Vegetable Seeds

Toma Verde Tomatillo seeds are easy to grow with prolific yields of early-maturing tomatillos. Compact heirloom plants from Toma Verde tomatillo seeds are hardy and adapt well to a variety of climates. Fruits average 5 cm in diameter. Firm, uniform green fruit are wrapped in a papery husk that turns from green to tan and splits open as the fruit reaches full size and maturity. Fruits are tart when enjoyed fresh, and turn sweet when roasted. A Mexican favourite, try Toma Verde in savory sauces, snappy salsas, soups and dips. This plant works well in 5 gallon (or larger) containers, but it forms a large, somewhat sprawling bush so it benefits from some means of support like a tomato cage.

How To Grow, Timing:  Start indoors in early spring with bottom heat, and transplant out in warm weather, once night time temperatures are consistently above 10°C.

How To Grow, Starting:  Sow seeds 5mm-1cm deep in individual pots or trays. Space transplants 45-60cm apart in rows 90-120cm apart.

How To Grow, Growing:  Ideal pH: 6.5-7.0.  Full sun and regular watering will keep the plants producing. Plants need support to keep drooping branches off the ground. Tomato cages work well. Tomatillos and ground cherries are good candidates for large containers. Be sure to pick the fruit before it drops.

How To Grow, Harvest:  For salsa verde, harvest tomatillos when they’re just starting to lighten up on the blossom end. But for fresh eating, the fruit is sweetest when it turns yellow and splits its husks, sometimes falling to the ground. For ground cherries, the fruit ripen from green to yellow-gold, and drop to the ground in their husks.

Matures in 70 days

Approx 56 Seeds.

Physalis pruinosa. Sow Aunt Molly’s ground cherry seeds in the spring for a big harvest of sweet ground cherries by late summer. The plants and fruits resemble tomatillos, with each fruit growing inside a papery husk called a calyx. But fruits mature to a golden orange colour, and drop to the ground when ripe. The sweet little fruits will store for up to three months if kept in their husks, but you’ll want to use them faster than that in jams, fruit salads, and sauces. Aunt Molly’s originated in Poland and are productive in coastal gardens.

How To Grow, Timing:  Start indoors in early spring with bottom heat, and transplant out in warm weather, once night time temperatures are consistently above 10°C.

How To Grow, Starting:  Sow seeds 5mm-1cm deep in individual pots or trays. Space transplants 45-60cm apart in rows 90-120cm apart.

How To Grow, Growing:  Ideal pH: 6.5-7.0.  Full sun and regular watering will keep the plants producing. Plants need support to keep drooping branches off the ground. Tomato cages work well. Tomatillos and ground cherries are good candidates for large containers. Be sure to pick the fruit before it drops.

How To Grow, Harvest:  For salsa verde, harvest tomatillos when they’re just starting to lighten up on the blossom end. But for fresh eating, the fruit is sweetest when it turns yellow and splits its husks, sometimes falling to the ground. For ground cherries, the fruit ripen from green to yellow-gold, and drop to the ground in their husks.

Matures in 65-70 days.

Approx: 130 Seeds.

Known in Italy as Catalogna frastagliata, Italian Dandelion Chicory Seeds produce not a dandelion, but a chicory, a kind of endive. Fast growing, upright, dark-green notched leaves stand in thick bunches. Cut the plant at any height and it will re-grow again. Steamed like spinach, they have a pleasant “wild” flavour. Raw, they add bite to salad. May bolt mid-summer from spring planting. Italian dandelion chicory is quite winter-hardy, and suitable for winter gardening. If allowed to bloom, it sends up tall stalks of attractive, edible blue flowers that produce seeds that are easy to harvest and save for next season.

How To Grow, Timing:  Sow after the last frost date and again in mid-summer to take advantage of the fall growing season. Optimal soil temperature: 10-22°C. Seeds sprout in 2-15 days, depending on conditions. In hot weather plants may go to seed quickly, so have new plantings ready to go.

How To Grow, Starting:  Either direct seed or start indoors and transplant. Sow seeds 5mm deep, and thin or transplant to allow 30-45cm between plants in rows 30-45cm apart.

How To Grow, Growing:  Ideal pH: 6.0-6.5.  Enrich soil with compost and add ¼ cup balanced organic fertilizer into the soil beneath each transplant. Rapid, continuous growth is essential for good yields and high quality. Regular watering is essential.

Fall plantings can be protected from rain by putting a cloche over them. Endive heads can be blanched to reduce bitterness by placing a cardboard or plastic disc on top. Radicchio requires a good supply of phosphorus and potassium, but will not head and may bolt if there is too much nitrogen available. Days to maturity shown are from date of direct sowing. If transplanting, subtract 10-15 days.

How To Grow, Harvest:  Use as a cut and come again crop or let the heads develop and cut at ground level. Many will grow back.

Matures in 65 days.

