Siskiyou Seeds - Seven Seeds Farm

Transcription

Siskiyou
Seeds
2014 Catalog
& Seed Growing Guide
BIOREGIONALLY ADAPTED ORGANIC SEED
What’s New in 2014?
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Early Spring Seed Blocks
Spring Garden
32 new varieties! Look for the
icon.
Updated catalog design
Expanded Growing Guide Section
New Workshops and Educational Opportunities
Stay Connected and Learn More!
Visit the Seven Seeds Farm website for farming tips, growing guides, events
calendar and more...
www.sevenseedsfarm.com
While you are there, feel the love all year round and join our email list and
mailing list to receive our seasonal newsletter and excusive offers by Siskiyou
Seeds and Seven Seeds Farm!
Educational Opportunities
Workshops
The Seed Garden
Seven Seeds farm has been a beacon of hope for nearly 2 decades, modeling
regnerative, life affirming agriculture and earth skills in SW Oregon.
In 2014 we will be offering:
• Permaculture in Action - half day workshops on a variety of topics
• Seed School - Weekend intensives - May 2014*
• 8 week Work Study immersions on seed growing, permaculture, biodynamics, Qi Gong, botany, natural history and homestead living. Starting
May 2014*
• Dancing the Good Life - June 2014*
*check out our website for final dates and information.
How to Order
Order Online to see new varieties throughout the year at.
www.siskiyouseeds.com
Fall Seed Harvesting
Seven Seeds Farm Family Summer 2013
Order by Mail by using the form easily removed from the middle of the catalog
and mail to: Siskiyou Seeds
3220 East Fork
Williams, Oregon 97544
(541) 846-9233
New Varieties for 2014
Cassiopeia Popcorn
Touchstone
Gold Beet
Purple Sunrise Radish
Longstanding Bloomsdale
Spinach
King Richard Leek
Black Krim Tomato
Stocky Red Roaster
Pepper
Yello Ornico Tobacco
Ellen’s Purple Amaranth
Stella Blue Squash
“Beauty will save the world.”
~ Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Greetings!
Why do we plant seeds? I have been coming to the conclusion that for many of
us it is a wish to see beauty increase in the world. Beauty that springs from our
hands, our will, our dreams – dancing with sun, seed, soil and water, green goodness made manifest from planning, effort, action and faith.
Of course the vegetables are a nice treat, but ultimately I believe that we aspire
to cultivate a beautiful, life rich realm that can nourish and house our families
and their hopes and dreams. Often the “why” is of much more importance than
the “how” of it all. Why do we choose to grow food flowers, herbs? Possibly it is
because we deeply believe in the miracle of Creation. Maybe we just want some
tomatoes, and basil? Perhaps it’s for the pollinators? Or could it be that the sight
of our child up to their eyebrows in a red ripe watermelon is one of our greatest
sources of happiness in this lifetime!
“Though I do not believe that a plant will spring up where no seed has
been, I have great faith in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed
there, and I am prepared to expect wonders.” - Henry David Thoreau
What motivates the seed to sprout is akin to what motivates us change our
condition into a fruitful flourishing. Let us stand together in we want to see in the
world. Let your garden be a place of peace, where battles may be laid to rest, may
they be between the insects, the weeds, or in ourselves. May we sow these seeds
of peace that bring such deep contentment that it blesses our food with nourishment so sublime that it transcends vitamins, antioxidants and calories - flowering
within us into the positive virtues that make us feel whole. That’s right people, I’m
talking ‘bout good ole fashioned love, kindness and compassion. It’s true, money
doesn’t grow on trees, but peace does grow in a garden – one that you can plant.
Thank you for trusting us and the seeds we
share with you that reveal the rapture in the
sun, soil and soul.
May God bless you and may the good Earth
bless you and your family.
Don Tipping and the Siskiyou Seeds Family
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About Us
Siskiyou Seeds operates at our family farm, Seven Seeds Farm. We have been
growing certified organic seed for many national scale mail order seed companies since 1997. We are fairly unique within the world of seed companies
in that we actually produce much of the seed ourselves, as opposed to most
companies that buy most (or all) of their seed from multinational corporate
seed houses.
Growing these seed crops over the years has enabled us to become fairly intimate with many of these varieties to the point where they become like family
members, gracing our gardens and dinner table with their unique goodness.
In addition to commercial seed production, Seven Seeds Farm produces biodynamic fruits and vegetables that we distribute through a cooperative Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program called the Siskiyou Sustainable
Cooperative (www.siskiyoucoop.com) in southern Oregon’s Rogue Valley. We
also raise ducks, chickens, turkeys, goats, swine and sheep.
Seven Seeds hosts numerous on-farm classes and workshops in a variety of
sustainable agriculture related topics such as Natural Farming, Permaculture,
ecological woodland stewardship and Biodynamics. To see a current listing of
workshops at Seven Seeds Farm and classes that Don Tipping will be teaching
in southern Oregon please see our website.
We are located at 2,000’ elevation, 42.2° North latitude. Our average frostfree season is from June 1st until October 15th. We are technically a Zone 7
site. Summers are hot and dry with high temperatures in the upper 90’s or low
100’s not uncommon. Evenings are cool in summer due to our arid, mountain
environment. Winters are cool and rainy with periodic cold snaps down into
the teens or below. Average rainfall is 42” per year, coming mostly between
Oct and May.
In the growing guide we have a suggested planting guide for SW Oregon. The
suggested planting dates we provide are based on our own experience on our
farm at 42 degrees north latitude, for every degree of latitude north or south
you can generally adjust your planting times by one week earlier (going south)
or later (going north). Of course this depends on many factors particular for
your microclimate. Please understand this is simply a guide and not the rule.
Although we are blessed with abundant summer sun here in the “banana belt
of southern Oregon”, the Siskiyous can be a challenging place to garden with
our winter rainforest/summer desert climate of harsh extremes. The varieties
that we offer in this catalog have proven themselves through years of homesteading…filling countless harvest baskets and serving as the foundation for
many nourishing meals.
Mission
Vision:
Our mission is to serve by providing the highest
quality certified organic, open-pollinated seeds and
the educational resources to guide and empower individuals with skills and tools to cultivate generative
agriculture and support flourishing communities.
We envision interconnected bioregional farms that serve as seed
production hubs and education centers for the empowerment of
humankind. Each farm will be responsible for the growth, selection,
and distribution of the highest quality certified organic, open-pollinated seeds and offer educational opportunities and resources
that catalyze and inspire the agricultural renaissance. We build
collaborative relationships that cultivate healthy community models
throughout North America that provide well adapted seed genetics,
sustainable agriculture techniques, and organizational systems that
encourage successful small scale food production, thriving local
ecology, and generative economies.
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Our Home Farm
“ Come let’s fall in love again,
let’s turn all the dirt in this world to shiny gold.
I nourish a seed named Love.” ~Rumi
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Contributing Seed Growers
Siskiyou Seeds produces about 60% of our seed from our home farm, Seven
Seeds Farm and works with growers both in our local SW Oregon area and
slightly farther afield to be able to offer a greater diversity of varieties. Most
seed companies conceal the source of their seed, because it is generally coming from one of the giant multi-national seed companies. We are committed
to helping to foster a resilient seed system through having a network of skilled
organic seed growers.
Seven Seeds Farm, Williams, OR
Don Tipping has farmed on the north slope of Sugarloaf mountain since 1997. Seven
Seeds has produced seed for many commercial seed companies that offer organic seeds.
Our biodynamic approach to seed growing aims to develop varieties that is resilient and
capable of thriving in low-input, diverse micro-farming conditions. Siskiyou Seeds lives
happily at Seven Seeds Farm, where we produce the majority of seed that we sell.
Dan Hobbs, Hobbs Family Farm, Avondale, CO
www.farmdirectseed.com
We grow certified organic garlic, open pollinated seeds, fresh vegetables, grains, cover
crops and hay in a six year rotation. This rotation, along with the aridity, keeps disease
and pest pressure to a minimum and yields premium quality food, seed and forage.
We are also a founding and active member of the Family Farmers Seed Cooperative
Alan Adesse, Hands on Organics, Eugene, OR
Alan has been producing organic seed for 27 years and shares the delicious Sweet Lorane Fava beans, Pronto beets, rutabaga seed and Alan “Mushroom” Kapuler’s Painted
Hills Sweet Corn with all of us.
Eel River Produce, Shively, CA
Seasoned farmer, Bill Reynolds, farms amidst the redwoods on the Eel River in southern Humboldt County. Bill is a produce farmer, seed grower and plant breeder and
has co-developed (with John Navazio) the best open pollinated zucchini available (see
“Dark Star”). He also works with tomatoes, squash and melons. Bill is a member of
the Family Farmers Seed Cooperative.
Family Farmers Seed Cooperative, Williams, OR
www.organicseedcoop.com
FFSC is a group of organic seed growers that includes a number of those listed above
who have pulled together to form a cooperative to produce and distribute high quality
organic, open-pollinated seeds. The order fulfillment and seed storage facility for FFSC
actually lives at Seven Seeds Farm. FFSC is pioneering a whole new approach in seed
security through supporting the development of bioregional seed producing hubs
linked with a national marketing, breeding and quality assurance program.
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“If you want to fast, go alone,
if you want to go far, go together.”
~African Proverb
Flora, Williams, OR
Stacey Denton grows organic cut flowers and herbs in a big homestead garden and
also helped to create the Woodland Charter School, a Waldorf-inspired elementary
school helping to guide the young people of our bioregion in a direction of balance
between Heaven and Earth.
Gratitude Gardens, Concrete, WA
Woody Derykx of Concrete, WA, grows carrots, spinach and cabbage seed. Besides
being a farmer, Woody has helped create a number of organizations that support the
organic community such as Oregon Tilth, the Organic Seed Growers Trade Association
and the Family Farmer’s Seed Cooperative.
High Mowing Seeds, Northern Vermont
Tom Stearns and High Mowing Seeds have supplied high quality organic seed, information and regenerative culture from the NE Kingdom of Vermont since 1997. As we
are getting our network of seed growers up to speed we occasionally must turn to our
colleagues who have their own small organic seed companies in order to maintain the
diversity in our seed offerings that we would like. In these instances we look to High
Mowing Seeds in Vermont and Irish Eyes Seeds in Washington (below).
Irish Eyes Seeds, Ellensburg, WA
Greg Lutovsky and crew are wholesale seed producers, dealers, and retailers in eastern
Washington. We are thankful to be able to turn to them to help cover gaps in our seed
production for organic varieties.
Katherine O’Brien Farm, Weed, CA
Katherine is a new farmer who moved back to her homeland in Siskiyou County to
take up the challenge of helping to supply her bioregion with high quality organic
food. She has been bitten by the seed bug and we are fortunate to carry Cajun Jewel
Okra seed that she grew.
Lupine Knoll Farm, Williams, OR
Jessie and Jonathan Spero farm on the Williams Creek in Williams, OR doing tremendous work with developing new open pollinated, high nutrition sweet corn. They are
also doing plant improvement and seed production work with broccoli, kale, tomatoes, and marigolds. Their forward thinking to plant breeding is resulting in varieties
that have many valuable traits for organic growers that the industrial farming model is
sadly overlooking. Jonathan is a member of the Family Farmers Seed Cooperative.
L&R Family Farm, Provolt, OR
Liz Tree and Ryan Dolan farm organically in the Applegate River Valley growing market
produce and seeds for a variety of commercial catalog companies. Their approach to
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farming encompasses stewardship of grain crops, cattle, hogs, pasture and vegetables in a cohesive way that upholds good family farming ethics. They have their own
organic garlic seed business at www.organicgarlicseedfarm.com. Ryan is a member of
the Family Farmers Seed Cooperative.
Nash Huber, Sequim, WA www.nashsorganicproduce.com
Nash Huber has been developing well adapted organic carrot, kale and cabbage
strains based on his 40+ years in the organic fresh market produce world. The team
at Nash’s is farming about 450 acres: 75 acres of vegetables, berries and orchard;
150 acres of grain; 20 acres of organic seed; 50 acres devoted to pigs, poultry, and
compost; and the rest is fallow or in hay.
Sunspirit Farm, Williams, OR
Michelle Benick and Brian Hannigan farm downstream from Seven Seeds Farm with
their son Jaia growing organic seeds, vegetables and livestock. Michelle is our neighborhood naturopathic doctor, too!
Wandering Fields, Applegate, OR
Ben Yohai grew the Baby Butternut squash we are offering this year. He farms a
mixture of vegetables and seeds with his family in the upper Applegate Valley. Please
keep an eye out for more goodness from these farmers who are beginning to settle
into a good fertile spot on the Earth!
Wolf Gulch Farm, Jacksonville, OR
Tom and Maud Powell farm in a remote canyon in the beautiful little Applegate River
valley. They also coordinate a cooperative Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
program called the Siskiyou Sustainable Cooperative (www.siskiyoucoop.com). Their
excellent genetic isolation and extensive farming experience make them invaluable
growers of high quality organic seed.
Wild Garden Seeds / Gathering Together Farm, Philomath, OR www.wildgardenseeds.com
Frank and Karen Morton have greatly helped to up level the quality of organic salad
greens seed available over the last 20 years. Frank has bred many unique, disease
resistant, nutritious varieties. They grow about 8 acres of seed within the context of
the much larger fresh market Gathering Together operation.
White Oak Farm, Williams, OR www.whiteoakfarmcsa.org
White Oak Farm is a non-profit educational farm and learning center that produces
organic fruits, vegetables and seeds in addition to offering classes in natural building
and children’s farm discovery programs. Taylor and Sarah Starr currently focalize the
impressive efforts of this land trust farm.
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Frequently asked Questions
about GMO, Open Pollinated and Bioregional Seeds
Are Your Seeds GMO?
No. And we test species that are at risk of being cross-contaminated.
GMO refers to Genetically Modified Organism, which is a new life form created
through transgenic techniques, wherein a gene (or genes) are transferred from one organism to another. Notably strange examples are a flounder fish gene being inserted
into a tomato, or spider genes into a goat. These “crosses” could never occur outside
of a laboratory under natural circumstances. Further still, transgenic/GMO technology
is not open-source or public domain and is virtually always considered intellectual
property and protected by utility patents. We feel that this technology is being used in
a way that is immoral and undermines food sovereignty.
If you look at which crops were chosen to create genetically engineered variants, the
biotech giants started with the annual crops that were planted over the largest acreage
globally: soybeans, corn, cotton, canola, sugar beets, then alfalfa. When viewed from
this perspective, their seemingly altruistic claims to feed the world are revealed as the
wolf in sheep’s clothing that they are; not merely control of the global food supply, but
further, to make the bulk of farmers beholden to their seeds and associated agricultural chemicals. As highlighted by UC Berkeley
Professor of Entomology, Miguel Altieri, most
“Through nutrition
GMO crops are not actually used directly for
our bodies recome
human consumption as much of the corn and
receptive to spirit.”
soy is used for the production of biofuels and
Rudolf Steiner
ethanol, for feedlot beef production or in the
case of cotton, it is not food. The private ownership of our genetic commons transgresses
natural laws and is undermining our shared
planetary wealth.
What Does Open Pollinated (O.P.) Mean?
Since 1951, there has been a rampant proliferation of proprietary hybrid F1 varieties
in commercial agriculture. Simultaneous with this has been an increasing neglect of
traditional farmer bred open pollinated and heirloom strains. Open pollinated basically means that if you harvest seed from a plant in your garden or farm, (assuming
that it wasn’t grown too near another variety of the same species, [see growing tips for
more information in this vein]), and plant them the next season, that they will breed
true and resemble their parents.
This cannot reliably be done with F1 hybrids that are the offspring from an intentional
cross between two inbred lines. Hybridization occurs in nature all the time and is a
very important method for species evolution and adaptation to new environmental
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stresses. Hybridization confers increased vigor in some species, especially those that
require wind or insect pollination. This increased vigor is known as heterosis. Only
some species actually benefit from hybridization (corn, broccoli, carrots are a few examples), while in others (particularly self-pollinated crops) it confers no benefits (such
as lettuce, peas, and beans).
The problem with proprietary F1 hybrids is that it is primarily done to control a genetic
resource and engender loyalty to seed companies, because of the commonly held notion that you cannot save seed from them. While seeds from an F1 parent plant can be
grown, their progeny will eventually revert back to various combinations of the parent
lines, a process known as genetic drift. Genetic disintegration usually occurs in the
third to fifth generations (F3 to F5) and deleterious traits emerge. In many parts of the
world farmers will routinely save seed from F1’s and plant the resulting F2, which still
possesses most of the desirable characteristics of the original F1. This saves money by
not having to buy seed that season. Rather than saving seed again, they recognize the
above phenomenon and go back to the seed company and obtain new F1 hybrid seed.
Growing out hybrids, and thereby stabilizing them as an open-pollinated line, can be
an interesting project and we actually offer seeds of a few varieties (a melon, a squash,
a kale and a spinach) where we are doing this process. You can witness some of the diversity that emerges when “de-hybridizing” a variety. With self-pollinated crops such
as lettuce and beans, corporate seed companies will often obtain a Plant Variety Patent
(PVP is the designation often listed in seed catalogs) to protect their investment into
developing these varieties. With increasing corporate control of our genetic resources,
hybrid varieties have come to dominate nearly all of the important commercial crops.
The trend of large multi-national seed companies obtaining Utility Patents for varieties
is a continuation of the desire for corporate control of our access to growing food.
The true value in open pollinated seeds is the opportunity to reliably reproduce
your own vegetable varieties.
Before 1951, nearly all seed grown was open
pollinated. This is usually chosen as the cutoff line for varieties to be deemed “heirloom”.
With our seeds you can save your own seed
and what you see is what you get, as long as
you have observed maintaining the proper
isolation distances for the cross-pollinated
species (see the Seed Saving for Beginners
chart toward the back for details).
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Why Bioregional seeds?
Most of the seed we sell is grown right here in SW Oregon. Having been grown in
this area for multiple generations ensures that the plants that perform the best in this
climate will produce the most seed, thereby conferring bioregional adaptation. This
adapatation also shows up as resistance to disease, pests, climactic extremes, soils and
in increased nutrition and agronomic traits.
Does this mean that these seeds will not do well if I don’t live in that area?
Not necessarily. The reality is that the Pacific Northwest is one of the best seed
growing regions in the world, so as a result many varieities are produced only in
optimal regions and then distributed globally. For instance SW Oregon is a great area
to produce onion, melon, lettuce, beet and chard seed. Whereas the Skagit Valley in
western Washington produces great spinach, cabbage and peas for seed.
With consolidation in the seed industry over the last few decades we have lost hundreds of regional specialty seed companies that focused upon breeding and reproducing the varieites that thrived within that region. Admittedly it is quite difficult to
produce exceptional seed of everything in any given region. Some plants need heat,
cold, dry or other conditions to thrive. Also there can be cross pollination issues with
wild relatives like wild carrot (Queen Ann’s lace) that crosses with domesticated carrot.
Nonetheless, there are gardeners from Alaska to Hawaii and from California to Maine
and they are best served by seed that has been reproduced for generations under
the conditions that the future progeny will be growing in. We have a small 10’x12’
temperature controlled, strawbale seed room with about 500 varieites of vegetables,
herbs, grains and flowers that we maintain. It is my sincere belief that every agricultural watershed on the planet needs something like this (or a couple of them). Plant
domestication is an on-going process and it requires that we remain engaged in
continual reproduction and selection, looking for superior traits and adaptation to our
micro-climates.
It is my sincere belief and observation that thoughtful seed saving is likely to be the
most salient response to global climate change that humanity has.
Don Tipping
Seven Seeds Farm
November 2013
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Vegetables
Beans
check website for additonal varieties
Beans - Anasazi
Phaseolus vulgaris
L&R Family Farm
BE19
Heirloom
90-110 days (dry bean) days
Packet Weight: 1 OZ: $3.50
Bag Weight: .25 LB: $10.00
An old heirloom from southwest indigenous farmers that is typically used as a dry
cooking or soup bean. It grows as a bush and produces maroon and white mottled
beans. They are a reliable producer for drying down before the fall rains for us here
in SW Oregon. They cook up easily into a creamy mild texture that goes well in soups,
also for making refried beans. In the 1980’s, the beans were discovered in a Native
American cave dwelling, by a member of an UCLA Archeological team that was looking
for remains of elephants that existed thousands of years ago in the area now known
as New Mexico. They were found in a clay pot sealed with pitch. Using carbon testing
the beans were dated to be over 1,500 years old. Amazingly some of the beans still
germinated. The beans were called “Aztec Cave Bean” or “New Mexico Cave Beans”
These few viable beans found in that clay pot were grown by a few heirloom growers.
Beans - Aoyu Edamame
BE12
65-75 days
Glycine Max
Family Farmers Seed Cooperative
Beans - Black Turtle, Dry
BE11 85-100 days
Heirloom
This is the earliest maturing, most productive dry bean that we have ever grown here
on the farm. It is our go-to as a dependable source to grow our winter stash of dry
beans. Compact bush plants produce an impressive array of pods that tend to dry
down uniformly, facilitating an easy harvest. Delicious in soup or central American
fare!
