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.

86 articles Updated seasonally by West Coast Seeds

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See the chart below for potato uses in the kitchen. Use this chart to select varieties to grow depending on how you like to enjoy...

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See the chart below for potato uses in the kitchen. Use this chart to select varieties to grow depending on how you like to enjoy your potatoes. This will help optimize your potato selection!...

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See the chart below for tomato uses in the kitchen. Use this chart to select varieties to grow depending on how you like to enjoy...

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See the chart below for tomato uses in the kitchen. Use this chart to select varieties to grow depending on how you like to enjoy your tomatoes. This will help optimize your seed selection!...

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Whether you've harvested a bumper crop or picked a bunch ofΒ carrotsΒ 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 ofΒ carrotsΒ 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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The garden experience is an abundant one. So many gifts that awaits us every time we visit, reminding us that gardening isn’t a chore to...

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The garden experience is an abundant one. So many gifts that awaits us every time we visit, reminding us that gardening isn’t a chore to be done but a stepping stone into a mindful...

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As we approach a new growing season, we begin with the inevitable anticipation of how and what we are going to start in the garden....

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As we approach a new growing season, we begin with the inevitable anticipation of how and what we are going to start in the garden. Here at the farm, we start roughly 20,000 seeds...

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Frost, insects, wind, and that ever-changing temperature.Β  How do I give my seedlings and plants the best support to ensure an abundant harvest?Β  Protecting crops...

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Frost, insects, wind, and that ever-changing temperature.Β  How do I give my seedlings and plants the best support to ensure an abundant harvest?Β  Protecting crops is a large component of your organic growing toolbox...

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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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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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Corn, beans, and squash have been grown together for centuries in the Americas, and for good reason: they naturally work in concert with each other....

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Corn, beans, and squash have been grown together for centuries in the Americas, and for good reason: they naturally work in concert with each other. Corn provides a growing support for the beans, which...

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One stalk of cooked broccoli gives you 75mg of vitamin C, 1300 IU of beta carotene, 3g of protein and 5g of dietary fibre with...

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One stalk of cooked broccoli gives you 75mg of vitamin C, 1300 IU of beta carotene, 3g of protein and 5g of dietary fibre with only 40 calories. The crown portion tastes great when...

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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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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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Fava Beans cover crop seeds produce hardy annual, upright plants. This small-seeded broad bean is a popular nitrogen fixer. The large brittle plants work in...

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Fava Beans cover crop seeds produce hardy annual, upright plants. This small-seeded broad bean is a popular nitrogen fixer. The large brittle plants work in easily with front end tillers, or can be cut...

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The thick walls of some pumpkins are wonderful for cooking and store well all winter. Pumpkins for carving are thinner walled so kids can decorate...

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The thick walls of some pumpkins are wonderful for cooking and store well all winter. Pumpkins for carving are thinner walled so kids can decorate them easily.Β Continue reading below for some key tips on...

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Potatoes, just like other vegetables, flower in the summer. If the flowers are pollinated, small fruits can form that look like tiny tomatoes. If the...

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Potatoes, just like other vegetables, flower in the summer. If the flowers are pollinated, small fruits can form that look like tiny tomatoes. If the fruits mature, they can develop seeds. In most cases,...

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Okra is a fast growing, warmth loving, very attractive flowering plant. The pods emerge from each pollinated flower, and will produce viable seeds if left...

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Okra is a fast growing, warmth loving, very attractive flowering plant. The pods emerge from each pollinated flower, and will produce viable seeds if left to mature. Learn when to plant okra seedsΒ in the...

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Salad greens are usually picked at an immature size and coaxed into regrowing several times. They are a perfect choice for container gardening, as long...

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Salad greens are usually picked at an immature size and coaxed into regrowing several times. They are a perfect choice for container gardening, as long as a good soil mixture is in place.Β Continue reading...

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The seeds and fronds are alsoΒ tasty, and beneficial insects love the flower heads. Fennel (as well as anise, star anise, and some other plants), contains...

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The seeds and fronds are alsoΒ tasty, and beneficial insects love the flower heads. Fennel (as well as anise, star anise, and some other plants), contains the compound anethole, which is widely used as a...

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One stalk of cooked broccoli gives you 75mg of vitamin C, 1300 IU of beta carotene, 3g of protein and 5g of dietary fibre with...

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One stalk of cooked broccoli gives you 75mg of vitamin C, 1300 IU of beta carotene, 3g of protein and 5g of dietary fibre with only 40 calories. The crown portion tastes great when...

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Dry beans are an ecologically sound foodstuff in today’s world. Being a bean, they produce at least part of their own nitrogen supply with the...

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Dry beans are an ecologically sound foodstuff in today’s world. Being a bean, they produce at least part of their own nitrogen supply with the help of symbiotic bacteria, which live in the soil....

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The immature seeds of the edible soya bean are a nutritious snack. Steam or boil the whole pods for 3-5 minutes and set out, salted...

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The immature seeds of the edible soya bean are a nutritious snack. Steam or boil the whole pods for 3-5 minutes and set out, salted or unsalted, as a fun finger-food. This treat is...

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Many people feel that pole beans have a richer bean flavour than bush beans. The effort of trellising them is more than repaid by the...

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Many people feel that pole beans have a richer bean flavour than bush beans. The effort of trellising them is more than repaid by the ease of picking and their extended, abundant harvest. Pole...

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If planted in a well-drained site, with protection for the roots from frost over the winter, runner beans can be grown as a perennial. Otherwise,...

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If planted in a well-drained site, with protection for the roots from frost over the winter, runner beans can be grown as a perennial. Otherwise, enjoy them as fast-growing annuals plants. Runner beans are...

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Summer turnips are great for salads, pickles, and stir-fries.Β The mild, crunchy roots are a refreshing addition to salads, as are the edible leaves. Turnips are...

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Summer turnips are great for salads, pickles, and stir-fries.Β The mild, crunchy roots are a refreshing addition to salads, as are the edible leaves. Turnips are easy to grow at just about any time of...

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