Sink your sweet tooth into this delicious, old fashioned yellow sweet corn. Gardeners aren't the only ones seeking to satisfy a sweet tooth with corn. Little critters have sweet teeth as well. Fred Ashworth, of St. Lawrence Nurseries in Potsdam, New York, originally named this variety "Rat Selected" in honor of the rodents that collected and stowed seed from his barn. Their selections unwittingly showed Fred the tastiest kernels, which they preferred. Though modern hybrids may be sweeter, Ashworth's deep, buttery flavor resonates on the palate.

This corn germinates well in cool soil and bears short stalks with 6-7" yellow ears.

One of the best home garden carrots. The magic of carrots is in the unknown. Somewhere within the darkness of the soil, teeming with invisible life, nutrients seek a vessel to be passed from earth to plant to bodies. Carrots make gardeners feel like magicians: the orange flash, when pulled from the earth, draws gasps and applause, if only in our minds. But the true magic is revealed in the eating, when the vivid color gives way to a sweet crunch that somehow makes us feel as bright and strong and well-anchored as the freshly picked root.

This tried and true American heirloom is one of the best home garden carrots. The traceable history of the carrot spans 5000 years. Evidence has been dug up that this relative of wildflower Queen Anne's lace originated in Afghanistan. The modern carrot came into being thanks to the efforts of the French and Dutch. The Danvers carrot was developed in 1871 in Massachusetts.

These carrots are deep orange and often on the short side, about six to eight inches long, though they can get up to about 10" long in deep, loose, rock-free soil. The roots are broad at the top and tapered.

The perfect red tomato of a gardener's dreams. Juicy and tender 10-12 ounce slicing tomato with excellent reliability and good disease resistance. During this past season's terrible tomato weather it was a top performer, and consistently churned out uniform, beautiful red fruits that were a favorite in our trial taste tests.

Classic Jersey tomatoes harken back to a time when New Jersey farmers grew tasty vine ripened tomatoes to compete with trucked-in gas ripened counterparts from the other coasts after the Jersey canning industry lost out to those markets too. Jersey tomatoes were known to be juicier, tastier and better than those picked green. Sound familiar? With seasonal and fresh being popular these days too, we can uphold Jersey Breeze among a long line of tomatoes bred to be grown outdoors, in less than ideal conditions, and still remain juicy, tart, sweet, and toothsome. Indeterminate.

A pastel spectrum perfect for bouquets. Tired of circular flowers? You've found the right blooms. The puffed, squarish, hinged blossoms of snapdragons line short spires that reach vertically in sometimes straight, sometimes corkscrewed ways. Up close, the flowers resemble a dragon head, ready to snap at any moment. Above these brightly colored towers, another guardian of the garden, the dragonfly, can often be found patrolling for incoming insects. For centuries, gardeners have taken advantage of the imposing appearance of snapdragons to ward off evil spirits, even to guard castle gates.

Snapdragons are a late-blooming annual, bringing fresh, beautiful color to the late summer and early fall garden. They make an elegant cut flower, and the seed pods are surprisingly interesting, they resemble little skulls.

Heirloom, Non-GMO, Open-Pollinated. Long a staple in Japan, this heirloom Chinese cabbage variety produces large, barrel-shaped heads with succulent midribs. Its tender leaves have a mild, sweet cabbage flavor that complements other vegetables, whether cooked in stir-fries or soups, pickled as kimchi, or eaten fresh.

Growing Instructions: ‘Aichi’ cabbage can be started indoors or sown directly outdoors. Note that cabbage is a heavy feeder and consequently needs an even supply of nutrients. Mulching will reduce weeds and keep soil temperature moderate and moisture even.