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BE20
Beans - Blackcoat Runner
Phaseolus coccineus
Eel River Produce
Heirloom
70 (fresh)-100 (dry) days
An heirloom that hails from Mexico, Blackcoat has vigorous 6-7’ vines with vivid scarlet
flowers attractive to hummingbirds and humans alike. Abundant yields of large pods
that can be eaten as a fresh shelling bean or allowed to dry on the plant and used as
a dry bean. Large shiny, jet-black seeds are about 1” long and cook down into a very
tasty creamy meal.
BE27
Beans - Blue Lake Pole Phaseolus vulgaris
Seven Seeds Farm
60 days
Heirloom
An old heirloom fresh market standard. Tall, vining plants grow rapidly and flower
profusely, yielding an abundant crop of crisp sweet round pods over a long season.
Many people prefer the flavor of pole beans to bush beans, thereby justifying the extra effort of trellising them. Work exceptionally well on a bean tipi! Dry seed is white.
BE24
Beans - Bountiful Stringless
Aoyu is a mid-season maturing edamame soybean that produces bright green pods,
generally with three seeds per pod. These type of soybeans are typically harvested
when the pods are green and plump with beans and then either steamed or boiled
in salt water & served as edamame, a delicious snack popular in Japan. We highly
encourage you to try them as they are pleasantly addictive!
Phaseolus vulgaris
Seven Seeds Farm
Vegetables
Beans
Phaseolus vulgaris
Seven Seeds Farm
50-55 days
Heirloom
Revived from obscurity from the catacombs of SOW Organic seeds and brought back
to productive nourishing life! An old heirloom snap bean from Genesee County, New
York in 1898, this reliable, heavy yielding variety has straight, slightly flattened tender
6-7” pods on a semi-veining bush. Great for fresh use , canning or freezing. Plant in
succession every 2 weeks to ensure a steady supply all summer into fall.
Beans - Dragon Tongue Wax
Phaseolus vulgaris
Irish Eyes Seeds
BE14
65 (snap)-90 (dry) days
Originally hailing from Holland, this variety of wax bean produces 6-8” flat, stringless,
French type beans. Dragon Tongue Wax Bean is yellow, striped with purple, has an
excellent, sweet, and juicy flavor. High yielding, the pods keep their quality for a long
period in the field after maturity. Dragon Tongue beans have a wonderful buttery
taste. They can be grown for fresh cooking , freezing, or let mature to the dry stage for
winter use in soups and stews.
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Vegetables
Beans
Beans - Fava, Sweet Lorane
BE13 80-140 days
Vicia faba
Family Farmers Seed Cooperative/Hands on Organics
Sweet Lorane is a small-seeded, very productive fava bean bred for edibility, disease
resistance and winter hardiness. It is also an excellent green manure crop. It can be
planted in the fall or early spring.
Beans - Fava, Urkupina
Vicia faba
Seven Seeds Farm
BE25
80 (fresh)-140 (dry) days
Heirloom
A unique heirloom named after the city in Bolivia, this is a large seeded broad bean
that can be fall or spring sown. Grows to 3 feet tall and produces 12-20 large pods
with 1” beans. These can be shelled fresh and steamed for a delicious treat that has
been enjoyed throughout the Middle East and Mediterranean regions, as well as central and South America. Easy to grow, favas are also a great nectar source for beneficial
insects. Dry beans have beautiful tan and brown swirls on them like little mouse ears.
Beans- Indy Gold Wax
Phaseolus vulgaris
L&R Family Farm
BE26
55 days
:
A delicious golden yellow wax bush bean with a mild and crisp flavor. Its bright
color makes it easier to pick amidst the green canopy of leaves. As with other bush
varieties, it produces concentrated sets of pods that are good to harvest for canning.
Delightful with fresh green and purple podded beans in summer salads.
Beans - Jumbo Romano, Bush
Phaseolus vulgaris
Seven Seeds Farm
BE23
60-65 days
Vegetables
Beans
Beans - Kentucky Wonder, Pole
Phaseolus vulgaris
Seven Seeds Farm
BE16
65 days
Heirloom
An heirloom pole bean that has been widely grown in gardens since the Civil War.
Pods are 7-9” long, stringless, and possess superior flavor. Very vigorous and productive, pole beans take longer to produce, but yield over a much longer harvest window
than bush types. Has good disease resistance.
Beans - Pepe de Rola, Pole
Phaseolus vulgaris
Seven Seeds Farm
BE17
90 days
Heirloom
We originally received this seed from Tessa Gowans at the Abundant Life Seed Foundation in 1999. It produces bountiful sets of pods that dry down into round beans
that are half white and half mottled brown and yellow. This is a very unique type of
bean. Has performed well in 3 sisters plantings here in SW Oregon, wherein we plant
flour corn, winter squash and pole dry beans. It’s best to wait until the corn is about
4 inches high before planting the beans or the quick growing vines will overtake the
corn. Limited quantities.
Beans - Provider, Bush
Phaseolus vulgaris
Seven Seeds Farm
BE8
55-70 days
An old workhorse variety that grows vigorously even amidst cooler conditions as it has
good resistance to virus and mildew. Produces heavy, concentrated sets of uniform
green beans that lend themselves well to fresh market use or canning. Successional
plantings sustain yields over the summer. Handsome purple dry beans can be used as
a soup bean too.
A cross between Romano and Kentucky Wonder, Jumbo has dark green, extra-long
pods with rich, bean flavor. While the beans are normally picked at 6-7”, they are still
stringless at over 10”. Seeds are light brown with dark brown stripes.
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Vegetables
Beans
Beans - Purple Dove, Bush
BE22
50-60 days
Phaseolus vulgaris
Family Farmers Seed Cooperative/Hands On Organics
We originally received this seed from Alan Adesse, who had gathered it from the
collection of bean purveyor extraordinaire, Bob Lobitz. Lovely purple/gray seeds grow
compact bushes with a heavy set of 4-5” long flattish burgundy/purple pods with excellent flavor for fresh eating. Compared to Royal Burgundy the pods are flatter, more
reddish purple, and possibly more tender.
Beans - Royal Burgundy, Bush
BE15
60 days
Phaseolus vulgaris
Seven Seeds Farm
Purple snap beans are so beautiful with their deep violet pods, stems, flowers and leaf
venation that they are worth growing simply for their eye appeal! Fortunately, they
are tasty lightly steamed as a wonderfully colorful and flavorful compliment to summer meals. Plants grow easily and have fairly good cold soil emergence in our trials.
Very good disease resistance, which improves success in organic conditions. They are
easier to pick because the pods stand out against the foliage better than green beans.
Beans - Scarlet Emperor, Pole
BE18
65-90 days
Packet Weight: 1 OZ (~20 seeds): $3.50
Phaseolus vulgaris
Seven Seeds Farm
Beans - Tiger’s Eye/Pepe de Zapallo, Bush, Dry
Heirloom
BE5
85 days
Originally from Chile. Vigorous growing bush dry bean is a favorite for filling jars in
our pantry with their gorgeous golden beans with maroon swirls on them. It is one
of the earliest dry beans in our trials over the last decade. Beans are fairly large, 50
per ounce. Very nice cooking characteristics as the rich tasting beans hold their shape
after cooking. Easy and rewarding to grow!
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Vegetables
Beets
Beets - Bull’s Blood
BT1
65 days
Packet Weight: 4 g: $3.50
Bag Weight: 1 OZ: $10.00
Beta vulgaris
Wild Garden Seeds
Intensely dark purple-red leaves add pizzazz to salads. Don’t disregard the deep red
2-3” roots as they make a nice table beet, steamed, boiled or grated raw on the aforementioned salad. Selected by seedsman Frank Morton.
Beets - Chioggia
Beta vulgaris
BT3
Heirloom
60 days
Old Italian heirloom with candy striped roots with a bull’s eye pattern of red and white
alternating rings. Very pretty grated over salads. Non-staining juices come in handy
when traditional red beets would dye a dish red.
Beets - Detroit Dark Red
Beta vulgaris
Seven Seeds Farm
BT4
Heirloom
60-65 days
Heirloom from 1892. Original selections were made from Early Blood Turnip by Mr.
Reeves of Port Hope, Ontario, Canada. Nearly round blood-red 3-4” diameter roots.
Great for canning and fresh eating. Prolific, good keeper.
Beets - Early Wonder Tall Top
Rambunctious vines grow 6-18 feet tall. Enjoys cool weather and is actually somewhat
frost hardy. Beautiful crimson scarlet flowers attract hummingbirds. Large beans
may be enjoyed at snap stage, fresh-shelled or left to dry on the vine and used as a
delightful creamy tasting dry bean. Seeds are black and maroon speckled. Native to
S. America.
Phaseolus vulgaris
Seven Seeds Farm
Beta vulgaris
Irish Eyes Seeds
BT2
48-60 days
Bag Weight: 1 OZ (~2100 seeds): $10.00
Standard production O.P. table beet. Vigorous 16” tops are tinged with purple make
excellent eating greens. Roots are a 3” flattened globe that makes great bunched
beets. Can be used as a storage beet and it shines when used fresh too. Among our
favorite tasting beet in our boiled beet taste trials. A workhorse variety!
Beets - Shiraz
Beta vulgaris
Eel River Produce
BT6
60 days
Fast growing; big-tops, smooth round, red roots with outstanding vigor. The sweet,
dark red roots are incredibly smooth due to their disease resistance. Our best beet for
roasting, boiling or canning! Rhizoctonia-resistant.
15
Vegetables
Beets
BT5
Beets - Touchstone Gold
55 days
Beta vulgaris
Wild Garden Seeds
From the words of grower Frank Morton, “By all accounts, this is the best gold beet
available. Smooth round roots are richly colored, fine textured, sweet as beets get, and
have glossy tender tops. The color (beta-carotene) does not bleed, so gold beets mix
well with other root crops in cooking. The best example of OP beet breeding in years.
Our seed comes from carefully reselected roots.”
Broccoli - Di Ciccio
Brassica oleracea
Irish Eyes Seeds
BR2
48-85 days
Packet Weight: 2 g (~500 seeds): $3.50
Heirloom
Old reliable European variety, compact 2-3’ plant with 3-4” bluish-green central head,
then lots of medium-sized side shoots. This heirloom has a delightfully rich flavor and
eating quality. Introduced in 1890.
Broccoli - Waltham
Brassica oleracea
High Mowing Seeds
BR4
50-80 days
Heirloom
Waltham is a dependable producer of a tight central 4-6” head with nice dark green
color. Once the main head is cut, this open pollinated strain will keep growing side
shoots with 1-2” tight flower buds and sweet, tender stalks. Keep these picked to
encourage more side shoots.
Broccoli Raab
BR3
Brassica rapa
Seven Seeds Farm
45-60 days
Heirloom
Rapini (also known as Broccoli Rabe or Raab) is a common vegetable in the cuisines
of southern Italy, Spain, and China. Rapine has many spiked leaves that surround
clusters of green buds that resemble small heads of broccoli. Small, edible yellow
flowers may be blooming among the buds. The flavor of rapine has been described
as nutty and pungent. Rapini is a source of vitamins A, C, and K, as well as potassium,
calcium, and iron.
16
Vegetables
Carrot
Brussel Sprouts - Long Island Improved
BS1 80-110 days
Brassica rapa
Irish Eyes Seeds
Heirloom
Compact 24” plants yield 50-100 dark green 1” sprouts over an extended period.
Sweeter after temperatures fall below freezing. The standard open pollinated variety
since the 1890’s.
Cabbage - Columbia
Brassica rapa
CB3
67 days
Great, quick-growing round green cabbage that produces dense, round 3-5 pound
heads that resist splitting. A versatile vegetable (try saying that 10 times fast!) that
can be used for coleslaw, sauerkraut, cooked or as vegetable catapult projectile! Compare to Golden Acre.
Cabbage - Red Express
Brassica rapa
CB1
55-65 days
An excellent open pollinated compact, 2-3 pound red cabbage that heads up quickly.
Uniform purple color, size and shape. Not a storage variety, rather enjoy them over
the summer and fall.
Carrot - Dragon
Daucus carota var. sativus
CT4
70-80 days
Packet Weight: 1.5 g (~200 seeds): $3.50
Dragon is a striking carrot variety that produces 7” long, broad shouldered carrots
with bright purple skin and an orange interior. It offers the best flavor of all purple
varieties and is an excellent keeper.
Carrot - Kuroda Chantenay
Daucus carota
CT5
75 days
This variety is very popular and widely grown in Asia. This improved version produces
excellent quality carrots in deep orange red color, 7-8” long and 2” wide with a subtle
taper. Roots are smooth and uniform in shape and useful for fresh eating, juice, cooking and storage. The plant grows very well in summer for harvest in fall to winter.
17
Vegetables
Carrot
Carrot - Scarlet Nantes
CT3
70 days
Daucus carota
Vegetables
Collards
Chinese Cabbage - China Choy
CC2
Brassica rapa
Seven Seeds Farm
70 days
A wonderful selection of the finest open pollinated fresh eating carrot. Grows quickly
into a nice 7-9” straight root with little to no taper and a blunt tip. Crunchy, sweet with
a dark orange color and core. Keeps fairly well in cold storage too. Strong tops make
pulling them up easy and resist many common diseases.
Similar to Bok Choy but with a looser rosette of leaves. Produces dark green leaves
with wide, brilliant white petioles that are crunchy and tasty. Does well from spring or
fall sowings. Good for kim chee.
Cauliflower - Snowball Improved
Brassica rapa
Gratitude Gardens
CF1
55 days
Packet Weight: .5 g (~75 seeds): $3.50
Brassica oleracea
Irish Eyes Seeds
Snowball is the classic open pollinated variety that reliably makes large, snow-white
6-7” heads that are well protected by outer leaves. Outer leaves wrap tightly around
the head so that it is self-blanching. To successfully grow cauliflower, give it plenty of
fertility and more space than broccoli.
Celery - Giant Red
CE1
100 days
Apium graveolens
Seven Seeds Farm
The largest red-stalked variety. Has been selected for better color, cold hardiness and
disease resistance. Very flavorful. Excellent in soups and stews and blanched pink
hearts are divine in salad! Celery really likes high fertility.
CE3 90-100 days
Celery - Tall Utah
Apium graveolens
Irish Eyes Seeds
Heirloom
An open pollinated market standard. Well-rounded, thick, stringless stalks. Very crisp
and tasty. Celery is easy to grow and can be grown almost anywhere with the proper
care. Start seed in greenhouse early in spring and plant when it has a few true leaves.
Germinates slowly. Overwinters in mild winter areas where lows are above 20˚ F.
Celery Root - Celeriac, Brilliant
Apium graveolens
Oakhill Organics
CE2
100 days
A wonderful fall and winter staple that will add tremendously to stews and soups with
its large, heavy, smooth roots with refined celery flavor. Resists pithiness and hollow
core very well.
18
Chinese Cabbage - Ching Chang
CC4
40-50 days
Ching Chang is a nice mild-flavored, dwarf-statured bok choy that rapidly forms an
open rosette of smooth dark green leaves with wide, thick, succulent white leaf stems.
It is very tolerant of stress from heat and cold, cooks up very nicely and has been the
most popular variety in China for years.
Chinese Cabbage - Nozaki Early
Brassica rapa
Gratitude Gardens
CC1
60 days
Tall barrel-shaped heading variety produces 3-6 pound heads with light green leaves
and broad white midribs. Heads up quickly. Best sown in spring or late summer.
Chinese Cabbage - Prize
Brassica rapa
Seven Seeds Farm
CC3
50 days
Grows quickly to produce a dense, open head with thick, flat, white stalks and dark
green leaves. Succulent petioles are reminiscent of celery stalks and add crunch to
salads or stir-fries. Suitable for making fermented Kim Chee/Korean sauerkraut. Easy
to grow, direct seed or transplant.
Collards - Flashy
Brassica oleracea
Seven Seeds Farm
CL1
60 days
Bag Weight: 1 OZ (~7,000 seeds): $20.00
Big, vigorous plants produce sweet, tender mild, blue green leaves all summer and
then overwinter well to provide greens through the fall, winter and early spring.
Compare to the variety Champion. A real family feeder.
19
Vegetables
Corn
Corn - Anasazi
Zea mays
Lupine Knoll Farm
CO1
Heirloom
90 days
Bag Weight: .5 lb: $15.00
Productive, diverse, multi-colored sweet corn. Plants grow 6-8’ tall and produce 2 ears
per plant that are 4-7” and 2” in diameter. Very flavorful. Ancient variety reportedly
found by archeologists Anasazi ruins.
Corn - Apache Red, Flour
Zea mays
Seven Seeds Farm
CO14
Heirloom
110 days
Original seed obtained from the USDA Plant Introduction Center in Ames, Iowa, but
initially from the San Carlos Apache peoples. The deep red/maroon (almost black)
kernels have soft flour centers and can be ground into a fine flour for cornbread and
tamales. Stalks grow to 6-7 feet in height. Makes an excellent grinding corn.
Corn - Cassiopeia, Popcorn
Zea mays
Seven Seeds Farm
CO2 100-110 days
Packet Weight: .5 OZ: $3.50
A southern Oregon original in development over the past 13 years. Originating
with the old Coche de Pueblo strain, we crossed it with 4 other varieties. Cassiopeia
combines the best traits of 5 different heirloom popcorns. Selected for early maturity,
large ear size and multiple ears per plant (up to 5), it is multicolored, tall (8-9’) and
beautiful. Let dry in the field and cure on the cob indoors for a few months before
popping. Will not cross with sweet or flour corns. Please see Japanese Hulless description for some popcorn curing tips.
Corn - Festivity, Sweet
Zea mays
Lupine Knoll Farm
CO3
85 days
Open pollinated, cold tolerant, rainbow colored, multi-stalked and frequently with 3-4
ears per plant. Created with cool soil and higher latitude locations and low-fertility in
mind. Most cobs have a blend of white, yellow, red and purple kernels. Variable. Five
to six feet tall.
20
Vegetables
Corn
Corn - Hopi Blue Star (breeder’s selection)
Zea mays
Seven Seeds Farm
CO20 75-110 days
Heirloom
Mostly the same as the Hopi Blue, Flour (above), however, this is a collection of all
of the most unique ears in a very diverse gene pool. This will still yield good flour
corn, but it is a more diverse assortment of light blue to purple with non-linear rows
of kernels in spiral, star, and other interesting patterns. It also has a good amount of
dented kernels and strange forked ears. A novelty for the curious gardener! This is
an ancient flint corn that is a traditional staple of the Hopi people in northern Arizona.
Can be eaten as sweet corn when picked young and roasted, but is best known for
making an excellent sweet blue corn flour that has 30% higher protein levels than
dent corns. Plants are 5 ft. tall and bushy with many tillering side shoots. Ears are
a beautiful smooth silvery blue and 8-10” long with usually 2, but up to 7 per stalk.
There is still much variability in this strain with respect to kernel color and degree of
kernel denting. Expect ears to mature into shades of light gray/slate blue, to dark blue
and purple. Robust, drought-tolerant cultivar selected over many generations.
Corn - Hopi Blue, Flour
Zea mays
Seven Seeds Farm
CO15 75-110 days
Heirloom
This wonderful variety has been grown in Hopi land near the American SW Four
Corners region in traditional 3 sisters plantings for many generations. It is uniquely
adapted for good anchorage and tillering, growing 3-4 stalks and up to 7 ears per
plant. Best grown in mounds of 2-5 plants spaced 6 feet apart with squash growing in
between and beans twining up the corn stalks. Ears are 7-9” long and a diverse array
of gray/blue/purple colors. Soft kernels grind easily into a fine flour for tortillas, corn
bread and many other delicious foods.
Corn - Hopi Purple, Flour
Zea mays
Seven Seeds Farm
CO17
85-95 days
Rare traditional variety of the Hopi nation, this lovely drought-tolerant open pollinated corn has 5-6 bushy stalks that produce 8” ears with pretty pink kernels. Higher in
protein than other flour corns - up to 14%. Kernels grind into a soft, fine flour useful in
baking and for tamales and tortillas.
21
Vegetables
Corn
Corn Japanese Hulless White, Popcorn
Zea mays
Seven Seeds Farm
CO8
110-120 days
Packet Weight: .5 OZ: $3.50
A vigorous shorter season white popcorn that grows to about 5’ tall and produces 2-3,
6-10” long ears per plant. Kernels pop easily and do not have a hull to get stuck into
your teeth. Delicious and nutritious - grow your own snack food! This variety was one
of half a dozen parents to our Cassiopeia strain. Takes slightly long to mature, however the ears are slightly larger. *Please note that in order to pop successfully; popcorn
must have an adequately long season to mature fully. Harvest once husks are dry on
the plant. If frost kills plants before maturity you can pull them from the roots, bundle
and let finish under cover. Let ears dry fully after shucking (usually 2-3 months) before
trying to pop, and no, it doesn’t work to try and pop it on the cob (it just burns!).
Corn - Magenta Parching
Zea mays
CO18
110+ days
Parched corn offers yet another scrumptious way to eat non-sweet grain corn.
Corn-breeders Carol Deppe and Alan Kapuler, (Peace Seeds) developed this OP variety.
It is cooked in a dry pan without oil. In about five minutes at medium-low heat, the
toasting kernels start to swell and split, releasing a wonderful aroma. The best parching corns are slow to burn, though, it’s important to keep them moving by stirring or
shaking the pan. You also need to hold a lid or screen over the pan to keep the kernels
from popping out.
