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Get yours first! Pre-ordered copies will ship directly from the printer to arrive in November. Over 500 pages, the 2024 Whole Seed Catalog features our full collection of heirloom varieties from around the world, as well as gorgeous new photographs, recipes, seed histories, stories, and a behind-the-scenes look at the people who make Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company so special. This item ships from our warehouse (or printer for pre-order copies) by bulk mail, with no tracking, and can take 2-5 weeks for delivery. This catalog will begin shipping in November.
50 days. (Eruca sativa) This delicious green has spicy, peppery, mustard-like flavor, which is a rage in any salad. We love this green sprinkled on pizza and sandwiches, too. This is one of our most popular greens and is a great staple in any garden! With an incredibly high germination rate, lovely crunch, and tolerance for cool weather, some call this the perfect cold-weather green. Plant densely first thing in the spring and trim regularly for tender greens early in the season. Succession plant every 2-3 weeks until the heat of summer arrives. Great for a second planting in late summer for a fall harvest. This garden treat is ready to harvest in as little as four weeks, and can tolerate some frost. If wild birds and aphids tend to ravage your lettuce, try arugula instead. It is drought tolerant and incredibly easy to grow, but watch out—chickens love it, too!
Growing Tips: Succession-plant for continued harvest. Summer plantings can be located in part shade to avoid bolting and for better flavor.
Bush. 55 days. An employee favorite at Baker Creek, this French filet type produces slim, straight pods of the highest quality and superior flavor! Pods are held conveniently at the top of the stocky bushes; pick them when they are no thicker than a pencil. The 7- to 8-inch-long pods are fine for fresh use, canning, and freezing. With an easier harvest, high yield and really refined gourmet flavor, this is a winner for home gardeners and farmers alike.
Growing Tips: Bush habit requires no staking. Direct seed after last frost, soaking seeds overnight. Pick frequently to keep plants productive. Succession plant for prolonged harvest.
Bush. 50-55 days. Superior producer of nice straight dark-green pods for snaps. The slim 4- to 5-inch pods are stringless, and the flavor is every bit as outstanding as the yield! This French variety makes a fine crop for market growers or home gardeners. Excellent tolerance to bean mosaic virus.
Bush. 60 days. Our Favorite! With its incomparable flavor and eye-catching beauty, Dragon Tongue bean is our very favorite green bean. This famous Dutch heirloom, which is also known as Merveille De Piemonte or Dragon Langerie, dates back to at least the 19th century. The tender and superbly delicious 7-inch pods are yellow with amazing purple streaks! It also makes a tasty shelled bean. The compact plants set high yields. With its quick growth, superior flavor, and eye appeal, these beans are a must to grow! They are especially beloved in kids’ gardens, and very popular with chefs and gourmets.
60 days. Chioggia beet is the most whimsical veggie in the patch! Slice the roots to reveal concentric rings of pink and white, and this fun variety adds pop to salads and pizazz to pickles. Chioggia beet originated in the historic fishing town of Chioggia, Italy, just across the lagoon from Venice. Dubbed “Little Venice” for its canals and ancient charm, local Venetians know that Chioggia is the town to visit for authentic family-style food. It also has a reputation among Italians for retaining food traditions and quality cuisine. Chioggia beet was first mentioned by legendary French seedhouse Vilmorin in 1840. When introduced in the U.S., Chioggia beet was considered a gourmet oddity, primarily sold at upscale markets. The unusual rings were a startling departure from the typical red beet, and so the variety was not immediately embraced by the public. Today the Chioggia beet remains a popular choice for market farmers; the roots are alluring and have the culinary stamp of approval from top chefs the world over. The candy-cane striped roots have a crisp crunch when eaten raw in salads. Those who are averse to that signature earthy beet flavor will appreciate this variety, as it tastes remarkably mellow. The greens are crisp and high quality. The flesh is very tender, mild, and sweet.
Growing Tips: Amend planting site with well-rotted compost, work soil deeply, and remove rocks. Sow 3-4 weeks before last frost. Thin early for best results. Requires neutral to slightly alkaline soil.
