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Kentucky Wonder Brown is an heirloom developed in Kentucky before 1864. This is the brown-seeded strain of a very popular pole bean that is well-loved for its vigour and fine flavour. Expect large clusters of long, oval, 18-22cm silvery-green pods. These are virtually stringless with a distinctive flavour. The vines are particularly tall, so provide adequate support for climbing. Kentucky Wonder Brown germinates well in cool soils, so they can be planted a little earlier than other pole bean seeds. These beans are well loved for fresh eating, but also because they freeze nicely for storage and winter use.

How To Grow, Timing:  Direct sow from late spring to early summer. Try to plant during a warm, dry spell. Soil must be warm – if it is not warm enough, seeds may rot, especially our untreated seeds. Optimal soil temperature: 21-32°C.

How To Grow, Starting:  Seeds can be started indoors, or sowed directly. Set seeds 7-10cm apart and 3.5cm deep at the base of a support. Plants will climb by twining around almost anything. Try rough poles, lumber, re-bar, or build a strong trellis 2-2.5m tall. Seeds will sprout in 8-16 days, depending on soil 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 (10′) of row. Too much nitrogen in fertilizer or manure is often the cause of 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:  Because pole beans are always climbing, there are always beans at different stages of maturity. It is important to keep picking regularly so the plant does not fully mature seeds and stop producing new pods. If pods get fat with seed, the plant will stop flowering. The smaller the bean, the more tender they are.

70 Days.

Approx: 55 Seeds.

High quality yellow wax beans that develop their colour early in maturity. Caspian produces an abundance of 10-12.5cm pods on bush type plants. More refined than Carson, which it replaced, with an improved plant habit. Robust rust resistant plants perform well in both wet and dry seasons.

How To Grow, Timing:  Direct sow from mid-spring to early summer. Try to plant during a warm, dry spell. Soil must be warm – if it is not warm enough, the seeds may rot, especially our untreated seeds. Optimal soil temperature for germination: 21-32°C. The seeds should sprout in 8-16 days, depending on conditions.

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. For a continuous 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. Raised beds help with both drainage and warmth. Use 1 cup of complete organic fertilizer for every 3m of row. 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.

55 Days.

Approx: 50 Seeds

Parsley Pea seeds produce tendrils that are unique and delicious. Technically a snap pea, this curious pea is more often grown for its edible tendrils, leaflets, and flowers. Harvest whole plants when they are 15-20cm tall or cut above the first node and get a second flush of growth. Plants will produce snap peas at about 60 days on 1m tall vines if not harvested for greens. Try growing Parsley Peas in a 5-gallon patio container or in flower boxes, and harvest the fresh tendrils as needed. They make a fresh and crunchy addition to salads and sandwiches.

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.

Very early Chioggia type with round, dark red heads and thick white ribs and veins. Perseo can be grown in the early spring and again in the fall.

Compact 7.5-10cm heads allow for close spacing of plants. Chop the tightly packed heads into salads for a pop of dramatic colour and flavour complexity with its mild bitterness. When grown for fall harvest, plant the 3rd week of June, near the summer solstice. Heads are fully mature when they are well-filled, though they can be harvest and eaten at any time prior as well.

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.

55 Days.

Approx: 50 Seeds.

Easy to grow and early to mature serrano pepper for those that love some heat in their meals. Well adapted to many climates, Pathfinder has higher yields than our previous offering, producing loads of slim 11.5-12.5cm dark green peppers with thick internal walls. Excellent disease resistance and long shelf life.

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 n 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.

78 Days.

Approx: 10 Seeds.

C. maxima. Sweet Mama Kabocha squash seeds form single long vines with almost no side shoots. Each plant produces 1.3kg fruits with dark green, hard skins over sweet, nutty, deep orange flesh. This AAS Winner has outstanding storage ability and flavour. Kabocha is sometimes called Japanese pumpkin. These are the squash most often used for tempura – thin slices are coated in batter and deep fried until just soft. It’s a wonderful way to accentuate the natural sweetness of the fruits. Sweet Mama can be started indoors or direct sown. If direct sowing, be sure that the soil is nice and warm in late May or early June. Train the vine along a fence or up a trellis.

How To Grow, Timing:  Direct sow or transplant in late spring once the soil is warm. For transplants, start seeds indoors during the first two weeks of May. 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.

90 Days.

Approx: 14 Seeds.