Approx: 750 Seeds

Named for Ping Tung, Taiwan, the town of its origin. The fruits are light purple, from 30-45cm (12-18”) long, and only 3cm (1¼”) in diameter. Hardy, disease resistant plants bear heavy yields of sweet and tender fruits — as many as twenty per plant. Be sure to stake the bushy plants for the straightest fruits. Eggplants thrive in containers, but the trick is to keep the soil evenly moist, particularly during the hot weather of mid-summer, when the plants are most productive. The plants work equally well in the open field, but benefit from full sun and some protection from harsh wind.

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.

Matures in 65-90 days.

Approx: 70 seeds

Tasty Green cucumber seeds produce vigorous vines bearing long English cucumber fruits up to 30cm in length. Allow the sweet tasting, burpless fruits to hang as they grow by providing a strong trellis for each plant. Tasty Green is productive in raised beds or in containers in the greenhouse, but keep the plants picked to extend the harvest period. This was the first long English hybrid slicing cucumber to be bred for “burplessness,” meaning that it is easy to digest. Many sources refer to it as Burpless Tasty Green F1. For containers, use three to five gallons with fertile soil and excellent drainage.

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 65 days.

Approx: 15 Seeds

Marketmore 76 cucumber seeds yield a smooth, refined, dark-green slicer with a crisp crunch and sweet flavour (makes great pickles). This is an early maturing cucumber that grows to 20-23cm long with slightly shorter vines than other varieties so you can space them more densely and get a higher yield in a small garden. We found Marketmore 76 very productive in greenhouse trials as well as in raised beds. The small seed cavity can be quickly removed by running a spoon down the length of each side. Learn when to plant cucumber seeds in our How to Grow Cucumbers instructions in the tab below.

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 68 days.

Approx: 35 Seeds

High quality European pickling cucumber bearing loads of dark green fruit with fine spines. Anya can be harvested at a range of sizes, from gherkin to large pickle, maintaining its uniform shape and quality throughout. Parthenocarpic plants perform well in a high tunnel or greenhouse, and in the open field or garden. Improved productivity and uniformity compared to open pollinated varieties. Excellent disease package.

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: 10 Seeds

Patio Snacker cucumber seeds produce compact little plants that grow to only 90-150cm, but producing numerous full-sized slicing cucumbers from mid-summer on. Trellis the little plants, or try them in a hanging basket and allow the short vines to spill over the sides. Patio Snacker is a parthenocarpic variety, bred with the small-space gardener in mind, so it’s ideal for balcony growing. Be sure to keep the plants picked so that new flowers and fruits continue to come.

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 50-55 days.

Approx: 10 Seeds

Enjoy the diversity that carrots can bring to the garden. Plant Rainbow Blend carrot seeds to grow purple, white, red, and nice big orange carrots all in the same row. Get the most out of this collection by sowing as evenly as possible to reduce thinning and waste. Repeat sowings will provide a polychromatic carrot bounty from late spring to winter. Kids will love the variety of colours – and flavours.

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.

Matures in 75-110 days.

The ultimate in baby carrots, Little Fingers is a fast-maturing Nantes type with smooth, golden orange skins, crisp texture, and a tender core. Short at 10cm, Little Fingers carrot seeds are well suited to container growing and may succeed in heavier soils. For best results, plant these gourmet carrots in well-cultivated soil from March to July for continuous harvests right into early winter. The sweet flavoured, uniform roots are perfect for pickling, or eating fresh out of the garden.

Bred in France to develop their characteristic orange colour earlier than other varieties, these carrots can be harvested early at 8-9cm. Don’t let them stay in the ground beyond around 68 days or they begin to lose their gourmet qualities.

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.

Matures in 60 days.

Approx: 40 Seeds

Our replacement for Summer Kintsai, Chinese Yellow Stem has delicate, hollow stems with very little fibre. Chinese celery has a stronger flavour and is harvested earlier than standard celery, making it easier to grow. Use the leaves and stalks in stir-fries, soups, salads, and dumplings.

How To Grow, Timing:  Start indoors in late winter to mid-spring. Optimal soil temperature: 15-24°C. Seeds take up to 20-30 days for germination.

How To Grow, Starting:  Sow seeds no more than 5mm deep, 3 seeds per pot, and thin to the strongest plant.

How To Grow, Growing: Ideal pH: 6.0-6.5. Celery is a heavy feeder and needs rich, moist soil. Add compost to soil and apply ¼-½ cup of complete organic fertilizer per 1.5m of row. Transplant when seedlings are 10-12cm tall. Avoid transplanting until night time temperatures are reliably at 10°C or warmer. Space transplants 30cm (12″) apart in rows at least 45cm apart. Water frequently. Premature bolting may result from young plants being exposed to temperatures below 13°C for several days.

How To Grow, Harvest:  For best flavour and longer storage, water plants the day before harvest. Stalks on the outside of the plant can be harvested at any time. The entire plant may be harvested once the desired size is reached, but the home gardener should leave the plant in the garden and take only what is needed, leaving the root intact. If winter is not too cold, celery will stand in the garden until spring, allowing for light pickings for soups and salads.

50 Days

Approx: 1000 Seeds