Seeds + Starting Material

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

How To Grow, Timing:  Direct sow in early spring to mid-summer for summer to winter harvests. Or start indoors 4-6 weeks before the last frost, and transplant out as soon as the soil warms up. Optimal soil temperature: 10-30°C. Seeds should germinate in 7-10 days.

How To Grow, Starting:  Sow 3-4 seeds 5mm deep in each spot where a plant is to grow. Thin to the strongest plant. Space 45-60cm apart in rows 75-90cm apart.

How To Grow, Growing:  Ideal pH: 6.0-6.8.  Add lime to the bed 3 weeks prior to sowing. Kale likes well-drained, fertile soil high in organic matter. This plant prefers plentiful, consistent moisture. Drought is tolerable, but quality and flavor of leaves can suffer. Mix ¼ cup of complete organic fertilizer into the soil beneath each transplant, or use 1 cup beneath every 3m of seed furrow.

How To Grow, Harvest:  Kale and collards can both be grown as a cut and come again crop for salad mixes by direct-seeding and cutting when plants are 5-8cm tall. They will re-grow. Or pick leaves from the bottom up on mature plants as you need them. In spring, the surviving plants start to flower, so eat the delicious flowering steps and buds.

Matures in 50 days.

Approx: 60 Seeds

We’ve mixed equal amounts of seed for these great tasting, high-yielding hybrid varieties with early, mid and late season maturities for the longest possible harvests. Plant and grow them together and you’ll be enjoying their sweet blue-green spears for weeks as they ripen in succession. We’ve chosen cultivars for flavorful, extra fancy, tightly beaded main heads and abundant side shoots. All three have excellent disease resistance and weather tolerance.

60 Days.

Approx: 117 Seeds.

BEST TO START INDOORS

Start seeds 4 or 5 weeks before last expected spring frost and again in midsummer for a fall crop. Sow seeds 1 inch apart in a container of seed starting mix, cover ½ inch deep and keep evenly moist. Provide a strong light source until seedlings are ready to plant out. When seedlings are 3 to 4 inches tall, transplant 12 to 18 inches apart into rich, well-drained soil in full sun, after gradually acclimating to outdoor conditions.

TO START OUTDOORS

Sow seeds in well-worked, fertile soil in full sun. Plant groups of 2-3 seeds 1/2 inch deep and 12 inches apart. Space rows 18 inches apart. Thin to 1 strong seedling per group so plants have room to mature and yield.

GROWING NOTES

Broccoli needs rich soil and cool growing weather to produce big heads. Prepare soil well and do not let seedlings get too crowded before transplanting or you will stunt heads. Keep well watered and weeded and feed monthly with all purpose fertilizer. Use nontoxic B.T. (Bacillus thuringiensis) products to repel caterpillar pests as necessary.

HARVEST AND USE

Harvest the main head before florets open by cutting about halfway down the stalk. This will encourage smaller side shoots to form for extended picking from each plant.

Our mixture of burgundy, golden and candy-striped beets yields big harvests with glowing rich colors, succulent texture and sweet earthy flavor. These beets will become an easy to grow, long keeping staple in your garden and kitchen. The smooth roots can be harvested at any size to bake, boil or steam and enjoy hot and buttered or chilled in an herb vinaigrette. The nutritious young tops are unrivaled as melt-in-your-mouth steamed greens. Red Sangria, Golden Beets, Striped Chioggia.

START SEEDS OUTDOORS
In early spring when danger of hard frost is over, sow seeds in well-worked, fertile soil in full sun. Sow seeds 1 inch deep and 1 inch apart in rows 10 inches apart, or broadcast thinly and evenly for bed planting. Firm soil well over these irregularly shaped seeds to ensure good germination. If first sowing germinates unevenly, replant more seed in the rows as seedlings will catch up fast. Carefully thin when seedlings are large enough to handle to stand 3 to 4 inches apart so roots have room to grow and mature.

