Organic 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.

The precise origins of this beautiful, ancient heirloom bean are not known, but it is listed as Trout in some histories, possibly after Virginian Jacob Trout. The plump, oblong beans are creamy white and speckled with deep burgundy. The markings darken to almost coffee brown as the seeds age. During the summer, Jacob’s Cattle Bean makes quite a nice snap bean, before the seeds mature. By the end of the season, the prolific bush plants produce masses of pods that are easy and fun to harvest for winter storage. The tasty beans cook in about half the time as other dry beans. It is also known by the colourful names Coach Dog, Dalmation, and Anasazi.

How To Grow, Timing:  Sow as early as possible for dry beans, in late spring, once the soil warms up a bit so plants can mature before wet weather sets in. Optimal soil temperature: 21-32°C.

How To Grow, Starting:  Sow seeds 2-5cm deep, 5-8cm apart, in rows 45-60cm apart. Thin to at least 15cm apart in each row. If the weather is too wet, beans can also be started in pots indoors and set out carefully a few weeks later. Seeds will sprout in 8-16 days, depending on 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. Raised beds help with both drainage and warmth. Too much nitrogen in fertilizer or manure may cause 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.

How To Grow, Harvest:  Stop all watering when the first pods start drying out. Harvest when the seedpods are straw coloured. Pull the plants up by the roots and hang to dry. To shell the beans, bash them back and forth inside a bag or pillowcase, or shell them individually by hand. Do not pick until pods are dry. The beans themselves can then be set somewhere out of direct sunlight, where air movement is good, for a further week to ensure even dryness.

90 Days.

Approx: 25 Seeds.

The aptly named Goliath produces pods up to 21cm long that maintain their tenderness and fine flavour. Now available as organic seed. This is a fine choice for home gardeners and market growers alike. This bush bean sets its pods more or less all at once in a short harvest period. The plants are resistant to Bean Common Mosiac Virus, Curly Top Virus, and Common Rust.

How To Grow, Timing:  Direct sow from mid-spring to early summer. Try to plant during a warm, dry spell. Soil must be warm – if it is not warm enough, the seeds may rot, especially our untreated seeds. Optimal soil temperature for germination: 21-32°C. The seeds should sprout in 8-16 days, depending on conditions.

How To Grow, Starting:  Sow seeds 2-5cm deep, 5-8cm apart, in rows 45-60cm apart. Thin to at least 15cm apart in each row. If the weather is too wet, beans can also be started in pots indoors and set out carefully a few weeks later. For a continuous harvest, plant at 3 week intervals.

How To Grow, Growing:  Ideal pH: 6.0-6.5.  Well drained, warm soil in full sun is best. Raised beds help with both drainage and warmth. Use 1 cup of complete organic fertilizer for every 3m of row. Too much nitrogen fertilizer is often the cause of poor pod set and delayed maturity. If the plants flower but do not set pods, the cause may be zinc deficiency. Try spraying the plants with kelp-based fertilizer.

How To Grow, Harvest:  Pick beans regularly to keep the plant producing (if pods get fat with seed, the plant will stop flowering). The smaller the bean, the more tender they are.

57 Days.

Approx: 60 Seeds.

Brassica rapa var. japonica

Mild and sweet enough for salads, the thin, light-green, feathery leaves are deeply-cut but not curled. Plants grow vigorously so thin to at least 20cm. Cut the whole plant about an inch above the ground and it will re-grow or pick individual leaves. Mizuna can be cut and picked many times. Plant Mizuna Organic mustard seeds in late summer and cover with cloche – it will grow even under low light conditions. Note that it will bolt in April if overwintered.

How To Grow, Timing:  Mustards are cool season plants that grow quickly and then bolt. Direct sow with frost protection as early as late winter or without protection from early to late spring. Sowing short rows every 3 weeks allows for a continuous harvest of both baby leaves and full sized plants. Sow again in late summer for late fall and winter harvests. Optimal soil temperature: 21°C. Seeds should sprout in 5-10 days.