Best Seller! 55 days. A glorious, gilded beet with supremely sweet flesh and dense nutrition. The rich golden roots do not bleed or stain, making for less kitchen mess. It is an excellent variety for kids and newbie beet eaters, as the mellow flavor is much less earthy than regular red beets, and it’s a perfect choice for market gardeners and those looking to grow a rainbow of produce. Rich in folate, manganese and, of course, beta carotene. This variety dates back to at least the 1820s, but it did not become widely adopted by gardeners until Burpee Seed introduced it in the 1940s. Perfect for eating raw, roasting, juicing, and more!
A perfectly miniature bok choy! Stuff several in the steamer basket or pop one into your mouth for a nutritious snack! The extra-dwarf heads are famous across China and long popular in U.S. markets and restaurants. A local legend holds that an old man first began cultivating this variety in the small Hong Kong village of Hak Tau and spreading seeds to fellow villagers. He asked only that the variety remain in the village. But after outsiders came in the night to steal seeds, Hedou baby bok choy became famous across Hong Kong and eventually the globe. The delicious micro choy is a staple in many dishes and a perfect bite-sized veggie!
Growing Tips: Best planted in cool spring or fall conditions. Sow in place.
An Incredible Variety from China! We love this eye-catching purple baby bok choy, and we believe this is one of the best strains available. Its sweet, rich flavor is perfect for the wok, grill, or in salads. We love the highly refined, uniform heads, averaging 6-7 inches tall. The neat little plants make a perfect presentation tucked into the tidy kitchen garden or displayed at the farmers market stand. The antioxidant-rich, plum-colored leaves of this beautiful variety really pop against the lime green stems. Crunchy, juicy, and flavorful, this is an excellent culinary variety. Much work has been put into selecting for consistently attractive, delicious heads. A must have for market and home use.
60 Days. A sublime wintertime treat, this buttery soft, nutty-flavored broccoli from the U.K. Gardeners in cooler climates can grow this over winter in hoop houses or greenhouses. It is ideal for mild coastal or protected climates and produces lots of purple broccoli sprouts in the spring. Listed in John Mason’s seed catalog in 1793.
Growing Tips: Needs overwintering to produce florets. Direct sow in midsummer for florets the following spring in full sun or light summer shade. Hardy to about 18 F.
100 days. The standard open-pollinated variety since the 1890s. Heavy yields of delicious sprouts.
Growing Tips: Best planted in midsummer for winter harvest. Sow seeds or set transplants into rich soil in full sun with abundant moisture. Best when harvested after light frost.
70 Days. Tender, 3-4 lb, pointed, oxheart-type heads that are great for home use or specialty markets. We offer quality Italian seed for this old European heirloom. This type of cabbage was very popular 150 years ago. Fairly early and of superb quality.
Growing Tips: Prefers cool weather and ample, even moisture. Sow seeds or set transplants into rich soil. Time plantings for spring or fall harvest.
65 Days. A delicious, small, traditional French variety is very rare outside of Europe. Solid, deep-red heads are of good quality and are mostly grown as an autumn variety in France. A favorite here at Baker Creek and a reliable producer of firm heads.
Hardy Annual. Amazing splashy mix of colors and forms adds flair to our favorite functional flower. This playful medley includes warm tones from creamy pastels to bright orange, pink, and bronze. Blooms may be single, semi double, or fully double forms. This is the best mixture we've grown for producing loads of color over a long season.
Growing Tips: Sow in place in fall or spring, or start plants indoors and grow for several weeks, setting out after last frost. Plants require full sun, rich soil, and moderate moisture. Often self-sows.
Our Favorite Carrot! Sweet, fruit-like flavor! This is a Japanese Kintoki type (sweet red) carrot. These silky red carrots are grown near Kyoto, Japan, where they are traditionally eaten on the Japanese New Year, often carved into the shape of a plum blossom to represent fertility in the coming year. These carrots have an exceptional texture and a very sweet, slightly watermelon flavor. A perfect variety for late summer, fall, or winter gardening, the bright red color becomes much darker when grown in the winter. (This variety will not do well if planted in the spring.) Long, tapered roots grow to 10 to 16 inches long. These reign supreme as a roasting, grilling, dessert, and fresh juicing carrot! Possibly the finest flavored carrot on the planet!