Corn - Painted Hills Sweet
Zea mays
Early-maturing, cold hardy, vigorous sweet corn; also a flour
& ornamental variety; small plants with beautifully diverse,
multi-colored kernels. Originally from a cross between Dave
Christenson’s Painted Mountain flour corn and Golden
Bantamn by Alan Kapuler.
22
CO22 85 days days
Vegetables
Corn
Corn - Riverspirit Rainbow, Flour
CO5 90-110 days
Zea mays
Seven Seeds Farm
A stable & diverse gene pool of native flour corns including Anasazi, Hopi Blue, Hopi
White and others that has been successfully grown on homesteads in OR & CA for
decades. Tall (7-10’) plants produce 1-2 large (10-20”) ears in every color and pattern
imaginable. Excellent for corn bread, masa, tamales and adding to any recipe that
calls for wheat. Incredibly beautiful shucking it is like opening a present from the Earth!
Corn - Top Hat (F5), Sweet
CO19
80+ days
Zea mays
Lupine Knoll Farm
The cobs have 16 rows on 7 1/2” ears. Top Hat is mostly sugary enhanced, and has a
rich, tender, corny taste. This yellow sweet corn has excellent husk protectionand is
vigorous in cold soils. This 5th generation selected from Tuxedo is still in development and will show some variation.
Corn - Triple Play, Sweet
CO10
75-85 days
Zea mays
Seven Seeds Farm
A nicely stabilized cross of Hooker’s Sweet with the old open pollinated standard Golden Bantam that results in a very pretty bicolor sweet corn. Has greater ear size than
Hooker’s and plenty of tillers that can result in 4-5 ears per plant. It tends to shine
under hill or clump culture rather than traditional rows. Harvest at milk stage just as
some blue is beginning to show in the kernels. Delicious, rich, full flavor with large
meaty kernels that burst with real corn flavor, which is sadly lacking in modern super
sweets. Developed by John Sundquist.
Corn - Wachichu Flint
Zea mays
CO11 95-105 days
Heirloom
Wachichu Flint is an Top of ForBottom of Formopen pollinated flint corn whose hard,
translucent seed kernels produce a spectacular range of colors and patterns. It can be
roasted or ground for flour or meal. Its vigorous growth and extensive tillers make it
an excellent forage for animals.
23
Vegetables
Cucumber
Cucumber - Lemon
Cucumis sativus
Seven Seeds Farm
CU1
68 days
Heirloom
Vegetables
Gourd
Eggplant - Listada di Gandia
EG1
Solanum melonega
Seven Seeds Farm
85 days
Heirloom
Very productive variety introduced in 1894 produces copious amounts of pale yellow
round sweet and crunchy fruits that are delicious eaten right in the garden. Never
bitter. Plants are sprawling vines that keep producing up until frost. Disease resistant.
Children love them!
Beautiful and unusual lavender fruit that is sometimes striped with white. Unique
oval egg-shaped fruits 6”-8” long. Needs ample heat to mature successfully. Cloche or
greenhouse culture recommended in colder microclimates.
Cucumber - Little Leaf H-19 Pickling
Solanum melonega
Seven Seeds Farm
CU4
57 days
Cucumis sativus
Sunspirit Farm
This little gem marvels us with abundant piles of tasty and crisp little pickers. Plants
are parthenocarpic and produce heavily even in the absence of pollinators, so they
may be used in greenhouse culture. Compact vines don’t occupy much space and
lend themselves nicely to container culture. Released by Univ. of Ark. in 1991.
Cucumber - Mideast Peace
CU2
70-85 days
Cucumis sativus
Seven Seeds Farm
From the seed collection of Alan Kapular, also known as Mideast Prolific. Grows 3-5’
vines which produce several crops of 6-8”, non-bitter, thin- and smooth-skinned fruits
and makes for excellent fresh eating or pickles.
Cucumber - Suyo Long
Cucumis sativus
Seven Seeds Farm
CU3
60-70 days
Heirloom
From northern China. Ribbed, dark-green skin with heavy white spines. The 10-18”
long fruits are almost seedless, non-bitter burpless, crisp and tender. Very prolific.
Powdery mildew & heat resistant. Trellis for straight fruits.
Cucumber - Sweet Marketmore
Cucumis sativus
CU5
60-65 days
Eggplant - Ping Tung Long
EG2
70 days
A high yielding Asian style eggplant that produces a dozen or more 12-18” long
slender, glossy lavender fruits. Exceptionally tender and flavorful. Named for the city
in Taiwan it hails from, Ping Tung tolerates heat, disease and moist conditions.
Fennel - Perfection
Foeniculum vulgare
Seven Seeds Farm
FN1
75 days
An excellent quality European bulbing fennel. Matures quickly, even in cool weather.
Sow spring through autumn. Produces a large, round, succulent bulb with an anise
flavor that is sweet and mild. Our children love this raw. Also great steamed, baked,
or fried.
Gourd - Peyote Rattle
Largenaria Siceraria
Seven Seeds Farm
GD1
120 days
Produces prodigious amounts of small (3-5” long) hourglass shaped gourds on very
vigorous vines that can easily spread 10’ or scramble 15’ up a fence or trellis. They
require a long season to mature so we usually start them indoors 3-4 weeks before
setting them outside after our last frost date. They must be cured before using, which
we accomplish by leaving them out all winter on pallets outside as the frost, rain and
snow work their magic on them. Selected for generations for the ideal size and shape
to make rattles used in Native American Church ceremonies to accompany the traditional water drum. Very rewarding to grow and use!
This dark green skinned cucumber produces well until a hard freeze. Vines range from
4 to 6’, and fruits are sweet. Best eaten as a slicer.
24
25
Vegetables
Greens
Greens - Arugula, Sputnik
Eruca Vesicaria
Seven Seeds Farm
AR1
30 days
Heirloom
Vegetables
Greens
Greens - Lambsquarters, Magenta
LQ1
Chenopodium gigantium
Seven Seeds Farm
30 days
An unique find from a pickling spice bulk jar in Italy by plant breeder John Navazio.
Pleasantly piquant leaves contain a pleasing mix of lobed and strap shapes. Selected
for bolt resistance over multiple generations. A delicious basil substitute for “rocket
pesto” early in the season, simply blend with garlic, olive oil, and nuts or sunflower
seeds and enjoy.
We obtained this seed from seedsman Doug Gosling 20 years ago, where this plant
bedazzled garden-goers and salad eaters with its iridescent magenta leaves. Flavor
is tender and uniquely rich. Self sows readily if allowed to go to seed. Heat tolerant.
Flowering plants can reach 5 feet tall.
Greens - Beet Berry
mix of species
Seven Seeds Farm
Chenopodium Capitatum
Seven Seeds Farm
BB1
60 days
Packet Weight: .5 g: $3.50
Heirloom
Greens - Mesclun Mix
MU7
30-50 days
A wonderful garden novelty, this spinach relative bears its seeds in hundreds of bright
red, juicy fruits that are mildly sweet. Nothing like it! Grows well in summer heat and
also provides a nice rosette of dark green toothed leaves.
This is the perfect companion to our lettuce mix for direct seeding a salad garden for
cut and come again harvests. This mix includes the following varieties: Persian cress,
Green Wave & Osaka mustards, komatsuna, mitzuna, purple orach, purple tatsoi, red
kale and arugula.
Greens - Chickory, Wild Garden Mix
Greens - Mustard, Green Wave
Chicoryum intybus
Seven Seeds Farm
CH1
50 days
Bred by Frank Morton. In his words, “A diverse mix of head types, leaf shapes, and
color pattern created by crossing Italian heirlooms. For over 15 years these have been
selected for July-August sowing of autumn and winter crops.”
Greens - Cress, Wrinkled Crinkled Crumpled
Lepidium Sativum
Seven Seeds Farm
PC1
35 days
Bred by Frank Morton, a cross between Persian and Curly cress, the leaves of this
unique variety are held erect for easy cutting. The twisted, crisped and savoyed texture
gives these leaves unexpected heft and toothsomeness for a little garden cress. Late
bolting.
Greens - Endive, Nina Frisee
Chicorium endiva
Seven Seeds Farm
EN1
50 days
Brassica juncea
Seven Seeds Farm
MU8
30-50 days
A big bold green mustard that grows rapidly, forming wavy light green leaves with a
pleasing rumpled frilliness. Eaten raw, the flavor is a rapid spicy hot that is mellowed
with light steaming and complemented by a very pleasant sweetness. Works as a
baby leaf for salad or left to mature into a bunching green. Glimpse into the benefits
of imparting bioregional adaptation through on-farm selection and breeding.
Greens - Mustard, Karate Cabbage
Brassica carinata
Seven Seeds Farm
MU4
40-70 days
Now here is something unique! Originally sourced from seedsman, George Stevens
(Synergy Seeds), this Ethiopian green grows quickly to a nice mound of shiny light
green leaves that have an amazing texture and sweet flavor that truly tastes buttery;
yes that’s right, like butter! Must be tried to be believed.
This is a fantastic addition to any salad with its mild flavored, frilly, finely cut leaves.
Direct sow closely to encourage blanching and tenderness. A salad mix staple because
of its unique texture and flavor.
26
27
Vegetables
Greens
Greens - Mustard, Komatsuna
Brassica rapa
Seven Seeds Farm
MU1
35-55 days
Heirloom
Aka Spinach mustard. This plant is a non-heading leaf-type of Chinese cabbage with a
tender, sweet, non-spicy flavor. Great used young in salad mix or let mature for stir-fry.
Grows very quickly to 12-18” height.
Greens - Mustard, Mitzuna
Brassica rapa
Seven Seeds Farm
MU2
40-65 days
Packet Weight: 1g(~450seeds): $3.50
Heirloom
A quick growing, tender, non-pungent mustard for use in salads or stir-fry. Slender
leaves are deeply cut with thin stems and mild, sweet flavor. Selected for generations
for non-hairiness and late bolting.
Greens - Mustard, Purple Osaka
MU5
30-50 days
Brassica juncea
Seven Seeds Farm
This is a very quick growing spicy mustard with dark purple tops of the leaves and
green undersides. Adds pizzazz to salads with their vivid color and forward flavor.
Direct sow. If left to flower and go to seed, it will reseed for years on end ensuring
diverse salads with little effort!
Greens - Mustard, Purple Tatsoi (F2)
MU6
30-50 days
Brassica rapa
Seven Seeds Farm
A cross between regular tatsoi, spoon mustard and a purple-stemmed, veined mustard
called Hon Tai Tsai. My goal is to eventually have a true purple tatsoi. For now it is a
work in progress, with plantings resulting in a wide diversity of leaf shapes and colors.
Works well in salad mix.
Greens - Mustard, Wild Garden Pungent Mix
Brassica juncea
Seven Seeds Farm
MU3
30-45 days
Bred by Frank Morton. A mixture of 7+ diverse varieties. Bunches of this look like
vegetable bouquets. Perfect for salad mix diversity. Leaf colors are golden, green,
striped red, and solid purple; flavors sweet, pungent, and hot.
28
Vegetables
Kale
Greens - Orach, Purple Mountain Spinach
OR1
45 days
Atriplex hortensis
Seven Seeds Farm
A relative of spinach, orach makes delicious heat tolerant greens all summer with gorgeous purple sparkly leaves. When plant is in flower it can reach 6 feet and reseeds
easily. Direct sow. Visually spectacular in the garden and on the salad plate!
Greens - Sorrel, Garden
SO1
Rumex acetosa
Wild Garden Seeds at Gathering Together Farm
60 days
A great perennial salad plant that lives for about 5 years. Grows rapidly and has light
green leaves with a mild lemon flavor. Produces leaves from fall through mid summer
when it flowers and makes seed. Space plants 12” apart. In flower its pollen feeds
beneficial insects.
Kale - Alive Vates Grex
KL5
55 days
Brassica oleracea
Seven Seeds Farm
A Seven Seeds Farm original variety that is the result of allowing 6 different strains of
Scotch curled, vates types of kale interbreed. We began with a large population of a
few thousand plants and then selected the hardiest survivors that made it through a
week-long cold snap down to 5˚ F with no snow or mulch. What made it not only survived, but thrived, growing succulent, sweet green leaves starting with the warming
days of February and jamming right along until finally flowering in late May, at which
point we harvest tasty flower shoots for use in stir fry or raw in salad. Frilly blue-green
leaves are held high off the ground to keep winter splashback of mud off them. This is
an interbreeding population so expect some variability. Perfect for homestead gardeners who look to their kale patch to feed them year round!
Kale - Black Tuscan
Brassica oleracea
Lupine Knoll Farm
KL1
Heirloom
50 days
Bag Weight: 1 OZ (8000 seeds): $20.00
This is an excellent Lacinato (or Dinosaur) type kale from the late Alan Vanet and SOW
seeds. With dark green leaves and resistance to both heat and cold, it provides tasty,
nutritious, tender kale leaves for most of the year. Very winter hardy it becomes exceptionally sweet after frost. A proven farmer’s market favorite, it is beautiful to behold as
well.
29
Vegetables
Kale
Kale - Red Russian
Brassica oleracea
Seven Seeds Farm
KL2
50 days
Heirloom
The standard homestead/garden kale in the Pacific NW. Leaves are blue-green, flat
and lobed/toothed with beautiful purple stems and veins. Mild flavor can be used
young in salads or mature as a cooking green. Selected over multiple generations for
cold hardiness down to 10˚F and uniform color.
Kale - White Russian
KL3
60 days
Brassica oleracea
Seven Seeds Farm
The most cold hardy kale, also bolts later in the spring than any other kale by 2-3
weeks, which helps to keep the garden on your dinner plate in the lean month of
April. Looks like Red Russian kale, but with white stems and venation rather than
purple. Developed by Frank Morton.
Leek - Ester Cook
LK3
100 days
Brassica oleracea
Seven Seeds Farm
An old heirloom from the collection of Abundant Life Seed Foundation. Rescued
from obscurity and shared with us at a seed swap by Zea Sonnabend. A hardy winter
leek that is capable of growing very fat (3”+) stems that overwinter down to 5˚ in our
experience. Mild, luscious leek flavor!
LK4
Leek - King Richard
80 days
Packet Weight: 2.5g(~700seeds): $3.50
Allium porrum
Summer leek that we have been selecting for over-winter hardiness. Tall, refined shanks.
Consistently the last fresh field crop to go to Market each fall. Great mild leek flavor.
Lettuce - Bronze Arrow
Lactuca sativa
Seven Seeds Farm
LT1
60 days
Vegetables
Lettuce
LT20
Lettuce - Buttercos
60 days
Lactuca sativa
Seven Seeds Farm
In the words of Frank Morton, “Very popular pink-blushed blend of butterhead and cos
qualities. Leaves are dense, buttery, savoyed and folded, nicely proportioned to fit a salad plate, and easy to remove from the head without tearing or bruising. Highly rated for
flavor by our customers and the Philomath High School Botany Class, which has conducted detailed trials on our lettuces every year since 1995. If teens like it, it’s sweet.”
Lettuce - Crisp Mint
LT3
55-60 days
Lactuca sativa
Seven Seeds Farm
Crisp Mint is a uniquely savoyed, large, dark green, vigorous romaine with large,
upright tight heads. It is fairly bolt and disease resistant. This beautiful, sweet tasting
lettuce is a real standout and has become one of our favorites.
Lettuce - Dark Lola Rosa
LT5
55 days
Lactuca sativa
Seven Seeds Farm
Very dark purple/red, frilly leaves make an attractive addition to salads. Great salad
mix variety as it adds color and loft. Slow growing and bolt resistant.
Lettuce - Devil’s Ears
Lactuca sativa
Seven Seeds Farm
LT4
50 days
Heirloom
Aka Les Oreilles du Diable, this is one of the
most unique varieties of lettuce that I’ve
seen. Deer tongue type, produces a large
rosette of pointed shiny, rusty-red/green
leaves like a big star. A vegetable mandala.
Heat resistant, without becoming bitter.
Heirloom
Gorgeous mild-flavored heirloom with oak leaf tips and a tightly wrapped, sweet
heart. Produces heavy heads that are a mix of greens, red, and of courseÛbronze.
Good market variety. Slow to bolt and very cold hardy.
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31
Vegetables
Lettuce
Lettuce - Drunken Woman
LT22
55 days
Lactuca sativa
Seven Seeds Farm
Heirloom
Obtained at a seed swap, this is an old heirloom with a curious name. A very bolt resistaint savoyed butter lettuce with light green leaves tinged with red. Leaf edges have
a unique frizzled shape, perhaps the reason for the name. A productive and beautiful
amaranth from Golden Rule’s Ellen Bartholomew, who has trialed so many unusual
grains over the years. Ellen originally got the seeds from Salt Spring Island Seeds and
believes they were a cross of Burgundy and Golden Giant Amaranth. This one is really
fun - the seeds themselves are all white - but the flower heads can vary wildly in color yellow, orange etc. and shape.
Lettuce - Flashy Trout’s Back
LT26
55 days
Lactuca sativa
Seven Seeds Farm
from Frank Morton, “This is our own selection derived from the variable cos heirloom
‘Forellenschluse’ (Austrian for “speckled like a trout’s back,” aka ‘Freckles’ in some
catalogs) and it has received rave ratings from past trial seasons. ‘Flashy Trout Back’
is uniformly and densely splattered with bright red splashes on a medium green
background. Blanched hearts of mature plants look like ‘Castlefranco’ chicory. Upright
growth, unique early coloring, and crisp texture make this a prime candidate for baby
cut salad.”
Lettuce - Forellenschluss
Lactuca sativa
Seven Seeds Farm
LT6
Heirloom
55 days
A loose leaf romaine from Austria whose name means, _speckled like a trout’s back” in
German. Leaves are bright apple green with maroon-scarlet blotches. Winner of many
tastes tests for its excellent mild sweet flavor. A good salad mix variety for its unique
leaf coloration.
Lettuce - Italienischer
Lactuca sativa
Seven Seeds Farm
LT24
55 days
A vigorous growing dense green oakleaf variety that can grow heads as large as 18”
across! Has a delicate sweet texture and flavor. One of our favorites.
32
Vegetables
Lettuce
LT23
Lettuce - Jack Ice
60 days
Lactuca sativa
Seven Seeds Farm
Bred by Frank Morton, _A dark green crisp-leaf especially suited to salad mix, with
extra fancy toothing of the leaf margins and an upright, open heading habit for easy
harvest. A juicy sweet taste, good heft, and high resistance to downy mildew and
tipburn make this a good base green for a mix. A find from our lettuce disease trials.
Beautiful combo with ‘Cardinale’ and ‘Merlot’.”
Lettuce - Jericho
LT19
60-65 days
Lactuca sativa
Seven Seeds Farm
Jericho is a large, light green romaine that forms a dense head. It is heat tolerant and
bolt resistant. Bred in Israel, this hard to beat romaine lettuce has become an industry
standard.
Lettuce - Lettuce Mix
LT7
Lactuca sativa
Seven Seeds Farm
30 (baby leaves) days
A mixture of all of the varieties we offer. Instant salad mix diversity! Romaines, butters, red, green, speckled and more! Direct seed in succession for a continuous supply
of cutting salad leaves.
Lettuce - Marin
LT8
55 days
Lactuca sativa
Seven Seeds Farm
A nice, refined green head lettuce that achieves a large stature with its open whorl of
slightly savoyed rumpled leaves. A good market head lettuce that has been largely
dropped by the commercial seed trade.
Lettuce - Merlot
Lactuca sativa
Seven Seeds Farm
LT9
30 (baby leaves)-60 (full head) days
Leaves are intensely purple, red with a nearly metallic sheen. Terrific for a real standout salad mix. Doesn’t have the weight for head lettuce culture. Very disease and bolt
resistant. Good source of the antioxidant, anthocyanin.
33
Vegetables
Lettuce
Lettuce - New Red Fire
LT10
50 days
Lactuca sativa
Seven Seeds Farm
Grand Rapids type. A reliable market standard red head lettuce that has filled many
cases on organic farms around the country. Leaves are a nice combination of red and
green. Versatile plant can be grown as a 3-season head lettuce as it is bolt resistant
and has good disease resistance.
LT25
Lettuce - Olga
50 days
Lactuca sativa
Seven Seeds Farm
Another gem obtained from Frank Morton, “She’s a big blonde-green beauty with
broadly rumpled leaves holding a big blanched heart. Kind of soft for a romaine; a
little butter in her background, I’d bet.”
Lettuce - Optima
LT11
60 days
Lactuca sativa
Seven Seeds Farm
Vegetables
Lettuce
Lettuce - Quan Yin
LT2
Lactuca sativa
Seven Seeds Farm
60 days
My favorite green head lettuce. This Batavian type is a dense, large, sweet flavored
variety that holds up well in the heat. Does well as a fall lettuce too.
Lettuce - Red Iceberg
Lactuca sativa
Seven Seeds Farm
LT14
60 days
Forget what you know about iceberg lettuce and picture crunching your teeth into the
thick sweet, juicy midribs of this French crisphead/Batavian lettuce. Forms a tightly
wrapped, softball sized head surrounded by a satellite dish of reddish-green leaves.
Very bolt resistant and doesn’t become bitter in summer heat. Delightful!
Lettuce - Red Sails
Lactuca sativa
Seven Seeds Farm
LT15
50 days
A large, dark green butterhead with a succulent blanched heart. Very good disease
resistance, which is helpful in butter as most others are fairly wimpy.
