WCS Academy

April 10, 2017

Okay – now for the fun stuff. Seed balls (sometimes called seed bombs), are simple balls of clay and soil that contain seeds. They can...

Commit to Grow Day 10: Seed Balls

April 10, 2017

Okay – now for the fun stuff. Seed balls (sometimes called seed bombs), are simple balls of clay and soil that contain seeds. They can be placed or tossed into their growing spot, and...

Commit to Grow Day 9: Queen of Green

April 09, 2017

We love the Queen of Green. Since 2009, environmentalist Lindsay Coulter has been blogging as David Suzuki’s Queen of Green on the website of the...

Commit to Grow Day 9: Queen of Green

April 09, 2017

We love the Queen of Green. Since 2009, environmentalist Lindsay Coulter has been blogging as David Suzuki’s Queen of Green on the website of the David Suzuki Foundation. If you want to take practical...

Commit to Grow Day 8: School Gardens

April 08, 2017

At West Coast Seeds we are huge fans of school gardens. Nothing beats seeing a class of happy, engaged kids learning about how soil works,...

Commit to Grow Day 8: School Gardens

April 08, 2017

At West Coast Seeds we are huge fans of school gardens. Nothing beats seeing a class of happy, engaged kids learning about how soil works, and how to grow food from seed. The match...

Commit to Grow Day 7: Xeriscaping

April 07, 2017

It’s pronounced “zee-re-scape-ing.” And it’s a key concept for landscapers as we look to a future of water conservation and climate change. It’s worth mentioning...

Commit to Grow Day 7: Xeriscaping

April 07, 2017

It’s pronounced “zee-re-scape-ing.” And it’s a key concept for landscapers as we look to a future of water conservation and climate change. It’s worth mentioning again in this series of Twenty-one Days of Green...

Commit to Grow Day 6: Sprouts

April 06, 2017

For the 21 days leading up to Earth Day, we are asking you to Commit to Grow with us. We appreciate that some of you...

Commit to Grow Day 6: Sprouts

April 06, 2017

For the 21 days leading up to Earth Day, we are asking you to Commit to Grow with us. We appreciate that some of you might not even have outdoor gardening space, so today...

Commit to Grow Day 5: Organic

April 05, 2017

In this installment of Commit to Grow for Earth Day, we take the chance to explain why we choose to maintain our status as certified...

Commit to Grow Day 5: Organic

April 05, 2017

In this installment of Commit to Grow for Earth Day, we take the chance to explain why we choose to maintain our status as certified organic handlers of seeds. What does it mean to...

Commit to Grow Day 4: Transforming Lawns

April 04, 2017

While recreational field turf has its uses, most urban and suburban lawn leaves the Earth with a net loss. Space that could be used for...

Commit to Grow Day 4: Transforming Lawns

April 04, 2017

While recreational field turf has its uses, most urban and suburban lawn leaves the Earth with a net loss. Space that could be used for growing food or feeding pollinators is dedicated instead to...

Commit to Grow Day 3: PARGAR

April 03, 2017

We continue our Twenty-One Days of Green with a look at an amazing community group. One of our favourite of all gardening organizations is Plant...

Commit to Grow Day 3: PARGAR

April 03, 2017

We continue our Twenty-One Days of Green with a look at an amazing community group. One of our favourite of all gardening organizations is Plant a Row Grow a Row. Quite simply, they encourage...

Commit to Grow Day 2: Chives

April 02, 2017

The theme of this Twenty-one Days of Green campaign is to encourage everyone to Commit to Grow just one item that might otherwise be purchased...

Commit to Grow Day 2: Chives

April 02, 2017

The theme of this Twenty-one Days of Green campaign is to encourage everyone to Commit to Grow just one item that might otherwise be purchased at a grocery store. We love using chives as...

Commit to Grow Day 1

April 01, 2017

Commit to Grow for Earth Day. It’s already April, and Earth Day on April 22nd is fast approaching. We love to see people celebrating this...

Commit to Grow Day 1

April 01, 2017

Commit to Grow for Earth Day. It’s already April, and Earth Day on April 22nd is fast approaching. We love to see people celebrating this important day, but we were wondering what we could...

About Parsnips

March 25, 2017

Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) As a member of the family Apiaciae, the parsnip counts among its close cousins the carrot, parsley, dill, fennel, cilantro, and celery....

About Parsnips

March 25, 2017

Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) As a member of the family Apiaciae, the parsnip counts among its close cousins the carrot, parsley, dill, fennel, cilantro, and celery. All of these bear tall umbels of flowers, but...

About Parsley

March 21, 2017

Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) Both the curly leaf form (P. crispum) and the Italian flat-leaf form (P. crispum var. neapolitanum) of this useful herb are members...

About Parsley

March 21, 2017

Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) Both the curly leaf form (P. crispum) and the Italian flat-leaf form (P. crispum var. neapolitanum) of this useful herb are members of the carrot family Apiaceae, and share a close...

