Seeds - All
Hand harvested seeds from Carly's homestead garden. Find unique and rare veggies, herbs, native plants and more.
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36 products
36 products
$4 each or 3 for $10 (save $2!)
I've grown Scarlet Runner Beans for many years for a very specific purpose: the flowers are a magnet for hummingbirds! I plant them along the fence of my food garden enclosure, where I train them to wind horizontally - each seed produces a vine 10-15 ft. Ruby Throated Hummingbirds (the only type I've seen in my Zone 5 gardens) visit the scarlet flowers, then zoom to the fruit and veggie plants, herbs and native plants. It's a joy to see.
While usually grown for their splendid flowers, every part of this versatile veggie is edible! The starchy roots, young leaves and even the flowers can be eaten. (Check out the bright pink-light purple fresh seeds! So fun.) Runner beans must be thoroughly cooked before eating, as they contain traces of lectin (phytohaemagglutinin), which is toxic in large quantities. The beans are dense, with a thick texture, and slightly smoky flavour.
Dried beans store excellent in the pantry, and can be added to soups and stews after soaking.
To get the most flowers, pinch off forming pods; this sends a message to the plant to push out more buds.
Type: Vegetable
Height: 10-15ft.
Light: full sun
Soil: well draining, warm
Planting: Direct sow late spring-early summer, 1-2" deep into warm soil (too cold, and the seeds will rot), 3-4" apart.
Harvest: 75 days
$4 each or 3 for $10 (save $2!)
A beautifully tall grass native to the original prairies of Southern Ontario. Lovely, bronze colour in the fall, lends graceful movement to the garden as it sways in the wind. Give them a few years to establish as they sink their roots down to incredible depths, making them great carbon sequesters. Big Blue Stem is also known as Turkey's foot due to the shape of it's seed heads. A warm season grass, it will be slow to return in the spring. Be patient!
Type: Perennial, native to Ontario
Height: 6-10'
Light: Full sun
Soil: sandy, loam
Water: moist to dry
Bloom time: fall
Planting: Seeds grow best when planted into containers in the spring. Press into the soil well to make contact with the soil. They will take some time to germinate and will only do so when it gets a bit warmer. Here is a good guide: Big Bluestem – A Big Grass With Big Benefits – GrowIt BuildIT
Wild life support: Seeds feed feed a variety of birds and are great for creating hiding and shelter spots for birds and other wildlife.
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A "happy" flower for the garden. It is not a perennial in the common sense of the word as it does not reliably come back every year. To keep it in the garden you must allow it to self seed and plan for it to appear randomly throughout the garden. Some may find this charming, but for those who like a planned garden, it might be annoying. Black Eyed Susan like to grow in disturbed soils, so it is often thought of as a colonizing plant. Once a garden is established, it is less likely to grow in your garden.
Type: Annual to short lived perennial, native to Ontario
Height: 1-2'
Light: full sun to light shade
Soil: sand to richer loams, adaptable
Water: dry to moist
Bloom time: all summer, June to end of August
Planting: Cold moist stratification for 30 days - see options in photos, courtesy of Northern Wildflowers. . This website offers a great guide to "winter sowing". Winter Sowing – Complete Guide To Starting Seeds In Winter – GrowIt BuildIT
Stratification & Scarification: Breaking Seed Dormancy – Halton region Master Gardeners
Wild life support: Larval host plant for several butterflies and enjoyed by small bees and adult butterflies. Gold Finches enjoy the seeds throughout the fall.
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These gorgeous flowers absolutely pop in the garden, producing non-stop blooms from early summer-hard frost. They crawl with bumblebees, especially through the fall - non only for food, but as a soft sleeping bed in the cooling temperatures.
Blanket Flower need full sun and love the heat. I have them all over my property, in every type of soil - once established, they are happy as long as there's sun. Deadheading will keep the flowers prolific. A beautiful cut flower, tucked among amaranth, white phlox and sunflowers in a late summer bouquet.
