Ecological Crop Improvement For and By Farmers

We are an organic seed farm in the Pacific Northwest, established in 1994, owned and operated by Frank and Karen Morton. We are known for farm-original varieties of many salad greens, vegetables, herbs, and flowers.

in cooperation with allies at Avoca and Gathering Together Farms, in the heart of Oregon’s Willamette Valley,

a world class place to grow specialty seeds.
Few places on Earth have the climate, latitude, soil, water, and intellectual resources found in this rare north-sloping river valley. Seed companies from every continent come to the Willamette Valley to contract quality seed production. We are fortunate enough to live and farm here.

Many of these varieties originated in our on-farm breeding program for organic conditions and fresh market quality, denoted by our farm-original  mark. Other varieties have come to us over thirty-odd years of farming, either as heirlooms or good commercial standards, now with generations of selection on the farm. All seed at risk of GMO contamination has been tested and found free of genetic engineering components.

Our ecological approach to plant breeding and crop protection generates superior varieties for farmers who don’t use chemical crop protectants and fertilizers. The small-scale care and authentic fertility of our farm fields yield fat seed with exceptional seedling vigor, a key trait for organic crop success. This seed is organically bred to be organically grown, just like your crops.

We are partners in the Open Source Seed Initiative, and have dedicated all of our original varieties and breeding populations to the Open Source Seed Pledge:

“You have the right 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.”

New Additions for 2023

Gift Certificates are now available! Click here for more information.

These are a few of our new offerings. Be sure to check out all our new additions on our New Products Page, and our Collection Of Flowers!

Zanzico Basil ‘Zanzico’ comes from a cross of 'Opalescent X Classico', a 4th generation family with large thick leaves up to 2 x 4” in size, convexly rounded, slightly savoyed with broadly toothed margins, somewhat bronzed in color, with light lilac flowers. The East African flavors of ‘Mrihani’ (the seed parent of ‘Opalescent,’ from Zanzibar) meld with sweet Italian ‘Classico’ in this large framed plant. The scent and vigor of this one suggests tea, cooking, and fragrant floral arrangements. Expect some variation for flower color, leaf size, and flavor between plants. There is also a possibility of resistance to downy mildew, thanks to that Zanzibar heritage. ‘Mrihani’ is the source of resistance in many of the new downy mildew resistant varieties, but its flavor has been bred away in favor of the pure sweet Italian profile. Here, the ‘Mrihani’ comes through in combination with the sweet Italian from ‘Classico.’ Farm Original Variety! Pricing and More Information	Morton's Secret Lettuce Mix 2023 Lettuce Lettuce seed production took a break this year. I grew out only three on-going breeding projects, and tried one new variety production that didn’t turn out well. We met some new caterpillar pests along the way (lettuce seed army worm) and set a new record for low production. That’s farming. The Secret Mix includes lines from projects entitled “Buffon,” “Karen’s Fave,” “Fuzz Butt,” and “Twisted,” among others. Farm Original Variety! Pricing and More Information	Classico Basil We have finally found a great Italian sweet basil that will set and ripen seed in our climate. ‘Classico’ is one of many Genovese basil strains grown outside the Genoa region (and so, can’t be called Genovese), but this one stands out for flavor and aroma.?Leaves are waxy green and convex, like a turned spoon. These seemed to dry more fragrantly than other Genovese types we’ve grown recently. Vigorous productive plants are quick to regrow after cutting back. Pricing and More Information
Coral Clouds Corn Poppy First selected from ‘Double Whoopee’ for its distinctive orange pigments, this mix blends in a little pink to create doubled poppy clouds of gorgeous coral, pink, and white. Taller than many poppies of this kind, these will reach 30” from an early spring sowing. Pricing and More Information	Tall Triloba Rudbeckia/Black-Eyed Susan Taller than ‘Triloba Macau’ by a foot or two, with longer stems and a sparser flora display. Leah Rodgers of Indigo Gardens (PDX) recently pointed out that she prefers the longer/sparser look for her cut work, and the denser floral displays for landscapes. This one’s for you, Leah! For any R. triloba, partial shade generates longer stems. This strain reminds me of the native species,growing to 7’ tall, but it is selected from ‘Macau.’ Farm Original Variety! Pricing and More Information	Cherry Red Scabiosa This is a very bright saturated red that comes out of Dynamic Mix. The camera can hardly get the color right, but if you know Mick Jagger’s favorite soda, that’s the color. I can’t look at these scabiosa without hearing him ask a waitress for his favorite flavor, Cherry Red, but they are all out of it. Can’t always get what you want, but these might be just what you need. Pricing and More Information
Picotee Pincushion Mix Scabiosa Now scabiosa is getting fun. I first saw a picotee pattern on a single plant of a dark red variety four years ago. This year the color range has expanded to include black, garnet, raspberry, lavender, and red with lacy white fringes adorning the petals. There are also now pink fringes in these colors, and some rare examples of lavender flowers with raspberry picotee, and white with red picotee. These are exceptionally beautiful and completely new to me. You can expect to see more of these bicolor scabiosa in the near future. Because this is still a breeding population, it is mixture of picotee and solid colors. Pricing and More Information	OK Magic Mix Zinnia From Oklahoma Ivory X Magic Bus, a mix of rose, magenta, apricot, coral, and cream. Doubled and semi-doubled heads to 3” across on plants 30” tall. This is a very nice beginning to a project combining the mildew resistance and sturdy heads of the Oklahoma series with a new color palette from the super-diverse Magic Bus. Pricing and More Information	UV Bee Mix Zinnia Bright fluorescing colors with a zinnia flower structure that bees prefer; a somewhat open ray petal architecture and more disc flowers providing pollen and nectar. Generally tall plants with long stems, in a wide range of colors from yellow and pink through intense reds, orange, magenta, and bi-colors in changing hues. Many plants exhibit a glowing violet ring at the base of the rays, creating a neon effect juxtaposed to the saturated colors. For bees, it’s like a sign reading, “Come on in, we’re open!” Pricing and More Information