Wild Bergamot – West Coast Seeds

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  Strawberry – Yellow Wonder – West Coast Seeds

  $5.49

  Fragaria vesca. Yellow Wonder Alpine strawberry seeds are a bit easier to start than some others. Start the seeds indoors as early as December, and transplant outdoors one week after your last average frost date. That’s around the first or second week in April. With this kind of head start, the plants will produce fruit in the first year. Yellow Wonder has the lovely oblong shape of alpine types, but with yellow skin and flesh and incredible sweetness. The plants are low growing, but very productive, even in containers. The seeds can also be sown later in the year, but plan on harvesting berries from the second year of growth forward.

  How To Grow, Timing:  Sow indoors in the winter. An earlier start may result in berries the first year. Start any time between December and the beginning of February. After that time, they will still produce plants, but berries may not be produced during the first season. Transplant out at least 3 weeks after last frost. Strawberry seeds will germinate at any time of the year if some simple steps are taken.

  How To Grow, Starting:  Germination is the trickiest aspect to growing strawberries. Be patient, and try the tricks below.

  Tuck strawberry seed packet inside a sealed plastic bag or airtight container and place in the refrigerator freezer (not deep freeze) for 3-4 weeks. After removing the bag or container, do not break the seal until it (and its living contents) have reached room temperature. This may take several hours. Err on the side of caution. Opening the package too quickly may result in water condensing on the cold seeds, and this will reduce your chances of success.

  Once the sealed package has “thawed” to room temperature, the seeds are ready to plant. Sow the seeds on the surface of pre-moistened, sterilized seed starting mix in trays or small containers. Place these on a piece of felt or other thick cloth that has its end sitting in water. The idea is to wick up water from below so that the seedling medium stays constantly and evenly damp until germination.

  An alternative method is to sow strawberry seeds on the surface of moistened soil in a germination tray (or in small pots). Tuck the tray or pots inside a sealed plastic bag, and store in the refrigerator for 3-4 weeks.

  Move the seeded trays under bright fluorescent lights at a constant temperature of 18-24°C. Seedling heat mats work very well. Germination may take anywhere from 7 days to 6 weeks: Be patient. Once germination occurs, increase ventilation around the plants to prevent damping off.

  Once the seedlings develop their third true leaf, they can be gently transplanted into their own pots. Be sure to harden strawberry seedlings off carefully and gradually before transplanting outside.

  How To Grow, Growing:  Space transplants 60cm apart in rows 90-120cm apart. Ever-bearing varieties (such as ours) tend to produce fewer runners, and may produce more fruit if the runners are removed. In the first year of growth, it may be preferable to encourage runners, and let them fill in the spaces between transplants with new offspring plants.

  Grow strawberries in a well-drained, sandy loam that has been generously dug with organic matter such as finished compost or well-rotted manure. Dig ¼ cup complete organic fertilizer into the soil beneath each transplant. Keep soil moist, but not soggy. A mulch of straw around plants may help prevent the soil from drying out.

  Matures in 150 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)

  
  

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  Basil – Genovese – West Coast Seeds

  $3.99

  Genovese basil seeds are the very best Italian pesto variety of basil. This is the traditional Italian heirloom variety of basil. It has shiny, large, almond-shaped leaves have a more pronounced flavour, and stores well if chopped and frozen in ice cube trays. Pinch growing tips for bushier plants that grow to 60cm (24″) tall. Basil is a heat loving tender annual plant that requires good drainage and ample moisture during hot weather. If flowers develop, either save save the resulting seeds or separate them from the plants and sprinkle over pasta or salads. Basil flowers are highly attractive to honeybees and other wild pollinators.

  Basil can be planted as a companion to tomato plants. It is said that basil improves the flavour of tomatoes.

  How To Grow, Timing:  Basil grows well in containers indoors at any time of year provided you can supply enough light. For outdoor growing, sow basil seeds throughout late spring for transplanting to the garden after the summer solstice. Or direct sow in early summer, once the soil has warmed up. Basil requires warm soil and full sun. Optimal temperature for germination: 21°C . Seeds should sprout in 5-10 days.

