We are thrilled to be able to encourage open access to biodiversity as a partner seed company and participating breeder with the Open Source Seed Initiative (OSSI). OSSI is dedicated to maintaining fair and open access to plant genetic resources worldwide by offering a new way to save and exchange seed that ensures the seed will remain free of patents, licenses, and other restrictions.
Varieties that are registered as OSSI seed are accompanied by the pledge, which prohibits the varieties or their derivatives from being patented or licensed in ways that can restrict use. The OSSI Pledge also requires that any subsequent distributions of OSSI seed, or of derivatives bred from OSSI seed, be accompanied by the pledge. In this way, OSSI intends to develop an expanding pool of genetic resources that are available now and in the future for unrestricted use by scientists, farmers, and gardeners. This pledge is a commitment to foster unfettered exchange of germplasm and the freedom to use the material for any purpose, with the single proviso that by accepting the pledge the user commits to allowing others freedom to use the material or derivatives of the material.
The OSSI Pledge: You have the freedom to use these OSSI-Pledged seeds in any way you choose. In return, you pledge not to restrict others’ use of these seeds or their derivatives by patents or other means, and to include this pledge with any transfer of these seeds or their derivatives.
Varieties listed in our catalog with the OSSI logo have been designated open source by the people who bred them and are registered as OSSI-Pledged seeds. Breeders such as Carol Deppe, Frank Morton, and us here at Adaptive Seeds. Free the seed! For more information osseeds.org.
Amaranthus sp. Flower/Grain. 45 days leaf; 90 grain. Stocky plants grow 4-5′ tall, producing mostly light-gold heads packed with tiny blond seeds. Some beautiful bicolored strawberry blond plants are also part of the genepool. Sunset Goldilocks is worth growing as an ornamental crop alone. Very early for a grain amaranth. Leaves can also be eaten…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Ocimum basilicum. 60-70 days. Strikingly beautiful, ruffled dark purple basil. Opalescent basil is both an ornamental and a culinary herb. Refreshing flavor profile is reminiscent of the anise-clove combo of Thai basil, while preserving some sweet Genovese-adjacent and fruity aromatics. Makes a great fresh herb topping for dishes such as Vietnamese phở, or use as…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Celosia argentea var. plumosa. 60 days. Annual. Deep magenta flame-like flower spikes are dynamic in the garden and make a nice addition to landscaping and mixed containers. Dark red-bronze leaves complement the flower heads to provide color contrast and texture all season long. Magenta Forest Fire’s vibrant color, strong stems, and abundant side shoots make…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Vigna unguiculata. White. 65 days fresh, 90 dry. An excellent, productive, early variety of white seeded cowpea. Beans have a creamy texture and do not require soaking before cooking. Pods are solid and hold well above the ground on compact upright bushes so they can take some wet weather and not succumb to mold. Beautiful…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Zea mays. Flinty Dent. 90-100 days. Our main crop field corn that we grow for cornmeal, flour and for making masa. Open Oak Party Mix is the best corn we offer for nixtamalization and making your own hominy or pozole. After grinding, we sometimes sift out the coarse polenta from the flour and we have…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Zea mays. Flinty Dent. 90 days. After several years of collaboration with the Dry Farming Institute, we are thrilled to offer Wildfire Dent Corn, a dry farming selection of our own Open Oak Party Mix Dent Corn. Received as breeding material from Dr. Lucas Nebert, of Oregon State University. Wildfire Dent Corn has been collaboratively…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Zea mays. Flint. 85 days. This has become the corn of legends. Perfect for our taste buds and Pacific Northwest climate, it is difficult to describe without sounding overzealous. Not only does this variety produce the tastiest polenta and cornmeal we have ever tried, but it was bred just across the valley from us by…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Zea mays. Flour/Parching. 85-90 days. The stunning lavender-purple kernels of Purple Mountains Corn are held on 7-9” long, mostly 8 row cobs. Short 4-5′ plants are very early to mature and are surprisingly high yielding for such small plants. We have selected this corn for several seasons after crossing some Mandan Parching Lavender corn into…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Capsicum annuum. Hot. 90 days. In 2003 we had our first experience working on a farm in Willow Creek, California. That year Andrew saved his first seeds, too: an heirloom tomato, and a Thai pepper. Now, 17 years later, the legacy of that first saved seed lives on in the Adaptive Early Thai pepper. We’ve…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Capsicum chinense. Extra Hot. 90-100 days. Limón Lightning is the same species as habanero peppers and is the hottest pepper we offer. Bright, bold yellow peppers ripen early enough for outdoor cultivation at our location in Oregon. Short plants produce high yields of slender peppers that average 2 ½” long by ¾” wide. Limón Lightning…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Capsicum chinense. Very Hot. 90-100 days. Orange Embers Habanero is the end result of 8 years of selecting an easy to grow, early to mature orange habanero with a moderate heat level that is easier to use in recipes. Ranging anywhere from a quarter to half as hot as a typical habanero, Orange Embers still…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Capsicum annuum. Medium Hot. 70 days green, 90 red. Plump, productive, early, and spicy Jalapeño. Fun, slightly rounded shaped, 3 – 3 1/2″ long fruit are perfect for stuffing and roasting. Plants produce a concentrated set of thick-walled fruit and most fruit turn red before frost. We love the green fruit for salsa, escabeche, and…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Brassica oleracea. 