Sunflower Mammoth Russian Organic Seed

• Organic, heirloom, drought tolerant, sun
• Towering in the garden at 6'-10', these tall plants produce giant flowers reaching 1 foot across. This popular variety has been grown in gardens since the late 1800's. Love it for its magnificent beauty or grow it to eat the large sunflower seeds. Plants left standing in fall and winter provide food for birds. It is a great choice for kids to plant and watch grow, and it can be an excellent annual privacy screen or border. Easy and fast-growing, it tolerates drought and poor soil.
• When to plant outside: RECOMMENDED. Sow in spring after the average last frost date. Since seedlings grow so fast, this is the recommended method.
• When to start inside: Sow 4-6 weeks before average last spring frost. Start inside only if previous problems with birds eating planted seed outdoors. Plants grow more vigorously if sown directly outdoors.

Basil Lime Organic Seed

• Organic, heirloom
• Annual. A unique lime-flavored basil that adds a flavorful twist to vinegars, fish, salad dressings, sauces, and oils. You can also use it in standard basil dishes such as pesto for a refreshing change. Lime basil is a perfect addition to fruity desserts. (Recipe inside packet for Lime Basil Sorbet.) It is also easy to grow outdoors in containers. In a warm, south-facing window, you can even grow it inside during winter! (You can prolong the harvest period by pinching off flower buds to maintain flavor.) This packet plants one 15-foot row or 3 successive plantings of 5-foot rows.
• When to plant outside: Spring, 1-3 weeks after average last frost date and when soils are warm.
• When to start inside: 6-8 weeks before transplanting outside.
• Special Germination Instructions: Easy to grow from seed. Must have warm soil temperatures. Wait to plant until nighttime temperatures are above 50 degrees.
• Sucessive Plantings Recommended: Every 3 or 4 weeks after initial planting.
• Harvesting Basil leaves should be harvested before the plant flowers. The young, top leaves taste the best and should be used fresh. The older leaves may be used for vinegar and pesto. To harvest most of the plant, cut the main stem, leaving at least 3 pairs of leaves near the ground - plant will regrow and produce additional leaves. (You can prolong the harvest period by pinching off flower buds to maintain flavor.) If there is any chance of temperatures dropping to 32 degrees, harvest crop immediately. The best time to harvest any herb is in the morning, after the dew dries, but before it gets too warm. Alternatively, you could harvest in the early evening.

Carrot Baby Little Finger Organic Seed (Daucus - carota)

• Organic, heirloom, sun
• This gourmet mini-carrot is fun for kids of all ages! Even harvested early, it has a deep orange color, tender core, and sweet flavor. Did you know that grocery store 'baby carrots' are actually cores from regular-sized carrots? Once you try the sweet and crisp flavor of this 3" long "true" baby carrot, it will be hard to go back to the store-bought imitation. Though it tastes great fresh from the garden - "Little Finger" was developed in France for pickling and canning whole. This packet plants one 15 foot row. Little Finger carrots can also be grown in containers. Although carrots "prefer cool soils to begin life and warm soils to finish it", you can grow both a spring and fall crop. Carrots will germinate in soils as cool as 45 degrees, and in the fall they can still be dug from the garden and eaten until the ground freezes.
• When to plant outside: RECOMMENDED. First sowing should be 2-4 weeks before average last frost. Successive plantings can be sown every 3 weeks until 60 days before the first fall frost. In warm climates with lows above 25 degrees, they can be grown all winter.
• When to start inside: Not recommended.
• Special Sowing & Germination Instructions: Soak seeds for 12 hours before sowing. (Press them dry between paper towels afterwards to reduce clumping.) Plant 4 seeds per inch. When inch tall, thin to 1 plant per every 3 inches.

Cucumber Straight Eight Organic Seed (Cucumis - sativus)

• Organic, heirloom, sun
• An heirloom slicing cucumber introduced in 1935, Straight Eight is very vigorous and productive. This older open-pollinated variety is still around, because it is simply a great variety! It has great taste, is wonderful sliced on sandwiches or in salads, and is even good for making dill pickles when picked young. The mature fruit is cylindrical and 8" long. An All America Selections Winner.
• When to plant outside: Spring after average last frost date AND when soil temperatures are warm, at least 65 degrees.
• When to start inside: 4-6 weeks before average last frost.
• Special Sowing & Germination Instructions: Plant in mounds or rows, as you prefer. If rows, plant every 4", thinning to 1 plant per foot. Mounds should be 4' apart with 6 seedlings on each mound thinned to 3 per mound. Another HIGHLY recommended method is to plant with a trellis. Cucumbers grow straighter and are easier to see when harvesting with this method. Use recommended row spacing and tie the main stem to the trellis with string or twist ties. Vines may reach 8' long.