Grand Rapids type. Ruffled, fringed leaves frame a nice large head lettuce that is
among the most bolt resistance red lettuces. Crisp midribs make for crunchy summer
salads.
Lettuce - Outredgeous
Lettuce - Redina
LT12
50 days
Lactuca sativa
Seven Seeds Farm
Bred by Frank Morton, this variety has intensely red-pigmented leaves in an open
romaine shape. Great for cutting for salad mix, although it can make a nice smaller
head. Pretty.
LT18
Lettuce - Pirat Red Butter
Lactuca sativa
Seven Seeds Farm
55 days
Heirloom
A wonderfully beautiful old heirloom red butterhead lettuce that is a red and green,
well folded plant with a dense central head that is well blanched. Orignionally from
the European Alps, it has great disease resistance, something that many other butter
lettuces sorely lack. Tasty too!
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Lactuca sativa
Seven Seeds Farm
LT13
55 days
Grand Rapids type. Good red head lettuce, but works equally well cut young for a mix.
Frilly, medium-red leaves. Exhibits good disease resistance.
Lettuce - Reine de Glaces
Lattuca sativa
Seven Seeds Farm
LT30
60 days
We obtained the orinal seed from Frank Morton at Wild Garden Seeds who explains,
“The ‘Queen of Ices’ has been around for about 2 centuries, and she’s a beauty of a
crisphead, with very ornately toothed green wrapper leaves blanching a crunchy white
heart. Sounds like a queen. The hearts are a nice base for any salad, and she makes
a fancy crisp cutting lettuce for mixes at a juvenile stage. Highly rated for horizontal
resistance to downy mildew in our trials.”
35
Vegetables
Lettuce
LT16
Lettuce - Romaine Mix
30 days (baby leaves) days
Lactuca sativa
Seven Seeds Farm
A wonderful assortment of 25 different types of upright romaine lettuces combined
for direct seeding into a cut and come again salad bed. Includes reds, light greens,
dark greens, speckled, and unique combinations. Easy pickin’s!
Lettuce - Thai Oakleaf
LT21
50 days
Lactuca sativa
Seven Seeds Farm
This is a pleasing light green oakleaf with many layers of frilly delicate leaves that
have a delicious melt in your mouth flavor. Real nice addition to salad for its visual
appeal, too.
Lettuce - Verte Mar
Lactuca sativa
Seven Seeds Farm
LT17
Heirloom
55 days
A big, dark-green tall heading romaine type. Uniform heads are surrounded by tasty,
crisp, slightly crinkled leaves that are sweeter than other romaines.
Melon - Delicious 51 PMR
ML6
75-80 days
Cucumis melo
Seven Seeds Farm
A very dependable producer of numerous 2-3 pound round, well-netted cantaloupes
that hold up well in the field. Very aromatic and flavorful. Guaranteed to leave a
taste impression! PMR stands for powdery mildew resistant, so they hold up well late
into the season allowing the later pollinated fruits to mature when more susceptible
strains are succumbing to mildew. Cornell University release from (yes, you guessed
it) 1951!
Melon - Eel River
Cucumis melo
Eel River Produce
ML5 90-100 days
Heirloom
Bag Weight: .5 OZ (~500 seeds): $20.00
Melon - Haogen
Cucumis melo
Seven Seeds Farm
Vegetables
Melon
ML3
80 days
An Israeli perfume melon held in high esteem for its creamy, sweet green flesh that is
much richer than any honeydew. Smooth skin with no netting. Worth growing for the
smell of the ripe fruits alone. One of our favorite tasting melons hands down. Good
dependable short season variety for northern growers has vigorous vines that produce
10 or more fruit of 1-5 pounds.
Melon- Haogen x Galia (F3)
Cucumis melo
Flora
ML8
80 days
An intentional cross between two excellent melons, the Isreali open pollinated
Haogen, (listed above) and the wonderful Galia (a hybrid). Still in the stabilization
process, variability is possible, however, the off-types are usually pretty tasty. Both are
green fleshed, highly aromatic and very sweet. The goal with this breeding project is
to have a melon with the eating quality of Haogen, and the durability of the netted
skin of Galia.
Melon - Hueffano Bliss
Cucumis melo
ML9
90 days
Packet Weight: 2.5g(~75seeds): $3.50
Orange Honey Dew Melon, also known locally as “Huerfano Bliss”, is a specialty market
melon with outrageous flavor. Slightly oval fruits measuring ~5”x6”, weighing an
average of ~5 lbs. Not a good shipper.
Melon - Mountain Honey
Cucumis melo
Seven Seeds Farm
ML4
85 days
A very productive traditional netted cantaloupe with excellent flavor. Texture is
smooth and firm. Highly prolific, each plant can produce 10-12, 2-4 pound melons
successfully even with the cool nights of our mountain farm. A good open pollinated
melon for market growers.
This long season melon is worth the wait for its 3-8 pound fruits with thin skin and
dense luscious orange flesh that is remarkably creamy. Also referred to as Crane
melon it has been improved and reselected by seedsman Bill Reynolds in southern
Humboldt county for many years.
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37
Vegetables
Melon
Melon - Sharlyn
Cucumis melo
Seven Seeds Farm
ML7
90 days
Heirloom
Vegetables
Onion
Onion - Red Baron Scallion
Allium cepa
L&R Family Farm
ON10
50-60 days
The sweetest melon that we can ripen in southern Oregon. Fruits are 4-8 pounds,
oblong with an orange, netted rind concealing fantastically delicious white flesh. The
flavor has hints of coconut and pineapple. Forget flying to the tropics people, stay
home and grow these in your garden, eat ‘em in the sun and frolic with friends on a
fruit sugar high!
A lovely early-maturing pale red/pink scallion grown for bunching rather than as a
bulbing type. We plant in clusters in small pots, soil blocks, or plugs, starting them
in February, then transplanting out in April. Excellent mild flavor and erect upright
greens make for a highly usable culinary essential.
Okra - Cajun Jewel
OK1
Abelmoschus esculentus
Katherine O’Brian Farm
Allium cepa
Seven Seeds Farm
53 days
Heirloom
Favorite in Cajun country since the 1950’s. Dwarf type, spineless plants, 3-4’ tall,
produce an early crop of tender 1” to 7” thick pods. Produces well in shorter season or
cooler summer regions. Good flavor.
Onion - Evergreen Hardy Bunching Onion
Allium cepa
Irish Eyes Seeds
ON5
60 days
Non-bulbing scallions for bunching. Sow in spring in clumps and transplant out for
deliciously mild garnish for beans, baked potatoes and many other culinary creations.
Delicious raw in salsa too! Can be fall sown as well.
Onion - New York Early
Allium cepa
Wolf Gulch Farm
ON1
98 days
An improved strain of early Yellow Globe. Long day, Northern type with globe shape
and very hard bulbs that store very well. Sweet enough for sandwiches and salads, but
with more bite than Siskiyou Sweet (below).
Onion - Newburg
Allium cepa
Seven Seeds Farm
ON8
100 days
Onion - Rosa di Milano
ON9 110-120 days
Long to intermediate day Italian red onion that tolerates cool climates. Excellent
keeper with 4-5” bulbs that have a unique barrel shape, are uniformly colored, and
have tight skins. Very attractive.
Onion - Siskiyou Sweet
Allium cepa
Seven Seeds Farm
ON7 110 (spring sown) - 300 (overwinter) days
Packet Weight: 2. 5 (~450 seeds): $3.50
A reselection of Walla Walla sweet onion. Light brown skin with white flesh that is
very mild and sweet. Summer ripening from a spring sowing is convenient for fresh
use, not a keeper. Fresh tops are useful as scallions. Very cold hardy and can attain
mammoth proportions with ample fertility, our record is 2.5 pounds without trying
anything fancy.
Onion - Valencia
Allium cepa
Seven Seeds Farm
ON4
115 days
Large, sweet Spanish type with a full globe covered
in a bronze skin. White flesh is very mild and sweet,
although not as sweet as Siskiyou Sweet (above).
Keeps well for a sweet onion. Thick necks require
careful handling and drying for good storage.
Taken from a Vilmorin hybrid onion by Dr. Alan Kapular and carefully stabilized over
many years into a reliable producer of 8-12 ounce round yellow onions with tight
copper skin that keep remarkably well. In trials against other commercial hybrids this
variety ranked #2, far better than other open pollinated lines. A workhorse variety.
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39
Vegetables
Parsnip
Parsnip - Turga
Pastinaca Sativa
Seven Seeds Farm
PN2
100-110 days
Vegetables
Pepper
Peas - Sugar Ann
PE7
55 days
Pisum sativum
Irish Eyes Seeds
Turga is a heavy yielding, large diameter, workhorse parsnip that produces sweet,
tender roots. It has been selected for generations for roots with minimal taper and no
forking. Parsnips will easily overwinter through bitter cold and still provide delicious
nourishment for wonderful winter meals.
An early, edible-pod bush pea that is ideal for small gardens. It has short, bushy
24-30” vines that do not need support, and it produces about 10 days earlier than
other snap peas. Delicious stringless pods are a joy eaten fresh right from the plant or
steamed. An All American Selection winner from 1984.
Peas - Cascadia
Peas - Sugar Daddy
Pisum sativum
Irish Eyes Seeds
PE1
58-70 days
PE2
68-75 days
Pisum sativum
Irish Eyes Seeds
A bush pea with 3-foot vines that produce prodigious quantities of 3” stringless pods
with fabulous snap and sweet flavor. Thick pod walls. Out performs Sugar Ann in our
experience. Multiple disease tolerance. Bred by Dr. James Baggett, OSU.
A dwarf bush snap pea with 24-30” vines that need little or no support. Heavy yields
of 2.5-3.5” stringless pods with thick, crunchy sweet flavor. Three successive harvests
are common.
Peas - Green Arrow, shelling
Peas - Sugar Snap
Pisum sativum
PE4
65 days
This shelling pea produces large 4-4” pods with 8-12 peas. Green Arrow’s yields are
higher than other varieties because it possesses the trait of making 2 pods per node.
The short vines are 24-28” long so they don’t necessarily need trellising, although
yields will be enhanced by providing some support.
Peas - Oregon Sugar Pod II
Pisum sativum
Irish Eyes Seeds
PE6
70 days
A non-climbing dwarf snow pea developed at Oregon State University that is highly
disease resistant. Produces abundant sets of 4”-5” long tender pods, often 2 per node.
Most snow peas have a fairly bland flavor, however, Oregon Sugar Pod is unique in
that it has excellent crisp, sweet flavor. Wonderful raw or cooked.
40
PE3
70 days
Pisum sativum
High Mowing Seeds
This is the classic snap pea with vigorous vines that grow to 6-7 feet, requiring staking.
Pods are 3” and are borne over a long season. Incredible flavor is unmatched. Long
harvest window means greater yields than bush types.
Pepper - Black Hungarian
Capsicum annum
Seven Seeds Farm
PR9 80-100 days
A lovely plant with purple/ green foliage and purple
flowers. It dazzles with a plethora of 2-3” long blunttipped fruits, that ripen from green/black to deep red.
Shape comparable to a jalepeo pepper. Well adapted
to northern climates, they continue to flower and produce right up until the killing frosts of fall. Fruits are
fairly mild, coming in at a ‘2’ on the 1-5 scale.
41
Vegetables
Pepper
Pepper - Cayenne, Aci Sivri
Capsicum annum
Seven Seeds Farm
PR2
80-90 days
This strain from Hungary is incredibly prolific, producing up to 25 fruits per plant that
are about 5-10” long. Fruits ripen from green to a brilliant shade of red and are larger
than traditional cayennes, without sacrificing the heat. Excellent for making ristras.
Very impressive. A ‘3.5’ on the 1-5 spicy scale.
Pepper - Chiltepec
Capsicum annum
Seven Seeds Farm
PR14
100 dayd
Obtained from Redwood City seeds. This variety is native to the Oaxacan region of
Mexico and produces abundant small 2” long red fruits, up to 100 per plant. It is
spicer than a cayenne with a SHU rating of 10,000.
Pepper - Costeno Amarillo
Capsicum annuum
Seven Seeds Farm
PR13
85 days
Plant produces heavy yields of 3 ” long by ” wide hot peppers. Peppers are hot, have a
lemon citrus flavor, and turn from green to yellow-orange when mature. Peppers have
thin skin and dry well. Excellent for yellow moles, soups, and stews. A variety form
Oaxaca, Mexico. SHU = 5,000
Pepper - Costeno Rojo
Capsicum annuum
Seven Seeds Farm
PR15
85 days
Plant produces good yields of 3” long by 2” wide hot peppers. Peppers are mildly
hot and turn from green to maroon-red when mature. Plant has green stems, green
leaves, and white flowers. Excellent for mole sauces. A variety form Oaxaca, Mexico.
SHU = 5,000
Vegetables
Pepper
Pepper - Early Jalepeno Hot
Capsicumannuum
Seven Seeds Farm
PR16
65 (green) - 85 (red) days
Packet Weight: ?: $3.50
An abundant yielding 3” blunt-end fruit can be harvested dark green or allowed to ripen to red. The compact plants are sturdy and work well in containers and are less prone
to falling over than taller. Delicious distinctive flavor. Medium heat. SHU - 5,000
Pepper - Italian Rellano
Capsicum annum
Seven Seeds Farm
PR4
80 days
Big, beautiful Italian sweet roasting pepper. Stocky plants are reliably productive in
northern areas. Fruits emerge as green and mature to a waxy, scarlet red. Not spicy.
Pepper - Lipstick Pimento
Capsicum annum
Oakhill Organics
PR6
80 days
A wonderful variety that produces 6-10, 4” long fruits that taper to a point. The flavor
of the delectably thick, crunchy walls is quite sweet and works equally well in raw
dishes or roasted. Productive even in cooler summer regions.
Pepper - Magnum Habanero
Capsicum chinense
Seven Seeds Farm
PR12 80 (green) - 100 (orange) days
A beautiful vigorous plant that is tall and multi branched, yielding a profusion of 2-3”
long bonnet shaped bright orange peppers. Exceptionally hot with a a Scoville Heat
Units rating of 210,000. An improved early maturing variety.
Pepper - Red Ruffled Pimento
Capsicum annum
Seven Seeds Farm
PR8
80 days
A medium sized compact bushy plant that has been selected for good anchorage (that
means it won’t fall over easily, exposing fruits to sunburn - not a city in Alaska!). It is
an early producer of abundant, thick-walled _cheesewheel” shaped fruits about 3-4”
in diameter and that turn a deep scarlet red. Plant grows to about 18” high. Sweet
crisp fruits are a late summer treat, delicious eaten out of hand.
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43
Vegetables
Pepper
Pepper - Stocky Red Roaster
PR11
Radish - Cherry Belle
Capsicum annum
65 (green)-85 (red) days
Vegetables
Radish
RD5
30 days
Raphanus sativus
Seven Seeds Farm
Stabilized from a discontinued hybrid pepper by Frank Morton, “This is our Red Italian
with refinement, selected for straight un-crumpled sides, smooth skin, thicker walls,
and a rich red color. By far the quickest for uniform roasting and easy skin removal,
and the thicker flesh holds up well to fire. Fruits are 6-7” long, 2” broad at the crown,
sweet, heavy fruiting, and long keeping. Has the fewest seeds of all of these types.
Mature 102 days post-trans. at OSU/Corvallis, OR.”
The market standard for open pollinated, round, red radishes. A very uniform producer of crisp brilliant scarlet radishes with pure white flesh. Mild flavor while young.
Pepper - Tangerine Pimento
Classic heirloom with an elongated shaped and a pleasing mix of scarlet-red on top
and white on bottom. Grows very rapidly and is best enjoyed while they are young
and tender. Distinctly mild pungent flavor. Grown since 1880s.
PR7
90 days
Capsicum annum
Wolf Gulch Farm
These 12-18” plants make about 8-12 fruits with 5 lobes and thick, crunchy bright orange
flesh that is wonderfully sweet. A delightful late summer garden treat. We grow them in a
greenhouse to extend the late season harvest until about Thanksgiving in our locale.
Pepper - Yankee Bell
PR5
60 (green) - 80 (red) days
Capsicum annum
Seven Seeds Farm
Developed by Rob Johnston in Maine for short season growers. This is a blocky medium-sized pepper with 3 or 4 lobes that ripens to a bright red. Compact growth habit
helps to shade fruits from sunburn and to resist lodging.
Pumpkin - Early Dakota Howden
PK2 90-100 days
Cucurbita pepo
Our Early Dakota strain of the Howden pumpkin has been selected for early maturity,
shortening the required growing season by 15-20 days. A classic jack-o’-lantern type
with fruits sized 20-22 lbs. with strong handles. A premium selection from North Dakota.
Pumpkin - Winter Luxury
Cucurbita pepo
Lupine Knoll Farm
PK1
Heirloom
105 days
An old variety that’s making a comeback because of its excellent flavor for pumpkin
pies. Uniquely netted orange skin over thick flesh. Sprawling vines produce 3-4 fruits
that are 5-7 pounds each.
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Radish - French Breakfast
Raphanus sativus
Seven Seeds Farm
RD1
25 days
Heirloom
Radish - Pink Beauty
Raphanus sativus
RD6
30 days
From Frank Morton, “The best tasting, least pithy, most uniform and productive OP
radish on the market - she gave me the seed to grow ‘Pink Beauty.’ Tops are strong for
bunching, roots are bright pink, slightly oval, smooth, and crack resistant. GTF grows
these year ‘round, outdoors and under cover in winter.”
Radish - Plum Purple
Raphanus sativus
Seven Seeds Farm
RD2
30 days
Rescued from private domain by seedsman Dr. John Navazio. A delightful quick-growing garden beauty that retains its crisp texture and mild, sweet flavor to a larger size
than most other radishes. Beautiful amethyst skin over bright white flesh. Selected
for resistance to wire worms over multiple generations.
Radish - Purple Sunrise (F3)
Raphanus sativus
Seven Seeds Farm
RD7
30 days
This is an ongoing project to stabilize a cross between Plum purple and French Breakfast radishes. In it’s third year it still produces a diversity of shapes and colors but is
beginning to contain a significant portion of elongated purple and white crisp tasty
roots. Limited Quantity.
45
Vegetables
Rutabaga
Rutabaga - Gilfeathers Turnip
RU1
Brassica napus
85 days
This is from an accidental cross between a rutabaga and a turnip; two different species
that don’t usually cross pollinate. Here’s a description from grower, Frank Morton,
“Its leaves have the color and shape of rutabaga, with a good kale-like flavor. The root
is shaped like a football rather than a sphere, lacks the purple top of both common
turnips and rutabaga, has the color of a white turnip (as opposed to the yellowish flesh
of common rutabaga), with a texture and flavor intermediate between the two. When
cooked and mashed, the color and texture would mislead many to think of mashed
potatoes. The flavor is mild, with less of the sulfurous taste that we associate with the
Brassica family. When allowed to grow to seed, the seed plant has a close-branched
architecture like a turnip with flowers almost identical to Siberian kale and rutabaga.”
Spinach - Long Standing Bloomsdale
Spinacia oleracea
SP3
45 days
Packet Weight: 3g (~225seeds): $3.50
One of America’s longest standing commercial OP varieties found in wide field-scale
production since 1925. That is until just lately. It has been pushed aside in seed production areas by hybrid spinach, which the seed industry finds more profitable. But for
eating, nothing compares to Long Standing Bloomsdale. Darkest green, savoyed oval
leaves are held erect by sturdy stems, and are highly productive from spring plantings.
An adaptive workhorse variety of old.
Spinach - Winter Bloomsdale
Spinacia oleracea
Gratitude Gardens
SP1
Heirloom
45 days
A classic open pollinated strain introduced in 1925 that is well-selected in the Skagit
valley of Washington for its upright, dark-green savoyed leaves and terrific spinach flavor.
Performs better than most varieties in the heat, but really excels in spring and fall plantings.
Spinach - Winter Giant
Spinacia oleracea
Gratitude Gardens
SP2
Heirloom
45 days
Also known as ‘Geant D’Hiver’ in France. Smooth, semi-savoyed variety with medium green leaves that are exceptionally cold hardy. This is an excellent strain for late
summer and fall seeding.
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Ordering Instructions
You can obtain seeds from us in a variety of ways:
ORDER ONLINE: www.siskiyouseeds.com
We have a complete shopping cart format site. The site is updated regularly to reflect
shifts in our inventory or new additions. Variety photos are featured with each listing
on the website. Growing tips for most species are also available there. Over time we
will pack this site with useful information about seed production and seed related
issues.
ORDER BY MAIL: Please fill out the order form with the variety codes (such as SP1, or
ZN3), names and quantities desired, tear it out (we put it in the center of the catalog
for your conveinience), or copy it and mail it along WITH PAYMENT for the total amount
plus shipping to our address at the bottom of the form.
PLEASE NOTE: At this point we cannot accept orders by FAX or phone.
However, if you have a question about an order or want to see if something is in stock
feel free to call us at (541) 846-9233, or email info@siskiyouseeds.com.
You can also find our SEED RACKS in Oregon and Californa!
