There are loads of ways to start seeds indoors in the late winter and early spring. You can use really basic tools like egg cartons on a windowsill, and this will achieve a perfectly reasonable end for most types of...
Continue ReadingAll gardeners can appreciate a gift that is thoughtful and useful. From newbies to gardening veterans, we have a gift that any gardener will love. Check out our favourite holiday gifts for gardeners, and consider adding a few to your...
Continue ReadingCarrots can be grown quite densely compared to a lot of other crops. They’re not only good for fresh eating, but they store particularly well for use in the fall and winter — and beyond in some cases. With a...
Continue ReadingHere is a blend of flowers native to eastern North America that are adapted to survive the sometimes shifting weather of the Maritimes, New England, and the St. Lawrence coast. This mix of fourteen showy plants is primarily composed of...
Continue ReadingThis blend of North American native wildflower species was selected for areas with cold winters and hot summers. The ideal region straddles the Rocky Mountains and foothills, from BC’s central interior to Calgary, and from Jasper National Park down to...
Continue ReadingThis is a list of the twenty-one component species of our Great Lakes Wildflower Blend, and it includes annuals, biennials, and perennials. While this blend will grow in nearly any garden, its components are all selected natives to the Great...
Continue ReadingPlease review the list below for the seeds that are included in our Southern Prairies wildflower blend. These flowers will thrive in most garden settings, but they have been selected due to their performance in the North American Plains. By...
Continue ReadingOur Butterfly Blend wildflower ingredients include the following species. These were chosen specifically for their nectar rich flowers to which butterflies are drawn. The type of butterfly attracted to your flower patch will depend on where you live, but this...
Continue ReadingThe wildflower seeds in our Xeriscape blend are intended for planting in any area where drought is likely during summer. Xeriscaping is landscaping with water conservation in mind, so once they are established, these plants will not require regular watering...
Continue ReadingThe wildflower seeds in the Hummingbird Blend are selected for the abundant nectar their mature flowers produce. These lure native and migratory hummingbirds to the garden to fuel up naturally. Grow them en masse or in a long strip down...
Continue ReadingRosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) This evergreen perennial herb is native to the Mediterranean region, where it still grows wild as well as domesticated. Its Latin generic name refers to the dew (ros) of the sea (marinus). For thousands of years, this...
Continue ReadingAbout Amaranth: All Amaranths are annuals or short lived perennials with oval, pointed leaves of various colours, which are followed by minute flowers borne on (sometimes drooping), tassel-like spikes that last until the end of summer. These then give way...
Continue ReadingWith Mom’s special day fast approaching, we put together a simple Mother’s Day gift bag you can print at home. Cut it out from the template and follow our instructions for folding and gluing (or taping) into its final shape....
Continue ReadingThese instructions will help you plan your garden, making a cloche greenhouse configuration, choose your covering material and pipe frame. Then they will help you set up your greenhouse and make the very best use of it for great gardening...
Continue ReadingThese gastropods (Snails and Slugs) are a fact of life in damp coastal BC. Two factors, however, can be used to minimize their impact on your organic vegetable garden. First, they shun sunlight, and are mostly active at night. Second,...
Continue ReadingThe plight of the Monarch butterfly has been a big news item in recent times. Just look up “monarch butterfly” on Youtube, and you’ll find scores of videos aimed at Monarch conservation. The Monarch is unusual due to its remarkable...
Continue ReadingWinter is finally over, and spring has arrived. It’s time to plant seeds! Many gardeners make the mistake of thinking of seed planting as a one time, annual event, as though it was something to get over and done with...
Continue ReadingIf you ever find yourself tempted to purchase kale from a supermarket, you really ought to try growing it. By its nature, kale is one of the easiest, hardiest, and most productive of all crops. It doesn’t need warm soil...
Continue ReadingAs we continue this Twenty-one Days of Green, planting trees seemed like an obvious choice. There are several fruit trees already growing on the farm at West Coast Seeds, so the idea came to expand the orchard area and expand...
Continue ReadingBack on Day 2 of our Twenty-one Days of Green, we talked about planting chives. We chose chives because they have to be among the very simplest of all herbs to grow from seed. They are extremely useful in the...
Continue ReadingFor the 21 days leading up to Earth Day, we are asking you to Commit to Grow with us. We appreciate that some of you might not even have outdoor gardening space, so today we’re going to talk about Sprouts!...
Continue ReadingParsnip (Pastinaca sativa) As a member of the family Apiaciae, the parsnip counts among its close cousins the carrot, parsley, dill, fennel, cilantro, and celery. All of these bear tall umbels of flowers, but like the carrot, parsnip is biennial,...
Continue ReadingParsley (Petroselinum crispum) Both the curly leaf form (P. crispum) and the Italian flat-leaf form (P. crispum var. neapolitanum) of this useful herb are members of the carrot family Apiaceae, and share a close botanical relationship to their cousin the...
Continue ReadingLeeks (Allium ampeloprasum, var. porrum, syn. A. porrum) This member of the Allium family is thought to have been in cultivation since the 2nd century BC, from ancient Egypt to Mesopotamia. The Romans believed that eating leeks imparted a sonorous...
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