About Arugula Arugula is a low-growing member of the Brassica family that forms rosettes that resemble a cross between lettuce and dandelions. Its leaves have deep, round indentations reminiscent of oak leaves. These, as well as the flowers and seed...
Continue ReadingArtichokes 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 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 ReadingIt's always news when a new book comes out by BC gardening icon Linda Gilkeson, Ph.D. This is no exception. In a follow up to her (frankly incredible) book Resilient Gardens 2016, Gilkeson describes in great detail the keys to...
Continue ReadingThe Perennial Wildflower Seeds ingredients are listed below. This is the right blend to establish where flowers are needed to come back year after year. Perennial flowers are often drought resistant and very winter hardy, so they can be relied...
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 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 that...
Continue ReadingThe wildflower seeds in our Short Meadow Blend will produce a gorgeous carpet of diverse flowers that only grow to about 60cm (24″) tall. This blend of wildflower seeds looks fabulous planted over large areas, but will work just as...
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...
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 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...
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 ReadingWe’ve often spoken to gardeners who just shake their heads despairingly when we mention growing tomatoes. The Tomato Late Blight fungus really has hit Coastal gardeners hard and, from what we hear, has now even made its way into the Okanagan....
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