The Veggie Garden Collection

The Veggie Garden Collection brings you five classic edibles—Painted Mountain Corn, Tomato Mix, Scarlet Runner Pole Bean, Spinach, and Black Beauty Zucchini—to nourish your table straight from the garden. Each variety is chosen for its ease of growing, reliable yields, and versatile culinary uses, making homegrown meals healthier and more rewarding.

Where Can You Grow
These sun-loving vegetables thrive in well-drained soil and full sun. Plant them in rows, raised beds, or large containers. Provide consistent moisture and fertile soil amended with compost for vigorous growth.

History and Historical Uses

• Painted Mountain Corn: Developed for high-altitude Native American cultivation; prized for its colourful kernels and hearty flavour.

• Tomato Mix: A blend of heirloom slicing, cherry, and paste types, each with a storied heritage in Mediterranean and New World cuisine.

• Scarlet Runner Pole Bean: An Andean heirloom valued not only for its bright red flowers but also for tender pods and high protein.

• Spinach: Originating in Persia, long cultivated for its tender, nutrient-rich leaves, and celebrated in cuisines worldwide.

• Black Beauty Zucchini: An Italian summer squash introduced in the 1920s, known for its glossy dark skins and versatile fruit.

Canadian Zone Information

Zones 2–9: Direct sow corn, beans, and squash after last frost; start tomatoes and spinach indoors 4–6 weeks before transplanting outdoors.

How to Grow and Harvest

• Sowing: Plant corn and beans 1–2 in deep in rows; sow spinach ¼ in deep; start tomatoes indoors ¼ in deep.

• Spacing: Space corn stalks 8–10 in apart in blocks; beans 4–6 in apart on poles or trellis; zucchini plants 24–36 in apart; tomatoes 18–24 in apart; spinach plants 3–4 in apart.

• Support & Maintenance: Provide trellises for beans and tomato cages for tomatoes; hill soil around corn and squash bases; mulch to retain moisture.

• Harvest: Pick beans when pods are young and tender; harvest zucchini when 6–8 in long; pick tomatoes at full colour; cut spinach leaves before bolting; dry corn for fresh ears or later use.

Seed Saving Tips for Future Supply

• Isolation: Maintain 20 ft between corn varieties; 10 ft between tomatoes; 3 ft between beans; allow zucchini to flower and fruit pull for seed; save spinach seed stalks when dry.

• Collection: Let pods and seed heads fully mature and dry on the plant; shell beans and corn; dry zucchini seeds and spinach seeds thoroughly.

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

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