LAST UPDATED: November 14, 2025

Growing
difficulty

Seed Saving
Difficulty

Hardiness

Germination
Rate

2021
# donated (donor)

2022
# donated (donor)

2023
# donated (donor)

2024-25
# donated (donor)

FRUIT & VEGETABLES

Nutty, peppery, cool season salad green that grows best in spring & fall; bolts in hot weather. Long, dark green, lobed leaves in a loose open bunch. Use in salads, sandwiches, on pizza, or cooked like spinach.

Full sun, cool season. Bolts in hot weather. Direct sow March-April & September, every 3 weeks for continuous supply. Sow 1/4" deep in 4-12°C soil; sprouts in 4-8 days. Thin to 4-6". Baby greens in 21 days; snip leaves with scissors for cut & come again crop. Annual.

Annual. Brassicas are mostly insect-pollinated and are notorious for hybridizing. Arugula only crosses within its species, not with other brassicas. Either grow only one arugula variety, or isolate varieties by 250-800 metres. Self-incompatible - 5 or more plants needed for viable seed.

http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/homegardening/scene3693.html

Round, stringless, 6" purple pods on strong, upright 15-20" plants. High yielding, suited to cooler soils. Flavourful pods turn green after cooking. Great disease resistance! Developed at U New Hampshire.

Annual. Self-fertile, but different bean varieties might cross if they are planted beside one another. Allow pods to dry on the vine at least until fully ripe & beginning to change colour, or ideally all the way to crunchy and brown. Remove beans from pods & store in airtight container. Note that once you start letting the pods dry on the plant so that you can save the seeds, the plant will stop producing more pods. Often people save the last pods of the season because of this, but this results in unintentionally selecting for late-maturing beans. Instead, choose a few plants to be your "seed-saving stock" and save the early pods from those, to keep the rest of your plants producing as long as possible.

https://www.westcoastseeds.com/products/royal-burgundy

Mystery variety. Are you feeling lucky?

Coreless 6-8" bright orange roots up to 1.5" in diameter. Cylindrical, smooth-skinned, blunt-ended. Great flavour, crisp & tender even when harvested late. High moisture content good for juicing.

https://westonseeds.com/product/carrot-berlicum/

Slim, cylindrical orange roots, 6-8" long, 1.5" thick, coreless. Delicious flavour, tender, thin skinned. Adaptable to heavy soil. Early 19th century heirloom.

https://westonseeds.com/product/carrot-nantes-2/

Stringless stalks, very little fibre, but high water content & refined taste. Leaves strongly aromatic. Matures slightly earlier than most. Winner of the RHS Award of Garden Merit.

Biennial; goes to seed in 2nd year

https://www.westcoastseeds.com/products/tango-organic

Brassica oleracea var. sabellica

Compact plants perfect for small gardens or containers. Features decorative green curled leaves. The tasty leaves may be boiled as greens or chopped fresh for salads when young. Kale is superior to most vegetables in protein, vitamin, and mineral content. It's also a cool weather crop that is slow to bolt.

https://mckenzieseeds.com/products/kale-green-curled

1 packet (~150 seeds) in storage

Brassica oleracea var. sabellica

Red Russian type developed for uniform colour & cold hardiness. Dark green, oak-shaped leaves have dark red-purple veins. A 'salad kale', Winter Red is more tender and delicious than other kales. Bred in the Pacific Northwest.

Full sun, cool season. Start indoors 4-6 weeks b4 last frost or direct sow spring-midsummer. Well-drained rich soil, temp 10-30°C, pH 6.0-6.8. Sow 3-4 seeds 1/4" deep & thin to strongest sprout; sprouts in 7-10 days. Space 18-24" apart. Water consistently.

Biennial. Brassicaceae are almost exclusively pollinated by insects & hybridize readily. A chemical mechanism in the pollen is active in many species to avoid selfing. If saving seeds is not the singular goal of the gardening plan, hybrid brassica varieties will often produce an earlier, more uniform crop with better disease resistance than an open pollinated alternative. Brassicas make a strong case for hybridizing to bring out the best a crop can offer.

https://www.westcoastseeds.com/products/winter-red-organic

Famous frying pepper from Naples, Italy. Heirloom known for sweet, distinctive flavour. 4″-5″ long, pointed peppers, thin skinned. Often used green, but ripen to deep red. 2-3' tall, productive plant. Heavy feeder.