Type: native perennial flower
Height: 2-3 ft.
Light: full sun
Moisture: drought tolerant
Planting: needs light to germinate. Lightly cover with soil, pressing to make contact. Keep evenly moist until germination. Can be direct sown after last frost.
Care: once established, Blanket Flower is low maintenance. Deadhead for more blooms
Bloom time: early summer-hard frost
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I will never have a food garden without Borage. This stunning herb has unique blue-purple star-shaped flowers that pollinators - especially bumble bees - absolutely crawl over all season long. Every part of this plant is edible! It has a mild, cucumber-like taste that's delicious in salads and beverage garnishes. I dry the flower heads for bath salts, soap making + crafts, and when frozen in ice cubes Borage makes a whimsical addition to drinks.
Type: Annual herb
Height: 2-3'
Light: full sun
Soil: regular garden soil
Water: Keep well watered
Bloom time: Summer
Planting: Direct sow into the garden, pressing seed into the soil and covering to a depth of 1/2"
$4 each or 3 for $10 (save $2!)
These cosmos are a lovely pure white which shines in the garden, especially at night! They would be a perfect choice for a night or moon themed garden.
Type: annual
Height: 30-183 cm (1-6 ft)
Soil: well drained, drought tolerant. Not too rich or you will only get foliage and no flowers.
Light: full to partial (6+ hours/day)
Planting: direct sow lightly, no more than 1/4” deep, in warm soil after last frost. For earlier blooms, start seeds indoors 4 weeks before last frost, then transplant outside after hardening off. *
Care: low maintenance. Deadhead regularly
Bloom time: early summer - hard frost
Carly’s Tip: Water soil first, let saturate, then plant seeds. This prevent seeds – especially light, delicate ones not deeply sown – from moving/washing away.
*Hardening off refers to the process of gently and gradually acclimatizing indoor grown seedlings to the great outdoors! Don't throw your new babies straight into the elements! Over the course of a week, take them outside for a few hours at a time, bringing them back indoors afterwards. First sit them in the shade and then slowly introduce them to the sun. Increase the length of time they are outside and are exposed to the sun, until you feel they are ready to face the big outside world!
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Uxbridge Township’s flower!
These delightful beauties in cheery pinks (my favourite colour!) are showstoppers in my full sun gardens.
Daisy-like blooms sit atop long, slender stems with feathery leaves, forming a cloud of colour. Once blooming, you’ll have non-stop flowers until a hard frost.
They crawl with bumblebees, hoverflies, sweat bees and ladybugs; I love sitting quiet and close to a patch of Cosmos, listening to soft buzzing and watching the action. Small birds such as goldfinches and chickadees eat seeds from the dried flower heads.
An excellent cut flower, lasting a week or more. East Gwillimbury Garden Club 3rd place winner in 2023, any other annuals category.
Open-pollinated
Heirloom
Type: annual, but reliably self-seeds and returns in my Zone 5b garden
Colour: pink shades, from pale to dark crimson, some variegated, yellow centres
Mix of single, double and fluted blooms
Height: 30-183 cm (1-6 ft)
Soil: well drained, drought tolerant
Light: full to partial (6+ hours/day)
Planting: direct sow lightly, no more than 1/4” deep, in warm soil after last frost. For earlier blooms, start seeds indoors 4 weeks before last frost, then transplant outside after hardening off (LINK: how to harden off seedlings)
Care: low maintenance. Deadhead regularly
Bloom time: early summer - hard frost
Carly’s Tip: Water soil first, let saturate, then plant seeds. This prevent seeds – especially light, delicate ones not deeply sown – from moving/washing away.
$4 each or 3 for $10 (save $2!)
What I love most about Cranberry Beans is their versatility (and that the pods are pink!): harvest them fresh off the vine for immediate eating, freezing, dehydrating or canning. Leave them on the vine to dry, and the seeds store perfect in the pantry for adding to soups and stews.