Vibrant red tipped bunching onion that develops its colour early. Apache forms a small, vivid pink bulb if left to mature. Its mild flavour and crisp texture make this colourful variety a wonderful addition to salads and sandwiches. Provided with the frost protection of a cloche row cover, Apache will grow slowly all winter long. Sow at three-week intervals from March to the end of July for a continuous harvest. The quirky little onions are perfect for the market table. Winner of the RHS Award of Garden Merit.

How To Grow, Timing:  Start shallots and storage onions indoors in late winter and early spring, and transplant 2-4 weeks after the last frost date. Overwintering onions need to be started in early summer, and transplanted by the middle of August. Scallions can be direct sown every 3 weeks from two weeks after the last frost date to late summer. Optimal soil temperature for germination: 21-25°C. Seeds will emerge in 6-12 days, depending on conditions.

How To Grow, Starting:  Transplants are preferred for home gardeners. Sow 3 seeds 5mm-1cm deep in each cell of a 72-cell tray. Transplant as a clump, spacing each 15cm apart in rows 45-75cm apart. Scallions can be spaced at 2-5cm apart in rows 15cm  apart.

How To Grow, Growing:  Ideal pH: 5.5-6.5 (6.0-6.8 for scallions).  Fertile and well-drained soil in full sun is essential. Add well-rotted compost and dig ½-1 cup balanced organic fertilizer into the soil beneath each 3m of row. Keep moisture high in the top 20-30cm of soil. Most of the bulb should form on the surface of the soil, so don’t transplant too deeply. Bulb size is dependent on the size of the tops: the bigger the tops, the bigger the bulb. Provide August-planted scallions with the frost protection of a cloche or heavy row cover as the first frost date approaches.

How To Grow, Harvest:  Stop watering in the beginning of August to mature the bulbs in dry soil. After half the tops have fallen, push over the remainder, wait a week and lift the bulbs. Curing is essential for long storage: Spread bulbs out in a single layer in an airy spot out of direct sunlight. Once no more green is visible on any of the leaves, and they are dry and crisp, the onion is cured. If weather is poor, cure indoors. Storage: Keep onions in mesh sacks or hang in braids so they get good ventilation, and hang sacks where air is dry and very cool, but not freezing. Check them regularly and remove any sprouting or rotting onions. Well-cured storage onions should keep until late spring.

65 Days.

Approx: 290 Seeds.

This fantastic long day storage onion replaced the much-loved Copra. Patterson onion seeds produce round, firm, uniform bulbs that store exceptionally well through the winter in the right conditions. The bulbs are medium to large in size with thin necks that dry down quickly. The firm flesh has well defined layers (rings) and nice pungent flavour. This is probably the best storage onion for southern and central Canada and the northern US.

These seeds are coated with an inert, organically certified layer which helps to minimize clumping in storage and seed sowing machines. The coating is approved by organic certifiers in Canada, the US, EU, and Japan.

How To Grow, Timing:  Start shallots and storage onions indoors in late winter and early spring, and transplant 2-4 weeks after the last frost date. Overwintering onions need to be started in early summer, and transplanted by the middle of August. Scallions can be direct sown every 3 weeks from two weeks after the last frost date to late summer. Optimal soil temperature for germination: 21-25°C. Seeds will emerge in 6-12 days, depending on conditions.

How To Grow, Starting:  Transplants are preferred for home gardeners. Sow 3 seeds 5mm-1cm deep in each cell of a 72-cell tray. Transplant as a clump, spacing each 15cm apart in rows 45-75cm  apart. Scallions can be spaced at 2-5cm apart in rows 15cm apart.

How To Grow, Growing:  Ideal pH: 5.5-6.5 (6.0-6.8 for scallions).  Fertile and well-drained soil in full sun is essential. Add well-rotted compost and dig ½-1 cup balanced organic fertilizer into the soil beneath each 3m of row. Keep moisture high in the top 20-30cm of soil. Most of the bulb should form on the surface of the soil, so don’t transplant too deeply. Bulb size is dependent on the size of the tops: the bigger the tops, the bigger the bulb. Provide August-planted scallions with the frost protection of a cloche or heavy row cover as the first frost date approaches.

How To Grow, Harvest:  Stop watering in the beginning of August to mature the bulbs in dry soil. After half the tops have fallen, push over the remainder, wait a week and lift the bulbs. Curing is essential for long storage: Spread bulbs out in a single layer in an airy spot out of direct sunlight. Once no more green is visible on any of the leaves, and they are dry and crisp, the onion is cured. If weather is poor, cure indoors. Storage: Keep onions in mesh sacks or hang in braids so they get good ventilation, and hang sacks where air is dry and very cool, but not freezing. Check them regularly and remove any sprouting or rotting onions. Well-cured storage onions should keep until late spring.