How To Grow, Starting:  If growing to full size, sow 3-4 seeds in each spot you want a plant to grow. Sow 5mm-1cm deep and thin to the strongest plant, spaced 10-15cm in the row. All mustards can be grown in containers for baby salad greens. Sow these as you would mesclun mixes, with seeds spaced as near as possible to 1cm apart.

How To Grow, Growing:  Ideal pH: 6.0-6.5.  One cup of complete organic fertilizer will provide nutrition for 3m (10′) of row. Water regularly. Expect mustards to bolt in hot weather. Provide protection in winter by using a cloche or heavy row cover. At all other times, plan on growing fast and harvesting fast, like spinach. Planting short rows every two weeks works best for the home garden for a constant harvest.

How To Grow, Harvest:  Cut individual leaves, or the whole plant at whatever stage of maturity you desire. Young leaves tend to be more tender and less powerfully flavoured as mature leaves. Some varieties will develop a slight bitterness in fully mature leaves. The leaves can be blanched (or run through a food processor) and then frozen, or even dried and flaked for soup mixes. But the plants are so cold hardy, fresh leaves should be available to the determined gardener 12 months of the year. Whole plants can also be pickled for long term storage.

45 Days.

Approx: 380 Seeds.

CERTIFIED ORGANIC! Amish Paste organic roma tomato seeds produce large, heavy fruit that will reward your growing efforts and your palate with the richest sauces and thickest pastes. These lovely, firm heirloom tomatoes are a culinary favourite. The deep red flesh is firm, not too juicy and the taste is a fine balance between sweet and rich. Of Amish origins circa the late 1800’s, originally from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The plants have a long growing season and will produce bountiful yields of flavourful fruit until late fall. Vines often reach over 6 feet and will require heavy staking for support.

The shape of Amish Paste organic tomatoes varies from “ox heart” to “plum” – both may often be found on the same plant at the same time. Vines continuously produce small clusters of large, up to 226g, deep-red fruits that are nearly seedless.

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.

Indeterminate (vine)

Matures in 75 days (Open-pollinated seeds)

Approx 40 Seeds.

CERTIFIED ORGANIC! Old German Organic tomato produces huge fruit striped with red and gold colours reminiscent of a Caribbean sunset. These delicious beefsteaks are fantastic sliced to compliment any meal with a gorgeous splash of colour.

This variety originates from a Mennonite community in the Shennandoah Valley of Virginia circa the mid 1800’s. The Mennonites take great pride in preserving their heritage, faith, and way of life and are responsible for cultivating many excellent heirloom vegetable varieties. The seeds came into commercial production in 1985.

The hearty potato leaf plants often grow to 2.4-3m tall. Plants produce moderate yields of up to 900g (2 lb.) fragrant, decorative and nearly seedless tomatoes. Sturdy staking is required to support the large vines and heavy fruit. It’s important to note this variety is not drought tolerant.

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.

Indeterminate (vine)

Matures in 80 days (Open-pollinated seeds)

Approx: 25 Seeds

CERTIFIED ORGANIC. Glacier Organic is one of our earliest maturing tomato varieties. The productive little plants are compact and well suited to containers and balcony growing. Glacier’s ‘cocktail’ size fruits are small at just 5cm in diameter, but they are very sweet, with a superior flavour compared to some other early maturing varieties. The stout plants grow to only 60-75cm tall, and bear most of their fruit in a concentrated set. The plants are relatively cold tolerant and perform well in short season northern gardens.

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.

55 Days.

Approx 50 Seeds.

Dark purple to almost black skinned, glossy, oblong, large fruits that form early on sturdy plants. Grown for over 100 years, this heirloom is a heavy producer with up to 12 fruits per plant, but needs lots of heat. Try it under a cloche or with some plastic mulch over the soil. Even without extra help Black Beauty Organic eggplant seeds will be productive in coastal gardens. Expect eight to ten fruits per plant. This variety performs well in containers that are five gallons or larger. Half barrels would be perfect.