These Cranberry Beans (also known as borlotti) are meaty and hearty, with a richer taste than their bush bean cousins. They are vigorous pole beans, growing over 8 ft. tall in my veggie garden last year! They literally went up my trellis, then hung over the top like Dr. Seuss hair.
Beans are an excellent source of protein, fibre, starch and vitamins A & C.
Type: Vegetable, Pole Bean
Height: 8 ft+
Light: full sun
Moisture: keep soil evenly moist, but not wet or seeds will rot
Planting: 1" deep, into warm soil. I plant dense, in a container 3-4" apart
Harvest: 75-90 days
A delightful novelty veggie in my food garden, Cucamelon - aka mouse melon - look like miniature watermelons! Hailing from Mexico and Central America, these distant cucumber cousins have a bright, refreshing taste with a citrus tang. They're totally unique and kids, especially, love them.
Cucamelons rarely make it in the house, as I snack on them while tending my gardens. But when they do, they're sliced in a salad or bring a small to a veggie platter. I preserve them like pickles, too. And just had a customer tell me they put them in cocktails!
Cucamelon vines need a structure to climb as they grow. My favourite way is to guide them along a tomato cage when growing in a container, but any sturdy trellis will work. Once flowers appear, start checking for fruit after a week.
Type: annual fruit (although eaten as a veggie, like cherry tomatoes)
Height: Vines can reach upward to 10 ft. but typically stays around 5-6 ft.
Light: full sun
Moisture: well drained, rich warm soil - amend with compost before planting
Planting: start indoors 6 weeks before last frost, in 4" deep pots to minimize root trauma and transplant shock. Can be direct sown when soil is warm and frost danger is past, but germination can be spotty.
Harvest: 75 days
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A heirloom variety from the 1800's, fruit is extra long and great for slicing with a nice mild flavour.
Type: Annual vegetable.
Height: Grow as a vine up netting or trellis.
Light: Full sun
Soil: Rich soil. Use good quality compost around plants and mulch well.
Water: Consistently keeping soil moist, but not wet, will results in good growth and happy plants.
Planting: Sow seeds directly outside after the soil is warm and there is no danger of frost. Cooler temperatures will decrease germination. Work in lots of good compost. Create mounds or hills and sow 6 to 8 seeds 2 cm deep in each hill. Thin seedling leaving only 3 or 4 plants per hill. Put trellis in place when planting so vines can grow vertically, ensuring straight fruit. Or can be started indoors 3 weeks before the last frost. Harden off* before planting out.
Harvest: 60 days from planting
* Hardening off refers to the process of gently and gradually acclimatizing indoor grown seedlings to the great outdoors! Don't throw your new babies straight into the elements! Over the course of a week, take them outside for a few hours at a time, bringing them back indoors afterwards. First sit them in the shade and then slowly introduce them to the sun. Increase the length of time they are outside and are exposed to the sun, until you feel they are ready to face the big outside world!
Other tips: Cutting when they are shorter increases yield and offers best flavour.
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Cup plant is a very tall plant! But if you have the room, it is worth growing for it's statuesque presence in the garden. It will require staking.
Type: Perennial, native to Ontario
Height: 8 to 12'
Light: full sun to light shade.
Soil: sand to clay
Water: Cup plant likes it moister but if you want to control it's growth, place it in a dryer area. It won't grow quite so big and will self seed less.
Bloom time: Late July to September
Planting: Seeds need a 60 day period of cold, moist stratification - see options in photos, courtesy of Northern Wildflowers. * This website offers an excellent overview of this plant and how to grow it from seeds: Cup Plant – Silphium perfoliatum – Grow and Care Guide – GrowIt BuildIT
Wild life support: The flowers are adored by bees and the seed heads are a favourite of chipmunks and gold finches in the late summer, early fall. Where the leaves meet the stem, a cup like structure is formed, hence the name. This collects water from which insects and birds will drink- how charming!
