates marginally. Thin seedlings, and use cloche protection as cold weather approaches. Late sowings like this can be harvested into December – in mild winters if cloche protection is provided.

Optimal soil temperature: 5-20°C. Seeds should sprout in 7-14 days.

How To Grow, Starting:  Sow seeds 1cm deep, 10 seeds per 30cm, in rows 30-45cm apart. Thin to at least 5-8cm between plants, or further if you want larger leaves.

How To Grow, Growing:   Ideal pH: 6.0-6.5.  This heavy feeder requires rich soil. Dig in ¼-½ cup balanced organic fertilizer beneath every 1m of row. Overwintering spinach requires well drained soil.

How To Grow, Harvest:  For baby greens, pick when the leaves are 7-10cm long. Individual leaves can be picked at anytime, until the plant has started to bolt. Cut the whole spinach plant just above soil level.

42 Days.

Approx: 250 Seeds.