Choose fully ripened peppers. A fully ripened pepper will almost always go through a color change. Jalapeños turn from green to deep black & finally to red when fully ripe. Green bell peppers will eventually turn orange, yellow or red. Another characteristic of fully ripened peppers is a softer texture. Under-ripe peppers are typically very firm. After ripening, the pepper’s flesh will soften slightly, & a simple *squeeze* will not cause the peppers to crack. Under-ripe peppers will usually make an audible cracking sound when squeezed. Remove seeds onto a plate, or anything with a smooth non-porous surface (not paper towels!). Slice off the bottom of each pepper just above the end. Most of the seeds are located at the top of a pepper. Squeeze & roll the peppers in your h& (using gloves for hot peppers). Allow as many seeds as possible to fall onto your plate. This helps speed up the process & avoid damaging your seeds. Next, slice the peppers in half lengthwise to reveal the remaining seeds & placenta. Remove the placenta from the pepper using a knife. Many seeds will remain embedded in the placenta. You can either remove them manually, or simply let the entire placenta dry on the plate. This will take longer to dry, but once it is dry the seeds will fall off much easier. Spread Seeds & Allow To Dry. Keep your seeds in a well-ventilated area for 5-7 days. You can also use a small fan to provide better airflow. Jostle the seeds around every day to make sure both sides of the seeds are getting dried out. In a typical climate with around 40% humidity, seeds should be adequately dried within 1 week. To test if seeds are fully dry, break seeds in half – properly dried pepper seeds should *crack* in half rather than squashing or bending.

https://westonseeds.com/product/pepper-sweet-friariello-di-napoli/

100 year old heirloom. Smooth, salmon-pink skin & sweet fibreless yellow-orange flesh great for pies. Up to 70lb and 4' long but pick when under 30" for best eating. 2-3 fruits/plant. Stores well. Large plants, sprawling vines.

East Vancouver

24"h/20' spread

Self-fertile, but must be isolated from other cucurbits (melons, cucumbers, squash) by 250-800m to prevent hybridization.

https://www.westcoastseeds.com/products/pink-banana-jumbo#full-description-anchor

The vibrant oranges and yellows of Canary Yellow Swiss chard seeds bring cheerful colour to spring and winter gardens. The young stalks are a deep orange colour while the larger, more mature stalks turn a bright yellow to contrast beautifully with dark green glossy leaves. This variety has exceptional leaf quality and it lasts for ages in the fall garden. The depth of colour increases as the plants develop throughout the season. By mid-summer the stalks should be deep, golden yellow. Try Canary Yellow as gold-streaked baby leaf salad greens, or let it grow to its full glory in the garden. Winner of the RHS Award of Garden Merit.

30 (baby) - 50

Seed saving is difficult for the home grower. Plants are biennial, self-incompatible, and wind-pollinated; they hybridize with other Amaranth species and require large isolation distances (250-1600m) to ensure seed true to type.

https://www.westcoastseeds.com/products/canary-yellow

Up to 24" tall dark green leaves on hot pink stems. Use as baby greens; bolts in heat. Highly nutritious, with mild earthy flavour.

30 (baby) - 55

Full sun, cool season. Direct sow Apr-Aug in 10-30°C soil, 1/2" deep, 2-4" apart; sprouts in 7-14 days. Thin to 4-6" apart or use as baby greens. Some heat and frost tolerance; may overwinter in coastal BC. Cut mature leaves individually; new ones will grow. Biennial.

Seed saving is difficult for the home grower. Plants are biennial, self-incompatible, and wind-pollinated; they hybridize with other Amaranth species and require large isolation distances (250-1600m) to ensure seed true to type.

https://www.westcoastseeds.com/products/magenta-sunset

Dark green, savoyed leaves, pink & white streaked stems. Rich chard flavour.

