Artichokes are heat-loving plants of the large family, Asteraceae. The genus Cynara includes eight other wild, thistle-like plants, including C. humilis, which was grown as a food crop in North Africa. Some people grow these plants for their splendid purple...
Continue ReadingNot so much an official trial, as an effort to grow out each of our sweet peas for comparative study. We grew out fifteen varieties among the other flowers and vegetables at our Kirkland House demonstration garden here in Ladner...
Continue ReadingGarlic is an incredibly economical crop. Planted in the fall, it grows very slowly over winter, and is ready to harvest in late spring to early summer the following year. If it is dried and cured properly, it will stay...
Continue ReadingFarm Box Pickup Week Two After learning how the system works, it becomes immediately a routine part of our week. Every Tuesday we look forward to finding out what’s in this week’s CSA farm box program. Lydia at Cropthorne Farm...
Continue ReadingAfter years of promoting Community Supported Agriculture, I finally broke down and joined a CSA program at one of the local organic farms. What a great decision it was, too! Back in February we signed up for a “small” farm...
Continue ReadingBasil is a heat-loving annual plant grown for use as a culinary herb. Many varieties exist, with subtle differences in flavour, growth habit, leaf colour, and so on. All have a rich, pungent taste and scent reminiscent of anise and...
Continue ReadingThe first two weeks of May is the ideal time window for starting squash seeds (including zucchini and pumpkin) indoors. By starting the seeds indoors, there is less risk of the seedlings being damaged during their most vulnerable early weeks....
Continue ReadingWe hear so much about ants farming aphids that we thought we should answer the question, “Do ants farm aphids?” It’s natural for human beings to try to explain an observation of the natural world in terms of human emotions...
Continue ReadingIt may seem counter-intuitive for a gardener to actually plant what must be the world’s commonest weed. But dandelions have lots of culinary potential, they feed pollinators, and they cultivate the soil with their long taproots. Latin Tarataxacum officinale Family:...
Continue ReadingSpring and summer, 2015… Hot and dry! The whole west coast of North America has been deprived of our spring rainfall and exposed to really unusual heat. From California’s record breaking drought right up to Haida Gwaii, there has been...
Continue ReadingWith careful planning, seeds can be sown from winter to autumn in order to keep the garden productive pretty much all year round. Here are some tips for seed sowing for the longest harvest window. Determined growers sometimes think of...
Continue ReadingDo you run a market garden or a small organic farm? Are you growing any West Coast Seeds products? Send us some photos! Use your cell camera or your fancy SLR, but take some pictures and send them our way....
Continue ReadingMost fertilizers (and many soil amendments) show this formula somewhere prominently on the package: N-P-K. This shows the ratio of the three most important plant nutrients, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. Potassium gets a ‘K’ because of its name on the...
Continue ReadingIn our 2015 Growing Guide is Brian Campbell on Pollination and Bee Diversity: Lack of pollination is an unfortunate trend in the plant world. In the late 1960s, the first global review of pollination deficit was conducted. At the time,...
Continue ReadingHere is all the information you need on how to grow hops. Hops make a dramatic addition to ornamental gardens. Highly decorative, fast growing, trouble free, and cold hardy, hops give a flare and interest to gardens that few other...
Continue ReadingFollow this how to grow Dahlias guide for summer bloom success! Plant your Dahlia tubers well after any threat of frost has passed. Preferably when the soil has warmed up to 14-15 ° C (58-60° F). Choose a spot in your garden with full...
Continue ReadingBelow is a list of the ingredients in our Beneficial Insect Wildflower seeds. This blend was designed to include the maximum number of flowers known to attract pollinators and predatory insects that feed on pest species. For instance, dill is...
Continue ReadingAmong the flowers in the Partial Shade Wildflower seeds ingredients are a host of plants that will do perfectly well in partial shade to full sun. None of these plants will thrive in full shade, but they will perform in...
Continue ReadingFeed wild and domestic bees with the Bee Garden Blend of Wildflower seeds. Honeybees have been in decline in recent years due to colony collapse disorder. Meanwhile, the habitat of wild bees like bumblebees, mason bees, and leaf cutter bees...
Continue ReadingPlease review the list below for the seeds that are included in our Pacific Northwest Wildflower seeds blend. These flowers will thrive in most garden settings, but they have been selected due to their performance in the Pacific Northwest. By...
Continue ReadingThe wildflower seeds in our Deer Resistant Blend were selected because, in most years of good forage, deer will wander past rather than graze on them. Many of these plants have texture, aroma, or flavour that is not palatable to deer – and other grazing mammals. If you’ve ever tried gardening in an area where deer pass through, you’ll know how frustrating it can be
Continue ReadingHere is a list of the wildflower seeds in our Alternative Lawn Blend. These are short growing flowers, primarily annuals, that will form a carpet of diverse colours that changes with the seasons. From spring to late summer, the wildflowers in this blend put on a dazzling show, and feed bees and butterflies.
Continue ReadingBulbs are easy to plant and easy to grow. Flower Bulbs are broken down into two very general groups – Fall planting bulbs benefit from sitting in cold soil. Spring planting bulbs do not require cold soil to trigger flowering....
Continue ReadingBaby leaf lettuces are bred for their appeal at an immature stage. As baby greens they have traits that are particularly attractive for salad mixes. The leaves are succulent and tasty, with good texture, and they come in a variety...
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