Lettuce Romaine Parris Island Organic Seed (Lactuca - sativa)

• Organic, heirloom
• Named for Parris Island off the coast of South Carolina, this old favorite Romaine deserves a try by any lettuce lover. "Crunchy leaves", "creamy white heart", and "vigorous" are just a few of the words that describe this variety. A mosaic virus tolerant heirloom, it grows with upright, dark green slightly savoyed (crinkled) leaves that reach 8"-12" tall.
• When to start outside: RECOMMENDED. Early spring, 3 to 4 weeks before average last frost, and successive plantings thereafter every 3 weeks until 2 weeks before the first fall frost. (Skip very hot summers.) USDA zone 8 or warmer: sow in fall for winter harvest.
• When to start inside: Not recommended. (Since lettuce mixes are often grown for baby leaves, it"s easier to sow directly outdoors rather than trying to grow individual plants inside and transplanting.)
• Special Sowing & Germination Instructions: Barely cover seed with soil or plant no deeper than 1/8". Light and cool temperatures increase germination. When thinning lettuce, use the thinnings in salads. It can be planted in rows, but group plantings take up less space and are attractive. Double or triple rows also work. If direct seeding outside in late summer for a fall crop, remember that lettuce seed does not come up well in heat. Cover the seeded area with 2" x 6" boards to keep the soil cool for a few days until seed comes up. For early spring planting, cover soil with clear plastic to warm the soil to 70 degrees (the optimum temperature for lettuce). When seedlings appear, immediately take off the plastic.

Pepper Sweet Cal Wonder Organic Seed (Capsicum - annuum)

• Organic, heirloom
• The Sweet California Wonder Bell Pepper is one of our top sellers. That may be because it is such an easy to grow, practical item for the garden. Doesn't it seem outrageous to pay grocery store prices for green or red Bell peppers in the summer when it's so easy to grow them yourself? These peppers are excellent for stuffing, in salads, or for chopping and freezing for later use. California Wonder peppers are heavy producers and grow well in short season climates. If your summer season is long enough, they will turn bright red, having a sweeter flavor and even more nutrients. Did you know that Bell peppers have even more Vitamin C than an orange? The plants are 24"-30" tall and can be grown in large containers on a sunny deck, balcony, or patio. This packet plants: 15 plants started indoors or 1 twenty-foot row.
• When to plant outside: Spring, 3-4 weeks after the average last frost date and when soil temperatures are at least 65 degrees or outside temperatures are at least 70 degrees. In USDA zones 9 & 10, they may also be planted in summer for a winter crop.
• When to start inside: RECOMMENDED. 8-10 weeks before the average last frost.

Squash Summer Straightneck Organic Seed (Cucurbita - pepo)

• Organic, heirloom
• Early Prolific Straightneck is an heirloom summer squash that was an All American Selection back in 1938. This tasty old favorite is fine-grained, thick, firm, and still very popular today. The squash can be harvested when "baby" vegetables or at a mature size of 4-7" long. They can be steamed, grilled, sauteed, eaten raw in salads, made into relish, or bread. Easy to grow in a sunny spot in the garden, they are also resistant to squash bug. Of course, you may have trouble choosing between the crookneck and straightneck varieties. If you have room, you can grow both. But if you do, be sure to harvest all of the fruit. Like zucchini, if summer squash are left on the vine too long, they may grow so big that they will affect the orbital spin of the earth! This packet plants: 4 hills or 11 plants after thinning.
• When to plant outside: RECOMMENDED. Spring, 2-4 weeks after average last frost and when soil temperatures have risen above 60 degrees.
• When to start inside: Not recommended. In very short season climates, 3-4 weeks before average last frost. Sow in individual peat pots for direct planting.

Tomato Cherry Sugar Sweetie Organic Seed (Lycopersicon - lycopersicum)

• Organic
• This organic, perfect, cherry tomato has classic sweet flavor. You may eat so many right in the garden, that it will be hard to get them into the house for salads! Large numbers of 1/4" to 1" fruit are produced in grape-like clusters on 2 foot tall plants. Even though the plants are indeterminate, the plants may be grown in containers on a sunny patio, deck, or balcony. As the plants continue to grow until fall frost, they will likely require a stake, small cage, or some sort of support. This packet plants: 10 plants (after thinning).
• When to plant outside: Generally started indoors, tomatoes can also be directly seeded outside! Sow in spring, after the average last spring frost and when soil temperatures reach 60 degrees. In warm winter/hot summer areas of the south, southwest, and parts of California, they can also be planted in early fall for winter harvest.
• When to start inside: 6-8 weeks before the average last spring frost.
• pecial Sowing & Germination Instructions: when planting seedlings outside, bury the roots and stem up to the first set of leaves horizontally. Curve the stem above the ground to a vertical position. The stem will sprout roots and develop a strong root system.