104 Days.

Approx 50 Seeds.

C. pepo. Dating back to 1863, Small Sugar pumpkin seeds are the heirloom of choice for baking pies. Just look at the various names this old time variety has been known by: New England Pie Pumpkin, Northeast Pie, Boston Pie, Sugar Pie, Early Sugar Pie, and Sweet Sugar – to name a few! This is the classic (if not original) pie pumpkin with small, round, slightly flattened orange fruits that have very light rib indentations. Each fine-grained, stringless pumpkin averages 20cm tall by 23cm wide. The votes are in, making Small Sugar one of the best of all pumpkins for canning and pies.

How To Grow, Timing:  Direct sow or transplant in late spring when soil warms up. For transplants, start seeds indoors 4-6 weeks after the last frost date. Try to get the plants into the ground no later than the summer solstice. 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 plant. Space plants at a minimum of 90-120cm apart in rows 120-180cm apart. If starting transplants indoors, consider using the 12-cell plug inserts.

How To Grow, Growing:  Ideal pH: 6.0-6.8.  These big plants need lots of food. Choose a sunny spot with fertile, well-draining soil. Dig in a generous quantity of finished compost and/or composted manure. Dig in 1 cup of a general well-balanced organic fertilizer under each plant. All pumpkins grow male flowers first, then the female flowers are produced. The female flowers have tiny fruits at the base of the petals and require pollination by bees, mostly. Incomplete pollination is common at the beginning of the season, and results in small fruits that are misshapen at the flower end. Discard these damaged fruits before they rot.

For the largest pumpkins, feed weekly throughout the growing season with fish or kelp based fertilizer. Keep the huge plants well watered, particularly in hot weather. Always water the soil, and avoid any form of overhead watering other than rain. Fruit will grow larger if you keep only one fruit per vine. As the fruit develops, try to gently encourage it to grow at a 90° angle to the vine itself. The largest pumpkin varieties will grow on their sides.

How To Grow, Harvest:  Like other winter squash, pumpkins are mature when they have coloured up well and their stems are crisp. For the best sugar content, cut the stem about 4cm or so from the body of the fruit. If the weather is dry, allow the pumpkins to cure in the field for 10 days, or in a warm room for 4-5 days. Bring pumpkins in under cover before rain.

110 Days.

Approx: 22 Seeds.

A tasty blend of easy to grow mild and spicy favourites. Enjoy a visually pleasing mix of green and purple Asian greens and mustards that complement each other well. Harvest young leaves to eat fresh in salads or let them grow to full size for use steamed or lightly sauteed. None of these components require warm soil to germinate, so they’re great for cool season growing from spring to fall. Extend the season even more by growing under cover or under lights indoors. For full size plants, thin to 10cm apart. Baby leaf greens can be harvested as individual leaves or cut plants just above the growing tip, leaving a few leaves for fast regrowth.

Components may change due to availability.

How To Grow, Timing:  Mustards are cool season plants that grow quickly and then bolt. Direct sow with frost protection as early as late winter or without protection from early to late spring. Sowing short rows every 3 weeks allows for a continuous harvest of both baby leaves and full sized plants. Sow again in late summer for late fall and winter harvests. Optimal soil temperature: 21°C. Seeds should sprout in 5-10 days.

How To Grow, Starting:  If growing to full size, sow 3-4 seeds in each spot you want a plant to grow. Sow 5mm-1cm deep and thin to the strongest plant, spaced 10-15cm in the row. All mustards can be grown in containers for baby salad greens. Sow these as you would mesclun mixes, with seeds spaced as near as possible to 1cm apart.

How To Grow, Growing:  Ideal pH: 6.0-6.5.  One cup of complete organic fertilizer will provide nutrition for 3m of row. Water regularly. Expect mustards to bolt in hot weather. Provide protection in winter by using a cloche or heavy row cover. At all other times, plan on growing fast and harvesting fast, like spinach. Planting short rows every two weeks works best for the home garden for a constant harvest.

How To Grow, Harvest:  Cut individual leaves, or the whole plant at whatever stage of maturity you desire. Young leaves tend to be more tender and less powerfully flavoured as mature leaves. Some varieties will develop a slight bitterness in fully mature leaves. The leaves can be blanched (or run through a food processor) and then frozen, or even dried and flaked for soup mixes. But the plants are so cold hardy, fresh leaves should be available to the determined gardener 12 months of the year. Whole plants can also be pickled for long term storage.

45 Days.