About Leeks

March 18, 2017

Leeks (Allium ampeloprasum, var. porrum, syn. A. porrum) This member of the Allium family is thought to have been in cultivation since the 2nd century...

About Leeks

March 18, 2017

Leeks (Allium ampeloprasum, var. porrum, syn. A. porrum) This member of the Allium family is thought to have been in cultivation since the 2nd century BC, from ancient Egypt to Mesopotamia. The Romans believed...

About Cress and Watercress

March 15, 2017

Cress (sometimes called garden cress, garden pepper cress, pepperwort, or pepper grass) is a leafy annual herb from the Brassica family. It is harvested when immature,...

About Cress and Watercress

March 15, 2017

Cress (sometimes called garden cress, garden pepper cress, pepperwort, or pepper grass) is a leafy annual herb from the Brassica family. It is harvested when immature, around one to two weeks after germination, but will...

New Raised Beds

March 13, 2017

It’s already the middle of March, 2017, and spring seems hesitant to start this year. Despite the rain (and melted snow), we know that fairer...

New Raised Beds

March 13, 2017

It’s already the middle of March, 2017, and spring seems hesitant to start this year. Despite the rain (and melted snow), we know that fairer weather is coming. So we’re building twenty raised beds...

About Catnip

March 06, 2017

Catnip (Nepeta cataria) This perennial member of the mint family is native from eastern Europe eastward to China. It is a bushy, branching herb that...

About Catnip

March 06, 2017

Catnip (Nepeta cataria) This perennial member of the mint family is native from eastern Europe eastward to China. It is a bushy, branching herb that grows to 50–100cm (20–39″) tall. Like many mints, its...

About Cauliflower

March 04, 2017

About Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea Botrytis group) Modern cauliflower has been grown since the 15th century, and it was grown almost exclusively in Italy until the...

About Cauliflower

March 04, 2017

About Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea Botrytis group) Modern cauliflower has been grown since the 15th century, and it was grown almost exclusively in Italy until the 16th century when it gradually migrated to France and...

About Celery & Celeriac

February 25, 2017

Celery (Apium graveolens var. dulce) & Celeriac (A. graveolens var. rapaceum) The Latin names for the different types of celery are revealing. In both cases,...

About Celery & Celeriac

February 25, 2017

Celery (Apium graveolens var. dulce) & Celeriac (A. graveolens var. rapaceum) The Latin names for the different types of celery are revealing. In both cases, graveolens means “strong smelling” or “heavily scented.” Dulce implies...

Twelve Must-Have Seeds for 2017

February 08, 2017

One of the best things about working with seeds is the time we spend in seed trials, trying new varieties and comparing traits. We are...

Twelve Must-Have Seeds for 2017

February 08, 2017

One of the best things about working with seeds is the time we spend in seed trials, trying new varieties and comparing traits. We are completely spoiled by the multitude of fruits and vegetables...

About Chives

January 24, 2017

Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) Chives have been in cultivation since at least the Middle Ages in Europe, and there are references to their use in ancient...

About Chives

January 24, 2017

Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) Chives have been in cultivation since at least the Middle Ages in Europe, and there are references to their use in ancient Rome, but primarily as a medicinal herb. They were...

About Asparagus

January 22, 2017

Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) Asparagus has very few close botanical relatives in its own family, Asparagaceae. The name “asparagus” simply comes from the Latin botanical title,...

About Asparagus

January 22, 2017

Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) Asparagus has very few close botanical relatives in its own family, Asparagaceae. The name “asparagus” simply comes from the Latin botanical title, with its roots in Greek and the original Persian,...

About Arugula

January 03, 2017

About Arugula Arugula is a low-growing member of the Brassica family that forms rosettes that resemble a cross between lettuce and dandelions. Its leaves have...

About Arugula

January 03, 2017

About Arugula Arugula is a low-growing member of the Brassica family that forms rosettes that resemble a cross between lettuce and dandelions. Its leaves have deep, round indentations reminiscent of oak leaves. These, as...

About Artichokes

November 26, 2016

Artichokes are heat-loving plants of the large family, Asteraceae. The genus Cynara includes eight other wild, thistle-like plants, including C. humilis, which was grown as...

About Artichokes

November 26, 2016

Artichokes are heat-loving plants of the large family, Asteraceae. The genus Cynara includes eight other wild, thistle-like plants, including C. humilis, which was grown as a food crop in North Africa. Some people grow...

Sweet Pea Trial

August 06, 2016

Not so much an official trial, as an effort to grow out each of our sweet peas for comparative study. We grew out fifteen varieties...

Sweet Pea Trial

August 06, 2016

Not so much an official trial, as an effort to grow out each of our sweet peas for comparative study. We grew out fifteen varieties among the other flowers and vegetables at our Kirkland...

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