If you are in Southern Oregon please visit our seed racks at:
• Ashland Food Co-op, Ashland
• Redwood Nursery, Grants Pass
• Ray’s Garden Center, Ashland
• Takubeh, Williams
• Williams General Store, Williams
• Liberty Seeds, Grants Pass
In Portland, Oregon at:
• People’s Food Co-op
• Naomi’s Organics
• Alberta Food Co-op
In Siskiyou County, California at:
Scott Valley Feed and
Berryville in Mt. Shasta
47
Guarantee and Gift Certificate
see our website for photos
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49
Siskiyou Seeds 2014
Order Form
Code Name
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Price
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subtotal from previous page
Vegetables
Swiss Chard
Summer Squash - Yellow Crookneck
SS3
Cucurbita pepo
Seven Seeds Farm
Heirloom
50 days
A tried and true variety with exceptional productivity of tender, smooth yellow fruits
with an intriguing twist. Bush habit helps to save space in the garden. The flavor of
this variety is rich and creamy, delightful steamed and mashed with butter!
Summer Squash - Zucchini, Costata Romanesco
Cucurbita pepo
Wolf Gulch Farm
Heirloom
SS1
55 days
Delicious Italian heirloom produces pale green fruits with distinct ribs. Although it
yields lower than hybrid varieties, it’s flavor is far superior- creamy, nutty and with
great texture. Exceptionally large blossoms lend themselves well to frying.
Summer Squash - Zucchini, Dark Star
SS2
50 days
Cucurbita pepo
Eel River Produce
A new open pollinated zucchini developed by Eel River, California organic grower, Bill
Reynolds. It has been bred as an OP market gardener workhorse alternative to hybrids.
Spineless stalks prevent damage to fruits while harvesting. Long harvest window is a
good trait for farmer and gardener alike. Remarkably vigorous.
Summer Squash - Zucchini, Golden
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along with a check or money order to:
Siskiyou Seeds
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(541) 846-9233
Thank you for your order!
Cucurbita pepo
Wolf Gulch Farm
Heirloom
SS5
60 days
Golden zucchini was introduced in 1973 by the W. Atlee Burpee seed company. It is a
compact bush type plant that is perfect for those with limited space in their gardens. It
is a prolific producer of dazzling gold zucchinis that can grow over 10”, but are tastiest
when eaten at this size or smaller. Frequent harvesting of small fruits encourages
more fruit to grow.
Swiss Chard - Fordhook Giant
Beta vulgaris
High Mowing Seeds
SC1
50 days
Heirloom
An incredibly vigorous green-leafed chard with very wide, brilliant white petioles.
Leaves can grow to 3’ tall with good fertility! Lots of variation in leaf shape, but generally heavily savoyed. An old standby in gardens across northern latitudes.
51
Vegetables
Swiss Chard
Swiss Chard - Prismatic Rainbow
SC2
60 days
Beta vulgaris
Seven Seeds Farm
Vegetables
Tomato
Tomato - Black Plum Roma
Lycopersicon esculentum
Seven Seeds Farm
TM28
80 days
Heirloom
Prismatic Rainbow has leaves in shades of green, red, pink, yellow, orange and stripes.
Highly ornamental, it’s a beautiful sight to behold! Selected for resistance to leaf
miners, wide petioles and upright growth habit. This strain was tops in a recent trial in
WA state.
A gorgeous Russian variety that produces a steady crop of 2-inch elongated plumshaped fruits with a beautiful deep-mahogany color. Fruit resembles a small paste
tomato but with thinner skin. Unique sweet tangy flavor. Indeterminate.
Swiss Chard - Rhubarb
Seven Seeds Farm
SC4
Beta vulgaris
55 days
This is the standard for red chard. A selection by John Navazio, it has deep ruby, red
stems and dark green leaves with a pleasing savoyed rumple. Can be used young as
a baby leaf in salad mix for some color. Try sauteing with balsamic vinegar and sweet
onions - delightful!
Tomatillo - Golden Husk
TL1
85 days
Physalis Philadelphica
Seven Seeds Farm
This is the ticket for the salsa verde that will dazzle dinner guests at your gala garden
soiree, making hearts flutter longingly for mariachi band music and a dance partner
who’s smooth on the shoes! Often self sows and naturalizes in gardens.
Tomato - Amish Paste
Seven Seeds Farm
TM23
80-90 days
Heirloom
Amish Paste is high yielding and produces large, meaty fruits with great texture and
flavor. It has very good flavor for a paste tomato. Indeterminate.
Tomato - Black Cherry
Seven Seeds Farm
TM1
60 days
A refreshing break from the ordinary, this purple brown cherry tomato has incredibly
abundant 1” diameter fruits with a complex, rich sweet flavor. Very productive with
vigorous vines that can top 6’, so stake accordingly or you’ll be traversing a jungle of
tangled tomatoes to satiate your desire for more of these tasty treats. Indeterminate.
52
Tomato - Burbank Slicing
TM2
70-80 days
Heirloom
Developed by the infamous Luther Burbank, this variety is a reliable producer of 4-6
ounce round red fruits on bush habit plants that do not require trellising. Very pleasant sweet/tart flavor. Crack resistant and disease tolerant. Indeterminate.
Tomato - Cherokee Purple
Seven Seeds Farm
TM22
80-90 days
Heirloom
Cherokee Purple produces 8-12 oz fruits that are a combination of red, green and
purplish brown. It is a highly flavorful heirloom slicer that regularly places at or near
the top of taste tests. Medium vigorous vines benefit from trellising, which also helps
to ensure that fruit quality is enhanced. Indeterminate.
Tomato - Double Rich
Seven Seeds Farm
TM5
65-80 days
Heirloom
Rich, full-bodied fruits grow well in a variety of conditions. Fruits are deep red and
grow up to 4” across and up to 16+ ounces each. As much vitamin C as an orange and
twice that of most other tomatoes. Good resistance to blight and wilt. As an indeterminate type, it requires staking.
Tomato - Doucet’s Plum
Lupine Knoll Farm
TM6
60-70 days
One of the earliest tomatoes for the Pacific Northwest. Plum tomatoes are larger than
a cherry, but smaller than a slicer; makes a great salad tomato. Originally obtained
from the Sandhill Preservation Society. Indeterminate.
53
Vegetables
Tomato
TM30
Tomato - Garden Peach
Seven Seeds Farm
65 days
Heirloom
Origionally from Peru, where they are known as Coconas, this heirloom is colored exactly like a peach and has a sweet mild flavor. Fruits are 2-4 oz. and perfect for salads.
The vines are prolific and very easy to grow in poor soil. Garden Peaches have soft
skins and mature in on average. They are suited to containers.
Tomato - German Streaked
Seven Seeds Farm
TM7
80 days
Heirloom
Large 8-12 ounce flattened fruits are a beautiful yellow, orange red marbled pattern.
Particularly attractive when sliced. Flavor is very fruity and complex and reminiscent of
fruits from more tropical locales. My favorite! Indeterminate.
Tomato - Gold Currant
L. pimpinellifolium
Seven Seeds Farm
TM25
75 days
This is a very vigorous, vining cherry tomato that can grow to 8 feet high and produce
thousands of small (3/4”-1”) very sweet orange/yellow fruits. They are so sweet that
they will keep you in the garden for longer than you expected! Currant tomatoes are
a more primitive species of tomato than that which is commonly grown. I suspect that
this may have been among the parents used to produce the famed Sungold hybrid
orange cherry tomato. Unlike Sungold, you can save the seed from this wonderful OP.
Indeterminate.
Tomato - Green Zebra
Seven Seeds Farm
TM26
80-90 days
Has very unique dark green and yellow stripes on 1.5-2” fruits that are quite a conversation starter. It is more tart (described as ‘spicy’ and ‘zingy’) than regular tomatoes,
and is an early breed. Green Zebra was bred by Tom Wagner of Everett, Washington,
and introduced in his Tater-Mater Seed Catalog in 1983. It is not an heirloom tomato,
despite often being mistakenly designated as one. Indeterminate.
54
Vegetables
Tomato
TM31
Tomato - Jasper (F2)
70 days
Seven Seeds Farm
This variety is worth a story! We received the Johnny’s selected seeds catalog and my
younger son, Jasper (6 at the time) saw the back cover photo advertising a new hybrid
red cherry tomato called, “Jasper (F1)”. He exclaimed, “Dad, look they have a tomato
named after me.” So of course we had to grow it. Being a hybrid, it is in the process
of being stabilized into an open pollinated variety, a process which may take a few
generations of growing it out. So far what we have seen is a very vigorously growing
indeterminate type that definitely needs trellising that produces abundant clusters of
small (1/2”), bright red cherry tomatoes that are exceptionally sweet, at least as sweet
as the famed Sungold.
Tomato - Legend
TM21
80 days
Seven Seeds Farm
A University of Oregon release that is late blight resistant, which is a real blessing in
wet summer locales where this fungal pathogen can wipe out lesser varieties. Fruits
are deep red, 3-4” half-pound beauties. Flavor is rich and full, like a red tomato should
be. Produces reliably where others fail! Determinate.
Tomato - Marvel Striped
Seven Seeds Farm
TM8 90-110 days
Heirloom
Originally from the Zapotec peoples of Mexico. Produces large 10-16 ounce fruits on
indeterminate vines. Fruits are yellow orange with a lobed, pleated shape, and very
few seeds. Complex, fruity and tasty. Indeterminate.
Tomato - ORLST
Seven Seeds Farm
TM9
80-85 days
This variety came to us from the collection of seedsman Alan Vanet with this strange
name, which we’ve deciphered as ORegon Late Spring Tomato. It appears to share genetic parentage with the OSU/James Bagget variety Oregon Star. ORLST produces nice
1-2 pound flattened red fruits with few seeds, a nice firm texture and great rich flavor.
The most productive red slicer in our recent trials. Mildly indeterminate.
55
Vegetables
Tomato
Tomato - Peacevine Cherry
TM10
78 days
Seven Seeds Farm
Vegetables
Tomato
Tomato - Ropreco Paste
Seven Seeds Farm
TM29
70 days
Heirloom
Stabilized from the hybrid Sweet 100 by Dr. Alan Kapular of Peace Seeds. This
rambunctious indeterminate produces an astounding amount of 1” round red fruits,
borne in cluster of 6-10. Flavor is excellent, sweet/tart. You’ll find yourself gorging on
them in the garden. Contains very high levels of Vitamin C and gamma-amino butyric
acid, a natural nervous system sedative, hence the name. Indeterminate.
A fine old Italian heirloom paste tomato that actually tastes good fresh, unlike the
many mealy roma types out there. It is highly disease resistant to most common
tomato foliar and fruit ailments. Does not require staking as it produces its fruit in a
concentrated set. Suitable for sauce, drying and other canning projects. Fruits are 2-3
ounces, oblong and bright red. Determinate.
Tomato - Peron Sprayless
Tomato - Stupice
Seven Seeds Farm
TM11
70 days
Heirloom
TM27
55-75 days
Seven Seeds Farm
Introduced in 1951 from Greece, Peron Sprayless is an early, vigorous midseason
tomato with good crack resistance and exceptional disease resistance. Deep-red
10-ounce fruits are globe shaped. Outperforms hybrids. Mildly indeterminate,
requires staking.
Routinely one of the earliest maturing varieties, Stupice was bred in the former
Czechoslovakia. Fruits are 2-3”, bright red and fine flavored. Performs well in cool
summer climates. Indeterminate potato leaf variety.
Tomato - Red Calabash
Lupine Knoll Farm
Seven Seeds Farm
TM20
80-90 days
Heirloom
Originally a meso-American variety from the Zapotec peoples of Mexico, brought to
northern shores by horticultural adventurer, Gabriel Howearth. Delights the eyes with
its flattened, bright red, pleated fruits that are 3-4” across and have a wonderful sweet
tomato flavor. Mildly indeterminate.
Tomato - Red Pear aka Red Fig
Seven Seeds Farm
TM12
70-80 days
Heirloom
Very vigorous vines produce copious quantities of delightful 1.75” x 1”pear-shaped
fruits that are scarlet-red. Delightful sweet mild flavor really spruces up salads. Crack
resistant. One of our favorites. Originally brought from Italy. Indeterminate.
Tomato - Sweet Orange II
TM13
65 days
A unique open pollinated orange cherry tomato that is exceptionally productive. Crack
resistant. Bred for higher sugar levels, it is a delicious garden snack tantalizing taste
buds with an abundance of bright sweet fruits. Indeterminate.
Tomato - Thessaloniki
Seven Seeds Farm
TM14
60-80 days
Heirloom
A Greek heirloom tomato that was introduced to the USA in the 1950’s by Glecklers
Seedsmen of Ohio. It produces large, red uniform fruit weighing 4-6 ounces with
excellent flavor, high yields and disease resistance. An early popular variety perfect for
home or market; keeps well. Mildly indeterminate.
Tomato - Willamette
Seven Seeds Farm
TM15 70-100 days
Bushy 3-4’ vines yield quality small (3”), smooth red slicers. Has good disease resistance. Bred at OSU for Oregon growers. Produces well in northern climates, with the
ability to mature with cooler summer temperatures. Indeterminate.
56
57
Vegetables
Tomato
Tomato - Wisconsin
TM16
72-75 days
Seven Seeds Farm
Large, smooth red slicer that produces uniform 3-4” round fruits that hold very well
off the vine. Strong skin and solid walls give this tomato the workhorse characteristics
that could make it a main crop tomato for market growers. Flavor is excellent, full, rich
and satisfying. Indeterminate.
Tomato - Yellow Brandywine
Seven Seeds Farm
TM18 75-100 days
Heirloom
Indeterminate, fuzzy potato leaf vines that make humongous 1-2+ pound fruits that
are flattened with occasional ribbing. Delicious creamy texture and complex bouquet
will satisfy the most discriminating tomato connoisseur.
Tomato - Yellow Stuffing
Seven Seeds Farm
TM17
70-80 days
Heirloom
This was a find from a seed swap of years ago. Yellow Stuffing heirloom open pollinated tomato is a tomato like no other. It looks more like a bell pepper than a tomato,
especially on the inside. Yellow Stuffing has a mild flavor, and is great when stuffed
with meat, potatoes, onions, and carrots. Mildly indeterminate.
Turnip - Des Vertus Marteau
Brassica rapa
High Mowing Seeds
TU1
35 days
Heirloom
The name translates poetically to Hammer of Virtue. Vertus, is in the northeast of
France. Either way, the elongated shape is great for slicing in the kitchen and mild
flavor is delicious in salads or steamed with butter. A great early season crop with a
sweet, crisp flavor and unique elongted shape. Roots average 2” wide by 4-6” long.
This French heirloom dates back to the 1800s.
58
Vegetables
Watermelon
Watermelon - Crimson Sweet
Citrullus lanatus
Seven Seeds Farm
WM5
Heirloom
85 days
An heirloom workhorse that can hold its own against any hybrid out there. Fine sweet
flavor with incredible smooth texture. Small seeds don’t get in the way of enjoying
the crisp red flesh. Produces 5-6 fruits that are generally about 10-15 pounds, but can
mushroom up to 30 pounds with ample spacing and fertility. Rind is light green with
dark green stripes.
Watermelon - Early Yellow Moonbeam
WM1
80-90 days
Citrullus lanatus
Seven Seeds Farm
This variety originated as a hybrid called Yellow Doll and was stabilized over the last 2
decades as a result of the work of Dr. Alan Kapular. A reliable producer of 3-8 pound
fruits with bright lemon-yellow crisp, sweet flesh. Very thin rind that has been known
to crack open with an audible ‘pop’ when stared at for too long or handled roughly.
Refined flavor. Productive variety for northern growers.
Watermelon - Moon and Stars
Citrullus lanatus
Seven Seeds Farm
WM3
Heirloom
80 days
Take a bite out of this galaxy of taste. Moon and Stars is named for the yellow dots,
‘stars’, and 1-2” ‘moons’ that are speckled over the dark green skin. The flesh is deep
red with large tan seeds that are the perfect ammo for seed spitting. Not as sweet as
Crimson Sweet, but very pleasant and refreshing nonetheless, with fine texture and
depth. Can grow up to 40 pounds!
Watermelon - Sweet Dakota Rose
Citrullus lanatus
WM4
80-90 days
Sweet Dakota Rose has become known as one of the best tasting, most reliable open
pollinated watermelon varieties. It features great flavor, few seeds and sunburn
resistance on 8-15 lb fruits. Quite similar to Crimson Sweet, but possibly superior for
northern gardens. Bred by the Podoll’s of North Dakota.
59
Vegetables
Winter Squash
Winter Squash - Baby Butternut, Burpee’s Butterbush
WS10 75 days
Cucurbita moschata
Wandering Fields
Excellent early-maturing butternut, with compact vines (3-4 ft). Flesh is deep reddish-orange, moist and deliciously sweet. Long keeper. Yields 1.5 - 4 lb fruits, averaging 4 fruits per plant.
Winter Squash - Black Forest Kabocha
WS7
95 days
Cucurbita maxima
Seven Seeds Farm
A nice uniform kabocha that produces 4-5 fruits averaging 3-4 pounds each. Fruits are
gray-green flattened shape with dark orange flesh that is sweet, dry and flaky. They
store moderately well until February or March if kept in a dry spot. Delicious baked
with butter!
Winter Squash - Butternut, Waltham
Cucurbita moschata
Seven Seeds Farm
WS2
110 days
Heirloom
Solid 9” fruits weigh in at 4-6 pounds and have a very small seed cavity, brilliant
orange flesh and tan skin. Flavor is sweet, smooth and slightly nutty. Excellent for pie.
Requires supplemental curing post harvest in a greenhouse or a warm place indoors
to properly color up and cure. Univ. of Mass. 1956 introduction.
Winter Squash - Delicata, Zeppelin
WS3
Cucurbita pepo
Heirloom
100 days
A much loved 1894 heirloom winter squash that’s just the right size for a side dish
with dinner. The fruits are 7-10” long, weigh about a pound and possess flesh that is
finer textured, sweeter, and significantly longer keeping than other strains.
Winter Squash - Green Hubbard
Cucurbita maxima
Seven Seeds Farm
WS8
100 days
Heirloom
A large vigorous plant with vines that sprawl 8-10’ and produce 5-6 fruits that weigh
10-15 pounds. Fruits have dark green bumpy skin that surrounds dark orange flesh
that is smooth and sweet. Great cut in half, stuffed with rice pilaf and baked. Thick
skin enables hubbards to store well into March.
60
Vegetables
Winter Squash
Winter Squash - Potimarron
Cucurbita maxima
Seven Seeds Farm
WS18
85-95 days
Heirloom
A small winter squash from France (aka Courge Chtaigne), inversely pear-shaped,
orange skin and orange flesh with a flavor like chestnuts. The name is derived from
the French: potiron (pumpkin) and marron (chestnut). Superb table quality in a small
(3-4 pounds) manageable size.
Winter Squash - Sibley
Cucurbita maxima
Wandering Fields
WS16 100-110 days
Heirloom
The Sibley Squash, which is also known as Pike’s Peak, was obtained from an elderly woman in Van Dinam, Iowa who had grown it for more than fifty years. Hiram
Sibley & Company of Rochester, New York introduced it commercially in 1887. It is
a hubbard type squash with moderately vigorous 12-15 foot vines. The slate blue
teardrop-shaped fruits have very shallow ribs and weigh from 8-10 pounds. Its medium-thick orange flesh is flavorful and sweet. The flesh becomes drier and richer with
storage, reaching its peak right after turn of the New Year. This seed was grown by Ben
Yohai of Wandering Fields Farm in Applegate, Oregon. Ben also sells the fruits at local
growers markets to customers who give it rave reviews. Part of the Slow Food Movements “Ark of Taste” Heirlooms.
Winter Squash - Stella Blue
Cucurbitamaxima
WS17 95-105 days
A medium-sized, round, flattened Kabocha/Hokkaido type winter squash with slate
blue-gray skin. The dark orange flesh has a pleasant dry, flaky texture and an exceptionally sweet and nutty flavor. Particularly high yielding for this type of winter squash.
Winter Squash - Sunshine Daydream (F3)
Cucurbita maxima
Seven Seeds Farm
WS5
90 days
All ideas have to start somewhere. This project started as a taste bud love affair with
the excellent variety Sunshine (F1), a delicious orange skinned squash developed by
Rob Johnston. With the dream of culturing this strain into an open pollinated variety,
we offer this (F3) assession. Some variability is distinctly possible, but we have faith
that the flavor of this productive and tasty squash is worth it. An heirloom of tomorrow
in the making.
61
Vegetables
Winter Squash
Winter Squash - Sweet Dumpling
Cucurbita pepo
Seven Seeds Farm
WS6
95 days
Herbs
Cilantro
Basil - Cinnamon
Ocimum basilicum
Seven Seeds Farm
BA2
65 days
Delightfully sweet and smooth baked or steamed, this productive squash makes 8-12,
4-5” roundish fruits like little yellow and green striped pumpkins. A favorite with
children. Stores quite well until April
Pleasant sweet cinnamon aroma adds a refreshing twist to summer meals. Purple
stems, veins and flowers with green leaves. A delightful garden companion, 30” tall.
Winter Squash - Tuffy Acorn
Ocimum basilicum
Seven Seeds Farm
Cucurbita pepo
Seven Seeds Farm
WS9
90 days
This has been the favorite eating squash on the farm this winter, charming taste. It
produces 5-7 fruits per vine that average 2 pounds each. Perfect for single servings.
