Shop

This variety was introduced by the Burpee company who discovered it at a gardener's in the United States. Small to medium caliber, round and red, this variety is distinguished above all by an astonishing ability to keep once picked. Indeed, if you pick it green you can keep it for several months!


MAINTENANCE AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
Gradually acclimatize to outdoor conditions about 10 days before planting by taking them out during the day.
When planting, lay the plants horizontally, arching them slightly to bring out the leaves upwards.

**Attention: Some varieties of lupines are toxic, including their seeds. Make sure to protect your children and pets.**

Easy to grow, lupines produce beautiful flower spikes in white, pink, and blue-violet, highly valued by pollinating insects. Typical of traditional gardens, they also make wonderful cut flowers. However, they only flower from their second year onwards

CARE AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
STRATIFICATION AND/OR SCARIFICATION GREATLY ASSISTS GERMINATION See our Stratification Guide in our Blog menu!

Decorative and edible climbing bean. Children love to open the green pods and discover the large two-tone beans. Cover trellises, fences and gazebos with beautiful scarlet red and white flowers that are sure to attract hummingbirds. In the garden, beans provide nitrogen to the soil and promote the cultivation of other vegetables.

MAINTENANCE AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
Avoid handling or removing weeds when the beans are wet to prevent the spread of disease. Must be staked, can reach 4 meters high. When the seedlings have started to sprout, ensure that the plants do not lack water until the first true leaves appear.

The "black giant of Russia" is a long root also called black salsify. Its name derives from the Italian (bark) and (black). It belongs to the Asteraceae family, as can be guessed from the shape of its yellow flowers. The leaves and flower tops can be eaten before they hatch, like small broccoli. We will eat the root, with white flesh, during the first or second year. It is best to peel the roots using gloves as the latex they produce can be messy. Otherwise, simply boil them for 20 to 30 minutes before peeling them to avoid this inconvenience. This plant requires deep soil to be at its best. Left in the ground over winter, even here in Quebec, scorzonera will bloom the following year. When the flowers open and turn fluffy, you can harvest the seeds, but beware the birds, especially the goldfinches, love them! Scorzonera is rich in carbohydrates, mineral salts and provitamin A.

MAINTENANCE AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
Pulling out is tricky if your soil is a bit heavy, best to dig a side trench and tip the plants over. Cutting the bloom will strengthen the root. Can be ready in the first year in the fall, but the root will be bigger in the second and third year.

**Attention: Some varieties of lupines are toxic, including their seeds. Make sure to protect your children and pets.**

This perennial variety of lupine has finely cut foliage in rosettes and beautiful pink flowers. Its early blooming will brighten your garden in spring. In addition to its ornamental value, lupine has the ability to improve your soil by fixing nitrogen as it belongs to the Fabaceae family. Once established, it requires minimal maintenance. Stratification and/or scarification greatly assist in germination.

CARE AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
STRATIFICATION AND/OR SCARIFICATION GREATLY ASSISTS GERMINATION See our Stratification Guide in our Blog menu!

This workshop is meant for people who already attended the Level 1 workshop, or those who already have good seed saving knowledge.

Topics discussed: Pollination, flower anatomy, hand pollination techniques, biennial winter storage, choice of seed crops, dormancy breakage techniques, how to breed new varieties.

Permaculture and agrology might be approaches that, in the upcoming years, might help solving pressing issues like climate change, soil erosion, biodiversity loss, and many more.

This conference uses Terre Promise as a case example. It includes presentation of our no-till permanent bed technique, efforts to protect pollinators and beneficial insects, and the obstacles and challenging of non-mechanized/manual agriculture.

This workshop is meant for people who already attended the Level 1 workshop, or those who already have good seed saving knowledge.

Topics discussed: Pollination, flower anatomy, hand pollination techniques, biennial winter storage, choice of seed crops, dormancy breakage techniques, how to breed new varieties.

In Quebec, several varieties from our grandmas’ gardens have disappeared or are not accessible anymore. First Nations have also grown precious varieties; some of them have stood the test of time, but most of them have also gone extinct.

This conference discusses the richness of heirloom varieties and their importance for food security through the history of a few example cases. We will go through an overview of old gardens, looking at forgotten and Quebec historical varieties.

Topics discussed: Historically used varieties within their social contect, Canadien Blanc corn history, Tante Alice cucumber history, fibre flax use and disappearance, lost broad beans from Lac St-Jean and Charlevoix, First Nations and their beans.

In this workshop, you will discover ancient, unknown, or endangered garden plants and learn the basics of seed saving. You will notably learn about harvesting techniques, and how to dry and preserve different types of seeds. Bean, lettuce and tomato seeds, as well as many others won’t hold any secrets for you anymore!

Topics discussed: seed history, pollination, isolation distances, heirloom varieties, harvest, drying, storage, germination tests.

Cucurbita Maxima

This heirloom variety is originally from France. It is sometimes also called "French turban" or "Giraumon" in French. References to this squash are found in documents as old as 1885, but it is older than the 1820s. This squash is adorned by a very typical orange, white and green bump. Described as an ornamental squash, it is nonetheless delicious in soups or roasts. Its orange flesh is especially sweet.

