Seeds to sow directly in the garden

The Arikara sunflower is an old variety of Helianthus annuus associated with the Arikara people, who settled in the Great Plains of North America. In an ecological garden, it evokes both the ancestral act of sowing for food and the simple joy of watching, day after day, the large flower heads follow the sun's path.

This variety is distinguished by its imposing stature and typical sunflower flowers, which dominate the vegetable garden and provide a bright marker in the cycle of the seasons. The abundant seeds serve as valuable food, both for the table and for the birds that visit the living garden.

Placed on the edge of a vegetable garden or in a quiet corner, the Arikara sunflower quickly becomes a benevolent presence: it structures the space, shelters small useful fauna and participates in this harmonious garden where each plant finds its place in a rooted and respectful approach to life.

The Cheyenne Bush pumpkin is a bush variety prized for its compact growth and consistent yield. Unlike vining pumpkins, it forms a compact plant, ideal for small gardens, urban vegetable patches, and growing in generous containers.

Its round, well-formed fruits have a bright orange skin when ripe. Their flesh is dense, flavorful, and versatile, suitable for both sweet and savory preparations. The plant flowers profusely and fruits without requiring a large space, making it an excellent option for gardeners who want to grow cucurbits without taking over the garden.

In the garden, Cheyenne Bush thrives in warmth, full sun, and rich, well-drained soil. Its growth is steady and predictable, allowing for good control of space and cultivation practices. The fruits develop close to the plant, making observation and harvesting easy.

Native to Asia, Tatsoi cabbage unfurls its leaves in a star-shaped rosette, a deep, glossy green, reminiscent of a delicate little bouquet. Prized for its cold hardiness and mild, slightly nutty flavor, it is perfectly suited to organic vegetable gardens in temperate climates.

In the garden, this variety stands out for its rapid growth and ease of cultivation. Its tender, crisp foliage lends itself to a multitude of culinary uses, while its hardiness makes it an excellent companion for extending the harvest season when the first frosts approach.

The Tatsoi also contributes its generosity to local biodiversity, serving as a refuge and food source for certain beneficial insects, thus naturally integrating into the cycle of the living garden.

Rapini, also known as broccoli rabe, belongs to the large Brassica rapa group, cultivated for centuries around the Mediterranean basin. The Spring Raab variety is distinguished by its short growing cycle and its ability to quickly produce tender young shoots at the very beginning of the cool season.

In the garden, its upright habit, deeply cut leaves, and small, bud-like flower heads are reminiscent of miniature broccoli. Sown early, it thrives in still-moist soils and mild climates, growing into a beautiful, productive clump. In a harmonious vegetable garden, it's a welcome addition among spring greens, staggering harvests and providing a continuous food source.

Originating from the work of the famous American breeder Calvin Keeney in 1900, Pencil Pod Black is an iconic heritage dwarf bean from the early 20th century. A true gem of North American vegetable gardens, it is distinguished by its thin, glossy yellow pods , resembling fine wax pencils, containing shiny black beans , both visually striking and tasty.

This dwarf bean grows into a compact bush (approximately 35 cm tall), ideal for small spaces or intensive cultivation in raised beds. It offers discreet but abundant flowering, followed by regular and generous harvests , especially if the pods are picked young, every two to three days.

Hardy, productive, and stringless , it represents one of the great classic wax beans, valued in seed catalogs for over a century. It enriches the soil through its ability to fix nitrogen and attracts a good diversity of beneficial garden insects.

Native to North America, Deer Tongue leaf lettuce is distinguished by its long, narrow leaves, reminiscent of a deer's tongue, hence its evocative name. Its tender texture and mild flavor make it a popular choice for fresh salads, adding a delicate crunch to culinary creations.

In the garden, this variety stands out as a generous and easy-to-grow plant, particularly well-suited to the cool climates of spring and autumn. Its early maturity makes it a valuable ally for gardeners looking to extend the salad season thanks to a quick and abundant harvest.

With its fine and elegant foliage, it fits perfectly into a diverse garden, where it plays the role of a refined and nourishing vegetable plant, while bringing a burst of greenery to vegetable beds.

Originating in northern regions, the Sweet Siberian watermelon is one of those heirloom varieties selected for their ability to ripen in relatively short summers. In North America, it made its debut at the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station in 1901. Its medium-sized fruits, with a mottled light green rind, contain sweet, juicy, orange flesh, a surprising characteristic among the typically red watermelons.

In the vegetable garden, this variety of Citrullus lanatus spreads with long, creeping stems, covering the ground with finely cut foliage that protects the bare soil and gently accompanies the cycle of the seasons. In a vibrant, sunny garden with fertile soil, it offers a bountiful summer harvest, in harmony with a respectful and diverse approach to cultivation.