Dark green rind with heavy ribs is very ‘tuff’, hence the name. Stores very well.
Winter Squash - Uncle David’s Dakota Dessert
Cucurbita maxima
WS15 95-105 days
Uncle David’s Dakota Dessert offers deep orange color, thick flesh, rich and sweet flavor, smooth texture, plant vigor and cold-hardiness. Bred by FFSC farmer David Podoll,
it produces solid yields across extreme fluctuations of climate. It’s a favorite for main
dishes, pies and other desserts.
Basil - Genovese
BA1
65-75 days
Classic pesto basil. Makes a profusion of deep green, large leaves full of complex
flavor and aroma. Harvest low to encourage succulent re-growth rather than woody
stems. Responds well to frequent harvests.
Basil - Holy Basil aka Tulsi
Ocimum sanctum
Seven Seeds Farm
BA3
75-90 days
Holy Basil has been cultivated for centuries across S. Asia for religious, medicinal, and
culinary purposes. It is a commonly used herb in Ayurvedic medicine. Medicinal benefits include adaptogenic, immune enhancing, antifungal and antibacterial properties.
Adds an excellent flavor and aroma to any tea. For centuries, the dried leaves have
been mixed with stored grains to repel insects. Easy to grow, similar to other basils.
Chives
Allium schoenoprasum
Irish Eyes Seeds
CV1
90 days
A spicy addition to salads and other dishes. Perennial that can tolerate some shade.
Makes pretty lavender flowers that can be used in cooking as well as fresh.
Cilantro - Pokey Joe
Coriandrum sativum
CI2
55 days
Packet Weight: 2g: $3.50
According to grower Frank Morton, “This is reputed to be the best tasting cilantro out
of an extensive trial by Gabe Cox at Groundworks Organics here in the Willamette
Valley. Also said to have the best roots for the root-conscious markets.”
62
63
Herbs
Cilantro
Cilantro - Santo
CI1
Coriandrum sativum
Seven Seeds Farm
Heirloom
Herbs
Tobacco
50-55 (fresh leaf) - 100 (seed) days
Parsley - Einfache Schnitt
Petroselinum crispum
Seven Seeds Farm
PS2
75-85 days
Popular in Mexican and Asian cooking, cilantro brings a refreshing cool flavor to
summer dishes. Selected for slow bolting. Allowed to go to seed, it will resow itself
readily. Edible seed is known as coriander.
An excellent flatleaf parsley whose name translates into “Easy Cut” from German. Its dark
green, flat leaves are held upright for easy cutting and rot resistance. Possesses an excellent
sweet flavor and crisp texture with tasty stems reminiscent of small celery stalks.
Dill - Mammoth
Parsley - Moss Green Curled
Anethum graveolens
Seven Seeds Farm
DL1
40-60 days
The classic dill for using the fresh greens as a seasoning or the dried seeds. Vigorous,
grows quite tall (3-5 feet). Graces gardens with its pungent sweet aroma and pickle
recipes with that certain ‘je ne sais quoi’.
Echinacea
Echinacea purpurea
Seven Seeds Farm
EC1
Perennial
This herb is easy to grow as its seeds germinate without stratification (cold-treatment).
Vigorous grower can reach 6 feet in flower, with dozens of beautiful pink/purple
blossoms arising from a mound of dark green leaves. Flowers usually emerge the
second year and thereafter. Aerial parts and roots are used medicinally to support the
immune system.
Feverfew
Tanacetum parthenium
Flora
FF1
Perennial
Feverfew is a small, easy to grow perennial herb growing to 18” with pale green, citrus
scented leaves and profuse small white/yellow daisy type flowers. The plant has been
used as an herbal treatment to reduce fever and to treat headaches, arthritis, and
digestive problems.
Hyssop
Hyssop officinalis
Seven Seeds Farm
HY1
Biennial
PS1
80-90 days
Petroselinum crispum
Seven Seeds Farm
This selection began as Darki from Frank Morton, then we made a selection from a
large field at Fry Family Farm, roguing any plants with bottom rot, yellowing or other
undesirable characteristics. Fluffy, curly, wavy dark green leaves are produced in an
abundant mound 16-18” high. Try in pesto!
Shiso - Red
SH1
80-85 days
Perilla frutescens
Seven Seeds Farm
This herb is also known as Japanese Basil. It is used in oriental cooking, sushi, and the
fresh leaves can be cut into thin strips for salads, spaghetti, and meat or fish courses.
It is used as a savory herb in a variety of dishes, even as a pizza topping in place of basil. In the summer of 2009, Pepsi Japan released a new seasonal flavored beverage,
Pepsi Shiso. Red Shiso is used to dye radish pickles and umeboshi plums. It can also
be made into a sweet, red juice to enjoy during summer.
Tobacco - Hopi
Nicotiana rustica
Seven Seeds Farm
TB1 90-100 days
Heirloom
Large dark green resinous leaves contain very high levels of nicotine born in a 12-16”
rosette. Flowers are subtle lime greenish white with a delicious jasmine-like scent in
the evening. Proper curing (like all tobacco) is necessary to mellow harshness. Grows
to 24” when in flower.
A wonderfully fragrant ornamental herb that also has similar medicinal characteristics
to mint. Hyssop is a favorite nectar source for bumblebees and other native pollinators. Grows to 16-30” tall in flower.
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65
Herbs
Tobacco
TB2
Tobacco - Yellow Orinoco
90 days
Nicotiana tabacum
Seven Seeds Farm
Grow your own ceremonial use smoking tobacco! Very easy and rewarding to grow.
These seeds are descendants from the heirloom Virginia Orinoco plants grown back as
far as the 1700’s. Considered to be one of the sweetest varieties available and is often
used in pipe mixtures as well. Plant grows to 6 feet tall with a long display of nectar
rich pink tubular flowers that attract many pollinators. Growth habit is very different
than the Hopi Tobacco as it is a different species. See growing guide for tips on harvesting and curing tobacco.
AM4
Amaranth - Ellen’s Purple
110 days
A productive and beautiful amaranth origionally from Salt Spring Island Seeds it is a
cross of Burgundy and Golden Giant Amaranth. This one is really fun - the seeds themselves are all white, but the plants are a beautiful vivid green and burgandy. Grows
to 4-6 feet tall it is a very easy to grow and process. A nutritious grain crop suitable to
garden culture packets.
Amaranth - Golden Giant
AM1
100-110 days
Amaranthus cruentus
Seven Seeds Farm
A late season grain amaranth that produces large orange/gold seed heads on top of 6’
tall stalks. Edible green leaves with golden brown veins and stalks. Very productive,
yielding up to 1 lb of seed per plant. Easy to harvest, simply clip the heads and hang
to dry. Once dry, thresh by stomping on them and winnow to remove chaff. Lends
diversity to our diet when incorporated as a staple to supplement other grains like
rice, or ground into flour to mix into breads and pancakes.
Barley - EZ Thresh
Hordeum vulgare
Seven Seeds Farm
BR1
140 days to dry grain from Feb 1st sowing
Nice hulless barley from George Stevens. Most barley has a stubborn hull that clings
to the seed. Great stew ingredient that brings a chewy, nutty flavor.
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Barley - Kamamuji
Hordeum vulgare
Seven Seeds Farm
Grains and Seeds
Millet
BL2 140 days (early spring sowing) to 270 days (fall sowing)
The most productive barley for our climate in a trial of 10 varieties. A 6-row barley that
is different from the 2-row types used for beer malt. Long awns make for a decorative
display when in seed. Very easy to grow and thresh by dancing on the dried seed
heads, or thresh traditionally with a flail on a solid floor, winnow and then ‘presto’
there you go; genuine food security. Let’s create a ‘One Straw Revolution’!
Flax - Omega
Linum usitatissimum
Seven Seeds Farm
Grains and Seeds
Amaranth uscruentus
Seven Seeds Farm
FX1
90 days
Direct sow in spring after it has warmed up. Flax is an easy to grow dietary supplement, useful in baking. Very high in omega-3 fatty acids. Produces a profusion of sky
blue flowers on slender 24” stems. Seed matures early in summer. Easy to thresh and
winnow. Seed must be ground or sprouted to make nutrition accessible.
Kamut - Blacktip
Triticum turanicum
Seven Seeds Farm
KT1 140 days (early spring sowing) to 270 days (fall sowing)
A landrace strain of wheat from the Fertile Crescent region. Probably better described
as ‘Khorasan Wheat’, it is more digestible by some people with gluten intolerance,
probably because it has been selected by farmers for its eating qualities, as opposed
to modern wheat varieties that are selected for high gluten content. Blacktip produces
large (1/2”) kernels with a richer, nuttier flavor than modern wheats. Can grow to 4-5
feet from a fall sowing, so lodging is a consideration that suggests early spring sowing
might be better. Unique in its jet-black awns that are 2-3” long. Very ornamental!
Originally obtained from seedsman George Stevens.
Millet - Foxtail
Setaria italica
Seven Seeds Farm
MT1
100 days
A productive, warm-season grass that yields heavy seed heads with up to an ounce of
grain each. Millet’s small shiny seeds are the only alkalizing grain commonly eaten.
A nice alternative to rice and can be used sparingly as a wheat substitute in baking.
Ornamental appeal is nice in dried flower arrangements as well.
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Grains and Seeds
Milo
Milo - Black
SG1
105 days
Sorghum bicolor
Seven Seeds Farm
Produces black seeds on 7” heads on 6 ft stalks. Excellent ornamental, also a good
bird seed producer. Globally, milo is used interchangeably with corn to make tortillas
(Central America), beer (Africa), couscous, and more. Very easy to grow, direct seed.
Quinoa - Faro
QN1
100-120 days
Chenopodium quinoa
Seven Seeds Farm
A very easy to grow grain crop related to lambsquarters, beets and spinach. Grows to
4-6 feet tall with an attractive plume-shaped seed head that is clipped and dried at
summer’s end. Easy to thresh and winnow. Seed must be processed by rinsing with
water to remove saponins that coat the seed, otherwise it will taste very bitter. Cook
like rice or millet. Staple grain of the Andean peoples. Very productive, 100-foot row
can yield 10-20 pounds.
Quinoa - Mix (F1)
QN2
100-120 days
Chenopodium quinoa
Seven Seeds Farm
Quinoa has become a staple of many meals outside of the Andes in the last ten years,
however, many people have yet to grow their own. Being a crop of the high Andes,
many strains only perform well at high altitudes. I was curious to begin a breeding
project to develop an adapted strain for the Pacific Northwest, so I obtained 8 strains
from MESA and grew them all together with our standard variety, Faro. Being outcrossers, they have all intermated and I now have what is know as a swarm, or a multiline hybrid. I will regrow this season and select the best producers from it. You can do
the same and take an important step towards self-sufficiency.
Wheat - Glenn Spring Red
Triticum spp.
Seven Seeds Farm
WT1
120-140 days
Heirloom
A spring planted heirloom spring wheat (as opposed to white or winter wheats). Good
for homestead bread making. Productive and lodge resistant.
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Flowers
Calendula
Amaranth - Elephant Head
Amaranthus gangeticus
Seven Seeds Farm
AM2
70-80 days
A plant with character if there ever was one! Easily the most commented on plant
on our farm during summer tours. Grows to 2-5 feet tall and produces a large, thick,
maroon/red flower stalk that looks like an upraised elephant’s trunk. Makes many
thousands of high protein, nutritious seeds per plant. It will self-sow readily.
Amaranth - Hopi Red Dye
AM3
Amaranthus cruentus x A. powelli
Seven Seeds Farm
110 days
A tall (4-5’) self-seeding annual that was originally used by the Hopi people as a natural food dye for ceremonial feasts. Very easy and rewarding to grow, it adds tremendous visual appeal to gardens with its burgundy foliage and flower plumes. Young
leaves are tasty eaten raw in salads and the mature seeds can be ground into flour.
Bells of Ireland
Moluccella laevis
Seven Seeds Farm
BI2
70 days
A summer flowering annual, native to Turkey, Syria and the Caucasus. It is cultivated
for its spikes of flowers. In the language of flowers, it represents luck. The tiny white
flowers are surrounded by apple green calyces, which are persistent. The rounded
leaves are pale green. Fast growing, it will reach 3 feet and spread out with an erect,
branching habit. A member of the mint family, the blooming stems can be cut and
used in fresh or dried flower arrangements. The domestic plant is self-seeding, prefers
full sun and regular water.
Calendula - Flashback Mix
Calendula officinalis
Seven Seeds Farm
CD2
85 days
A riot of calendula diversity that is very easy to grow. Direct seed or grow as transplants. Flowers are singles and doubles that range from yellow to orange to white
with a variety of novel twists like red coloration on the backsides of the petals. Bred by
Frank Morton.
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Flowers
Calendula
Calendula - Pacific Beauty
Calendula officinalis
Flora
CD1
85 days
Flowers
Daisy
Cosmos - Bright Lights
CS4 90-100 days
Cosmos bipinnatus
Flora
A cheery array of yellow, orange, pinkish and whitish blooms with plenty of diversity
to keep you interested as you harvest juicy blossoms for making medicinal oils and
salves that are excellent for soothing burns, sprains, bites and other skin afflictions.
Very easy to grow, tends to naturalize if allowed to go to seed.
A big showy, flamboyant flower that makes an excellent hedge or border planting.
Dozens of blooms in shades of white, pink, and magenta seem to float above an airy
foliage of thin lacey leaves. Profuse blooms occur over a long portion of the season
and make excellent cut flowers.
Celosia - Cockscomb, Kimberly
Cosmos - Picotee
Celosia cristata
Seven Seeds Farm
CS1
75 days
A stunning velvety, maroon-crested comb-like flower. Looks like a neon pink brain,
truly nothing like it. Selected for its abundant profusion of long-stemmed blossoms
which make an excellent addition to bouquets. Holds color well as an everlasting
dried flower.
Celosia - Cockscomb, Salmon Mix
Celosia cristata
Seven Seeds Farm
CS2
75 days
A beautiful everlasting flower, related to amaranth. This variety produces a large
central head that is a yellow/salmon orange color and has wonderful curves and folds,
much like a brain. Grows to about 18” and produces abundant side shoots that really
spruce up any bouquet. Dries well, preserving its shape and color for months. Native
to Africa, it is an ingredient in Chinese medicinal formulas. It is used as a treatment
for intestinal worms (particularly tapeworm), blood diseases, mouth sores, eye
problems. The seeds treat chest complaints and the flowers treat diarrhea. The leaves
are used as dressings for boils and sores, and the boiled leaves are said to be slightly
diuretic.
Coreopsis - Calliopsis
Coreopsis tinctoria
Seven Seeds Farm
CP1
80 days
Cosmos bipinnatus
Seven Seeds Farm
CS3
75-90 days
This is a lovely strain we obtained from the collection of the late Al Vanet that grows
quickly into a 4’ high bush with dozens of pale pink blooms whose petals are fringed
with a bright magenta lining. Very pretty in bouquets or as beneficial insect habitat
hedges. Tiger Swallowtail butterflies are particularly attracted to cosmos. Old-timers
say that when interplanted with corn, it will deter corn earworms.
Cosmos - Sunrise
Cosmos sulphureus
Seven Seeds Farm
CS2
75 days
A great border plant that grows to a large 4-6’ bush with hundreds of 2” yellow and orange
blossoms. Even just one plant really brightens up the landscape. Self seeds readily.
Daisy - Zulu Prince
Venidium fastuosum
Seven Seeds Farm
ZU1
90 days
Dramatic large (2-3”) flowers with a jet-black center, white petals with rings of orange
and purple in the center grow from a grayish green mound of hairy leaves. Amazing
addition to bouquets. Thrives in heat and drought. Easy to grow. Best started as
transplants and planted out when weather warms.
A Midwest native annual wildflower also known as Plains Coreopsis that makes a
wonderful showy border plant. Grows to a 30” high bush covered with hundreds of
maroon and gold 1” blooms.
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71
Flowers
Globe Centaurea
Globe Centaurea - Globe Centaurea
Centaurea macrocephala
Seven Seeds Farm
CU1
Perennial
Flowers
Marigold
Marigold - La Ribera
MG4
80 days
Tagates patula
Seven Seeds Farm
A most splendid border plant with large yellow thistle-like flowers up to 4” across. A
good focal point in the garden and a long lasting cut flower (also good for drying).
Hardy, robust perennial to 3’.
Collected by Alan “Mushroom” Kapular from one plant in La Ribera, Baja, Mexico. Big
3-5 foot bushes produce double 2-4” orange flowers. Beautiful as a dried flower.
Lavatera
Tagates patula
Seven Seeds Farm
Althea zabrina
Seven Seeds Farm
LV1
90 days
Marigold - Pesche’s Gold
MG8
80-90 days
This beauty is like a dwarf hollyhock with its abundant stalks filled with a profusion of
brilliant magenta flowers that bloom over a long season. Perennializes in mild winter
areas. A good cut flower and border plant. Grows to 24”. Rewarding to grow!
Stocky, medium-sized, perfect border and bedding plants, these 2-3’ plants overflow
with blooms all season. Bright and striking mixtures of yellow, orange and dark orange flowers have simple but elegantly-crisped petals fringed with ruffles. Somewhat
resembles a fried egg.
Love Lie’s Bleeding
Marigold - Pinwheel
Amaranthus caudatus
Seven Seeds Farm
LL1
65 days
Tall growing (4-5’) annual with a magnificent display of pendulous plumes of maroon
rope-like flowers. Very ornamental and suitable for bouquets. Edible leaves are a
nutritious addition to salads.
Marigold - African Giant
Tagates erecta
Seven Seeds Farm
MG1
90 days
Large 3 to 4 foot tall plants produce prodigious quantities of big, 3” blooms that can
really fill out bouquets. A colorful living hedge! String up the flower heads and dry
them for amazing homegrown leis and ceremonial offerings.
Marigold - Cracker Jack
Tagates erecta
Flora
MG2
90 days
An early blooming mix of yellow and gold blossoms on strong, 3-foot tall plants. Flowers are a robust and fluffy fully double type.
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Tagates patula
Seven Seeds Farm
MG7
80-90 days
Heirloom
A fantastic heirloom curiosity originally from Mexico and tweaked by breeder Alan
“Mushroom” Kapular to produce a unique array of blooms exhibiting a pinwheel of
alternating maroon and yellow petals. Grows to 3’+ and has an extended blooming
period. An excellent cut flower or border planting.
Marigold - Sparkler
Tagates patula
Lupine Knoll Farm
MG5
85 days
Large (2-3”) flowers on a robust 3-4 foot plant are maroon/red accented with orange.
Another Alan Kapular original. Marigolds are excellent garden allies delighting our
senses while repelling many garden pests.
Marigold - Tashkent
Tagates patula
Seven Seeds Farm
MG6
100 days
These 2-3 foot plants produce a tantalizing display of maroon single petal layer flowers skirted with frilly orange edges and bright yellow centers. Very long bloom period
goes from July until late October here.
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Flowers
Nigella
Nigella - White
Nigella sativa
Flora
NG1
70 days
Flowers
Sunflower
Poppy - Rattle Poppy
Papaver somniferum
Seven Seeds Farm
PP3
90 days
A very easy to grow, self-sowing annual that should have a home in all gardens,
especially for its charming balloon-like seed pods that young children find delightful
to gather and pop, revealing the abundant black seed...spreading their joy for future
flower pickers to enjoy. Lacey delicate foliage grows to about 18-24” tall and makes
many dozen of blooms over a long period. Works well in bouquets as focal points or
filler.
Obtained from Portland gardener Lezlie Amara. I found these novelties sitting on her
piano and marveled at them as their seeds were tightly enclosed in large seed heads.
Perfect for small soft sounding rattles. Normally, poppy seeds can pour freely out of
the holes in the dried pods, but these are unique in their absence of holes. Plant as
early as possible (February or March in Oregon). They grow quickly to 3 feet and produce pretty pale pink/white, single petal blooms. Grow yourself a musical instrument!
Phacelia - Bee’s Friend
Safflower - Orange
Phacelia tanacetifolia
Seven Seeds Farm
PH1
80 days
A wonderful annual warm weather cover crop that can be grown anytime from May
through November at most latitudes. Bee’s Friend attracts bumblebees in droves with
their beautiful lavender purple fiddlehead plumes festooned with blooms. Succulent
growth can reach 4’ tall, so it works well as a cover crop that can be incorporated into
the soil to add organic matter. Attracts beneficial insects.
Poppy - Hungarian Breadseed
Papaver somniferum
Seven Seeds Farm
PP1
90 days
Lemon poppy seed pancakes anyone? Grow your own with this low-opiate strain
saved for generations for its abundant seed production. Plants grow to 2-3 feet high
with pinkish single petal layer flowers. Sow early (February in Oregon) and will mature in late July. Harvest when pods are dry.
Poppy - Pinky Mix
Papaver somniferum
Seven Seeds Farm
PP2
70-80 days
This seed was obtained at a seed swap and produces a pleasant mix of 2-3 foot tall
corn field poppies in shades of pink with both single and double petaled variants.
Plant early for the most abundant blossoms. Self sows easily. Always amazing to
watch them “pop” from the big fuzzy buds!
