Seed varieties on the West Coast Seeds website are marked to indicate whether they are Hybrid Seeds (F1 or F2) or Open Pollinated Seeds (OP). Open Pollinated Seeds (OP) When two plants of the same variety produce offspring, the variety...
Continue ReadingThe definition of “heirloom seeds” is a matter of debate. For our purposes, West Coast Seeds considers a plant an heirloom if it has been in cultivation for 50 years or more, although some people insist that 100 years is...
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Across North America and around the world, shoppers continue to rely heavily on mail order for specialty items.
Continue ReadingOne of the factors that most influences the germination rate of seeds is how they are stored. Like the plants that produce them, seeds come in all sorts of forms and sizes. They are also variable in their longevity. Since...
Continue ReadingA hybrid is created by crossing two different varieties of the same plant. Crossing involves taking the pollen from the male flower of one plant and transferring it to the female flower parts of a different plant.
Continue ReadingThe Diamond Family, owners of West Coast Seeds, has acquired Pinebush Home & Garden Ltd. We’re excited to work alongside another environmentally-conscious company. Founded over 8 years ago by the Gerber family, Pinebush is an Ontario based company that distributes its brand of...
Continue ReadingPrior to the 18th century, scientists struggled to find conventions with which to categorize organisms. In the 1730s, the visionary Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus developed a system of taxonomy (called binomial nomenclature), which assigned Latin names to all living things....
Continue ReadingWhen asked the question, “What are genetically engineered seeds?” we explain that scientists can now bypass the traditional breeding methods of manipulating plant characteristics. Rather than cross-breeding plants, they can work directly with plant DNA — the genetic code containing...
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