The King and Queen Winter watermelon is an old, heirloom variety selected for its ability to keep for a long time after harvesting. Unlike classic watermelons that are enjoyed in the heart of summer, this one was developed to extend the pleasure into the cooler months, fitting naturally into the garden's nourishing cycle.

Its round to slightly elongated fruits have a marbled green and yellow rind reminiscent of the changing hues of late summer. The deep orange flesh adds a warm touch to the table when the garden slows down. In a harmonious vegetable garden, it becomes a precious presence, transforming a sunny corner into a vibrant and colorful haven.

When cultivated with care, this melon thrives in warm, fertile soil. It flourishes in a living garden where plants are observed and nurtured throughout the seasons. Its excellent storage qualities make it a valuable ally for gardeners seeking to extend harvests and cultivate a lasting relationship with their growing environment.

Native to Europe, spinach sorrel, also called perennial spinach, embodies the quiet consistency of companion plants in the kitchen garden. It offers dense, deep green foliage, similar to that of spinach, but with a vigorous perennial growth that heralds the first harvests as soon as the snow melts.

Its rapid growth and low-growing habit make it perfectly suited to a variety of spaces, whether planted directly in the ground, in borders, or in containers. In cool, fertile soil, it constantly renews itself, offering tender leaves from spring until autumn. Hardy and reliable, it requires little care, other than removing the flower stalks to prevent excessive self-seeding. Its discreet yet generous presence fits perfectly into a rooted and sustainable approach, at the heart of a vibrant garden.

Wild lupin is one of those unassuming presences that transforms a dry bank or depleted soil into a vibrant and colorful corner. With its finely cut palmate leaves and upright spikes of bluish-purple to whitish flowers, it evokes natural meadows and roadsides where the garden still leaves ample room for spontaneity.

In a garden in harmony with the cycle of the seasons, wild lupin establishes itself slowly, extending its deep roots and connecting with the soil. As a true legume, it contributes to fertility by associating nitrogen-fixing bacteria with its roots. Its flowers, growing in vertical clusters, offer a valuable resource for bees and other pollinating insects, making it a trusted companion in a diverse and nourishing environment.

Hardy and undemanding, it prefers poor soils to overly rich ones. It readily complements naturalistic flowerbeds, wildflower meadows, and areas slightly removed from the vegetable garden, where its benevolent presence contributes to biodiversity as much as to the daily pleasure of the observant gardener.

The 'Joan' rutabaga is a robust variety resulting from a cross between a turnip and a kale. Originating in the cool temperate regions of Northern Europe, this root vegetable has earned a prominent place in Quebec gardens under the familiar name of "Siam cabbage." In a well-balanced garden, it thrives calmly and steadily, drawing its strength from the summer sun and the cool autumn air.

Its rounded, smooth, and swollen root forms beneath a rosette of deep green foliage. Joan is distinguished by its excellent uniformity and resistance to clubroot, a valuable asset for gardeners committed to sustainable cultivation. It thrives in welcoming, loose, and rich soils, allowing it to reach its full potential.

In a well-designed growing space, it is sown in summer for a generous autumn harvest. It is a reliable, consistent, and simple plant that nourishes the connection between soil and table with simplicity and efficiency.

Originating in France , the Étampes Red Bright Pumpkin is an iconic heirloom variety , closely linked to the imagery of autumn. Its broad, flattened shape , smooth, vibrant orange-red skin , and impressive size make it a squash that is as decorative as it is nutritious. Once widely cultivated in 19th-century Parisian markets, it has retained its place in contemporary organic gardens thanks to its hardiness, productivity , and mild, slightly sweet flavor .

In the garden, it develops a generous, creeping habit , with large, velvety leaves that cover the ground and protect its rounded fruits from direct sunlight. It adapts well to long crop rotations , thrives in rich soil, and elegantly heralds the arrival of autumn harvests .

In the kitchen, its meltingly tender orange flesh is ideal for soups, purées, gratins, tarts, or jams , bringing warmth and sweetness to seasonal dishes. It's a pumpkin that keeps well in a cellar and provides a consistent and generous source of sustenance during the colder months.

Strawberry spinach is a cool-climate annual that thrives in rich, moist, well-drained soil . It can be sown directly in May or August , and the leaf harvest begins about two months later , continuing throughout the season.

From late spring onwards, thin stems that can reach 1 meter bear discreet green flowers , which then transform into edible, decorative and slightly juicy red pseudo-fruits from July to October .

It grows best in full sun , but in warmer climates, partial shade and a good layer of mulch are recommended to prevent water stress. It's ideal for filling gaps in the garden with an edible and unique touch.

Belonging to the large group of Asian daikon radishes , the mini daikon radish retains the slender shape of large white radishes while remaining modest in size. Its cylindrical root, generally white, forms quickly in well-loosened soil and offers a crisp flesh that integrates naturally into a harmonious garden, where sowing and harvesting follow the cycle of the seasons.

