WCS Academy

Gardening advice, How To Grow Guides, and Seasonal inspiration.

Explore practical articles on seed starting, crop-specific growing tips, seasonal planning, pest management, and garden projects from the West Coast Seeds team.

195 articles Updated seasonally by West Coast Seeds

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Season & ZoneExposure: Full sun to partial shade. Zone: This blend is hardy to Zone 4. TimingDirect sow during the period two weeks before and...

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Season & ZoneExposure: Full sun to partial shade. Zone: This blend is hardy to Zone 4. TimingDirect sow during the period two weeks before and up to eight weeks after your last average frost...

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Grub Resistant Lawn Blend stands up to pests, traffic, drought, and summer stress. It combines tough Turf Type Tall Fescue with Micro-Clover to create a...

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Grub Resistant Lawn Blend stands up to pests, traffic, drought, and summer stress. It combines tough Turf Type Tall Fescue with Micro-Clover to create a resilient, low-thatch lawn that discourages beetle egg laying. Designed...

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If you're trying to figure out whether your potato plants are determinate or indeterminate, you can breathe a sigh of relief. It's not as critical...

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If you're trying to figure out whether your potato plants are determinate or indeterminate, you can breathe a sigh of relief. It's not as critical as it might seem. In the world of potato...

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As the festive energy of the holidays gives way to the quieter days of early winter, it's a prime time for gardeners to engage in...

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As the festive energy of the holidays gives way to the quieter days of early winter, it's a prime time for gardeners to engage in contemplative planning and to dream about the upcoming season's...

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Discover the unique qualities of our Certified Organic Seed Potatoes, a hallmark of sustainable agriculture from the fertile Pemberton Valley. These potatoes are more than...

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Discover the unique qualities of our Certified Organic Seed Potatoes, a hallmark of sustainable agriculture from the fertile Pemberton Valley. These potatoes are more than just a crop; they're a testament to the sustainable...

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Whether you've harvested a bumper crop or picked a bunch of carrots from your local market, storing them properly means you can enjoy their crisp, earthy goodness...

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Whether you've harvested a bumper crop or picked a bunch of carrots from your local market, storing them properly means you can enjoy their crisp, earthy goodness well into the cooler months. Let's walk through the...

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This is the first year I planted my entire garden with West Coast Seeds. Having a five-acre homestead, we maintain a very large garden with...

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This is the first year I planted my entire garden with West Coast Seeds. Having a five-acre homestead, we maintain a very large garden with individual beds for each vegetable and 3 greenhouses for...

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Everlasting dried flowers are having a glow up. Because the secret’s out — this “grandma craft” is grandma chic! A dried flower arrangement can be...

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Everlasting dried flowers are having a glow up. Because the secret’s out — this “grandma craft” is grandma chic! A dried flower arrangement can be classy with whimsical soft pastels or energetically bursting with...

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There are plenty of options for seeds that thrive when sown in late summer. The average first frost date for regions like Lower Mainland BC and neighbouring...

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There are plenty of options for seeds that thrive when sown in late summer. The average first frost date for regions like Lower Mainland BC and neighbouring areas (Sunshine Coast, Gulf Islands, coastal Vancouver Island, Puget...

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Love it or hate it, Cilantro can be a tricky yet rewarding crop to grow, especially when you have a continuous supply in the garden....

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Love it or hate it, Cilantro can be a tricky yet rewarding crop to grow, especially when you have a continuous supply in the garden. Cilantro is an annual plant, unlike many other perennial...

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Peas, Pole Beans, Indeterminate Tomatoes and Cucumbers make great vegetables to grow along an arch or trellis. By growing vertically, you’ll get more sun, better...

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Peas, Pole Beans, Indeterminate Tomatoes and Cucumbers make great vegetables to grow along an arch or trellis. By growing vertically, you’ll get more sun, better air circulation (which also means less chance of disease),...

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Everybody can grow a salad green garden. Small space gardeners, low-light gardeners, even indoor gardeners can plant seeds to grow a continuous supply of salad...