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Carthamus tinctorius
Seven Seeds Farm
SA1
100 days
An ancient crop grown for its use as a fiber dye and its nutritious seeds and oil. Cloth
dyed with safflower was found in the tomb of pharaoh Tutankhamen in ancient Egypt.
It is easy to grow. Direct sow. Grows to 3 feet high and produces 1-5 flowers per plant
with 15-20 seeds per head. Matures seed in short season areas. Tolerates drought well.
Poultry relish the seed heads that produce abundant sunflower like seeds.
Snapdragons - Wali’s Mix
Antirrhinum majus
Seven Seeds Farm
SN1
Perennial
Snapdragons are named for the flower’s fancied resemblance to the face of a dragon
that opens and closes its mouth when laterally squeezed (thus the ‘snap’). This is
a multicolored mix including fuschias, deep reds, pinks, salmons, yellows and two
toned combo colors selected in coordination with my 10 year old son Wali.
Sunflower - Amber Eye
Helianthus annuus
Seven Seeds Farm
SF1 80-100 days
A poly-headed beauty that grows to 10’ with abundant blooms that are a mix of golden blossoms with an amber “eye” in the center. Easy to grow cut flower, wildlife food
and joyful expression of creation!
75
Flowers
Sunflower
Sunflower - Mother Garden Mix
SF6 80-100 days
Helianthus annum
Seven Seeds Farm
Flowers
Zinnia
Zinnia - Chromosomia Mix
Zinnia elegans
Seven Seeds Farm
ZN3
70 days
This mix was obtained from seedsman Doug Gossling from the Occidental Center for
Arts and Ecology (OAEC) and is a very diverse mix of multi-colored, multi-branched,
poly-headed ornamental sunflowers. A feast for the eyes and wild birds in the garden!
A mixture of all the classic shades and shapes you know and love about zinnias plus
some new twists like orange with purple edges and red with purple margins. Superb
cut flower has along vase life.
Sunflower Tarahumara
Zinnia - Purple Dahlia
Helianthus annuus
Seven Seeds Farm
SF2 90-100 days
Heirloom
A traditional variety developed by the Tarahumara people of Northern Mexico. Tall
(7-11’) plants produce a single large (up to 24” across) solid golden flower with pure
white seeds. Seeds are large, plump and delicious.
Sweet Williams - Double Choice Mix
Dianthus spp.
Flora; Seven Seeds Farm
SW1 Biennial days
Zinnia elegans
Flora
ZN2
70-80 days
A wonderful show of deep magenta/purple single and fully double petaled blooms
makes a striking visual statement in gardens or as border plantings. Tiger swallowtail
butterflies are very fond of this strain. Produces blooms over a very long season and
even into the first light frosts of fall. Grows to 4 feet.
A lovely biennial flower that produces a profusion of sturdy blooms on 12-18” stems
in an array of pinks, fuchsias, whites, scarlets and combinations thereof. Appreciating
them with the eyes alone is only a small part of the picture, because their smell is
heaven-scent! Imagine cinnamon, sweet peas, a dash of clove and all perfumed up as
only mother nature knows how! Makes terrific, long-lasting bouquets. Rarely flowers
in the first year, so please be patient. Very long bloom window in the second year
starting in April.
Tithonia - Torch
TT1 80-100 days
Tithonia Rotundifolia
Seven Seeds Farm
Also know as ‘Mexican Sunflower’, this beauty produces many brilliant orange 3”
blooms on a multi-branched 6-8’ tall plant. Unique, velvety soft leaves and stems
help make this a great border plant. Blooms late into the fall for late-season color and
nectar production for insects.
The flower invites the
butterfly with no-mind;
The butterfly visits the
flower with no-mind.
The flower opens, the
butterfly comes;
The butterfly comes,
the flower opens.
Ryokan
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77
2014 Seed Growers Guide
Seed Planting General Rules
Visit the Seven Seeds Farm blog
Welcome to the new 2014 Seed Growers Guide! In the following pages, we
provide key insights on Growing Tips, Pests, Germination, Sowing, Month-byMonth Planting, Harvesting and Seed Saving.
As the awareness of thinking like a watershed has spread to the local foods movement, with buy local campaigns encouraging people to get to know their farmers, we
have begun to see the term “food-shed” proliferate. This is good. If the food shed
is the rivers, lakes and oceans, then the springs and mountain streams are our seed
farms. Following this train of thought, I think that it is important to view seed as the
source from which our food systems originate. How can you have a healthy, resilient
organic food system without diverse, bioregional seed production and plant breeding
focused upon adaptation, nutrition and stable resistance to environmental stresses?
You can’t. The pervasiveness of GMOs really helps to reinforce the importance of GMO
free zones and careful breeding and maintenance of open pollinated varieties.
The following general rules apply to nearly all vegetable seeds:
• Plant seeds about twice as deep as they are long, so if a bean is ½” long, plant it
1” deep
• Plant in a fertile, well-drained soil mix. We make our own on our home farm
from well-aged compost, sand (1:10 ratio with the compost), crushed eggshells
and powdered kelp for minerals. Many good organic soil mixes are available at
garden centers.
• Keep soil moist until germination – watering once or twice per day. Once seedling emerge moisture is still important
• Keep the seeds at the appropriate soil temperature for optimum germination.
Please consult the chart below
• Some crops should be direct sown in the garden, while others benefit from being
started indoors or in a greenhouse, and others can be done either way. (see chart
for specifics)
• Keep a watchful eye for pests such as slugs, birds, cutworms and others that can
eat young seedlings as soon as they emerge, often before you notice and then
you assume that the seeds never sprouted. We will use spun-polyester rowcovers
in instances when seedling predation is an issue.
• Keep in mind particularities about your microclimate or site that might influence
optimal conditions. For instance, cucumber beetles are a serious pest for us here,
so we grow our melons as transplants and then set them in the field after June
1st and immediately cover with row covers. Normally we could simply direct seed
them and water. We take similar precautions with cucumbers, summer squash
and winter squash, although, we generally will direct seed them and then use row
covers until the plants are about to flower and then remove them for the rest of
the season as the plants are large enough to grow unimpeded by pests.
Happy gardening to you
and may the forces of nature be with you!
Siskiyou Seeds and Seven Seeds Farm
78
Thinking like a Watershed - Seed Sheds
Here in our bioregion, people are beginning to take the concept of seed-sheds more
seriously with the efforts to ban the planting of GMO crops in both Jackson and Josephine counties in SW Oregon. Swiss biotech company, Syngenta, has been planting
transgenic sugar beets in our area, which could easily cross pollinate and contaminate
both table beets and Swiss chard anywhere within 5+ miles of the GMO fields. I am
hopeful that the legal system and our county leadership can assist with ensuring our
ability to produce organic seed that is free of GMO adulteration.
Why is Siskiyou Seeds any different?
For one, we are first and foremost, seed growers. We produce about 60% of the seed
in this catalog on our home farm and a leased field down the road. The rest we source
from diverse small, organic growers much like ourselves. Fortunately, we are not
alone in our passion for the craft of artisanal organic seed growing. Others such as
Uprising Seeds (WA), Adaptive Organics (OR), Wild Garden Seeds (OR), Abondanzza
(CO), Tierra Madre Farm (CA), Turtle
Tree Seeds (NY), Stellar Seeds (Canada) and other bioregional seed
companies are carefully tending
our collective agricultural genetic
heritage.
No one in this list is getting rich
from doing this. It is clearly a labor
of love. Please support this movement as we do this out of our love
for biodiversity and the flowering
of life.
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Beans •Beets
BEANS - Phaseolus vulgaris
BROCCOLI - Brassica oleracea
Harvest: Harvesting regularly helps the plant to keep producing smaller tender pods.
Older beans become woody and too chewy for discriminating palates. Dry beans
should be left to mature in the field until the pods are dry and a buff/tan color at which
point they can be cut and vigorously banged into a tub or trashcan. The dry seeds/
beans should simply come flying out into the can. Pole types take longer to set fruit,
however, their greater productivity over a longer season endears them to many.
Diseases and pests: A number of fungal diseases can infect broccoli. Our approach
has been more preventative by supplying seaweed into our potting soil mix and as
foliar sprays we supply beneficial micronutrients that naturally help the plants cope. Balanced fertility that isn’t too rich in nitrogen is also important. If diseased (yellowed
or withering) plants are observed, pull them or just the infected leaves and compost
them. Cabbage moths can eat young plants. The typical organic control is spraying
Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) which discourages their foraging on your plants.
Growing Tips: Grow in well-drained soil of a fairly neutral pH. Beans can be sown
anytime after the last frost date. The seeds tend to rot if the soil is too wet, which
tends to happen when planted too early in wet cool soil. Alternately, you can start
them in small pots (2-3”) (especially if you use an electric heat mat) and then transplant outdoors once there is no danger of frost. Starting indoors in pots is one option
in this case. Ideal soil temperature for good germination is 70-90 degrees. Plant 1”
deep about 5-6 seeds per foot. Rows should be 18-24” apart for good airflow. Regular
successive plantings every 2 weeks ensures a steady supply, as many bush types tend
to give a concentrated set of beans. Pole varieties bear fruit over a longer season.
Seeding Rate: One ounce averages 75-100 seeds and will plant 15-20 row feet.
BEETS - Beta vulgaris (same species as Swiss Chard)
Growing Tips: Plant beets in spring once soil temperatures have warmed a bit. Ideal
soil temperature for germination is 55-75 degrees F. Direct seed at a rate of 10 seeds
per foot in rows 12-18” apart. Thin to 2-4” between plants for nice sized roots. They
can tolerate light frost. Planting in successions ensures a sustained harvest. We usually plant 3 waves here, an early planting in March, main crop in mid April and a fall crop
in late July that we can leave in the ground and mulch over the tops with straw for
winter storage. If gophers are an issue, harvest and store in a cold, humid root cellar/
shed.
Diseases & Pests: Damping off of young seedlings can occur when soil drainage is
impaired, so take care to plant into well-drained soil. Leaf miners are an issue for us,
but their damage is generally minimal and only affects the greens. Gophers like beets
too! Control with traps or a good dog or cat, barn owls and gopher snakes.
Seed Specs: One ounce averages 1,500 seeds. This will plant about 150’ of row.
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Broccoli • Carrots
Growing Tips: Applies equally well for Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage and Cauliflower.
The key to successful broccoli is having nice big transplants and ample fertility. Our
preferred growing method is to plant 2-3 seeds into soil blocks or cells in a greenhouse and thin to the most vigorous plant. Grow in a until they have 2 or 3 true leaves
and then plant outside after the risk of hard frost has passed. They can tolerate light
frost. We generally grow spring and fall crops, with late summer planted fall crops
producing the nicest heads. Quick growth is fostered by planting into fertile soil
with plenty of nitrogen. Ideal head formation takes place at temperatures of 60-70
degrees, so plan accordingly.
Seed Specs: 5,000-9,000 seeds per ounce.
CARROTS – Daucus carota
Growing Tips: Careful soil preparation greatly influences the success of your carrot
planting. Carrot seeds are small and take a long time to germinate (up to 2 weeks)
and must be direct seeded, so take care in preparing your beds and choosing to plant
in silty loam over clay soils. If all you have is heavier clay soils amend with plenty of
compost and consider adding some sand. Ideal soil temperature for germination is
55-75° F. Direct seed at a rate of 20-30 seeds per foot and thin to 1-2” in rows 18-24”
apart (much like beets, parsnips and radishes). Keep well watered, watering daily if
there is no rain and it’s sunny, as they take a long time to germinate and are tiny and
can dry out quickly.
Diseases and Pests: In wet conditions, fungal leaf blights can negatively impact
the foliage. Practice good crop rotation as they are spread from crop residues from
previous crops. We try to maintain a four-year rotation to avoid this. Root maggots,
also known as wire worms burrow into roots making unsightly tracks. Again, crop
rotation between root crops helps tremendously. Gophers love carrots, so keep an eye
out for their damage. Buried gopher wire is a sure fire technique, although a good
gopher digging dog or cat works wonders, too! One family of barn owls can eat over
81
Corn
100 gophers per year, so you may want to consider putting up a barn owl box. Gopher
snakes perform an invaluable service for gardeners, so please consider their welfare
when mowing tall grass, or if you have an aversion to snakes.
CUCUMBER – Cucumis sativus
Seed Specs: 12,000-23,000 seeds per ounce, plants 400-800 row feet.
Growing Tips: (Also apply to summer squash, winter squash and melons). Vine crops
are best direct seeded once there is certainty of no more spring frosts and the soil has
warmed to at least 70°- 75°+. Use of a soil thermometer is a wise route to go. Plant
about 1” deep. Alternately, you can get an earlier crop by seeding indoors in 3” pots,
2-4 seeds per pot, 3-4 weeks before last frost and then very gently transplanting. Most
vine crops need room to grow, space cucumbers 2-3 feet apart in rows or mounds 3-4
feet apart. Similar spacing for summer squash and melons. Winter squash requires a
bit more room, with 2-4 feet between plants and even more in the case of pumpkins.
CORN - Zea mays
Growing Tips: Plant corn by direct seeding 1-2” deep after soil has warmed to at
least 70° (Triple Play, Painted Hills Sweet & Hooker’s are specifically adapted to cool
soil planting so can be planted earlier in the season). You can also transplant corn for
earlier crops, but you have to baby them a bit.
Plant Spacing: Seed 6-10 per foot and thin to 1 plant per 8-12”, rows should be
24-36” apart. Hill method: Plant 5-10 seeds 1-2” deep in a mound, which should be
4-5 feet apart. Grow squash in-between and plant pole beans in mound once corn has
emerged. Works better with flour corn and popcorn as it becomes somewhat jungle-like to harvest sweet corn with this method.
Pests: Protect young seedlings from bird predation with floating row covers. A common novice gardener problem is to assume that their corn didn’t come up; when in
actuality birds such as jays, robins and crows were digging and pulling up the young
sprouts. Scarecrows, floating eye balloons and reflective tape are somewhat effective. Dogs are good too. Corn earworms (which are actually the caterpillar stage of a moth)
can be controlled by spraying Bt. (Dipel™ is a brand name of OMRI certified organic
control). Or just bear with their minor inconvenience by chopping the tips off of
infected ears.
Harvest: Sweet corn when it’s in the “milk” stage, which you can determine by finding an ear whose silks have dried, gently peeling back some leaves while the ear is
still on the plant, then nicking a kernel and looking for milky liquid to ooze out. Clear
fluid indicates that it is too early, no liquid – you’re too late, save for seed or flour corn. Raccoons can devastate a corn crop if they find it appealing. Some folks put a battery
powered radio in their patch to provide a menacing noise deterrant to keep coons at
bay.
Diseases: We have not experienced any significant diseases here in Oregon, but
my counsel would be ample fertility from well-matured compost and foliar sprays
of compost tea, fish emulsion and kelp when plants are young if you do experience
yellowing or die back.
Cucumber
Similar growing tips apply to most members of the Cucurbitacea family – specifics are
listed under each species in alphabetical order.
Harvest: Cucumbers and summer squash regularly to keep them producing. Winter
squash is best left on the vine to mature right up until frost or until the stems become
woody and hard. See tips under Melons for harvest tips.
Pests and Diseases: The use of drip irrigation helps to circumvent many foliar
diseases such as powdery mildew, as overhead watering provides a vector for spores to
spread. Remove heavily infested plants. Cucumber beetles are the nemesis of many
a gardener with aspirations of growing vine crops - not only eating the leaves, but
spreading numerous diseases. We use floating row covers from the time of seeding
until the plants are about the size of a dinner plate. You may also find success using
Kaolin clay (Surround™ is an OMRI approved organic micronized clay). By spraying
it on young plants, striped and spotted cucumber beetles try and eat the clay covered
leaves and get a bellyache. Numerous songbirds, like tree swallows eat cucumber
beetles. So putting up some birdhouses is a pleasant ounce of prevention to invest in.
Visit the Seven Seeds Farm website for
farming tips, events calendar and more at...
Seed Specs: Sweet: 125-225 seeds per/oz.; Popcorn: 250-300 seeds/oz.
82
83
Garlic
GARLIC
Harvest: Harvest your garlic when the leaves begin to yellow and dry down. We usually use the number of remaining green leaves as a gauge to determine the right time
to harvest. I want to see a minimum of 5-6 green leaves left as each leave equates
to one bulb wrapper, so you can imagine that after cleaning each bulb you’ll want to
have some wrappers left for optimal storage ability.
Garlic is a Lily family vegetable that is grown for its swollen bulbs. It was domesticated
from a biennial lily bulbing plant in central Eurasia.
Growing Tips: It is usually planted in the fall in temperate locales where winter
temperature remain above zero degrees fareinheit. In colder climates such as the
North Eastern U.S. it is planted in the spring, however larger bulb size is more difficult
to obtain with spring planting. We typically plant garlic in the month of October. This
enables the plant to grow a healthy root system and some tops in the fall before slowing way down for winter and resuming growth once temperatures warm in February
and March. Some hardneck varieties will wait to make any top growth until January
& February, but rest assured they are busily making roots. If in doubt, you can dig up
some cloves to gauge their progress.
Soil Preparation: Like most Alliums, Garlic is an inefficient feeder. This means that if
you want your garlic to size up nicely, you should have supplied adequate to abundant fertility in the form of compost, well balanced organic nitrogen fertilizer. A good
approach is to cover crop your garlic area with buckwheat cover crop prior to planting
and till this green manure crop into the soil 2-3 weeks before planting.
GREENS - mixed species
Growing Tips: When growing for salad mix, it is best to direct sow beginning in mid
March and plant once per month to ensure a steady supply of fresh salads that are harvested at the peak of their growth cycle. Our beds are 4 feet wide and we’ll plant 4-5
rows 8-10” apart, seeding fairly thickly (10-15 seeds per foot) within each row. Plant
about ½” deep. When planted like so, greens such as spinach, mustards, cress and
orach may be cut about 1-2” above the ground as cut-n-come again salad. In this way,
tender, fresh regrowth is encouraged. Alternately, you may grow them as transplants
in the greenhouse or cold frame and then plant out in April and beyond (depends on
your locale – we are 42° north latitude).
Spacing: Garlic does not make a very large plant, but it does take some space to
make a nice big plant. We usually space garlic 3-4 rows per 4 foot wide bed with 8-10
inches between plants. Planted closer together and you may sacrifice bulb size and
make weeding more difficult.
KALE - Brassica oleracea
Planting techniques: Break up the bulb into individual cloves, taking care to try
and disturb the clove wrappers as little as possible. Hardneck types tend to lose some
wrappers in the process of breaking them up; this is normal. Garlic should be planted
within a few weeks of planting to avoid the cloves drying out. Place cloves into the
soil as deep as they are long. This usually means planting to a depth where 1-2” of
soil covers the tops of the clove. If planted too shallow, the action of frost heave can
push garlic right out of the ground. Planted too deeply, garlic can rot in wet soils.
LEEKS - Allium porrum
Cultural Techniques: As the saying goes, “you can grow weeds or garlic, but you
can’t grow both.” I find this to be true, however mellow spring weeds such as chickweed, veronica speedwell and spring cress do little to impeed growth and provide a
nice living mulch if you chose to garden more on the wild permaculture side of life.
Otherwise keep your garlic patch well weeded.
Pre-Harvest – Stop watering about 10 days pre-harvest (for us this is about summer
solstice, anticipating a July 4th harvest)
84
Greens • Kale • Leeks
See Broccoli
Growing Tips: Start indoors early (2/1 - 3/15) and transplant outdoors when spring
temperatures have warmed up and they have at least 2-3 leaves (4/1 - 5/1). They
can be direct seeded at 20 seeds per foot and thinned to 4-6”, but if weed pressure
is heavy, they can be very difficult to find amidst the weeds. Transplanting gives you
a jump on the weeds in this respect. Onions like fertile soil richly amended with
compost. Transplant at 6-8” apart into rows 12” apart and keep well watered. The old
adage, “you can grow onions or you can grow weeds, but you can’t grow both”, still
holds true for all the alliums- onions, leeks and garlic. Their sparse canopy does not
compete well with weeds.
Cultural Info: Onions are a cool season biennial. Short-day onions produce bulbs
when they receive 11-12 hours of daylight; long-day onions need 14-16 hours (latitudes north of 35°), and moderate day onions like Siskiyou Sweet and Valencia fall in
between these. Harvest once they bulb for fresh use or wait until tops begin to dry
85
Lettuce • Melons • Onions • Peas
down and ideally flop over before pulling and curing/drying in a shed for a week or so. Once completely dry, clip roots and tops and store in a cool dry place. Most onion and
leek diseases are best controlled with good crop rotation, not planting any alliums in
the same spot for at least 4 years. Sanitation also helps prevent spread of disease so
compost tops, skins and roots completely.
off at ground level. Many gardeners assume their peas are not sprouting, when in
actuality, birds are eating them and they never see them emerge. Covering them with
floating row covers is an easy solution that also can speed early season growth. Peas
are susceptible to a variety of wilts, viruses and other diseases, the symptoms of which
are compounded by hot weather. So grow your peas in the cooler windows of the year.
Peas do great as an overwintered greenhouse crop, yielding very early in the spring
when planted indoors in November.
