No Coast Seeds

01/24/2024

I was gonna say something corny like "I've been so busy looking at all the cool new seed catalogues that I neglected to mention my own", but honestly I'm just very lax with making posts. I have been cruising the catalogues though, that part is true.

Speaking of catalogues, NCS has 14 new listings for 2024! Year two! We made it! And, we now have broccoli. Or at least the beginnings of broccoli. Possibly even a couple late additions yet to come, if all goes well.

New NCS listings for 2024

07/28/2023

I’ve been hand pollinating two C. maxima squash varieties that I got from the Canadian gene bank. Wasn’t too sure exactly what I’d get or how they’d perform. So far so good - they seem to be making kabocha type fruits, and it looks like they’re early enough to mature in my growing season. I’m pollinating to keep both lines pure and also doing some crosses. The flowers have a really nice scent which is an added bonus. Hoping to have enough to add to the catalogue next year.

06/25/2023

Check out dis weird rock my uncle found when he was cultivating one of his fields. Is it a meteor, or part of a semi-petrified old ant hill? Probably came from aliens.

06/20/2023

Lettuce Episode 3:
Funny Cut Selections

In 2021 I grew out a breeding population called Funny Cut, offered by the fine folks and lettuce experts .

It is a cross between Jester and Fine Cut Oak, both of which performed very well in my trials, so I was excited to see what I’d get from it. Unfortunately a serious outbreak of Aster Yellows decimated my entire lettuce seed crop that year, but I did manage to collect a teaspoon of seeds from a couple plants.

This year I planted those seeds and have been rewarded with a fairly consistent variation on a theme. There is variability of leaf shape, texture, and colour, but overall they are more similar than not.

I was having a tough time deciding on what form to select for, but after tasting a few I settled on flavour being the deciding factor.

Some lettuces get bitter in hot weather (which we have a lot of here), but others are more heat tolerant and remain delicious regardless of temperature. There are quite a few bitter individuals in my new population, so I’m gonna let the gophers eat those and guard the tasty ones with my life.

03/26/2023

Edmonton Buds: I'm at Seedy Sunday Today!

https://www.facebook.com/Edmontonseedysunday

Edmonton Seedy Sunday shares information on seed saving, seed starting and gardening. On March 20,20

03/25/2023

Calg Pals: I'll be at Seedy Saturday on 25 March!

https://www.facebook.com/calgaryseedysaturday

Next Event: Saturday March 21st, 2026 10am-3pm.
Bowness Community Association

03/03/2023

I'll be attending my first Seedy Saturday event as a vendor tomorrow in Regina! See you there!

https://www.facebook.com/seedysaturdayregina/

Regina Seedy Saturday is a yearly in-person event the first Saturday in March - heirloom seeds, seed exchange, garden advice.