Phocas Seeds

09/07/2026

A look at our Vining Yellow Grex summer squash!

This is a very interesting summer squash bred for squash vine borer resistance. The project was started by Esoteric Agriculture, and we’ve selected for and crossed in additional yellow squash types over the years.

We’re hoping to do some more breeding work on it over the next several years to make it more uniform while selecting for the most flavorful and tender yellow squash types in the gene pool.

Despite the haggard look of these plants, they’re still producing!

Seed will be available again this fall at PhocasSeeds.com.

09/03/2026

It was humbling to win first place for outdoor at XPOCANNA this year. I was pretty surprised when I found out it was for the Jack Herer, which was a pain to grow here, haha.

It’s been great to see more people starting to grow outdoors. While it has its challenges, with the right cultivar and a bit of forethought, the average home grower can produce quality flower that’s second to none. Just like harvesting an heirloom tomato in the summer, the experience and flavor are nothing like what you can buy in a store.

Big thanks to the Xpocanna team! Looking forward to next year!

08/27/2026

Check out our friends Singularity Farm

Phocas Seeds
Bear candy -
Only earth’s soil
( not amended)
no nutes-
Delicious

08/25/2026

End of Summer Seed Sale!
Our end of the summer seed sale is here, with $1.50 off select vegetable seed packs, regularly $4, now just $2.50 per pack.

Stock up on garden favorites like Sungold Select Cherry Tomato, Rattlesnake Pole Beans, Shish*to peppers, Goldini Yellow Zucchini, Shintokiwa Cucumbers, and more. Whether you're planning next year’s garden, topping up your seed stash, or trying something new, this is a great time to grab high-quality, open-pollinated seeds at a great price.

$1.50 OFF • Now $2.50 per packet

Our Little Sister F2 Feminized autoflower seed packs are also 50% off!

https://phocasseeds.com/product-tag/sale/

08/22/2026

This season's Jimmy Nardello peppers!
The Jimmy Nardello sweet pepper is an Italian frying and drying pepper brought to Naugatuck Connecticut by Giuseppe and Angela Nardello. The Nardello family brought the seeds over from the village of Ruoti in the Basilicata region of southern Italy in 1887 when they immigrated to the US. Their son Jimmy continued to grow the peppers in Naugatuck in his terraced garden. In the early 1980s before his death, Jimmy donated the seeds to Seed Savers Exchange and they have since become a well known frying pepper. Naugatuck is only 14 miles south of our farm which is part of the Naugatuck river valley. We are happy to offer seed of this well known pepper variety still grown in our region!

08/11/2026

Direct sown tomato update!

Sown on June 6th, these Juan Flamme tomato plants are setting fruit. With at least approximately 60 frost free days ahead, they should have plenty of time to bear fruit. Fingers crossed!

08/10/2026

Sokoyokoto Celosia is beautiful in the garden and tasty!

The young leaves and shoots from this cultivated celosia from Africa can be harvested and enjoyed fresh or cooked, with a flavor and texture very similar to spinach. We braise the greens as a side dish during the summer months, when it’s too warm to grow spinach.

The striking pink flowers stand out in the garden and attract beneficial insects like bees. It’s a great choice for gardeners who like plants that are both useful and beautiful.

Seeds are available on our website: phocasseeds.com

07/19/2026

Not all flowers on a watermelon, cucumber, squash, or other cucurbites plant are the same.
Cucurbits produce separate male and female flowers, and knowing the difference can help you better understand pollination and fruit production.

Male flowers grow on a thin stem and contain pollen. They usually appear first and are responsible for providing pollen for pollinators to transfer.

Female flowers have a small swollen o***y at the base that looks like a tiny watermelon, cucumber, or squash. Once pollinated, this o***y develops into the fruit, and eventually seed!

If your plants are producing lots of flowers but no fruit, don't panic. Early in the season it's common for plants to produce mostly male flowers before female flowers begin to appear.

Poor pollination from a lack of pollinators can also result in small fruits that shrivel and drop.
Take a closer look the next time you're in the garden, and you'll quickly learn to tell them apart!

The first picture is of a male watermelon flower. The 2 & 3 pics are of a female flower.

07/12/2026

standing behind the Perry Winkle autos. Lots of weeding done, and the CT Field Pumpkins are going strong.