30 days baby, 65 days full. We’ve finally found a Lacinato/Dino/Italian type kale that’s special enough to add to our catalog. Dazzling Blue Lacinato is a kale that really lives up to its name. Captivating blue-green leaves on vibrantly purple stems with that classic Lacinato leaf shape plus all the flavor. More vigorous…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Brassica oleracea. 30 days baby, 60-70 days full. A diverse genepool mix of 17 oleracea kales and their crosses. Nick Routledge trialed the 17 kales collected on our 2007 Seed Ambassadors trip and this is what happened the next spring. This grex contains a lot of very interesting, diverse kales that are not available in…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Brassica napus. 25 days baby, 50 days full. The first release from our breeding work coming out of the Gulag Stars population. In keeping with the stars theme, we give you North Star Polaris. This participatory breeding project is inspired by the Culinary Breeding Network and we are happy to have Lane Selman and Chef…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Brassica napus. 25 days baby, 55 days full. We present to you – Simone Broadleaf! Our second release coming out of the Gulag Stars kale population. Simone Broadleaf has a strong thematic character containing all tasty broadleaf plants of various colors and leaf edge waves. Some plants are dark green and glazed, others are light…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Lactuca sativa. Speckled Romaine. 30 days baby; 50 full. We expected a perfect, sweet Little Gem type lettuce with cool red speckles and buttery texture. Flashy Butter Gem lettuce has all of that and more! We waited a week after Little Gem size but they didn’t bolt, just got bigger and more colorful. Versatile since…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Lactuca sativa. Red Leaf. 30 days baby; 50 full. Unconventional red leaf lettuce that is very red and very rumpled. Leaf texture is similar to Bloomsdale spinach, but deep dark-red and lettucey. Great for salad mix and head lettuce. Very hardy, partly due to its red color. The antioxidant anthocyanin causes the red color and…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Lactuca sativa. Red Leaf. 30 days baby; 55 full. We ventured into our first attempt at lettuce breeding with this gem of an ultra red leaf. A little opportunistic to start, we discovered a few off types in one lot of Revolution lettuce. Over a few years, we have stabilized it, and like it more…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Cucumis melo. 65 days. Our selection from the Farthest North Mix that has been in the making since we crossed Galia F1 into the mix over 9 years ago. Still a genepool mix that has been selected for small, round, green-fleshed melons. Our goal is to breed a small fruited super early, super sweet galia/passport/tropical…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Agastache rugosa. Perennial in zones 5-9. Very delightful, aromatic leaves with a sweet, minty licorice flavor. One of Andrew’s favorite herbs for tea, second only to wild yerba buena. The beautiful blue flower spikes can grow to 8” tall and provide excellent forage for beneficial insects. Blooms over a long period and especially well late…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Brassica rapa. 20 days baby, 40 days full. Mizuna and Tatsoi are some of our favorite mustard family salad greens. Combine the two and you get Mizspoona and the awesomeness increases exponentially! Very mild mustard flavor is delicious when eaten raw in salads and is also quite tasty cooked. Mizspoona Salad Select inherits the vigorous…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Brassica juncea. 20 days baby, 40 days full. Hands down the most beautiful red mustard for salad mix. The leaf color is green and purple, hard to describe, and reminiscent of the 1990s fractal posters that Sarah had in her room as a teenager. Very slow to bolt in spring, it has the perfect balance…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Brassica rapa. 35-40 days. Sweet and crunchy green-stemmed baby pak choi. Impressively vigorous in cool weather and it really shines in the greenhouse in early spring and fall. Produces a lot of food fast per square foot. Leaves are erect and a glossy light-green color. The leaf petioles are crunchy yet pliable and resist cracking….
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Zea mays. Popcorn. 90 days. One of the earliest maturing and easiest to grow popcorns. 6-8” ears on 6′ tall plants. Dark black kernels have a ruby-red, glassy shine when held in the right angle of light. The pointy kernels pop bright white with a small black hull still attached. The flavor is delicious, hearty…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Cucurbita pepo. 90-110 days. Hulless pumpkin seeds (aka, pepitas) are some of the tastiest and most nutritious treats that one can grow in the garden or farm field. They are mind bogglingly delicious when freshly roasted with a little salt. So why not grow your own with Emerald Naked Seeded pumpkin? Our friend Chris Homanics…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Phaseolus coccineus. Mix. 70-90 days. A genetically diverse population of edible-pod type runner beans from the British Isles. We have loved growing runner beans from across the pond for some time now and with so many good ones in our trials, we decided to let the best coalesce into one big British Pop mix. Our…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Spinacia oleracea. 45 days. Glossy, thick, heavily savoyed, succulent leaves can get large while still maintaining a good, sweet flavor. Very dark green leaves have an upright growth habit for ease of harvest either as baby leaf or when mature. A little slower growing than other spinach but the flavor makes up for it. Plants…
Select options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