30 (baby) - 55

Full sun, cool season. Direct sow Apr-Aug in 10-30°C soil, 1/2" deep, 2-4" apart; sprouts in 7-14 days. Thin to 4-6" apart or use as baby greens. Some heat and frost tolerance; may overwinter in coastal BC. Cut mature leaves individually; new ones will grow. Biennial.

Seed saving is difficult for the home grower. Plants are biennial, self-incompatible, and wind-pollinated; they hybridize with other Amaranth species and require large isolation distances (250-1600m) to ensure seed true to type.

https://www.westcoastseeds.com/products/peppermint

30 (baby) - 55

Seed saving is difficult for the home grower. Plants are biennial, self-incompatible, and wind-pollinated; they hybridize with other Amaranth species and require large isolation distances (250-1600m) to ensure seed true to type.

https://www.reneesgarden.com/products/chard-organic-garden-rainbow?_pos=3&_sid=4748081b1&_ss=r

Large leaf Italian heirloom, 3" broad crinkly leaves. Strong aroma and flavour. 18-24" tall. Slow to bolt. From Larosa Seeds.

https://westonseeds.com/product/basil-bolloso-napoletano/

Excellent germination in 2025.

Pollinator fave! Large, fuzzy, cucumber-scented leaves & vivid blue flowers attract bees all summer. Flowers & young leaves are edible with a light cucumber flavour. 24" tall. Self-seeds.

Full sun to part shade, warm season. Start indoors 4-6 weeks b4 last frost or direct sow mid-spring, 1/8" deep, 1" apart, in 20°C soil until germination (7-10 days) then grow at room temp until transplanting 12" apart after frost danger passes. Annual, but will self-seed.

Annual, but self-seeds readily.

https://westonseeds.com/product/sunny-peace/

I mean... they're chives. Forms a clump of 6-12" tall, grass-like hollow leaves that are onion-flavoured. Purple blossoms also edible. Good in containers. Useful companion plant.

Easy to grow. Full/Part sun, cool season. Start indoors late winter-mid-spring, or direct sow late spring, 1/4" deep. Soil temp 19°C. Space 12" apart. Harvest as needed with scissors; can cut whole plant down to 2". Keep evenly watered. Perennial. Divide clump every 2 years.

Perennial. Intermediate difficulty - cross-pollinates with other Apiaceae

1800s heirloom, crisp curled leaves, milder in flavour than Italian flatleaf variety. Highly nutritious, resist browning and bleaching. Vigorous grower. 12-24" tall, good in containers.

Full/Part sun, cool season. Direct sow 1/4-1/2" deep, 3" apart, & keep soil moist; may take 3 weeks to sprout. Dislikes being transplanted. Thin to 6". Plant in late summer to overwinter & bounce back next spring. Biennial.

Biennial. Hybridizes, but not that many Apiaceae species cultivated. Short seed viability - 1 year.

https://westonseeds.com/product/parsley-curled-moss-green/

Red Veined/Bloody Dock

Also known as Bloody Dock. A British native with rosettes of striking light green leaves marked with bright maroon-coloured veins. Young leaves can be used like spinach, fresh in salads or blanched a few seconds in boiling water, adding tangy-citrus flavour. Although considered edible, it does contain oxalic acid so should not be ingested in large quantities; when eaten all parts may cause mild stomach upset & contact with the foliage may irritate the skin of sensitive individuals.

Herb/Greens

12" (flower spikes to 36")

https://www.incredibleseeds.ca/products/sorrel-seeds-red-leafed

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/nasturtium/growing-nasturtiums.htm

Bees go nuts for the mauve-blue flowers that unfurl like ferns atop 2' tall stems. Used as a cover crop, its dense, shallow root system improves soil structure. NOTE: fine hairs cause contact dermatitis; wear gloves to handle.

Full/part sun, cool season. Direct sow 1/4" deep from last frost to June. Seed needs darkness to germinate (12-30 days). Thin to 4-8". Drought tolerant once established. Will die back during long hot weather. May self-sow.