GROWING NOTES
For best quality tender roots, sow seeds before midsummer heat and again in early fall at least 10 weeks before fall frosts. Keep soil evenly moist throughout the growing season. Be sure to thin beet seedlings carefully several times when plants are small as they’ll grow best if given enough room.

HARVEST AND USE
After thinning seedlings, use tender young tops for nutritious flavorful steamed greens. Harvest baby beets at 1 to 2 inches in diameter, or let roots grow as large as desired. Garden fresh beets cook quickly. They are delicious steamed, boiled or baked whole in their skins like potatoes, then peeled for wonderful color and sweet concentrated flavor.

Mars Landing kale has a truly “out of this world” appearance! The tender leaves are a wonderful bronzy purple/maroon color with light green underneath and notched and scalloped edges. Besides its sensational appearance, this tender, mild and very tasty variety holds well in the garden without getting tough or stringy or losing quality. Enjoy nutrition-packed, richly colored Mars Landing kale for months in delicious salads, or steam, braise or add to soups and stews.

50 Days.

Approx: 270 Seeds.

TO START DIRECTLY IN THE GARDEN

As soon as ground can be worked in spring, prepare a well-drained, fertile garden bed in full sun. Sow groups of 3 seeds each 10-12 inches apart and 1/2 inch deep, in rows 12-18 inches apart. Keep soil evenly moist. When seedlings are 3 inches tall, thin to just 1 seedling per group. Sow again in late summer for another cold-hardy crop.

TO START INDOORS

Sow seeds in a container of seed starting mix 2 inches apart and cover 1/2 inch deep. Keep moist and provide a strong light source until seedlings are 3 to 4 inches tall then plant outdoors.

THIN OR TRANSPLANT

Space 10 to 12 inches apart so plants have room to mature.

GROWING NOTES

Kale tastes best in cool weather so sow spring crops early. A late summer-sown crop will yield through fall and winter except in the coldest climates. Frost actually enhances kale leaves’ color, flavor and sweetness. Mulch to retain moisture in summer and before the ground freezes to protect the roots of fall crops.

HARVEST AND USE

Begin harvesting outer leaves when plants have 6 to 8 leaves. Vitamin-rich kale is delicious in hearty winter soups, stews and sautés; or braise the beautiful leaves with garlic and olive oil in traditional Mediterranean style. Pull and discard once plants begin to bloom since the leaves of flowering stalks get tough and bitter.

C. pepo. When Jackpot zucchini starts producing, you’ll think you hit the jackpot! Bushy plants have few spines, very high yield, and continuous production. Very similar to Ambassador in terms of its upright growth along one single stem, but even earlier to mature. Jackpot zucchini squash seeds fruits are cylindrical, and perfect to pick at 17cm long, not long after the flowers are pollinated. Jackpot zucchini squash seeds make an excellent replacement for Ambassador zucchini seeds. Its upright growth makes Jackpot a good candidate for raised garden beds, or any place where space is limited.

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.

50 days.

Approx: 13 Seeds.

This delicious carrot shrugs aside heavy soil and forms beautiful 15-20cm long, fine-grained roots that are bright orange throughout and as coreless as the name suggests. Nantes Coreless develop cylindrical and sweet roots, with relatively small tops.

They have excellent flavour and are very tender. Sow these lovely carrots in raised beds or in deeply cultivated soil and be sure to thin the seedlings to 4-10cm apart in the row so that each has room to develop on its own.

How To Grow, Timing:  Direct sow from just after the last frost date to late summer for harvests from summer through early winter. Sow at 3 week intervals for a continuous harvest. Direct sow winter-harvest carrots (where winters are mild) in the first two weeks of August. Optimal soil temperature: 7-30°C. Seeds may take as long as 14-21 days to germinate.