  How To Grow, Starting:  Sow seeds 1cm deep in sterilized seed starting mix. Basil is prone to damping off, so once seeds sprout, make sure they are adequately ventilated, and kept under very bright light. Thin to 20-25cm apart. Using bottom heat speeds germination.

  How To Grow, Growing:  Use any rich, loose, well drained soil. Once plants are 15cm tall, pinch out the growing tips to encourage really bushy growth prior to harvest. Watch for signs of flower buds forming in mid-summer, and pinch these off to promote more foliage.

  How To Grow, Harvest: Frequent harvesting will prolong the life of the plant. Basil leaves have the best flavour just before the plant flowers, and if you plan to preserve some of your basil or make a big batch of pesto, this is the best time to harvest. Flowering can be delayed by pinching or clipping off new flower buds.

  Tear basil rather than chop with a knife because chopping tends to bruise the leaves. Add basil to food just before serving so as to get the full aroma and effect. Cooking for any length tends to make the minty side of basil come to the forefront.

  Basil is best fresh, but can be preserved by drying or by freezing. To freeze, tear the leaves into small pieces and freeze small batches of them, with water, in ice cube trays. Once frozen, the cubes can be saved in zip-lock type bags and labeled for later use. This will preserve the fresh flavour of basil for up to four months.

  Approx:610 Seeds.

  
  

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  Dill – Bouquet – West Coast Seeds

  $3.29

  Bouquet dill seeds grow into compact plants around 75-90cm (30-36″) tall. Bouquet Dill is a particularly good variety to grow for nice looking bunching at the market table, and works well in containers or smaller herb gardens. This dill has fragrant, lacy foliage, large yellow flower heads, and large seeds, but the plants only grow about waist high.

  The structure of dill’s flowers is known as an umbel. Thus dill is considered an umbelliferous plant. Other umbellifers include carrots, cilantro, fennel, parsnips, and Ammi. All of these plants are attractive to predatory insects such as lady beetles, Syrphid flies (hover-flies), lacewings, and tiny parasitoid wasps. Organic gardeners like to grow dill precisely to attract these beneficial insects, for they will control pest insects like aphids, thrips, whitefly, and the caterpillar of the Small White Butterfly (cabbage moth).

  
  

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  Catmint – Renee’s Seeds

  $4.19

  This aromatic, flowering landscape herb grows in mounds of soft gray-green leaves covered with a haze of shimmering lavender-blue flowers. Easy to grow catmint makes a beautiful spreading ground cover that blooms for weeks on end. Plant it under roses, in an herb garden, at the front of perennials or to cover bare corners of the garden with a soft wave of color. Many house cats adore its fragrance as much as its less attractive relative, catnip.

  16 Days.

  Approx: 322 Seeds.

  Non GMO

  BEST TO START EARLY INDOORS

  In spring, 6 weeks before last expected frost, sow seeds 1 inch apart in a container of seed starting mix. Cover lightly, keep warm and moist, and provide a strong light source. Feed every 2 weeks with half-strength fertilizer. Once seedlings are well-established, transplant 2 to 3 inches apart into deeper containers so root systems have room to develop. When 3 to 4 inches tall, acclimate to outdoor conditions and plant in full sun 12 inches apart.

   

  TO START OUTDOORS

  Plant in full sun in ordinary garden soil in spring when weather is settled and night temperatures are above 50°F (10°C). Sow seeds in well-worked soil 1/4 inch deep and 4 inches apart. Keep evenly moist while waiting for seedlings to emerge. Thin seedlings 12 inches apart.

   

  GROWING NOTES

  Plant drifts of this pretty herbal ground cover in any sunny spot. It grows into 12 inch tall, softly rounded mounds. Once first flush of flowers ends, cut back to about 6 inches and plants will come back into bloom. Many cats enjoy frolicking in Catmint’s sturdy foliage which can handle their affectionate advances.

  450 Seeds

  450 Seeds
  

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