Start Indoors:

• 4-6 weeks before the last frost
• Sow seeds indoors 1/4” to 1/2” deep
• Germination: 6–10 days.
• Transplant outdoors when seedlings have 3–4 true leaves
• Space rows 18” to 24” apart
• Light: full sun
• Soil: rich and well-draining
• Water consistently

Direct Sow:

• Sow seeds 1/4” to 1/2” deep
• Space rows 18” to 24” apart
• Light: full sun
• Soil: rich and well-draining
• Water consistently

Vigorous, productive pepper plants bear heavy yields of glossy, sweet, red fruits throughout the growing season. These slender, pointed peppers ripen from green to a brilliant red and average about 6" in length. Their thin skin and moderately sweet flavor make them an excellent pepper for frying and making dried pepper flakes. Fruits hold well on the plant and resist cracking. Heirloom, Non-GMO, Open-Pollinated, Organic.

Growing Instructions: Sow seeds indoors ¼" deep. Peppers germinate best in warm soil above 75° F, so gentle bottom heat may be helpful until seedlings emerge. Wait to transplant outdoors until the soil is warm.

• Start Indoors: 6-8 weeks before last frost
• Germination: 14–18 days.
• Transplant: 4-6 weeks after last frost
• Plant Outdoors: 12–24” apart
• Light: Full sun
• Moderate watering
• Mulch to retain soil moisture and suppress weeds

Also known as stem or asparagus lettuce, celtuce is a lettuce cultivar that produces edible, thick, crisp, and nutty-flavored stems and highly-toothed, dark-red and green leaves with a slightly bitter, yet surprisingly refreshing, flavor when eaten young. Very popular in Asia, celtuce stems are harvested when they reach a foot long and then typically sautéed. Heirloom, Non-GMO, Open-Pollinated, Organic.

Growing Instructions: Sow outdoors as soon as the soil can be worked in spring. Celtuce is best grown in cooler weather and in full sun. Thin to 12"-18" apart in rows. It can be started indoors 4-6 weeks before the last frost. Transplant outdoors after a few sets of leaves have emerged. Keep the soil moist.

• Direct Seed ¼" deep.
• Thin to 12-18" apart.
• Best grown in cooler weather.
• Leaves can be harvested after 4-5 weeks.
• Harvest stems when about a foot tall.

Are you stuck in a strawberry or grape jelly rut? This collection offers six different varieties to make six different jellies, sure to delight the palates of all jelly lovers. 

The collection contains one packet of each variety:

• Aunt Molly's Ground Cherry
• Garden Huckleberry
• Lemon Mint
• Jalapeño (Traveler Strain) Pepper
• King of the North Pepper
• Speckled Roman Tomato

Do you love making soup with vegetables from your own garden? Then this curated collection is for you! It contains seeds for all the ingredients to make a hearty three-bean soup to enjoy piping hot from the stovetop or freeze for a delicious winter meal!

The collection contains one packet of each variety:

• Christmas Lima Bean
• Hidatsa Red Bean
• Turkey Craw Bean
• Danvers Carrot
• Tall Utah Celery
• Yellow of Parma Onion

The Rainbow Carrot (Daucus carota) is a vibrant, colorful variety of the classic carrot, offering a mix of orange, yellow, red, purple, and white roots. This heirloom vegetable is popular among home gardeners and chefs alike for its unique colors, sweet flavor, and nutritional benefits. Rainbow carrots not only add visual appeal to dishes but also offer a range of antioxidants, vitamins, and nutrients, making them a healthy and attractive addition to any garden or kitchen. Known for their crisp texture and earthy-sweet taste, rainbow carrots are easy to grow from seed and thrive in cool-season gardens. Their diverse colors each indicate unique phytochemicals with various health benefits.

