Organic

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

Scaled down version of the classic large hubbard, Baby Blue produces 1.8-2.8kg fruit on compact semi-vine plants. Teardrop shaped squash have delicious orange flesh and pretty blue-grey skins. An attractive, flavourful variety for gardenders and commercial growers alike. Fruit store well through the winter.

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

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

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

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

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

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

95 Days.

Approx: 10 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.

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.

Pearl is the perfect name for this classy, refined, pure white radish. Pearl holds its round shape better than other white varieties, even in less-than-optimal conditions. Mild flavour with a hint of heat. Strong tops for easy harvest and bunching.

Timing: Radishes can be grown all season but they’re easiest when sown just after the last frost date and again at the end of summer and into the fall. Optimal soil temperature: 18-24°C (65-75°F). Seeds should sprout in 5-7 days.

Starting: Sow seeds 5mm (¼”) deep, 25 seeds per 30cm (12″) in rows spaced 30-45cm (12-18″) apart, and thin to 6-12 plants per 30cm (12″).

Growing: Ideal pH: 6.0-6.8. Radishes are moderate to heavy feeders. Best in rich, loamy soil amended with composted manure. Add 1 cup of complete organic fertilizer for every 3m (10′) of row for background fertility. Lime beds the previous fall. The real secret to growing this little vegetable is speed. Sow a short row frequently, thin them quickly, keep them watered, eat them quickly, and sow some more.

Harvest: Harvest promptly when radishes are the size of large marbles. The leaves and developing seedpods are also tasty.

Diseases & Pests: Root maggots and flea beetles can be a problem. Expect to lose 20-30% of your crop to maggots if you don’t use a floating row cover.

Grow sweet and crunchy baby leaf salad greens or full-sized heads — just space to suit the purpose. This blend can be harvested at the baby leaf stage, mid-head, or full-head size without losing any of its characteristics. This blend of two green and two red Eazyleaf lettuces grows a diversity of shapes and textures for an interesting and tasty salad.

The Eazyleaf® series of lettuces are bred to yield a high count of leaves of uniform shape and size ready for salads, with one cut. Plant at 15-20cm (6-8″) spacing to harvest the full head just above the root and make your final cut for salad leaves just before using. Or plant heads at 10-15cm (4-6″) spacing and cut in the field just above the growing tip for a harvest of loose leaves ready to eat as a salad. Leaves will grow back for multiple harvests. Matures in 40-50 days.

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.

Starting: Plant in a block or in a wide row. Sprinkle the seeds evenly over prepared, moist soil. Try to space seeds about 1cm (½”) apart. Cover lightly with soil, and firm them in. Four grams of seed will plant a 12m (40′) row that is 7cm (3″) wide, so don’t plant the whole packet at once. For container growing, choose containers that are at least 10cm (4″) deep. Wider is better. The most common mistake is over-planting.

Growing: Moderately fertile soil – particularly if you’re planning multiple harvests. Dig in 1 cup of complete organic fertilizer for every 3m (10′) 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.

Harvest: There are two methods of gathering salad greens. You can use scissors to cut everything about 2-5cm (1-2″) from the ground, when the plants are about 10-15cm (3-4″) 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.

Asian heirloom cucumber producing lots of long, slender and ribbed, burpless deep green cukes with a fine delicate flavor and crispy texture that cucumber lovers will treasure. Harvest in 62 days.

START SEEDS OUTDOORS
Plant heat loving cucumbers only when weather is warm and settled and night temperatures stay above 50° F (10° C). Amend soil well with aged manure or compost. Sow in groups of 2 to 3 seeds 18 in. apart and 1 inch deep.

When seedlings are 2 in. tall, thin out extras, leaving one strong seedling per group. After thinning, put 4–5 ft. vertical supports or individual tomato cages around each seedling and train vines up supports as they grow. This method makes it easier to harvest straight fruits, saves garden space, and helps prevent further disease.

GROWING NOTES
Protect seedlings from marauding birds with plastic berry baskets, removing before plants get crowded. Shallow-rooted vines need adequate and consistent moisture to produce sweet tasting, nicely formed cucumbers. Avoid overly wet or dry periods for good quality fruits.

HARVEST AND USE
Cut rather than pull fruits from vines before seeds are large inside. Harvest every few days for longest fruit production. These juicy tender cucumbers need no peeling. Slice and enjoy for refreshing snacks, in salads and sandwiches. Eat cucumbers within a day or two of picking for best taste and quality.

Italian heirloom with bright, candy-red exteriors and interior flesh beautifully marked in alternating rings of cherry red and white. Delicious sweet flavor and fine texture. Great tasting leafy tops.

START SEEDS OUTDOORS
In cool early spring weather, sow seeds in finely worked soil in full sun. Shake seeds from the palm of your hand, broadcasting them about 1/2 inch apart over the entire seedbed or in wide rows, and cover lightly and evenly with 1/4 inch of fine soil. Firm soil gently and water with a fine spray. Keep seedbed evenly moist. Make small successive sowings until summer weather turns hot for a constant supply. Plant again in late summer for fall harvesting.

GROWING NOTES
Mixed lettuces thrive in mild weather with consistent moisture. To extend the sowing season into hot weather, sow in light shade or erect a canopy of loosely woven shade cloth over the bed. Birds are often attracted to tender young seedlings, so protect them if necessary.

HARVEST AND USE
To harvest by the “cut and come again” method, wait until plants are 4 or 5 inches tall. Cut as much lettuce as you need, using scissors to shear off a patch of leaves 1 to 2 inches above the soil level. Water well and fertilize lightly and plants will regrow for several more cuttings. Dress with a simple vinaigrette to enjoy the sweet flavor and juicy texture of these delicate young leaves at their best.