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Everybody can grow a salad green garden. Small space gardeners, low-light gardeners, even indoor gardeners can plant seeds to grow a continuous supply of salad through the gardening season. Watch the video below to...

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The Monarch butterfly's fascinating journey and precarious situation has been capturing hearts and headlines recently. If you search "Monarch butterfly" on YouTube, you'll discover a...

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The Monarch butterfly's fascinating journey and precarious situation has been capturing hearts and headlines recently. If you search "Monarch butterfly" on YouTube, you'll discover a multitude of videos dedicated to preserving this unique species....

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Garlic is a perennial member of the onion family, Alliaceae, and is closely related to leeks, onions, shallots, and chives. All of these plants send...

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Garlic is a perennial member of the onion family, Alliaceae, and is closely related to leeks, onions, shallots, and chives. All of these plants send up hollow, tubular (sometimes flattened) leaves from a bulb...

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Even in large scale, chemically dependent farm systems, Integrated Pest Management can reduce human and environmental exposure to chemical pesticides, and save a great deal...

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Even in large scale, chemically dependent farm systems, Integrated Pest Management can reduce human and environmental exposure to chemical pesticides, and save a great deal of money. For the organic grower IPM is the...

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Planting for fall & winter harvests has to start in the summer and fall. Just like we sow summer harvest crops in the late winter...

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Planting for fall & winter harvests has to start in the summer and fall. Just like we sow summer harvest crops in the late winter and spring – it’s the same concept. Did you...

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Carrots are biennial plants, and store all of their first year’s energy in the long orange taproots we know so well. If left in the...

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Carrots are biennial plants, and store all of their first year’s energy in the long orange taproots we know so well. If left in the ground, they will flower in their second year, and...

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The Chafer Beetle Resistant Lawn Blend is one lawn solution for home owners challenged by the animals that feed on the European chafer beetle, and...

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The Chafer Beetle Resistant Lawn Blend is one lawn solution for home owners challenged by the animals that feed on the European chafer beetle, and dig up lawns in the process of hunting them. Continue...

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West Coast Seeds has conducted significant research into the companion planting guidelines and has defined the best possible results and reasons for each of our...

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West Coast Seeds has conducted significant research into the companion planting guidelines and has defined the best possible results and reasons for each of our recommendations in our companion planting chart, below are a...

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This biennial relative of White Dutch clover improves soil structure, fixes nitrogen, provides nutritious pasturage, and feeds honey bees. Its widely branched taproots penetrate the subsoil deeply, drawing...

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This biennial relative of White Dutch clover improves soil structure, fixes nitrogen, provides nutritious pasturage, and feeds honey bees. Its widely branched taproots penetrate the subsoil deeply, drawing up nutrients unavailable to other plants. Continue reading below...

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The benefit of winter wheat is its hardiness. It all but eliminates winter soil erosion, and then supplies a source of carbon-rich organic matter to till...

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The benefit of winter wheat is its hardiness. It all but eliminates winter soil erosion, and then supplies a source of carbon-rich organic matter to till under before planting vegetable crops. Continue reading below for...

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This fast-growing annual produces ample organic matter that can be used as a mulch on the surface, or tilled under to improve soil texture and...

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This fast-growing annual produces ample organic matter that can be used as a mulch on the surface, or tilled under to improve soil texture and promote soil health. Continue reading below for tips on...

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Are chafer beetles causing your lawn grief in early spring? Consider replacing your lawn with White Dutch clover, or at least inter-planting with your grass...

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Are chafer beetles causing your lawn grief in early spring? Consider replacing your lawn with White Dutch clover, or at least inter-planting with your grass seeds. This clover is very hardy, and will stand...

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When rye pollen is used to pollinate wheat flowers, the result is the remarkable hybrid known as triticale. It has a similar, albeit weaker, allelopathic...

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When rye pollen is used to pollinate wheat flowers, the result is the remarkable hybrid known as triticale. It has a similar, albeit weaker, allelopathic effect to Fall Rye, but without the dense root...

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