• Plant Type: Biennial (grown as an annual)
• Genus: Daucus
• Species: Daucus carota
• Plant Height/Width: 6-12 inches tall / 6-8 inches wide
• Season: Spring and Fall
• Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
• Difficulty: Moderate

Basket of Kisses is the perfect everbearing sweetheart that produces cascades of sweet, bite-sized berries all season long - just like receiving little kisses from your garden. This charming variety is absolutely perfect for hanging baskets, containers, and romantic garden corners where its trailing habit creates beautiful strawberry waterfalls. With continuous production from spring to frost and incredibly sweet flavor, you'll be stealing kisses from your plants all season long. Whether you're a beginner or experienced gardener, these magical seeds will grow into the most rewarding relationship you'll have in your garden.

• Plant Type: Perennial
• Variety: Basket of Kisses
• Species: Fragaria × ananassa
• Plant Height/Width: 6-8 inches tall / 12-18 inches wide (trailing)
• Season: Spring to Fall
• Seed Count: 100
• Difficulty: Intermediate (patience required for seed starting)

The Sensitive Plant, also known as Mimosa pudica, is a fascinating tropical plant well-known for its unique ability to react to touch. Its fern-like leaves fold inward and droop when disturbed, earning it nicknames like “Touch-Me-Not” and “Shy Plant.” Native to South and Central America, this plant is prized not just for its reactive foliage but also for its delicate pink pom-pom flowers and ease of care. While often grown as a novelty houseplant, it also thrives outdoors in warm climates as a low-growing ornamental. Mimosa pudica is more than just a botanical curiosity—it’s a beautiful, interactive plant that brings a touch of wonder to any space. With its delicate, touch-sensitive foliage and soft pink flowers, it provides both visual appeal and an educational experience for gardeners of all ages.

• Plant Type: Perennial (grown as an annual in cooler climates)
• Genus: Mimosa
• Species: Mimosa pudica
• Plant Height/Width: 12-18 inches tall / 12-24 inches wide
• Season: Spring to Summer
• Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
• Difficulty: Moderate

Pansies are charming, easy-to-grow flowers that brighten up gardens with their bold colors and delicate appearance. By following proper planting, watering, and maintenance techniques, gardeners can enjoy seasonal blooms in both spring and fall. While they require some patience to grow from seeds, the result is rewarding with long-lasting floral displays. Whether used for garden borders, container planting, or edible garnishes, pansies are a versatile and delightful addition to any landscape.

• Plant Type: Annual or short-lived perennial
• Genus: Viola
• Plant Height/Width: 6–9 inches tall, 9–12 inches wide
• Season: Cool-season bloomer (spring, fall, and winter in mild climates)
• Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
• Difficulty: Easy to grow

The Giant Moonflower, scientifically known as Ipomoea alba, is a tropical, vining flowering plant that belongs to the same family as morning glories (Convolvulaceae). What sets the moonflower apart is its large, fragrant white blooms that open at dusk, making it a captivating addition to evening and moonlit gardens. With its large, luminous blooms and fast-growing vines, it's perfect for arbors, trellises, and fences where it can put on its nightly performance. Though it requires warm weather and full sun, it's relatively low-maintenance once established.

• Plant Type: Annual Vine
• Genus: Ipomoea
• Species: Ipomoea alba
• Plant Height/Width: 10-15 feet tall / 6-10 feet wide
• Season: Summer to Fall
• Exposure: Full Sun
• Difficulty: Easy

Chamomile is a well-known herb that belongs to the Asteraceae family and is widely used for its medicinal, aromatic, and ornamental qualities. Chamomile is recognized for its small, daisy-like white flowers with yellow centers and its distinctive apple-like fragrance. Chamomile has been used for centuries in traditional herbal medicine, primarily for its calming and anti-inflammatory properties. It is easy to grow from seed and is an excellent addition to herb gardens, flower beds, and container gardens.

• Plant Type: Annual
• Genus: Chamaemelum
• Species: Nobile
• Plant Height/Width: 10-16" high
• Season: Blooms summer and into fall
• Exposure: Full sun or partial shade
• Difficulty: Easy
• Attribute: Attract Pollinators

Blue Sage (Salvia farinacea), also known as Mealycup Sage, is a striking perennial plant known for its vibrant blue to violet flowers and aromatic foliage. It thrives in a variety of climates and is commonly used in ornamental gardens, pollinator-friendly landscapes, and xeriscaping projects. Blue Sage is a stunning, easy-to-grow plant that brings beauty, fragrance, and pollinators to the garden. 