Warning: The only drawback to Cup Plant is that it self seeds quite aggressively and you should remove seedling quickly in the spring to control the spread.
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Butterflies, bees and hummingbirds love this plant's nectar, making Dense Blazing Star an excellent addition to pollinator gardens. Birds then eat the seeds through the winter.
I love the whimsical, long-lasting, bright, feathery pop of purples as it grows and flowers from the top down - truly unique. I grow it among White (dwarf) Lavender, Lance-Leaf Coreopsis, Spotted Bee Balm and Blanket Flower.
Type: Native Perennial
Height: 5 ft.
Light: full sun-part shade
Moisture: well draining, drought tolerant
Bloom time: July-late fall
Planting: Cold, moist stratification required - see options in photos, courtesy of Northern Wildflowers. Lightly cover (1/8" depth) with moist soil, and do not let seedlings dry out. OR direct sow in late fall to overwinter in the garden for blooms the following spring
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A great tasting, beefsteak tomato, great sliced for eating or frying.
Type: Indeterminate variety. Needs staking. You can read about the difference between Determinate and Indeterminate tomatoes here: Determinate vs. Indeterminate Tomatoes
Height: Indeterminate height
Light: Full sun
Soil: Rich soil. Use good quality compost around plants and mulch well.
Water: Consistently keeping soil moist, but not wet, will results in good growth and happy tomatoes. Inconsistent moisture can lead to "Blossom End Rot". Always water tomatoes at the base of the plant never getting water on the leaves.
Planting:
- Start seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before last frost date. Use a heating mat to aid germination as they love to be warm! If you don't have a heating mat, you can sit the seeds on top of the fridge to get some warmth.
- Harden off* and then transplant to the garden after all frost danger is gone.
- Bury them deep! Plant the whole stem into the ground, not just the roots leaving only a few top leaves showing. The plant will put out roots from the buried stem, making your plant grow nice and strong!
- Space plants 60-90 cm, 2-3' apart; space rows 3-4' apart.
- DO NOT crowd plants. This leads to poor circulation and disease
Harvest: 72 days to maturity (from the day they are planted outside)
* Hardening off refers to the process of gently and gradually acclimatizing indoor grown seedlings to the great outdoors! Don't throw your new babies straight into the elements! Over the course of a week, take them outside for a few hours at a time, bringing them back indoors afterwards. First sit them in the shade and then slowly introduce them to the sun. Increase the length of time they are outside and are exposed to the sun, until you feel they are ready to face the big outside world!
Other tips: Pruning out suckers on your plant will help it put more of it's energy into fruit production. Suckers appear between the main stem and the branches and can be easily taken out with your fingers.
$4 each or 3 for $10 (save $2!)
Bronze Fennel is an outstandingly beautiful plant which adds colour and airy texture to the garden and is particularly lovely in the back of a perennial border. And it is edible too!
Type: Perennial herb. Grown for it's licorice tasting leaves and seeds. This is not bulb forming fennel.
Height: 3-4'
Light: Full sun
Soil: Loose, sandy soil
Water: drought tolerant once established
Bloom time: July
Planting: Sow seeds directly into warm soil, pressing in well and cover lightly with soil. Soaking seeds for a day before may help with germination.
Care: Cut back fennel in the spring to encourage bushier growth. Harvest seeds to limit aggressive self sowing.
Wild life support: Host plant for the Black Swallowtail butterfly larvae
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An outstanding native plant! The yellow colour of the blooms is exquisite and you will enjoy watching native bees literally swimming in the abundant pollen! The dark seed heads are also attractive for the rest of the season, although they should be removed if you want to limit it's spread as it will self seed quite readily.
Type: Perennial, native to Ontario
Height: 3-4'
Light: Full sun to light shade
Soil: loamy to sandy, adaptable
Water: likes it on the moist side but will tolerate drier areas once established. It will grow shorter where it is dryer.
