Top 10 Seeds for your Veggie Garden

1. Zucchini


Favourite: ‘Gold Rush’, an easy-to-grow small, bright-yellow zucchini with traditional flavour 

Maturity: 55 days

Germination rate: 80 per cent

Seed life: 4 years

Yield: 2.7 kg (6 lb.) per bush


2. Cucumber 


Favourite: ‘Long English’ provides foot-long tapered cucumbers in the traditional English style that are ready in 62 days. This one likes to climb, so grow up a sturdy trellis for a space-efficient harvest

Maturity: 62 days

Germination rate: 60 per cent

Seed life: Fresh is best

Yield: 4.5 kg (10 lb.) per 3-m (10-ft.) row 


3. Tomatoes


Favourite: ‘Early Girl’ – this early medium red is an old favourite that is still popular

Maturity: 75 days

Germination rate: 75 per cent

Seed life: 3 years

Yield: 7 kg (15 lb.) per plant


4. Cherry tomatoes


Favourite: ‘Sweet Million’, a sweet bite-sized cherry tomato loaded with vitamin C and carotene

Maturity: 75 days

Germination rate: 75 per cent

Seed life: 3 years

Yield: 9 kg (20 lb.) per plant


5. Romaine lettuce 


Favourites: ‘Freckles’ for nutritious glossy green lettuce freckled with burgundy; ‘Winter Density’ for a cold-hardy stalwart

Maturity: 65 days. Pick leaves or harvest the entire plant and replace with a new seedling for continuous harvest

Germination rate: 80 per cent

Seed life: 3 years

Yield: 10 heads per 3-m (10-ft.) row; sow continuously from April to August and harvest throughout the year 


6. Spinach


Favourite: ‘Vancouver’ is quick-growing deep-green spinach 

Maturity: 50 days

Germination rate: 65 per cent

Seed life: 3 years

Yield: A “cut and come again” crop; sow continuously for fresh growth and fall harvest


7. Tangy mesclun mix


Favourite: A cut-and-come-again salad-lover’s delight. Excellent value with a variety of textures and flavours 

Maturity: 45 days

Germination rate: 80 per cent

Seed life: 3 years

Yield: Bowls and bowls per square foot 


8. Swiss chard


Favourite: ‘Canary’ is a bright-yellow Swiss chard that provides a colourful change

Maturity: 60 days

Germination rate: 75 per cent

Seed life: 3 years

Yield: 10 heads per 3-m (10-ft.) row


9. Bush beans


Favourite: ‘Tri Colour’, a mix of golden, green and purple. Replant every two weeks until August to extend the season. ‘Royal Burgundy’ is a great producer of purple beans

Maturity: 60 days

Germination rate: 85 per cent

Seed life: 3 years

Yield: up to 3 kg (7 lb.) per 3-m (10-ft.) row


10. Peas


Favourites: ‘Sugar Daddy’, a disease-resistant, stringless, small-space bush pea ready in 68 days. ‘Sugar Lace II’ is another good choice, taking 100 days but with a higher yield

Maturity: 68 to 100 days

Germination rate: 85 per cent

Seed life: 2 years

Yield: 1.8 kg (4 lb.) per 2 bushes