• Plant Type: Annual
• Genus: Salvia
• Species: Farinacea
• Plant Height/Width: 18-24"
• Season: Blooms summer to frost
• Exposure: Sun to part shade
• Difficulty: Easy

Immortelle (Xeranthemum annum), true to its name, brings everlasting enchantment to your garden! These charming paper-textured flowers bloom in romantic shades of white, pink, rose, and purple, creating a delicate, ethereal display that looks like nature's own origami. What makes these blooms truly magical is their ability to retain their beauty indefinitely - they're literally born dried! Perfect for gardeners who love both fresh summer color AND year-round dried arrangements, Immortelle offers the best of both worlds. 

• Plant Type: Annual
• Genus: Xeranthemum
• Species: Annuum
• Plant Height/Width: 18"-24"
• Season: Blooms June - Sept
• Exposure: Full sun
• Difficulty: Easy

Flax blue flowers (Linum perenne), also known as perennial flax, are delicate and graceful wildflowers that add charm to gardens and landscapes. With their sky-blue petals and slender stems, these plants create a stunning display, especially when grown in clusters. Blue flax is known for its resilience, drought tolerance, and ability to thrive in various climates. Blue flax is easy to grow from seeds, making it an ideal choice for beginner gardeners. It attracts pollinators, stabilizes soil, and provides visual interest throughout the growing season.

• Plant Type: Perennial
• Genus: Linum
• Species: Perenne
• Plant Height/Width: 18-30"
• Season: Blooms spring to summer
• Exposure: Full sun
• Attributes: Attract Pollinators

Dahlia flowers are a versatile and visually stunning addition to any garden, providing long-lasting blooms, pollinator benefits, and vibrant floral displays. While traditionally grown from tubers, starting dahlias from seed allows for unique and diverse flowers each season.

• Plant Type: Perennial zones 8 and up. Annual zones 8 and down
• Genus: Dahlia
• Species: Pinnata
• Plant Height/Width: 14"-18"
• Season: Midsummer through the first frost
• Exposure: Full sun partial shade
• Difficulty: Easy

Easy-to-grow, early perennial herb. Pretty white blooms in late summer. Public libraries are hotspots of culture, and sometimes hotspots of food culture. At the Gardiner Library, Insook, a frequent library patron and avid gardener, would regularly bring in food to feed the library staff. One such treat became the reason we now grow and sell seeds of Garlic Chives. Although it appeared to be a jar of chopped lawn grasses, Insook’s favorite kimchi, made entirely of garlic chive stalks, remains one of the best—and simplest—kimchis ever. We'll never forget that delicious flavor. To make your own garlic chive kimchi, search for recipes under buchu kimchi online.

Flowers are nature’s most intricate candies. When we think of eating from the garden, we tend to think of fruits, roots, greens, and herbs. But flowers are nature's most intricate candies. With a range of flavors from sweet to spicy, flowers not only add bright and elegant beauty to any dish but can impart culinary and nutritional diversity as well. Always gorgeous fresh in a salad, some blooms can also be candied or cooked. If you are what you eat, then why not become a beautiful flower?

Contains Arugula (let flower!), Nasturtium, Chinese Pinks Dianthus, Borage, Chervil, Tall Blue Cornflower, Tangerine Gem Marigold, and Royal Carpet Alyssum.

Abundant, luminescent blooms. Sir Cedric Morris was a 20th-century British artist who not only painted an array of portraits and still-lifes but also practiced horticultural artistry, breeding new varieties of irises and poppies. For this poppy, he wanted to create a pastel palette of dusty pinks, muted purples, and blushed whites, all with a shell-like luster. The overall impression of a field of these poppies is that of an artist's palette, one on which the colors have been gently but unthoroughly mixed before being applied to the canvas.