Growing Tips: Carrots require light and fluffy soil in full sun, adequate moisture but only average fertilizing. Surface sow; press in gently and provide consistent irrigation. Best in cooler weather.
The best-tasting orange carrot we have tried, New Kuroda is sugary sweet and the texture is ultra-fine grained. An improvement on the famous Japanese Kuroda type carrot, the roots have a blunt tip and vibrant orange color. This refined root will please even the most discerning palates, but don’t let the silky soft texture fool you — this is a hardy breed. The roots can power through tough soil and blistering heat, producing winning roots under even the most brutal conditions. This Japanese heirloom was bred to withstand tropical heat and therefore is the top spring or summer variety that we have seen. This incredibly hardy variety thrives in cool weather as well and is ideal for fall planting also. This may be the best carrot we have tried, period!
90 days. Massive heart-shaped roots grow to one pound each. Can be a shy seed producer and seed souces can be scarce, so we are excited to offer this old French variety! Despite their large size, the brilliant orange roots are crisp, sweet, and mild. Their blunt shape makes them superior for heavy or shallow soils. Known as “Guerande” in France, it was first introduced in the U.S. in the late 19th century. Excellent storage type.
70 days. Gorgeous reddish-purple exterior is smooth and very attractive—an unusually refined appearance. The purple outside makes a nice contrast with the brilliant orange interior, especially when served as slices on relish trays, platters and more. Roots typically reach 7-8 inches long; half-long root habit means you can get well-formed roots even in somewhat tight or heavy soil. The flavor is spicy-sweet and wonderfully complex — great for snacking, and kids really seem to love them! The anthocyanin-rich purple coloration is a valuable bonus, and the roots contain lots of lycopene as well. Bred by Dr. John Navazio.
95-100 Days. Amazing color and flavor! Potentially the world’s richest plant-based source of anthocyanin, this carrot from India is so rich in the dark pigmented antioxidant that the roots are practically black! It is especially well suited for the south and performs better than other carrots in extreme heat, though it tastes better when harvested in the fall or winter. Its flavor is richer and sweeter than a regular orange carrot, and the color deepens as carrots mature, even bleeding like a beet when cut. This variety is best suited for planting in summer, June to Sept. in North America.
70 Days. Beautiful, brilliant purple heads weigh 2-3 lbs and are a fine, sweet flavor. The heads cook to bright green. Insect-resistant, it is also easier to grow than many white varieties, and it is rich in minerals. This colorful heirloom is from select Italian seed, and is our favorite purple cauliflower every year!
Growing Tips: Sow very early indoors, or direct seed outdoors 6-8 weeks ahead of last-frost date and again in midsummer for fall harvest. Prefers cool conditions.
A stunning bright pink celery from China. This easy-to-grow variety completes the nutritional rainbow! Pink celery is popular in northern China, especially Beijing, where the attractive pink stalks are served in high-end restaurants. This tasty Asian type celery is a great choice for beginner gardeners, as it is much easier to grow than European-type celery. Flavor is yummy and lightly sweet, the texture is light and crunchy, and its eye appeal is unstoppable. Its brilliant bubblegum pink color makes it a truly delightful addition to the veggie patch and market display. This vibrantly colored veggie is sure to be a hit in kids’ gardens, as well as at farmers markets. Sure to be the next exciting colorful crop for fresh vegetable marketing. We are excited about the culinary potential of this nutritious and fun variety. It is quite easy to grow, and even the baby plants are stunning neon pink. We love this!
Growing Tips: Start seeds indoors 8-12 weeks ahead of last frost date. Surface-sow, gently pressing into soil. Transplant outdoors after last spring frost, into rich moist soil in full sun.