Seed Specs: 7,000 seeds per ounce
LETTUCE – Lactuca sativa
See Greens
MELONS – Cucumis melo
See Cucumbers
Look for the following indicators for when to harvest muskmelons (including cantaloupes when the small leaf closest to where the fruit attaches to the vine turns yellow,
also the fruit should have developed some color, and many varieties will “slip” from
the stem when a slight amount of pressure is applied. True cantaloupes (like charentais melons) do not slip from the stem
www.sevenseedsfarm.com Peppers • Radish • Squash • Swiss Chard
PEPPERS - Capsicum annum
Growing Tips: Peppers are best started indoors with bottom heat as the seeds
require warmth to germinate successfully. Ideally the soil temp. should be 70-80°F. Once sprouted, we try to grow big transplants in 2” pots, setting them out after any
risk of frost has passed (early June here in SW OR). Spacing: We grow 2 or 3 rows on a 4 ft. wide bed, with 12-18” between plants.
Cultural Tips: Many growers have problems with sun scald on the fruits from
inadequate foliage covering the fruit. Avoid sunscald by ensuring high fertility in
your growing area with plenty of nitrogen so plants grow bushy with plenty of leaves
before they begin flowering. Staking taller plants can become necessary if they are
falling over from too much fruit set.
See Leeks
Harvest: When fruits turn red, green peppers are unripe! They also have much
higher levels of toxic alkaloids. Use clippers to avoid damaging plants. Generally red
fresh fruit are 2-3x hotter than green fruit, and dried pods are usually 2-10x hotter
than fresh pods.
PEAS - Pisum sativum
Seed Specs: Average of 4,000 seeds/ounce.
ONIONS - Allium cepa
Growing Tips: Direct seed from mid February until mid April for spring crop and in
mid July for a fall crop. Sometimes early planted peas will rot in the soil if it’s rainy
and cold, so check to see how they are doing by gently digging some up to see what’s
going on in the soil. Alternately you can pre-sprout them indoors with warmer room
temperatures by soaking for a few hours then draining and rinsing once or twice daily
until you see a small shoot emerge, at which point you can gently plant them. This
pre-sprouting technique gives you a head start in cool springs.
Spacing: Plant about 1” deep in rows 18-24” apart for bush types (Cascadia, Sugar
Daddy) and 12” apart for climbing types (Sugar Snap).
Pests: Our biggest pests are birds that pull up the tender shoots or simply snip them
86
RADISH - Raphanus sativus
See Carrots
SQUASH – species listed with each variety
See Cucumbers
SWISS CHARD – Beta vulgaris
See Beets
87
Tobacco • Tomato
TOBACCO - Nicotiana tabacum
should be 70-80°F. Once sprouted, we try to grow big transplants. In 2-4” pots, setting
them out after any risk of frost has passed (early June here in SW Oregon). Tobacco is quite easy to grow. The seed is very tiny, so it is best to start indoors to keep
track of it as it sprouts, then transplant outdoors once the danger of frost is past. Allow
to grow all summer and begin to harvest leaves in late summer/fall, once it begins to
flower. Curing and subsequent aging allow for the slow oxidation and degradation
of carotenoids in the tobacco leaf. This produces various compounds in the tobacco
leaves that give cured tobacco its sweet hay, tea, rose oil, or fruity aromatic flavor that
contributes to the “smoothness” of the consumed product. Cut plants or pulled leaves
are immediately transferred to tobacco barns, where they will be cured. Curing methods vary with the type of tobacco grown, and tobacco barn design varies accordingly.
Curing:
Air - Air-cured tobacco is hung in well-ventilated barns and allowed to dry over a period of four to eight weeks. Air-cured tobacco is low in sugar, which gives the tobacco
smoke a light, sweet flavor, and a high nicotine content. Cigar and burley tobaccos are
air cured.
Fire - Fire-cured tobacco is hung in large barns where fires of hardwoods are kept
on continuous or intermittent low smoulder and takes between three days and ten
weeks, depending on the process and the tobacco. Fire curing produces a tobacco low
in sugar and high in nicotine. Pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco, and snuff are fire cured.
Flue - Flue-cured tobacco was originally strung onto tobacco sticks, which were hung
from tier-poles in curing barns. These barns have flues which run from externally fed
fire boxes, heat-curing the tobacco without exposing it to smoke, slowly raising the
temperature over the course of the curing. The process will generally take about a
week. This method produces cigarette tobacco that is high in sugar and has medium to
high levels of nicotine. The Smith Tobacco Barn is an example of a traditional, fluecured tobacco barn.
Watermelon • Zucchini
Spacing: We grow tomatoes spaced at 2 feet if trellised or 3 feet apart if we are not
trellising (as in the case of Roma types).
Fertility: Tomatoes are a heavy feeding crop that likes plenty of nitrogen, so pour on
the compost.
Cultural Tips: There are two main clans of tomatoes: determinates - like Roma
tomatoes that produce most of their fruit in one concentrated set and do not require
trellising; and indeterminate types that keep flowering and making fruit the entire
season and do require trellising. Trellising is best done in stages as the plants grow
up. There are various methods including using tomato cages, wire fencing, or my personal favorite – which is staking every 6-8 feet and “sandwiching” the plants between
parallel wires spaced every 8-10”. This method results in a flat “wall” of tomatoes that
receive equal sunlight and are easy to harvest. Using natural fiber twine is nice, but
I have found that it stretches and sags, thereby diminishing the tension holding the
vines up. Using 18-gauge wire works well, can be reused for many seasons, and does
not sag.
Harvest: Let fruit ripen on the vine. Pick tomatoes regularly to keep them producing
more fruits. Use clippers for heirloom types to avoid damaging plants.
Seed Specs: Average of 7-12,000 seeds/ounce.
WATERMELON – Citrullus lanatus
See Cucumber
Sun - Sun-cured tobacco dries uncovered in the sun. This method is used in Turkey,
Greece, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Romania and Mediterranean countries to produce oriental tobacco. Sun-cured tobacco is low in sugar and nicotine and is used in cigarettes.
In India sun curing is used to produce so-called “white” snuffs, which are fine, dry, and
unusually potent.
Harvest tips – some folks try to determine ripeness through a series of percussive
thumping techniques, listening for subtle variations in the reverberation that the
melon makes. I find this to be akin to a mysterious form of divination and difficult to
successfully pick a ripe fruit. Enter the “pigtail test”. Where the fruit attaches to the
vine is a small spiraling tendril, the pigtail. Once this turns brown from green, it is
ripe. To be absolutely certain I usually wait to see if that pigtail and the one next to it
turn brown.
TOMATO - Lycopersicon esculentum unless otherwise noted
ZUCCHINI
Growing Tips: Days to maturity are from transplants. Start indoors with bottom heat,
as the seeds require warmth to germinate successfully. Ideally the soil temperature
88
See Squash
89
Seed Growers Guide
Germination and Sowing
Seed Growers Guide
Plant Spacing and Depth
Crop Type
Ideal soil
temp. for
germination
Typical Days to Transplant
germination
or direct sow
Crop Type
Ideal
Spacing
of Plants
Spacing
between
Rows
Planting
depth
Arugula
60-80 deg
3-8
Direct sow
Arugula
2-4”
12-18”
¼ - ½”
Basil
60-85
5-10
Transplant
Basil
6-12”
12-18”
¼”
Beans
65-85
3-8
Direct sow
Beans
4-6”
18-24”
½-1”
Beets
55-75
4-10
Direct sow
Beets
2-6”
12-18”
½”
Broccoli, Cabbage,
Cauliflower, Brussels
sprouts
55-80
3-8
Transplant
Broccoli, Cabbage,
Cauliflower, Brussels
sprouts
18-24”
18-24”
1/4-1/2”
Carrots
60-75
5-14
Direct sow
Carrots
1-3”
12-24”
¼-1/2”
Celery
60-75
5-21
Transplant
Celery
12-18”
18-24”
¼-1/2”
Chinese Cabbage
55-75
3-8
Either
Chinese Cabbage
12-18”
12-24”
¼-1/2”
Collards, Kale
55-80
3-8
Transplant
Collards, Kale
12-18”
18-24”
¼-1/2”
Corn
65-90
3-10
Direct sow
Corn
6”-12”
18-36”
1”
Cucumber, Melons
65-90
3-7
Direct sow
Cucumber, Melons
12-36”
36-48”
½”
Eggplant, Pepper
70-85
4-10
Transplant
Eggplant, Pepper
18-24”
18-24”
¼- 1/2”
Onions, Leeks
50-75
3-7
Transplant
Onions, Leeks
4-10”
12-24”
¼ - ½”
Lettuce
50-70
3-7
Either
Lettuce
12-18”
12’18”
¼” – ½”
Mustards
50-80
3-7
Either
Mustards
4-18”
18”
¼ - ½”
Peas
55-75
5-10
Direct sow
Peas
2-6”
18-24”
½” – 1”
Radish
50-80
3-10
Direct sow
Radish
2-4”
12-18”
½”
Spinach
50-75
5-10
Direct sow
Spinach
2-6”
12-18”
½”
Summer Squash
60-80
5-10
Either
Summer Squash
18-30”
36-60”
½ - 1”
Tomato
70-85
5-10
Transplant
Tomato
18-36”
36-60”
¼ - ½”
Winter Squash
65-80
5-10
Either
Winter Squash
24-48”
36-60”
½” – 1”
90
91
Planting Guide for Southwestern Oregon
We are at 42 degrees latitude. For every degree of latitude that you are
north or south, add or subtract a week from planting times respectively.
Location
February
March
In GreenBrassicas
Brassicas
house or
Onions & Leeks (2nd wave)
Cold Frame
Tomatoes 3/15
Celery
Peppers 3/15
Parsley
Spinach
Lettuce
Outside/
Direct
Sown
Eggplant 3/15
Basil
April
May
Location
June
July
August
Sept/Oct
Brassicas
(3rd wave)
Melons first
wave on 5/1,
second wave on
5/15
In Greenhouse or
Cold Frame
Fall storage
Cabbage
Over-wintered
sprouting
Broccoli
Sweet Onions
Greens &
Brassicas in
greenhouse
in the ground
for winter
salads
Lettuce
Garlic
Spinach
Cover Crops
Greens
Fava Beans
(for May &
June harvest)
Gourds
Flowers
Summer
Squash
Artichokes
Early Flowers
Cucumbers
Peas (snap,
snow, shell)
Carrots
Spinach
Beets
Early potatoes
Peas
Garbanzo
Beans (Chick
Peas)
Spinach
Fava Beans
early Beets
early Carrots
Lettuce
Greens
Visit the SevenPlanting
Seeds Farm blogGuide for Southwestern Oregon
We are at 42 degrees latitude. For every degree of latitude that you are
north or south, add or subtract a week from planting times respectively.
Sun Chokes
Spring Wheat/
Rye/ Barley
Brussel Sprouts Kale
Cauliflower
Scallions
Butternut
Squash
Collards
Cucumbers
Potatoes
(main crop)
All fall Brassicas
Outside/
Direct Sown
early Sweet Corn
5/15 (70° soil)
early Summer
Squash and
Cukes (risky)
Strawberry
runners
Perennial
Herbs
Prune Fruit
Trees, Grapes,
92
Brassicas (Broc- Artichokes
coli, Cabbage, Onions
Cauliflower)
Leeks
Broccoli
Head Lettuce
Summer &
Winter Squash
Peas
Dry & Snap
Beans
Spinach
Cucumbers
Millet
Amaranth
Celery
Catch up on
things you
should have
planted in April
late July)
Buckwheat
Cover Crop
Buckwheat
Cover Crop
3rd wave of
Black-Eyed Peas Sweet Corn by
7/4
Soybeans
Peas – last wave
by 5/15
Asparagus
crowns
Field Corn/
Over-wintered
Popcorn/ Sweet Beets, Carrots
Corn
(before 8/1)
Quinoa
Parsnip
Transplant
Outside
Broccoli
Transplant
Outside
Tomatoes
Broccoli
Peppers
Cabbage
Eggplants
Basil
Melons
Squash
Cucumbers/
Gourds
93
Seed Saving Guide for Beginners
Seed Saving Guide for Beginners
For
more
www.sevenseedsfarm.comdetails on seed saving see ‘Seed to Seed’ by Susan Ashworth
or ‘The Organic Seed Grower’ by John Navazio
For more details on seed saving see ‘Seed to Seed’ by Susan Ashworth
or ‘The Organic Seed Grower’ by John Navazio
Vegetable (Genus species)
Cycle
Polli-nation Polli-nator
Vegetable
Isolation Seed Life Notes
Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris)
A
Self
Self
Beans
100’
3-5 yrs
Looses vigor in time. Let dry in field.
Beet/Chard (Beta vulgaris)
Bi
Cross
Wind
Beet/Chard
1 mile
3-5 yrs
Beets cross w/ Chard
Broccoli, Kale, Cabbage,
Collard Cauliflower
(Brassica oleracea)
Bi
Cross
Insect
Broccoli, Kale,
½ mile
Cabbage, Collard
Cauliflower
3-5 yrs
Many types of Brassica exist within the
same species.
Carrot (Dacus carrota)
Bi
Cross
Insects
Carrot
½ mile
2-3 years
Crosses w/ wild carrot
Celery
(Apium graveolens)
Bi
Cross
Insects
Celery
½ mile
2-3 years
Attracts beneficial insects, gophers love to
eat roots!
Corn (Zea mays)
A
Cross
Wind
Corn
½ mile
4-5 years
Min. 200 plants. Let dry on stalk.
Cucumber
(Cucumis sativus)
A
Cross
Insects
Cucumber
¼ mile
5-10 years Mature to big & yellow. Ferment pulp
water process.
Eggplant (Solanum melonega)
A
Self
Self
Eggplant
150’
3-4 years
Let mature to yellow. Water process
Onion & Leeks
(Allium cepa & Allium porrum)
Bi
Cross
Insects
Onion & Leeks
¼ mile
1-2 years
Pull onions & replant in fall.
Leave leeks.
Lettuce (Latuca sativa)
A
Self
Self
Lettuce
50’
2-3 years
Needs long season, easy.
Melon
(Cucumis melo)
A
Cross
Insects
Melon
¼ mile
5-10 years Won’t cross w/ watermelon. Seed ripe
when fruit’s ripe. Water process.
Mustard (Brassica rapa &
Brassica juncea)
A
Cross
Insects
Mustard
½ mile
3-5 years
2 species B. rapa & B.juncea (spicy types)
won’t cross.
Peas (Pisum sativum)
A
Self
Self
Peas
50’
2-3 years
Weevils a problem.
Pepper
(Capsicum annum)
A
Both
Insects
Pepper
500’
3-5 years
More isolation between hots and sweets
is necessary.
Radish (Raphanus sativus)
A
Cross
Insects
Radish
¼ mile
3-5 years
Beware of wild species. Plant early.
Spinach (Spinacia oleracea)
A
Cross
Wind
Spinach
½ mile
2-3 years
Males make no seed.
Squash/Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo,
C. maxima, C. moschata)
A
Cross
Insects
Squash/Pumpkin ¼ mile
2-5 years
3 species won’t cross with each other.
Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum)
A
Self
Self
Tomato
5-10 years Potato leaf types cross more readily.
94
25-100’
95
Final Words and Credits
We must eradicate from the soul
All fear and terror of what comes toward man
Out of the future.
We must acquire absolute serenity
In all feelings and sensations
About the future.
We must look forward
With absolute equanimity
To all that may come.
And we must think only
That whatever comes is given to us
By a world direction full of Wisdom.
It is part of what me must learn in this age,
Namely, to live out of pure trust,
Without security in existence
Trust in the ever present help of the Spiritual World.
Truly, nothing else will do
If our courage is not to fail us.
Let us discipline our will,
And let us seek the awakening from within ourselves,
Every morning and every evening.
~Rudolf Steiner
On the Front Cover: Prayers for Seed Freedom Mandala. Created by Don Tipping, 2013.
Seeds represented include: Hopi Purple Born, Hopi Blue Corn, Pepe de Rola Beans,
Scarlet Emperor Beans, Pepe de Zappalo Beans, Blackcoat Runner Beans, Hopi Red Dye
Amaranth, Golden Giant Amaranth, Black Milo, Anasazi Beans, Glass Gem Corn, Orange
Safflower, Moon and Stars Watermelon, Black Forest Hakaido Squash, Sharlyn Melons
and Flashback Mix Calendula (in the middle).
Logo Design: Justin Deveckaka
Catalog Design and Production: Kelli Klein (Rua) of Bridgewalkers LLC
Public domain vegetable illustrations thanks goes to OnceNewVintage.com
and JustSomethingimade.com.
96
Heart 2 Hand Hand in Hand
International and Siskiyou Seeds
Siskiyou Seeds has been
donating seeds for the last few
years that are now growing on
a farm in Uganda Africa.
Gloria “MamaLove” Cooper
contacted us about donating
seeds to a project she was
involved that provides aid in
the form of clean water and
food to people in Uganda,
Africa. Most of the people
being helped are widows and orphans.
Over the past two years we have donated
over 2,000 packets of seed helping them
to grow food of many varieites that are
probably new to them. We have been
fortunate to receive back photos of happy
gardeners with colorful skirts full of Lemon cucumbers and heirloom eggplants.
This positive sharing truly reinforces that when seeds are kept within the care of
the commons and shared that we may know true wealth.
Heart N Hand is a 501(c)(3) non profit Humanitarian Organization which was
formed to increase public awareness of disadvantaged children in extreme poverty both within local communities as well as globally (in Africa, India); in raising
funds to support their needs for; food, water, shelter, medicine, education (the
whole child) and for training
activities bringing awareness for
disadvantaged children within
the communities we live in,
children to children with adults
guidance globally; to make a
difference in each child’s life.
www.h2hintl.org
Drawing of Future Food Farm
Kindling the fires of hope
in our soul for a life centered world.
If we accept the world depicted by the media, our senses are
assaulted with fear, suffering, disaster and calamity. Some aspect
of the soul of humanity seems to feed on fear, whether it is the
unfolding nuclear disaster of Fukushima, genetically engineered
foods, vaccinations, chem-trails, genocide, ecocide, financial collapse, etc. The
more that we water the garden of fear we turn our back on the life giving forces of
Creation. As I see it we live in a culture wherein greed has enchanted the spiritual
potential of humankind towards a densification of gross materialism, consumption
and conflict. Spiritual forces that stream through creation and our soul, as a manifestation of Creation, are infinite, unlimited and inexhaustible. Positive soul attributes
such as hope, creativity, love and kindness are boundless and immeasurable.
From an Anthroposophical
perspective (from Austrian
The more that we water the garden of fear we turn
philosopher, educator and
our back on the life giving forces of Creation.
spiritual leader, Rudolf
Steiner), humanity has the potential to function as an emissary of the archangelic
forces of creation to influence by way of our will forces, bringing spirit into matter,
thereby helping to orchestrate creation. The elemental forces are literally awaiting
our instruction. Consider the archetypical forces of creation with our human ego balanced between the denser elements of water and earth pulling us into form and the
lighter elements of air and fire compelling us towards spiritualizing matter. Our task
as I see it is to recognize the role of the ego to mitigate or harmonize these forces,
recognizing that we are in a body on Earth and translate the spiritual impulses we
feel into directing matter back towards spirit and spirit into matter.
When viewed in anthroposophic terms the Christ impulse is bringing light into form
and then returning to light through the deeds of love & kindness. Lucifer was also a
being of the light (a fallen angel), however luciferic forces continue to densify light
into matter without recirculating the potential of physicality back into light. Lucifer
is the light spirit, which plays on human pride and offers the delusion of divinity,
but also motivates creativity and spirituality. Ahriman is the dark spirit, which tempts
human beings to “...deny [their] link with divinity and to live entirely on the material
plane” (R.Steiner), but also stimulates intellectuality and technology. Alignment with
luciferic forces is actually a necessary condition for life on earth, as it connects will to
action to form. However, we must always balance this densification into matter with
Enter the gardener, the
planter of the seed, the
servant of hope...
an awareness that as beings of light
(Christ-ed) we must always strive to
spiritualize matter. If we fail to continually
direct our will towards spirit, which in turn
helps to direct useful elemental beings towards bringing the etheric into the material,
then we are suspect to becoming enchanted
by Ahrimanic forces.
Ahriman was a demon from Zoroastrian (Persian) mythology that describes an
anti-creation force, a force that brings things out of form. The belief is that it is an
influence that streams in from a particular region of the cosmos that wreaks havoc
on Earth as our Solar system moves through this region on a rhythmic cycle. It is
my belief that Ahrimanic forces are at work behind much of the human created
problems of our age. As negativity, anti-creation forces have entered this sphere of
creation; they have enlisted the undirected potential of otherwise useful and helpful
elemental beings. Becoming aware that this temptation towards fear and small
minded actions should compel us towards right thought and action and to continually turn towards light and spirit.
Enter the gardener, the planter of the seed, the servant of hope – you and I! This is
our challenge: to continue to cultivate our faith in God, in Creation, in Life, through
aligning with life – plants, animals, water, air, earth, fire, and community. We must
be unwavering in our goal
to steward this life to creating more life – perpetually
renewing the opportunity
for the ceaseless salvation
of growth, death and renewal. How fortunate are
we to have this wonderful
opportunity to plant the
future into existence.
Go with the light!
Don Tipping, Nov 2013
Siskiyou Seeds
3220 East Fork
Williams, Oregon 97544
USA

Siskiyou Seeds - Seven Seeds Farm

Transcription

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