In the vegetable garden, this radish is well-suited to staggered sowings, allowing for small, regular harvests. Its presence is discreet above ground, with upright leaves typical of radishes, but beneath the fertile soil, it creates a precious, nourishing space at the heart of the garden. Cultivated with a respectful approach to soil and crop rotation, it contributes to the diversity of textures and flavors offered by a thriving garden.

Originating from an old vegetable lineage and introduced to Quebec from Maine (USA), the Ice dwarf bean is prized for the elegance of its translucent pastel green pods and its unique growth habit. According to the literature, it is distinguished by its compact size of approximately 30 cm. But at the Jardins de l'écoumène (Gardens of the Ecumene), it reveals a somewhat rebellious, almost wild nature. Although once selected for its dwarf form, it now tends to revert to a freer growth habit, like its ancestors.

Its delicate foliage, discreet flowering, and ability to blend in with neighboring crops make it an ideal companion for small, vibrant vegetable gardens. It naturally enriches the soil by fixing nitrogen, while its regular and stable growth cycle attracts pollinators. A humble-looking but surprisingly vigorous food plant.

Originating from the Genoa region of Italy , the Genovese zucchini embodies the Mediterranean tradition of a simple, productive, and flavorful vegetable garden. Cultivated for decades in the Genoese countryside , it is now prized for its firm, tender white flesh and delicate taste , even when the fruits are harvested at a more advanced stage.

Its elongated fruits , 10 to 18 cm long , are recognizable by their thin, light green skin marbled with greyish spots , making them easy to prepare in cooking. Their texture remains pleasant , even after they have grown a little larger, which makes it a versatile and forgiving variety for the gardener who forages.

The Genovese variety is distinguished by its bushy, open habit , which facilitates harvesting and limits fungal diseases. It exhibits vigorous growth and sustained production throughout the summer , making it a reliable choice for organic vegetable gardens and varied crop rotations.

Undemanding, it thrives in rich, well-drained soil , in full sun , and generously offers its fruits under a beautiful , dense foliage that covers the ground and retains moisture.

Native to warm temperate regions and widely naturalized around the Mediterranean basin and elsewhere in the world, purslane ( Portulaca oleracea ) has carved out a discreet but reliable place in kitchen gardens. The Golden variety, with its golden-yellow-green leaves, adds a luminous touch close to the ground, like an edible carpet that weaves its way among other crops.

In the garden, this small, spreading annual quickly covers the ground with its fleshy stems and thick, smooth, succulent leaves. Its small, discreet but regular yellow flowers during the warm season mark the beautiful consistency of its summer cycle. It's a reliable plant for the organic vegetable garden: easy to grow, undemanding, and generous with tender foliage for everyday cooking.

The Eclipse dwarf sunflower is a compact form of the tall sunflower, chosen for its very dark center which makes its bright yellow petals stand out. A descendant of North American sunflowers, it adapts naturally to vibrant gardens where the aim is to combine simple beauty with an abundance of life.

Its compact size makes it ideal for small spaces: borders, the front of the vegetable garden, or even large containers. Despite its modest stature, it follows the cycle of the seasons like its larger relatives, offering a warm summer bloom and a welcome presence for pollinators. In a productive garden, its flowers are like miniature suns that accompany the gardener throughout the summer, until the seeds, so prized by wildlife, begin to form.

Originating in Southeast Asia, the Suyo Long cucumber is a traditional Chinese variety long cultivated for its long, slender, light green, speckled fruits. In the garden, it embodies freshness and summer elegance with its climbing habit and rapid growth.

With its slender, crisp, and very sweet fruits, this cucumber charms as much with its delicate flavor as with its exotic appearance. It proves a generous choice for gardeners exploring less common varieties, bringing diversity and originality to the vegetable garden.

This vigorous variety thrives on supports or trellises, thus optimizing growing space. It also adds an aesthetic and flavorful touch, ideal for bringing freshness to the kitchen during hot summer days.

The 'Marian' rutabaga is a remarkable variety, the result of selection work in the United Kingdom and designed specifically for family or community gardens. This nutritious plant, ancient yet decidedly modern, fits perfectly into a vegetable garden that works in harmony with the cycle of the seasons.

In a harmonious garden, Marian develops a beautiful rosette of large, soft green leaves with glaucous highlights, gently covering the ground and enhancing the balance of the cultivated space. Its root, with its yellow and purplish hues, partially emerges when mature, indicating slow and steady growth. It thrives in welcoming, deep, and consistently moist soils, where it can establish itself vigorously as soon as the weather cools down.

With a growing cycle of 85 to 95 days, this rutabaga offers extended autumn harvests, a welcome source of consistent food for the family. It is a reliable plant, a faithful companion for cool-season crops and vegetable gardens rooted in sustainable farming practices.