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.

7 articles Updated seasonally by West Coast Seeds

Filter Posts

All Filters

Seed varieties on the West Coast Seeds website are marked to indicate whether they are Hybrid Seeds (F1 or F2) or Open Pollinated Seeds (OP)....

Continue Reading

Seed varieties on the West Coast Seeds website are marked to indicate whether they are Hybrid Seeds (F1 or F2) or Open Pollinated Seeds (OP). Open Pollinated Seeds (OP) When two plants of the...

Continue Reading

The definition of “heirloom seeds” is a matter of debate. For our purposes, West Coast Seeds considers a plant an heirloom if it has been...

Continue Reading

The definition of “heirloom seeds” is a matter of debate. For our purposes, West Coast Seeds considers a plant an heirloom if it has been in cultivation for 50 years or more, although some...

Continue Reading

One of the factors that most influences the germination rate of seeds is how they are stored. Like the plants that produce them, seeds come...

Continue Reading

One of the factors that most influences the germination rate of seeds is how they are stored. Like the plants that produce them, seeds come in all sorts of forms and sizes. They are...

Continue Reading

A hybrid is created by crossing two different varieties of the same plant. Crossing involves taking the pollen from the male flower of one plant...

Continue Reading

A hybrid is created by crossing two different varieties of the same plant. Crossing involves taking the pollen from the male flower of one plant and transferring it to the female flower parts of...

Continue Reading

The Diamond Family, owners of West Coast Seeds, has acquired Pinebush Home & Garden Ltd. We’re excited to work alongside another environmentally-conscious company.   Founded over 8 years...

Continue Reading

The Diamond Family, owners of West Coast Seeds, has acquired Pinebush Home & Garden Ltd. We’re excited to work alongside another environmentally-conscious company.   Founded over 8 years ago by the Gerber family, Pinebush is an Ontario...

Continue Reading

Prior to the 18th century, scientists struggled to find conventions with which to categorize organisms. In the 1730s, the visionary Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus developed...

Continue Reading

Prior to the 18th century, scientists struggled to find conventions with which to categorize organisms. In the 1730s, the visionary Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus developed a system of taxonomy (called binomial nomenclature), which assigned...

Continue Reading

When asked the question, “What are genetically engineered seeds?” we explain that scientists can now bypass the traditional breeding methods of manipulating plant characteristics. Rather...

Continue Reading

When asked the question, “What are genetically engineered seeds?” we explain that scientists can now bypass the traditional breeding methods of manipulating plant characteristics. Rather than cross-breeding plants, they can work directly with plant...

Continue Reading