Contains a range of colors including white, pink, maroon, and red.

A butterfly magnet that stays a manageable size. Spotted Joe Pye Weed is found primarily growing in the Northeast and upper Midwest regions of North America. Smaller than Sweet Joe Pye Weed, it reaches just 4-6 feet, which is much more manageable for most perennial gardens. The wide, fluffy, pink-purple flower clusters attract pollinators of all kinds. Easy to grow and will bloom the first year if started early.

Antique flowers with a delicious perfumy scent. Sweet peas were discovered by a Sicilian gardener in the late 1600s; he followed his nose, and their fragrance beckoned. By the early 20th Century, they were one of the most sought-after flowers for English gardeners. Breeding these flowers for color, size, ruffle, and adaptation to different climates became the rage. But something happened along the way: their fragrance faded. Let the heady perfume of this mix return you to the days when sweet peas weren't just for show but were also for smell!

Sweet peas are not the same as edible garden peas, in fact, they are toxic. Do not consume!

Showy spikes of bright magenta blooms bring in the pollinators. This vertically spiking plant, also known as Gayfeather, unfurls blooms from tip to stem, like a flame descending a sparkler stick. No wonder it is so attractive to so many pollinators: its showy spikes draw in crowds of butterflies, moths, bees, nymphs, and hummingbirds. The larvae of the spectacular Bleeding Flower Moth, depicted in the artwork, feed on the leaves of Liatris species such as this. It is also attractive to humans, who appreciate the ombre tones of the spike as it moves from the bud to flower stage. 

Contemporary heirlooms. Where do our garden heirlooms come from? Sometimes from the hands and minds and tastes and hearts of visionaries. Heirlooms are a flashback in time, but they're not static. One of the people that future gardeners will be telling stories about is Frank Morton. For over 25 years, Frank has been selecting and crossing, discovering, and creating new open-pollinated varieties of lettuce, kale, broccoli, herbs, and flowers. Rather than seek to control, patent, or license these exciting crosses, Frank releases them to the public, encouraging what he calls "Ecological Crop Improvement." One of his creations is this colorful Flashback Calendula, so named for the splashes of deep red color on the backs of the petals. It's destined to become an heirloom of tomorrow! Select seed from your favorites and create your own artistic interpretation.

Brief beauty, long-lasting health. Gorgeous poppy petals, as thin and delicate as crepe paper, don't last long. The seeds, however, are vessels of endurance. Rich in omega-3s, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, a wide range of vitamins, and all of the essential amino acids, poppy seeds are exceptionally nutritious, contributing to health and, it is said, to longevity. Used in culinary creations all over the world as a spice, condiment, garnish, and dessert base, poppies yield hundreds of thousands of seeds from just a few plants.

This mix is taller than the Mother of Pearl Poppy, with bigger seed pods and a longer season of bloom. Colors range from pink to lilac.

Includes a variety of pink, purple, blue and scarlet poppies.

Single-petaled blooms in red, pink, and yellow adorn burgundy foliage. All that's left of the Bishop of Llandaff's Palace in Wales is an iron-gated arch entrance flanked by crumbling stone towers. But his gardens live on in the progeny of his dahlias. Though dahlias are most often grown from tubers, seed-grown dahlias are more fun. Why? Because dahlias are octoploids, meaning they have four times as many chromosomes as most other flowers, so the seeds produce a spectacular diversity of architectural leaves and blooms in a myriad of forms and colors. Part of the joy in planting the Bishop's Children is that if you find one you love, you simply harvest and store the tubers to plant next year. Congrats: you are a plant breeder!

Bishop's Children blooms in mix of red, burgundy, magenta and the occasional yellow flower on foliage that ranges from purple tinged to deep burgundy.