Easy to grow! A delicate and delicious Chinese variety with snow-white stalks. White celery has been cultivated in the Chinese town of Liyang for over 800 years. Stems are long, slender, and hollow, with strong celery flavor, ideal for Asian soups and stews, but equally suitable for mirepoix and other recipes calling for celery. This variety is known to be easy to grow and more heat tolerant than other celery varieties.
110 days. Thick, crisp, medium-dark green stalks reach a foot or more when well grown. Of high quality. Introduced in 1953.
Average 55 days to maturity. A runaway winner of the Baker Creek tasting and growing trials, this stunning new super-food contains a high amount of vitamin A! It is also a great source of minerals and protein. A cross between two of the most delicious and hardy greens -- tatsoi and komatsuna -- the lightly savoyed leaves of Chijimisai have a velvety texture and lightly umami flavor that make it a remarkable spinach substitute. This innovative “new” heirloom Asian green is both heat and cold tolerant, making it suitable to grow year-round in most growing zones, save for the extreme seasons of some climates. This quick and easy-to-grow green is phenomenally tasty and more versatile than other greens. It is equally happy in stir fries and soups as it is in salads, lasagna, or atop pizzas. Sure to be the next culinary craze and must-have market gardeners’ green. No patch of greens should be without Chijimisai!
70 days. Very easy to grow and made perfect heads in our Missouri gardens. Here’s a superior Napa-type Chinese cabbage variety that has seldom been seen in the U.S. Medium-sized barrel-shaped heads are densely packed with crinkled, mild-tasting leaves. The preferred variety in the U.K. Great raw or stir-fried, or in homemade kimchi!
Growing Tips: Best planted in cool spring or fall conditions. Sow in place, or carefully transplant when the seedlings are 4 weeks old.
Perennial. These winter-tolerant chives are great for greenhouse or garden production. They have great garlic flavor and are popular with Asian chefs. We love ‘em. Easy-to-grow chives.
Growing Tips: Keep seeds consistently moist until germination. Set outside around last frost date of spring, or direct seed in the garden at about that time.
Wonderful, mild onion flavor. These long, thin chives are excellent in many meals; great raw or cooked. Lavender flowers.
An easy-to-grow and more bolt-resistant version of one of the most popular herbs. Cilantro is considered essential to the cuisines of many cultures, from Mexican to Thai and no matter your cooking style, no garden is complete without cilantro. Try planting frequent successions, just a few weeks apart is the best method to ensure the most fresh and flavorful cilantro.
Growing Tips: Requires cool conditions, takes a little frost. direct seed where plants are to grow, starting 3-4 weeks before last frost of spring. Succession-sow for consistent supply.
55 Days. A delicious, very sweet cucumber that is usually picked small and does not need peeling, as the skin is very tender. This variety is very popular in the Mediterranean, having been developed in Israel at a kibbutz farm, and it is now becoming popular with Americans because of the fruit’s fine flavor and high yields. This cuke is also burpless and has great shelf life. A parthenocarpic variety, you can grow in a greenhouse without pollinators.
Growing Tips: Needs abundant soil moisture and rich soil. Some afternoon shade is beneficial in hottest summer weather. Trellis growing saves space. Harvest frequently to maintain production.
This smoky blue lacinato type kale has become a favorite of gardeners and market farmers. Bred by Hank Keogh of Avoca Farms, Dazzling Blue kale is considered a prime example of the renaissance in modern open-source plant breeding. It boasts unparalleled cold hardiness and fantastic purple and blue leaves.
Growing Tips: Best grown in frosts of spring or fall. Direct seed or transplant 2-4 weeks in spring or 8 weeks in fall before frosts dates. Prefers rich soil.
50 days. This tasty Russian variety produces leaves that are only slightly frilled and of top quality. 16-inch plants are very hardy and productive. Tasty and full of nutrients, this plant is a super hardy variety for extended harvests!