How To Grow, Timing:  Sow indoors in the four weeks following the last frost date. Use bottom heat, and keep seedlings warm. Optimal soil temperature: 24-32°C. Seeds should sprout in 7-12 days.

How To Grow, Starting:  Sow seeds 5mm-1cm deep. Use individual peat or coir pots to reduce root disturbance when transplanting. Transplant after night time temperatures are steadily 10°C or warmer. Space with 45-60cm between plants. Medium size (3-5 gallon) containers for individual plants also work well.

How To Grow, Growing:  Ideal pH: 5.5-6.0.  Soil should have abundant phosphorus and calcium, so add lime and compost to the soil three weeks prior to transplanting. Mix ¼-½ cup of complete organic fertilizer into the soil beneath each transplant. Using a clear plastic cloche or floating row cover helps growth by increasing heat. Cool temperatures increase leafy growth, but delay fruit set. Once most eggplants get going in the summer, they are highly productive right up until the first frosts.

How To Grow, Harvest:  Pinch off blossoms 2 to 4 weeks before first expected frost so that plants focus on ripening any existing fruit, not producing new ones. Harvest the fruit anytime after the fruit reaches half of their size. Harvesting early prevents fruit from becoming too seedy, and will encourage more production from the plants.

Do not pull the fruit off the plant, but cut it with scissors or secateurs, being careful to avoid any sharp spurs at the stem end.

74 Days

Approx: 50 Seeds

The sweetest tasting of this series, Sunrise Bumble Bee has orange skin streaked with pink and gold for incredible visual appeal. They look amazing in salads, and have a very sweet flavour and succulent texture. All our Bumblebee series tomatoes are sold as organic seed. The Bumble Bee series will work in a 5-gallon (or larger) containers, but be sure to keep the vines well picked so they keep producing the crack resistant fruit right through late summer.

Indeterminate (vine)

Matures in 70 days.

Approx: 10 Seeds

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.

How To Grow, Disease & Pests:   Blossom End Rot is an environmental disorder caused by a calcium deficiency. As the name of the disorder indicates it occurs at the blossom end of the fruit. It appears as a brownish dry and firm sunken area. Sometimes a secondary infection can occur at the damaged area, which turns it mushy and wet. Internal blackening can occur without the characteristic end rot. Calcium deficiency can happen when there is uneven watering. When the plants are too dry for a period followed by over watering, this encourages fast growth. The tomato plant can’t take up enough calcium resulting in an unbalanced potassium-to-calcium ratio. Early fruit show the affects sooner than later fruit. Digging in bonemeal, dolomite lime and a balanced organic fertilizer such as Gaia All Purpose Blend 4-4-4 will help prevent this disease as will an even and regular watering schedule.

An airborne fungal disease causes Late Blight. It begins as leaf spots before spreading to stems and fruit. Water soaked areas appear on the leaves. These are greenish black and irregular in shape. Brown cankers develop on the stems and fruit. Blight infected tomatoes can have a fishy smell. Often the fruit manages to almost reach maturity before the cankers take over. Sometimes a bluish grey mould grows on the underside of infected leaves and on the fruit cankers.

Prevention is key as there is no cure for the disease. Keep moisture off the plants. Use drip tape for watering and avoid splashing the leaves. Our cloche system is excellent for keeping rain and moisture off the plants. In a greenhouse or under a cloche, humidity can build up so high that the fungus will destroy plants in 24 hours. You must ventilate well.

Bordo Copper Spray applied regularly in late summer prevents the fungus that causes Late Blight to germinate. If applied with the OMRI listed Superflow Natural Surfactant the copper spray will stay on longer and there will be less need to apply other than after each rainfall or heavy dew.

Phytopthera infestans is the fungus that infects tomatoes and potatoes, and is dreadful on the Coast. Greyish black areas appear first on stems and leaves, moving rapidly to kill the plant. The critical factor is moisture. Blight infects tomato plants with leaves and stems that are moist for over 48 hours. Moisture can be from rain, heavy dew, high humidity in a greenhouse or cover, condensation, or irrigation water. Once you know this, you can plan a shelter under an overhanging eve, on a porch or under a structure that you create. The protection must have excellent ventilation and must give you access to pick and prune your tomatoes. Consider growing your tomatoes in containers that can be moved to sheltered spots out of the rain.

