Category = seeds

A heritage yellow variety to (re)discover

The Yellowstone carrot , sometimes presented as an heirloom variety, is actually a modern cultivar developed by the seed company Bejo in the Netherlands. The name Yellowstone refers to the carrot's intense yellow color rather than the American national park of the same name. Non-hybrid (open-pollinated), it draws its heritage from traditional European and North American carrot lines, which explains why it is considered a heritage variety prized by conservationist gardeners.

By enriching the vegetable garden's color palette, the Yellowstone carrot naturally finds its place in a garden that values ​​biodiversity (a true asset for a diverse , eco-friendly garden ). This variety combines aesthetics with taste : it surprises with its unusual appearance while delighting the palate with its sweetness. In short, the Yellowstone is an heirloom carrot brought back into fashion, sure to please gardeners and gourmets alike in search of originality.

Native to the Great Plains of North America, the sunflower ( Helianthus annuus ) has long been a staple food for people and a companion plant in the fields. In its ornamental mixed variety, the sunflower comes in a mosaic of heights, shapes, and colors ranging from bright yellow to coppery tones, sometimes brick red or soft lemon.

Sown in fertile soil, this mix creates a veritable living tableau throughout the summer. The taller plants stand guard over the vegetable garden, while the more compact varieties weave their way into flowerbeds or along the edge of a quiet corner. The abundant centers of their flower heads attract bees, bumblebees, and other winged visitors, contributing to a harmonious garden rich in biodiversity.

Easy to grow where the season is warm enough, this mixed ornamental sunflower is a reliable plant: an age-old practice of sowing in spring, some careful care at the start, and the reward of a generous flowering that accompanies the cycle of seasons until the first frosts.

Originally from Mexico, the jalapeño has become one of the most popular chili peppers thanks to its moderate heat and versatility in cooking. The Early Jalapeño variety has been selected to ripen more quickly, making it a valuable ally in gardens where summers are short and sometimes unpredictable.

In the kitchen garden, its upright plants bear a beautiful succession of glossy green fruits that turn red when fully ripe. In a vegetable garden in harmony with the cycle of the seasons, this chili pepper naturally finds its place among tomatoes, basil, and other sun-loving vegetables. Its presence contributes to the diversity of shapes and colors, and serves as a daily reminder of the age-old practice of cultivating spicy plants with respect and care.

Born from a passionate project and meticulous selection, the William Prescott variegated pepper embodies the union of expertise, patience, and creativity. This variety, the result of several rigorous crossbreedings and a long stabilization process, is also a living tribute: finalized on the day of little William's birth, it embodies the profound connection between the garden and the life that takes root there.

In an educational vegetable garden or a space that fosters a sense of community, this pepper thrives consistently. Its variegated green and white foliage brightens the rows, while its upright habit, sometimes enhanced by light pruning, adds attractive structure to the space. It appreciates warmth and well-warmed soil, where it develops elongated fruits that are initially green with white stripes, which then turn a vibrant orange adorned with cream stripes.

A plant of trust, it perfectly complements gardening experiences based on observation, respect for the seasonal rhythm and the living transmission of knowledge.

Originating in Central Europe , the Red Kalibos red cabbage is distinguished by its elegant conical shape , its intense purplish-red color , and its natural hardiness . Its compact head with thick, finely veined leaves evokes a true garden jewel , bringing structure and brilliance to the heart of autumn crops.

In the garden, Red Kalibos stands out for its upright habit , vigor , and good cold tolerance, making it a reliable ally in cooler climates . It integrates easily into crop rotations and pairs well with other autumn-flowering brassicas.

Originating in European family gardens, the Maxibel dwarf bean is a reliable variety, prized for its earliness, productivity, and ease of care. Its compact size allows for easy integration into small spaces or closely spaced beds, while also facilitating harvesting.

In the garden, Maxibel impresses with its bushy habit, dense foliage, and flowering stems that attract pollinators. It quickly produces long, slender, upright, stringless pods of about 16 cm, a glossy dark green. This vigorous variety is disease-resistant and offers a prolonged harvest when picked regularly. It fits easily into an ecological and nourishing garden approach, where each plant contributes to abundance while promoting soil life through nitrogen fixation.

Native to the prairies of North America, Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) has become a staple of vibrant gardens. Its large purple corolla and elongated rays evoke the softness of a setting sunbeam, while its bright orange cone-shaped center attracts attention and life.

In the garden, this perennial acts as a sentinel, attracting a myriad of pollinators, including bees and butterflies, which find refuge and nectar on its abundant flowers. Resolutely robust and prolific, it integrates naturally into flowerbeds and wildflower meadows, providing stability and beauty well into autumn.