60 days. Also known as Black Palm Tree, Dinosaur, and Lacinato Kale, this loose-leafed cabbage dates back at least to the early 1800s. It has beautiful, heavily savoyed, deep black-green leaves that can be 24" long. This Italian heirloom is popular in Tuscany and central Italy for making fabulous soups and stews. This is one of the most beautiful and flavorful types you can grow, and one of the healthiest vegetables we ever tested! It can have up to three times the recommended daily vitamin A, plus loads of minerals, calcium, and vitamin C, as well as lots of fiber and protein. A truly a miraculous plant from historic Italy!
50 days. A highly nutritious kale variety with eye-catching color and form, Russian red is very tender and mild at any size, but especially well suited to use as baby greens. The oak-type leaves of this pre-1885 heirloom variety have a red tinge, and the stems are purplish-red, adding color to the garden and the dinner plate!
A lovely curled “red” kale that produces lots of delicious, frilly leaves and takes the chill of winter in stride! Pretty in the flower garden or on the plate. Rich in nutrition and flavor. In our preliminary tests, it had almost as much vitamin C as oranges, the most of any kale we tested in 2020. A true super-food that is so pretty!
60-90 days. Reaches epic, mammoth proportions all the while remaining tender and buttery in texture. This spectacular light green kohlrabi makes the largest bulb of any variety, up to 10 inches across, and weighing up to 10 pounds! Yet the flesh is supple and never gets fibrous. This German heirloom is of champion size and hails specifically from the town of Schmelz in Saarland. Provide very rich soil and plenty of space to achieve gigantic proportions.
Growing Tips: Direct sow in rich soil every 2-3 weeks from 2 weeks before last spring frost to 2-4 weeks before first autumn frost. Harvest when "bulbs" reach 3” across.
50 days. Very small, green romaine type. One of the very best tasting lettuces. A superb heat-tolerant variety that is sure to please! Famous among chefs and home gardeners alike!
Growing Tips: Sow in thick bands for baby greens or space farther apart for head lettuce. Best grown as a spring or fall crop in most areas.
Very Popular! 30-70 days. Our improved formula blend is now better than ever! With more brightly colored and unique lettuces, it makes a flavorful and brilliant salad. A top-selling item for us; our customers just love it! Perfect for better markets or your home table. People love the rich, old-fashioned taste. Includes some non-listed rare varieties.
Growing Tips: Sow in wide rows for baby greens, or space farther apart for head lettuce. Succession-plant a small row every 2-3 weeks for continued harvest. Prefers cool weather--best as a spring or fall crop.
40 days. A traditional variety from the mountainous Kyoto region of Japan. This variety boasts superb cold tolerance, especially during the germination stage, making Early Mizuna well adapted to an early spring sowing. This variety will remain tender, even after several harvests and will not readily go to seed. Harvest as micro, baby or mature greens, and cut-and-come-again up to five times for a super high-quality green. It has long stems that are tender, juicy and dark, as well as nutritious greens.
Growing Tips: Tolerant of heat and frost but best planted in cool spring or fall conditions. Sow in place. Prefers rich soil; harvest individual leaves or cut entire plant.
Average 40-50 days to maturity. A uniform and flavorful bunching onion, it is a popular and traditional Japanese variety for sukiyaki, soup and salads. Ishikura reaches enormous proportions (to two feet tall, one inch across) while remaining tender and scallion-like, never forming a bulb. A perfect heat- and cold-tolerant green that is a go-to choice to grow alongside Asian greens in the cool season! No garden should be without this easy-to-grow culinary staple!
Growing Tips: Usually started indoors 8-12 weeks in advance of planting out, typically 3-4 weeks ahead of last spring frost. Does best in rich, moist soil.
95-120 days. Tasty, white, long roots, sweet flavor. Harvest after frost; a standard in all fall gardens. A popular variety in the 1820s.
Growing Tips: Parsnips require deep, light, fluffy soil. Double-dig the planting bed and amend with well-composted manure. Plant in earliest spring, as soon as soil can be worked.
55 days. The Sugar Bon pea is a delightful dwarf variety that matures early, is suitable for spring or fall planting and produces sublimely sweet 3-inch pods borne on 1-2 foot tall plants. Plants produce mega yields of the crispy, crunchy sweet and snackable peas that have have both edible pods and peas. This early, high yielder is tidy and prolific, making it a perfect choice for tucking into square-foot gardens, under row covers in cool weather, or for mingling in your cottage garden among the flowers or in tidy container gardens.
