Organic Seeds

Sugar Baby Organic watermelon seeds are CERTIFIED ORGANIC! This classic heirloom icebox type melon first appeared on the market back in 1959. Sugar Baby melon seeds produce watermelons that have a thin, hard rind with distinct stripes that become almost black at maturity. The flesh is firm, sweet, almost orange-red, with small, apple-like seeds. The round fruits grow to about 18cm in diameter on vines that can be grown along the ground or up a trellis. Provide as much heat as possible for the best productivity by growing under a cloche, in a greenhouse, or even in raised beds. Be sure to use very fertile soil and provide even moisture through the growing season.

How To Grow, Timing:  It is essential to start seeds indoors or in a greenhouse 4-6 weeks after the last frost date. Transplant when the plants are 5 weeks old. Optimal soil temperature for germination: 20-25°C. Seeds should sprout in 5-10 days.

How To Grow, Starting:  Sow seeds 1cm deep. Set transplants 60-90cm apart in rows 1.5-2m apart.

How To Grow, Growing:  Ideal pH: 6.0-6.8.  Choose a warm, well-drained soil. Add dolomite lime and compost or well-rotted manure to the bed and ½-1 cup of balanced organic fertilizer beneath each transplant. Melons need warm growing conditions. Use black plastic mulch, cloches, or floating row covers. Success may improve in raised beds. Melons plants require 8-10 weeks of good, hot growing weather from the middle of June to the end of August. During that time, a melon vine must grow 5-9 leaves before starting to flower, then set 4 or more male flowers before making its first female flower, and then ripen its fruit before cool, damp weather sets in. Melons do not ripen off the vine. During the entire growing season, make sure to provide ample water.

How To Grow, Harvest:  Fruit will ripen in late August to early September. Ripe cantaloupe will easily detach from the vine when light finger pressure is applied to the stem. Watermelon is ripe when the tendril nearest to the fruit withers and dries up.

Matures in 82 days.

Our tallest, darkest romaine, Coastal Star Organic performs brilliantly in spring and fall, and even in winter with some protection from hard frost. This romaine is early maturing with a high resistance to corky root. Heads are tightly packed around blanched tender hearts, and have an overall pleasant lettuce flavour. Growth is very upright on plants that average around 30cm tall. Even the outer wrapper leaves are held off the ground, so there no bottom rot issues. The dark colour of Coastal Star is thought to represent a more nutritious lettuce than the paler romaines like Plato II.

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 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.

Matures in 65 days.

Approx: 200 Seeds.

Grow your own babyleaf Fast and Furious lettuce with this blend of our whole line of CERTIFIED ORGANIC babyleaf lettuce varieties. Enjoy the contrast in colour, flavour, and texture from freshly cut salad greens. Market gardeners will love the uniform, fast growth rate, along with the impressive disease resistance of each component. Perfect for hydroponics, aquaponics, or conventional tray growing – and excellent in patio containers. The Fast and Furious Blend is perfect for any organic market grower with CSA boxes to fill or restaurants to accommodate.

How To Grow, Timing:  Seed every three weeks from just before the last frost date until the end of summer for a continuous harvest. Provide frost protection with a cloche or heavy row cover when frost looms in the fall. Many mesclun types and mixes will continue to grow all winter where winters are mild.

How To Grow, Starting:  Plant in a block or in a wide row. Sprinkle the seeds evenly over prepared, moist soil. Try to space seeds about 1cm apart. Cover lightly with soil, and firm them in. Four grams of seed will plant a 12m row that is 7cm wide, so don’t plant the whole packet at once. For container growing, choose containers that are at least 10cm deep. Wider is better. The most common mistake is over-planting.

How To Grow, Growing:  Moderately fertile soil – particularly if you’re planning multiple harvests. Dig in 1 cup of complete organic fertilizer for every 3m of row. For containers, use peat or coir based mix with compost added. Water regularly. If growth slows after harvest, use a bit of kelp or fish based fertilizer to provide a boost of nutrition for the next growth spurt.

How To Grow, Harvest:  There are two methods of gathering salad greens. You can use scissors to cut everything about 2-5cm from the ground, when the plants are about 10-15cm tall. Or, you can pick individual leaves as they’re needed. The first cutting may contain more brassicas than lettuces (arugula, mizuna) but if you cut the mix back when the leaves are still small, the lettuce will catch up. The salad greens will regrow for a second harvest in another 2 or 3 weeks.

Matures in 35-40 days.

Approx: 500 Seeds.