Photo credit : https://www.potagercity.fr/produits/tout-savoir-sur-le-giraumon/1140

Autrice: Lyne Bellemare
Illustrations: Laucolo
Résumé: Au cours du siècle dernier, 75 % des variétés de plantes qui servaient à notre alimentation ont disparu. En ce sens, apprendre à cultiver ses semences constitue plus que jamais un acte militant en faveur du contrôle de notre système alimentaire et contre le monopole de l’industrie.

De l’extraction des graines à l’art de la pollinisation manuelle, en passant par l’entreposage et la conservation des semences artisanales, cet ouvrage vous dévoile littéralement tout ce qu’il y a à savoir pour prélever vos propres semences de la façon la plus optimale possible afin de cultiver vos légumes, fruits et herbes en toute autonomie.
Préface de Mélanie Grégoire.

These giants won’t go unnoticed in your garden!

Indeed, mammoth sunflowers can grow over 3m in height, and they produce gorgeous yellow flowers that can reach more than 30 cm in diameter.
Despite their height, they do not require any tutoring. They can however be a tutor themselves for your other climbing plants such as beans!
Thanks to their fast growth, these sunflowers can also create seasonal plant walls, hedgerows and windbreaks.
The seeds are rich and can be enjoyed by birds as much as by humans!

CARE AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS : Towards the end of September, sunflower seeds start to reach maturity. The stem dries up and the flower starts to bend down. It’s time to harvest! Cut the entire flower heads. Let them dry in a dry space. Check regularly to make sure the sunflowers are not getting moldy. After a few days, the seeds will sound ‘hollow’ and ‘dry’ when running your fingers over them. You then only need to rub over to remove what’s left of the flowers, and scratch with your fingers to detach the seeds.

Hopi Black Dye sunflowers grow tall and strong, and their flower have sunny yellow petals with a dark purple center. This sunflower variety comes from the Hopi, a Native American tribe, who used it for dyeing. They used it to create grey and purples hues on their basketry and textiles, like cotton and wool. The seeds are edible for humans and birds, and are rich and easy to shell.

CARE AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS : Towards the end of September, sunflower seeds start to reach maturity. The stem dries up and the flower starts to bend down. It’s time to harvest! Cut the entire flower heads. Let them dry in a dry space. Check regularly to make sure the sunflowers are not getting moldy. After a few days, the seeds will sound ‘hollow’ and ‘dry’ when running your fingers over them. You then only need to rub over to remove what’s left of the flowers, and scratch with your fingers to detach the seeds.

Popular and very sweet, this watermelon is characterized by its skin that turns really dark when ripe and its juicy flesh with very few seeds. As its name suggests, it produces small fruits weighting between 3 and 4 kg which would be ideal for small gardens.

CARE AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS : Melons require heat to develop properly.

Dyer's coreopsises are originally from the North American prairies. Their bloom is abundant, colorful, and a delight for pollinators. As its name suggests, it is commonly used for natural dyes. Coreopsis gives rich yellows, oranges, and rusty browns. It works especially well on fiber proteins such as wool and silk.

Appreciated by gardeners, who have been growing it for a long time, it was introduced to the United States around 1894 by the seed company Peter Henderson. It produces about ten fruits of 0.5 to 1 kg per plant. These are ivory or yellow streaked with green. Its flesh is very sweet with a flavor reminiscent of chestnuts. Interestingly, it is one of the only winter squash whose flesh is edible when cooked. Due to its small size, it is ideal for stuffing.;Small squashes can be stored for about 3 to 4 months.

The vast majority of our seeds are produced on our farm. However, if the cultivation of a variety fails or if it is out of stock, we source from other seed companies to ensure an interesting selection. This is the case for this variety.

BOTANICAL INFORMATION
Latin name: Cucurbita pepo
Common names: Delicatea squash
English: Delicata squash, peanut squash, Bohemian squash, sweet potato squash
Family: Cucurbitaceae

MAINTENANCE AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
Does not tolerate cold.

Ancestral variety widely cultivated in the United States in the 19th century. Its skin is white and the aboveground part is bright purple. Its flesh is white, firm and sweet. It produces roots with a width of 7 to 10 cm. Very resistant to cold. The leaves, slightly pungent when young, are delicious pan-fried, steamed or in soups, in addition to being an excellent source of vitamins.

The vast majority of our seeds are produced on our farm. However, if the cultivation of a variety fails or if it is out of stock, we source from other seed companies to ensure an interesting selection. This is the case for this variety.

BOTANICAL INFORMATION
Latin name: Brassica rapa
Common names: Turnip 'white purple globe', Turnip white with purple collar
English: Purple top white globe turnip
Family: Brassicaceae

MAINTENANCE AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
Cover the tops of the tubers with mulch to protect them from sunburn.

This dwarf bean with a bright yellow color is stringless, which gives it a fine texture and a delicate taste. In addition to giving an abundant harvest, it is quite early in our latitudes. It is a classic in the garden, since it is easy to grow and not very demanding.

The lemon cucumber is a very old variety probably originating from India. It stands out for its mild and sweet flavor, without any bitterness. Easy to grow, it is particularly appreciated by children thanks to the original and attractive shape of its fruits. This cucumber is ideal for diversifying your garden and providing a pleasant taste experience for the whole family.