Originating from the large Capsicum annuum family, the Marconi Red pepper is one of those long and bountiful varieties, stemming from an ancient Mediterranean tradition. Selected for its productivity and the impressive size of its fruits, it is today a reliable ally for growing spaces that thrive in sunny, supportive conditions.

In the garden, its upright habit and dense foliage create a structured and regular presence. Each plant produces long, bright red pods that can reach up to 30 cm, thick and glossy. Give it welcoming, well-drained soil and a sunny location: it will faithfully accompany you all summer long. Its growth integrates naturally into mixed gardens, alongside tomatoes, eggplants, or basil.

Originating in northern Brittany, France, the Roscoff pink onion has been shaped by sea winds and coastal soils. The 'Keravel' variety, offered in organic farming, continues this story in today's organic vegetable gardens. Its pinkish bulbs, round to slightly flattened, grow in neat rows and color the garden from late summer onwards, like small suns with coppery reflections.

In the garden, it's a reliable plant: upright foliage, consistent growth habit, and easy harvest time when the leaves gently bend. When properly cultivated, it produces good-sized bulbs with pale pink flesh, prized for their sweet and fragrant flavor. In a thriving garden, the onion structures the beds, complements neighboring crops, and contributes to a respectful approach to soil and the natural cycle of the seasons.

The Blacktail Mountain watermelon, the result of patient selection in a climate of short summers and cool nights, has earned a prime spot in northern vegetable gardens. Bred to ripen where so many other varieties struggle, it offers Quebec gardens a true summer melon, even during cooler seasons.

Its small to medium-sized fruits have a dark green, almost uniform rind that blends into the foliage and protects the flesh from excessive sun. Inside, the red flesh is juicy and sweet. In the garden, it is a creeping plant that spreads close to the ground, creating a carpet of deeply lobed leaves. It consistently accompanies the cycle of the seasons: a discreet presence at first, then a quiet vigor until harvest.

In a well-mulched organic vegetable garden, Blacktail Mountain naturally finds its place as a trusted plant: it covers the ground, shelters small useful fauna and contributes to the nourishing face of the harmonious garden.

Originating from Russian market gardening tradition, the Moskvich tomato has earned a solid reputation in gardens with short growing seasons. Cold-tolerant, it can be transplanted early into the garden and quickly establishes a regular production of dark red fruit. With an indeterminate growth habit, it forms a vigorous plant with flexible growth, well-suited to cultivation in living soil, in a nourishing environment that respects the natural cycle of the seasons.

Its round to slightly flattened fruits, weighing between 110 and 170 g, ripen early in the season, often before other medium-sized varieties. Their smooth skin resists cracking well, making it a reliable tomato, both robust and delicious.

The Bull's Blood beetroot is a heritage variety prized as much for its root as for its remarkable foliage. Its deep purple-red, almost burgundy, leaves bring a strong ornamental dimension to the vegetable garden, contrasting beautifully with the more classic greens of neighboring crops.

Cultivated since the 19th century, this beetroot is distinguished by its versatility. When young, its foliage is harvested as tender, sweet, and colorful greens. Later in the season, it develops round roots with dark red, sweet, and earthy flesh, enjoyed raw, roasted, or pickled. This dual purpose makes it both a nutritious and ornamental plant.

In the garden, Bull's Blood establishes easily in cool, well-worked soil. It tolerates the cooler temperatures of spring and autumn well, allowing for staggered sowing times.

In the ecumene, the Bull's Blood beetroot is valued as a plant that bridges aesthetics and food. It reminds us that some varieties nourish the eye as much as the table, while naturally fitting into a nutritious garden approach.

Originating in Japan , the Red Kuri squash , also known as Hokkaido squash , delights gardens and kitchens with its heart shape and vibrant orange-red hue . This heirloom variety is prized for its dense, sweet flesh and delicate chestnut flavor , making it an undisputed star of autumn recipes.

In the garden, Red Kuri offers a generous, creeping habit , covering the ground with its broad leaves and producing beautiful, late-ripening fruit , harvested as autumn approaches. It adapts well to temperate climates, withstands summer variations, and stands out for its remarkable storage capacity —sometimes until spring, without any loss of taste or texture.

Originating in Italy, Lacinato kale, also known as Tuscan black kale , cavolo nero , or kale palm, is an old variety prized as much for its beauty as for its flavor. Its long, narrow, dark blue-green leaves, deeply textured , give it a unique, serrated appearance that is both rustic and elegant.

