Online shop opening soon. Seed orders will open here shortly. Until then, look for us at regional farmers markets.

Seed catalog

Short-season seeds for northern gardens

Every variety here is open-pollinated except Sungold F1, our one hybrid. Days to maturity are approximate and will vary with your weather, soil, and planting date.

Tomatoes

Start indoors late March to early April; transplant mid to late May after the ~May 10 last frost.

Stupice

Tomato · Solanum lycopersicum

Open-pollinatedIndeterminate

A dependable early tomato with clusters of small, round red fruit and a bright, balanced flavor. Potato-leaf plants that keep producing in cool weather. A good first choice for a short season.

Days: Approx. 55–65 days from transplant

$3.75 per packetBuy Stupice

Glacier

Tomato · Solanum lycopersicum

Open-pollinatedEarly

Compact plants that set small red fruit early and handle cool nights. Useful for gardeners who want ripe tomatoes on the counter before midsummer.

Days: Approx. 55–60 days from transplant

$3.75 per packetBuy Glacier

Cherokee Purple

Tomato · Solanum lycopersicum

Open-pollinatedIndeterminate

Large, dusky rose-purple slicers with rich, deep flavor. The longest-season tomato in our lineup: start on time and give it your warmest, most sheltered spot.

Days: Approx. 75–85 days from transplant

$3.75 per packetBuy Cherokee Purple

Sungold F1

Cherry tomato · Solanum lycopersicum

F1 hybridIndeterminate

Golden-orange cherry tomatoes, very sweet and early, on vigorous vines that need a sturdy stake or cage. Our one hybrid, carried because it earns its place. Saved seed will not come true.

Days: Approx. 57–65 days from transplant

$5.25 per packetBuy Sungold F1

Greens

Cold-tolerant crops for spring and fall. Sow early, and again in late summer for fall harvests.

Red Russian kale

Kale · Brassica napus

Open-pollinatedCold-hardy

Tender, frilly gray-green leaves with purple-red stems. Great as baby greens or full-size, and the flavor sweetens after a frost.

Days: Approx. 25 days baby / 50–60 days full size

$3.75 per packetBuy Red Russian kale

Lacinato kale

Kale · Brassica oleracea

Open-pollinatedCold-hardy

Also called dinosaur or Tuscan kale: long, dark blue-green, savoyed leaves. Pick a few leaves at a time and the plants keep going well into fall.

Days: Approx. 60 days full size

$3.75 per packetBuy Lacinato kale

Bloomsdale spinach

Spinach · Spinacia oleracea

Open-pollinatedCold-hardy

Classic crinkly, dark green leaves with a sweet, full flavor. Sow as soon as the soil can be worked in spring, and again for fall. Bolts in summer heat, so plant early.

Days: Approx. 40–50 days

$3.75 per packetBuy Bloomsdale spinach

Roots

Direct sow from mid-April into May, and again in midsummer for fall roots.

Detroit Dark Red beet

Beet · Beta vulgaris

Open-pollinated

Smooth, round, deep red roots with sweet flesh, plus tender greens. A steady, reliable beet for fresh eating, roasting, and pickling.

Days: Approx. 55–60 days

Danvers 126 carrot

Carrot · Daucus carota

Open-pollinated

Sturdy, tapered orange carrots that handle heavier soils better than long, slender types. Good for fresh eating and storage.

Days: Approx. 70–75 days

$3.75 per packetBuy Danvers 126 carrot

Beans & Peas

Peas go in early (late March to April). Beans wait for warm soil, after the last frost.

Provider bush bean

Bush bean · Phaseolus vulgaris

Open-pollinatedBush

Round green pods on compact bushes, no trellis needed. Known for germinating in cooler soil than many beans, which helps in a short season.

Days: Approx. 50 days

$3.75 per packetBuy Provider bush bean

Sugar Snap pea

Snap pea · Pisum sativum

Open-pollinatedClimbing

Plump, crunchy pods you eat whole, sweet straight off the vine. Tall vines need a trellis or fence. One of the first crops to sow in spring.

Days: Approx. 60–70 days

$3.75 per packetBuy Sugar Snap pea

Flowers

Easy, cheerful, and good company in the vegetable garden.

Calendula 'Resina'

Pot marigold · Calendula officinalis

Open-pollinatedHerb & flower

Bright orange and gold blooms on a calendula selected for its resin-rich flower heads, a traditional choice for drying. Tolerates cool weather and blooms until hard frost.

Days: Approx. 50–60 days to bloom

$3.75 per packetBuy Calendula 'Resina'
Best place to start

Short Season Starter Collection

Six of our most dependable varieties for a first season in a short northern garden: an early tomato, spring peas and spinach, kale, beets, and bush beans.

$19for 6 packetsSave $3.50 vs. buying separately
  • Stupicetomato
  • Sugar Snappea
  • Bloomsdalespinach
  • Red Russiankale
  • Detroit Dark Redbeet
  • Providerbush bean

Saving seed? Open-pollinated varieties grow true to type from saved seed (keep varieties of the same crop apart to avoid crossing). Seed saved from Sungold F1 will not grow true.