The Beginner’s Garden Collection is your go-to starter kit, featuring a vibrant Sunflower Mix, versatile Tomato Mix, crisp Lettuce Mix, fragrant Fennel, and protein-rich Scarlet Runner Bean. Each variety is chosen for its reliability, ease of care, and rewarding harvest—perfect for gardeners taking their first steps into growing their own food.

Where Can You Grow
These sun-loving crops thrive in full sun with well-drained, fertile soil. Sow in pots, raised beds, or garden rows. Ensure consistent moisture, and provide support (stakes or cages) for tomatoes and beans.

History and Historical Uses

Sunflower Mix: Native to North America; seeds used as a nutritious snack and oil source.

Tomato Mix: Heirloom and modern varieties prized for salads, sauces, and canning.

Lettuce Mix: Ancient Mediterranean greens, long valued for fresh salads and garnishes.

Fennel: Roman and Greek staple for its aromatic seeds and crunchy bulb.

Scarlet Runner Bean: Andean heirloom grown for vibrant flowers and tender pods.

Canadian Zone Information

Zones 2–9: Start tomatoes and fennel indoors 6–8 weeks before last frost; direct-sow sunflowers, lettuce, and beans after danger of frost has passed.

How to Grow and Harvest

Sowing: Sow bean and sunflower seeds 1–2 in deep; lettuce and fennel ¼ in deep; start tomatoes ¼ in deep in trays.

Spacing: Thin lettuce to 6 in apart; beans and sunflowers 4–6 in apart; fennel plants 12 in apart; tomatoes 18–24 in apart.

Support & Maintenance: Stake tomato seedlings; provide poles or trellis for Scarlet Runner Beans; thin lettuce for airflow; pinch fennel blooms for bulb development.

Harvest: Pick lettuce leaves young; harvest beans when pods are tender; cut sunflowers at full bloom; harvest fennel bulbs at golf-ball size; enjoy tomatoes at peak colour.

Seed Saving Tips for Future Supply

Isolation: Space tomatoes and beans at least 10 ft apart to maintain purity.

Collection: Allow bean pods and sunflower heads to dry fully on the plant; let lettuce and fennel flowers mature for seed.

Cleaning & Storage: Thresh or rub seeds free of chaff; winnow if needed; store airtight in a cool, dark place.

Certified Organic By
Islands Organics Producers Association (Cert#1962)