In the kitchen, it is prized for its rich, mild flavor , less bitter than that of classic kale, with vegetal notes reminiscent of hazelnut or green tea. It is central to many traditional Tuscan recipes, such as ribollita , and is easy to prepare: sautéed, braised, in soup, or even as crispy oven-baked chips.

In the garden, Lacinato stands out for its remarkable cold hardiness —its leaves become tender and soft after the first frosts. Its upright, narrow rosette growth habit allows for dense plantings, ideal for compact gardens or close rows . Productive, vigorous, and undemanding, it offers a harvest spread over several months , making it a reliable and nourishing ally for cooler seasons and winter gardens.

Originating from the warm regions of Southeast Asia, the Little Finger eggplant charms with its elongated, delicate fruits of a deep, glossy purple. Also called "small eggplant," it is distinguished by its small size, which makes it easy to eat fresh or cooked.

In the garden, it displays an upright habit and consistent vigor, prized in organic gardens for its ability to produce an abundant harvest in a limited space. Its popularity with gardeners is also linked to its earliness and relative disease resistance when properly cultivated.

This variety embodies finesse and diversity in a vegetable garden, and integrates gracefully into convivial gardening, contributing to a living and nourishing garden.

Originating in Kentucky, the Pineapple tomato is an heirloom variety that attracts attention with its yellow fruits streaked with red and its spectacular shape. In a well-mulched, thriving vegetable garden , it forms a vigorous, indeterminate plant, which is supported by stakes or strings, with careful attention to detail. Its large, deeply lobed leaves shade the soil , creating a welcoming environment for roots and beneficial insects.

The fruits, enormous and often misshapen, resemble the scalloped shape of a pineapple and attest to the rustic charm of trusted varieties , the result of long, artisanal selection. The vines grow up to 1.7 meters tall and produce late , in the cool of autumn, when the flavor concentrates into sweet and complex notes.

Native to the Mediterranean region, the pot marigold ( Calendula officinalis ) has become widespread in many gardens as a medicinal, edible, and ornamental flower. In mixed plantings, it offers a warm palette of yellows, oranges, and sometimes softer tones, punctuating the vegetable garden with luminous patches from early summer until the first frosts.

In a garden in harmony with the seasons, mixed marigolds readily self-seed and accompany vegetable beds like a benevolent presence. Their abundant blooms nourish pollinating and beneficial insects, while also providing the gardener with petals to pick for cooking or traditional preparations. Hardy and undemanding, they integrate naturally into a nurturing space where the aim is to cultivate a relationship with nature through respectful gardening and simple practices.

Native to Mexico , Cosmos 'Sensation' has quickly become a must-have flower in summer gardens , thanks to its abundant blooms , its vibrant palette of pink, red, and white hues , and its easy-to-grow nature . It embodies simple grace and delicate movement , brightening flowerbeds and borders from July to October .

Its light flowers with toothed petals radiate around a vibrant yellow center , and sway with the wind, attracting a host of pollinators : bees, butterflies, but also helpers like the green lacewing , whose larvae are formidable predators of aphids, scale insects and thrips – a valuable asset for gardens using biological pest control .

Originating in the Basque Country, the Gorria pepper belongs to the large Capsicum annuum family, those peppers and chilies that traveled from the American continent to Europe before finding their place in our vegetable gardens. It is the very origin of the famous Espelette pepper, with which it shares its elongated shape, intense red color, and sweet, fruity aroma.

In the garden, the Gorria forms a bushy, well-branched plant, covered in elongated, drooping fruits. These fruits change from green to bright red throughout the summer, adding a luminous touch to the growing area. In a harmonious garden, it finds its place among summer vegetables, in welcoming, warm soil, where each act of sowing and planting becomes an age-old gesture that connects the gardener to the cycle of the seasons.

Its heat is moderate, allowing its aroma to take center stage: a welcome presence in both the kitchen and the vegetable garden. Cultivated with a deep-rooted and respectful approach, the Gorria chili pepper becomes a reliable plant, offering a generous harvest of fruit to dry, grind, or cook fresh, while enriching the diversity of a vibrant garden.

Originating from the wild lineage of Solanum pimpinellifolium , the Spoon cherry tomato is distinguished by its tiny size: it is one of the smallest known tomatoes in the world. Its fruits, barely larger than a pea, grow in abundant clusters on vigorous, indeterminate plants full of vitality.

In a thriving garden, it climbs happily on a light support, its supple stems quickly becoming covered in bright red berries. It beautifully complements sunny corners of the vegetable garden, while contributing to the ecological balance through its abundant flowering.

Its cultivation is simple, yet rewarding. It requires flexible support, well-nourished soil, and careful attention to ensure a bountiful and gradual harvest. Ideal for gardeners who appreciate the gentle rhythm of nature.