CERTIFIED ORGANIC! Described as the earliest and best white spine, heirloom cucumber ever offered, Early Fortune Organic is a fresh and clean tasting slicer is descended from seeds first bred in Michigan in 1906. The fruits grow 18-21cm long, and a consistent 5cm in diameter. The plants are richly productive for the home or market gardener. It also makes gorgeous pickles. The plants are productive in the greenhouse or polytunnel, but equally so growing in raised beds or the open field. Give the fruits a quick rub with a tea towel or similar cloth to remove spines at harvest time.

How To Grow, Timing:  Cucumbers need very warm soil to germinate. If direct sowing, wait until mid-June. If weather turns cool and wet after that, just re-sow. Or start transplants indoors in individual peat or coir pots 3-4 weeks before transplanting out into warm soil. If starting indoors, use bottom heat. Transplant when the plants develop their third true leaf. If the plants are too big, they may experience transplant shock. Optimal soil temperature for germination (and transplanting): 15-30°C.

How To Grow, Starting:  Sow 3-4 seeds 2cm deep in each spot you want a plant to grow. Thin to the strongest seedling. Space plants 23cm apart in rows 90cm apart.

How To Grow, Growing:  Ideal pH: 6.0-6.8.  Choose a warm, well-drained soil. Raised beds work well. Add diolomite lime and compost or well-rotted manure to the bed and ½-1 cup of complete organic fertilizer mixed into the soil beneath each transplant. Cucumbers are vigorous and need lots of nutrition and water. Use plastic mulch, plant under floating row cover or cloches – anything to warm things up. Once the weather warms up, keep soil evenly moist. When plants begin to flower, remove covers so bees can access the flowers to pollinate. Fruit that is not fully pollinated will be very small and shriveled, and should be removed from the plant. Most varieties should produce fruits until the weather begins to cool down. Keep plants well picked for better production. Try to water the soil only, keeping the leaves as dry as possible.

Almost all cucumbers benefit from being trained onto a trellis of some kind. Some vines can reach 7 or 8 feet in length, so growing them upward onto a trellis makes good use of garden space. Fruits that grow hanging into space tend to be straighter than those that form on the ground.

How To Grow, Harvest:  For a continuous harvest, make successive plantings every 2 to 3 weeks until about 3 months before first fall frost date. Keep picking the cucumbers regularly, because if they get too big, the plant will stop producing. About one month before first frost, start pinching off new flowers so plants channel energy into ripening existing fruit.

Matures in 55 days.
Approx: 35 Seeds

CERTIFIED ORGANIC! Chioggia Guardsmark Organic beet seeds are a striking Italian type with light-red, smooth round roots and bright pink and white alternating rings inside. These sweet beets (pronounced kee-OH-jee-ah) are about 5cm (2″) in diameter with mild green leaves and pale red stems. Chioggia Guardsmark organic beet seeds are a staff favourite that add festive colour to any meal.

How To Grow, Timing: Direct sow 4 weeks after last frost to mid-summer. Beets will not produce roots if planted when the soil is too cold. Seeds will germinate in 5-12 days, depending on soil temperature. Optimal soil temperature: 10-26°C.

How To Grow, Seeding: Sow 1cm deep, 5-10cm apart in rows 30-45cm apart.

How To Grow, Growing: Ideal pH: 6.0-6.8.  For uniformly sized beets, thin carefully to 7-15cm apart when seedlings are 5cm tall. Eat any thinned plants, roots and all. Root size is controlled by spacing and variety.

Matures in 65 days.

Approx: 100 seeds

CERTIFIED ORGANIC! Maxibel is unsurpassed in flavour and great for fresh market gardeners. Straight, dark-green filet bean pods are stringless and about 18cm long on sturdy bush plants. Maxibel Filet Organic bush bean seeds produce plants that yield in a huge but concentrated harvest. This is an excellent choice for multiple spring sowings – stagger planting times and sow short rows every two to three weeks. This will result in a much longer harvest window. Try growing Maxibel bush beans in larger containers like half barrels or grow bags in urban settings. They work very well in raised beds, too.

How To Grow, Timing:  Direct sow mid-to late spring. Try to plant during a warm, dry spell. Soil must be warm—if it is not warm enough, seeds may rot, especially since our seeds are not treated with fungicide. Sow drying beans as early as possible, so they can mature before rainy/cold weather sets in. Optimal soil temperature: 21-2°C. Seeds will sprout in 8-16 days, depending on conditions.

How To Grow, Starting:  Sow bush bean 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 longer 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. Use 1 cup of complete organic fertilizer for every 3m of row. Raised beds help with both drainage and warmth. 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.

Matures in 55 days.

Approx: 90 Seeds