Growing Tips: Sow in place in very early spring, 4-6 weeks ahead of last frost date, or in later summer for fall harvest. Trellis vining types for best results.
60-70 days. The colorful “Beauty Heart” radish of historic China has 4-inch round roots with white-and-green skin, but the magic is in their rose-red center, which is sweet, crisp, and delicious. A good radish to add color to salads and stir fries; must be grown in cool weather and does best when fall planted. These taste incredible when harvested in the late fall or early winter, sweet and flavorful, almost like a crisp fruit. Sometimes called “Watermelon Radish” at market. Among the most important vegetables in our kitchens each winter. It is a root that most kids love and packs an extra load of antioxidants in its sweet, red flesh.
Growing Tips: Plant in late summer for harvest after the weather begins to cool. Can be lifted and stored in very cool (33F), humid conditions, where they will keep for weeks. Do not plant in spring.
Unique bright green radish from northern China with sweet flavor. Known in Beijing as a fruit radish, the sweet roots are crisp and sweet, considered a tasty fruit substitute similar in texture and taste to pear. Northern Chinese winters are notoriously harsh; these long cylindrical radishes sweeten up when exposed to frost. This variety is traditionally offered as a sliced fresh “fruit” at Beijing tea parties in winter-time. These opulent tea parties are thrown to celebrate the famous Beijing Opera. We also love this super sweet root as a wintertime snack. Grows well only in cool weather and is great for a fall planting only. Plant about 50-60 days before frost in the late summer. Beautiful green goodness!
40-50 days. Popular old Japanese favorite, the giant white roots grow to 24 inches long and 3 inches wide. Sweet and very crisp, this radish is a delight pickled, stir-fried, steamed, or raw.
Growing Tips: Sow spring radishes in several small successions for a continuous harvest.
We love this super-sweet Chinese variety, and it is fully red from skin to heart, making for beautiful red pickles; it is delicious in salads, soups, stir fries and just can’t be beat for a wonderful, juicy, fresh eating radish! This variety is also high in antioxidants, making it a nutrient-dense veggie perfect for the cool season when the winter vegetable selection dwindles. For best flavor and root development, be sure to plant in the late summer to early fall. Expect a bit of variation in this variety; some roots will produce white centers.
50 days. The old standard since 1925, does better in hot weather than most. Glossy, deep green, delicious leaves. So popular with fine chefs.
Growing Tips: Direct sow in late winter- early spring, as soon as soil can be worked. Likes rich, well-drained soil with ample moisture. Long summer days or hot conditions cause plants to bolt.
50 days. Big leaves to 10 inches long, smooth and deep green in color. Very fast growing plants are popular for fall planting. A gourmet French heirloom that was developed prior to 1866.
60 days. Not the same species as common spinach, this variety takes the heat and keeps producing all summer. Tasty. Was listed by Fearing Burr in 1863 in his book Field and Garden Vegetables of America. Not frost hardy.
Growing Tips: Tender perennial, grown as annual. Soak seed 24 hrs prior to sowing. direct seed in garden at about the time of last spring frost, or start transplants earlier indoors.
Average 75 days to maturity. A dwarf and super early maturing Waltham style butternut with some of the tastiest flesh we’ve ever tasted! Short season growers and those with compact spaces will rejoice knowing that the tidy vines reach just 3 feet long and bear medium sized, 2 to 4 lb fruit that is ready to harvest in just 75 days! Each hardy bush will produce 4 to 5 fruit considered to be long keepers.
Growing Tips: Direct seed, or set out transplants after last frost date. Don’t let transplants become rootbound; don't disturb roots while transplanting. Needs rich soil. Harvest when rinds become very hard.
100 days. The heirloom pumpkin of the New England settlers and Native Americans, several hundred years old. Golden fruit weighs about 20 lbs each. This is a truly old variety; can be used for pies; the traditional American pumpkin.