Late blight overwinters in tomato and potato debris. Do not plant in a bed used to grow tomatoes or potatoes last year, and dispose of diseased plants in the garbage not the compost. Copper spray can prevent the fungus from infecting the plant. Plants must be sprayed every 7-10 days before any symptoms appear. Blight strikes in the rains of late summer, so choose at least one variety that will ripen before the deluge. The best advice we can offer to avoid blight is to grow early ripening bush varieties and to protect your vines carefully.

Flea Beetles make many tiny holes in the tomato leaves. They can cause problems for small tender transplants but a healthy plant can usually outgrow the damage. Use our Floating Row Cover for early season protection from Flea Beetles when transplanting your tomatoes.

How to Grow, Companion Planting:  Another sensitive plant when it comes to companions, tomatoes benefit from asparagus, basil, beans, borage, carrots, celery, chives, collards, cucumber, garlic, lettuce, marigold, mint, nasturtium, onion, parsley, and peppers. Avoid planting alongside Brassicas and dill. Corn will attract tomato pests, and kohlrabi will stunt tomatoes’ growth. Potatoes may spread blight to tomatoes, so keep them apart. Do no plant tomatoes near walnut trees.

Super cute red cherry tomatoes with purple stripes. The sweet round fruits have excellent flavour and grow to a uniform 4cm across. They hang in long trusses from tall indeterminate vines. Try Purple Bumble Bee in a 5-gallon (or larger) container but be sure to provide the support of a trellis or string, as the vines are vigorous. Keep the plants picked and snip back any suckers so the fruit production is limited to one central vine.

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.

Indeterminate (vine) Matures in 70 days.

Approx:10 Seeds.

This organic, high quality Italian heirloom has incredible flavour. San Marzano Lampadina”s elongated (4-6oz) red tomatoes have firm pulp and thick skin, perfect for canning or making sauces and paste. The vines of this traditional San Marzano type are vigorous and indeterminate. Once you taste this fantastic tomato, you’ll wish you had twice as many plants. The fruits also keep for ages due to their low water content.

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°Cor 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.

Indeterminate (vine) Matures in 80 days.

Approx 45 Seeds

Save space in your garden and grow vertically with this unique vining zucchini. Ola Escaladora will grow up any fence or trellis so you can harvest without having to bend down. Dark green, 20-25cm fruit grows abundantly on long vines that spread up to 5m.

How To Grow, Timing:  Direct sow or transplant in late May or early June when soil is warm. For transplants, start seeds indoors in late April or early May. Optimal soil temperature for germination: 25-35°C. Seeds should sprout in 7-14 days.

How To Grow, Starting:  Sow seeds 2cm deep. Sow 3 seeds in each spot you want a plant to grow and thin to the strongest one. Aim to space zucchinis no less than 45-60cm apart in rows 90-120cm apart.

How To Grow, Growing:  Ideal pH: 6.0-6.8.  These big, fast-growing plants need plenty of moisture and lots of food. Grow them in rich, well-drained soil in full sun. Dig finished compost or well-rotted manure into the beds, and dig in 1 cup of complete organic fertilizer beneath each transplant. Water the soil around them when you irrigate, and always avoid overhead watering, as wet leaves will attract diseases like mildew. Keep weeded. Misshapen or withered fruits can result from incomplete pollination. Make sure to remove these from the plants as you see them, before they begin to rot, and put them in the compost. In the home garden it can be tempting to over-plant zucchinis. One well-grown plant will provide enough fruits for the average family. Instead of planting several zucchinis, use that space for other vegetables.

How To Grow, Harvest:  Pick regularly to encourage the plant to keep on fruiting. Zucchini leaves are often very prickly, so pull delicate skinned fruit out carefully. Fully mature zucchini have a hard skin.

58 Days

Approx: 10 Seeds.