Bloom time: June-July
Planting: Cold, moist stratification required - see options in photos, courtesy of Northern Wildflowers. This website offers an excellent overview of this plant and how to grow it from seeds: Giant St. John’s Wort – Facts, Identification, Grow and Care – GrowIt BuildIT
Wild life support: This plant provides abundant pollen as a reward. It is mostly pollinated by bumblebees but is also loved by sweat bees and other small bees.
$4 each or 3 for $10 (save $2!)
Type: Annual flower
Height: 4-6'
Light: Full sun
Soil: average garden soil
Water: keep well watered
Bloom time: late summer
Planting: Can be started indoors 2-3 weeks before last frost or direct sown into the garden after danger of frost.
Notes: I learned the hard way that sunflowers are allelopathic, meaning they give off toxins that impede the growth of or even kill other plants. They also deplete soil of nutrients. Because I grow so much food in containers, I now grow my sunflowers in separate pots and place them near their fruit, veg and herb companions
Crisp yellow beans grow to 4-5 inches in length. Rot resistant and easy to grow.
Type: annual vegetable
Height: 2 ft - do not require staking/trellis
Light: full sun
Moisture: well drained, warm soil
Planting: Sow directly into the garden, 1" deep, 2" apart, space rows 3" apart after the soil is warm. Beans seeds will not germinate if cool and wet.
Care: water the soil only, and avoid touching the leaves when wet (this can cause disease). Harvest regularly to keep plant producing; once pods get fat with seeds, they will stop flowering.
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Green onions are a great start to the vegetable garden as they can be harvested early. Wonderful in garden salads or in egg salad!
Type: perennial bulb
Light: Full sun to light shade
Soil: Loose, sandy, well drained with added organic matter
Water: Regular watering while establishing
Harvest: Spring
Planting: Seeds can be sown indoors in a tray 3-4 weeks before the last frost. Harden off* before placing in the ground.
* Hardening off refers to the process of gently and gradually acclimatizing indoor grown seedlings to the great outdoors! Don't throw your new babies straight into the elements! Over the course of a week, take them outside for a few hours at a time, bringing them back indoors afterwards. First sit them in the shade and then slowly introduce them to the sun. Increase the length of time they are outside and are exposed to the sun, until you feel they are ready to face the big outside world!
$4 each or 3 for $10 (save $2!)
A very old variety, this is a great flower for the historical garden. Flowers are such a rich deep purple/ red that they appear black and have lovely yellow centres. May need staking.
Type: Biennial
Height: 6'+
Light: Full sun
Soil: good garden soil
Water: keep evenly watered
Bloom time: mid to late summer
Planting: Start inside 6-8 weeks before planting out. Do not cover seed, needs light to geminate. Transplant after last frost into full sun or light shade.
Growing tip: Pinch out the growing tip after transplanting to make your plants stocky and strong. Cut back after first bloom to encourage reblooming. Do not move established plants. May be short lived, but hollyhocks self-seed dependably.
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A lovely grass with delicate stems that sway in the breeze and soft white seed heads. Leaves turn bronze colour in the fall. It is clump forming and will not overtake the garden. Little Bluestem is a warm season grass so it will be slower to show in the spring.
Type: Perennial, native to Ontario
Height: 2-3'
Light: full sun to light shade
Soil: sandy to loam
Water: will tolerate very dry soils
Bloom time: fall
Planting: Seeds grow best when planted into containers in the spring. Press into the soil well to make contact with the soil. They will take some time to germinate and will only do so when it gets a bit warmer. Here is a good guide: A Beginner's Guide To Little Bluestem | GrowIt BuildIT
Wild life support: Seeds feed a variety of birds and are great for creating hiding and shelter spots for birds and other wildlife. They can be used in the vegetable garden to create a "beetle bank"- an area to protect ground beetles which are awesome predators of garden pests.