How To Grow, Starting:  Because carrot seeds are tiny, they need to be sown shallowly. The trick is to keep the top-most layer of soil damp during the relatively long germination period. Water deeply prior to planting. Direct sow the tiny seeds 5mm deep, 4 seeds per 2cm, and firm soil lightly after seeding. Make sure the seeds are only just buried. Water the area with the gentlest stream possible, and keep it constantly moist until the seeds sprout.

How To Grow, Growing:  Ideal pH: 6.0-6.8.   The softer and more humus-based the soil, the better. When soil is dry enough in spring, work it to a fine texture. Broadcast and dig in ½ cup complete organic fertilizer for every 3m of row. Avoid fresh manure. Carrots will become misshapen, but still edible if they hit anything hard as they grow down into the soil. Keep weeded and watered.

How To Grow, Thinning:  This is the process of removing some seedlings, if necessary, so each has enough space to grow in the row. It is very important to thin carrots so they don’t compete for available nutrients, moisture, and light. Thin to 4-10cm apart when the young plants are 2cm tall. Use wider spacing to get larger roots. As they grow, carrots may push up, out of the soil, so hill soil up to prevent getting a green shoulder.

How To Grow, Harvest:  Carrots can be harvested at any size, but flavour is best when the carrot has turned bright orange (or its other mature colour). After harvest, store at cold temperatures just above 0ºC. Store in sand or sawdust, or simply leave carrots under heaped soil in the garden during the winter, and pull as needed.

75 Days

Approx: 700 Seeds

Bolero is the first choice for storage carrots. This RHS Award of Merit winner is very sweet and crunchy and is a good keeper in storage or in the ground. Roots are bright orange, up to 20cm long, and slightly tapered, with the typical blunt Nantes tip.

Bolero is a great variety for home or market. Hybrid uniformity accompanies superb flavour and excellent storage ability. This variety is something of an industry standard. High level of resistance to Alternaria blights and powdery mildew.

This seed is pelleted with clay for easier handling. Conventional seed with COR-compliant pellet, suitable for use by certified organic growers. Note: This seed is pelleted to improve handling and planting accuracy.

How To Grow, Timing:  Direct sow from just after the last frost date to late summer for harvests from summer through early winter. Sow at 3 week intervals for a continuous harvest. Direct sow winter-harvest carrots (where winters are mild) in the first two weeks of August. Optimal soil temperature: 7-30°C. Seeds may take as long as 14-21 days to germinate.

How To Grow, Starting:  Because carrot seeds are tiny, they need to be sown shallowly. The trick is to keep the top-most layer of soil damp during the relatively long germination period. Water deeply prior to planting. Direct sow the tiny seeds 5mm deep, 4 seeds per 2cm, and firm soil lightly after seeding. Make sure the seeds are only just buried. Water the area with the gentlest stream possible, and keep it constantly moist until the seeds sprout.

How To Grow, Growing:   Ideal pH: 6.0-6.8.  The softer and more humus-based the soil, the better. When soil is dry enough in spring, work it to a fine texture. Broadcast and dig in ½ cup complete organic fertilizer for every 3m of row. Avoid fresh manure. Carrots will become misshapen, but still edible if they hit anything hard as they grow down into the soil. Keep weeded and watered.

How To Grow, Thinning:  This is the process of removing some seedlings, if necessary, so each has enough space to grow in the row. It is very important to thin carrots so they don’t compete for available nutrients, moisture, and light. Thin to 4-10cm apart when the young plants are 2cm tall. Use wider spacing to get larger roots. As they grow, carrots may push up, out of the soil, so hill soil up to prevent getting a green shoulder.

How To Grow, Harvest:  Carrots can be harvested at any size, but flavour is best when the carrot has turned bright orange (or its other mature colour). After harvest, store at cold temperatures just above 0ºC. Store in sand or sawdust, or simply leave carrots under heaped soil in the garden during the winter, and pull as needed.

75 Days

Approx: 70 Seeds

Deep purple on the outside and bright orange inside, this 2006 AAS Winner has a lovely, sweet taste, especially when raw. Lightly stir-fry to retain a deeper purple colour. The roots are 25-30cm (10-12″) long and slender with a graceful taper.

Imperator type. This is our top pick for a purple carrot—enjoy the great flavour and stunning cross-section. We recommend planting Purple Haze for a fall harvest, so it does not bolt. Children love the idea of purple carrots and appreciate the sweet flavour of Purple Haze.

How To Grow, Timing:  Direct sow from just after the last frost date to late summer for harvests from summer through early winter. Sow at 3 week intervals for a continuous harvest. Direct sow winter-harvest carrots (where winters are mild) in the first two weeks of August. Optimal soil temperature: 7-30°C. Seeds may take as long as 14-21 days to germinate.

How To Grow, Starting:  Because carrot seeds are tiny, they need to be sown shallowly. The trick is to keep the top-most layer of soil damp during the relatively long germination period. Water deeply prior to planting. Direct sow the tiny seeds 5mm deep, 4 seeds per 2cm, and firm soil lightly after seeding. Make sure the seeds are only just buried. Water the area with the gentlest stream possible, and keep it constantly moist until the seeds sprout.

How To Grow, Growing:  Ideal pH: 6.0-6.8.  The softer and more humus-based the soil, the better. When soil is dry enough in spring, work it to a fine texture. Broadcast and dig in ½ cup complete organic fertilizer for every 3m of row. Avoid fresh manure. Carrots will become misshapen, but still edible if they hit anything hard as they grow down into the soil. Keep weeded and watered.

How To Grow, Thinning:  This is the process of removing some seedlings, if necessary, so each has enough space to grow in the row. It is very important to thin carrots so they don’t compete for available nutrients, moisture, and light. Thin to 4-10cm apart when the young plants are 2cm tall. Use wider spacing to get larger roots. As they grow, carrots may push up, out of the soil, so hill soil up to prevent getting a green shoulder.

How To Grow, Harvest:  Carrots can be harvested at any size, but flavour is best when the carrot has turned bright orange (or its other mature colour). After harvest, store at cold temperatures just above 0ºC. Store in sand or sawdust, or simply leave carrots under heaped soil in the garden during the winter, and pull as needed.

75 Days

Approx: 215 Seeds

Chocolate Beauty produces medium large, mostly 4-lobed bell peppers that turn from shiny green to rich chocolate brown if left to mature. As green bell peppers, they have somewhat average flavour, but as they fully ripen to dark brown, the sweetness increases and they become positively delectable. Chocolate Beauty peppers are visually stunning when mixed with yellow bell peppers in a salad. The unusual colour brings eye catching visual allure to any pepper dish. Try these peppers in containers – one plant per 3–5-gallon pot.

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 75 days.

Approx: 30 Seeds.

Sweet, stringless pods are borne on 80cm semi-leafless vines that do not require support. The pods are about 9cm long and average 2 pods per node. Sow Sugar Lace II seeds for giant harvests of very sweet snap peas. This variety is resistant to powdery mildew and pea enation mosaic virus, so it handles the cool weather at the end of the season better than others. Try planting as late as early August for harvests into October. It’s also a nice one for early spring planting – you can direct sow as early as mid-February on the coast.

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.

Matures in 68 days.

Approx: 80 Seeds.

This early heirloom shelling pea forms stocky, semi-dwarf bushes from 30-45 cm tall and is well suited to growing in containers or the vegetable bed. Each of Little Marvel’s 8-10 cm pods contains 6-9 medium green, sugary peas. This is a winner of the RHS Award for Garden Merit. Can be grown in spring and cut back in time to plant a summer crop, leaving the soil enriched with nitrogen.

Little Marvel shelling pea seeds were first introduced as Sutton’s Little Marvel in 1900. It is an old, dependable variety with an extended season, fine quality, and heavy yields.

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 bone meal 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.

Matures in 62 days.

Approx: 95 seeds