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 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 2026

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

These are our new offerings for 2026. Be sure to see photos from our 2025 growing year, check out all our new additions on our New Products Page, and view our Collection Of Flowers!

Tall Dark Sahara Rudbeckia/Black-Eyed Susan Selected out of ‘Sahara,’ this burgundy rudbeckia has longer stems (to 32”) and more vigorous growth than ‘Cherry Brandy,’ the original red rudbeckia. Petals are doubled to semi-doubled in hues of oxblood or maroon, to cranberry and mulberry. Farm Original Variety! Pricing and More Information	Hannah's Grex Sesame This is a complex population created over the last 10 years by interbreeding white, blue, tan, black, and benne sesame types from sources in a range of climates. After 3 years of intermixing, my friend Hannah Traggis began selecting for tall, branching, vigorous plants without regard for seed color. We enjoyed growing this tropical crop for the first time last year, and loved watching the bumble bees stuffed into the foxglove-like flowers. But tasting the freshly toasted seeds from homegrown sesame—what a revelation! It was like I had never really tasted sesame before. I’m not sure if this was due to the freshness of the product, or the genetic complexity of the mix. Either way, this sesame is a worthy addition to your food and flower gardens. Hannah is a farmer, horticulturist, plant breeder, and organizer at Aurelia’s Gardens and the Freed Seed Federation in Massachusetts. Pricing and More Information
Karen's Fave Color Mix Zinnia A somewhat serendipitous blend of royal colors in the zinnia patch that caught Karen’s eye one day, prompting a seed collection we are offering here. Royal shades of purple, red, and “rorange,” in doubled and semi-doubled heads, with long strong stems. Farm Original Variety! Pricing and More Information	Rainbow Broomcorn This is really a sorghum, not corn, so it will not cross pollinate your sweet corn or flour corn. It grows much taller than maize, to 10-15 feet, so it makes a stunning garden feature, a great privacy hedge, and floral potential to last all winter. The “brooms” (panicles) make dramatic bouquet focal points, looking like fireworks with dangling seed jewels at the end of every fiber. They can also make colorful brooms once the seeds are combed free of the heads. The seeds (grain) are gluten-free, and can be ground for flower, sprouted for salads, or cooked as a whole grain in about 20 minutes. Cut stalks at maturity when seeds are hard and the brooms are yellowing. Dry hanging upside down in an airy space out of direct sunlight. Direct seed into warm soil at 8” apart in rows 24” apart. Matures in about 105 days. Pricing and More Information
Black Eagle Wheat A very productive 6-row spring durum wheat widely grown for its ornamental long black awns. Plant 6” apart for best stem production, and harvest at early maturity to preserve the darkest awn color. Awns will fade if left standing to a late stage of maturity. Pricing and More Information	Utrecht Blue Wheat The common story is that this is an heirloom wheat grown in the Netherlands prior to or during the early the 20th century, but researchers at the Centre for Genetic Resources in the Netherlands can find no evidence that this or any wheat was grown in the Utrecht area in this timeframe. Nevertheless, this is the most beautiful wheat ever seen, and unequalled as an ornamental grass, with slate blue seeds and long black awns that are stand-alone beautiful. Karen combined it with Burbank’s barley to create a striking blue, black, and blonde wreath. Plants will produce more stems if spaced at least 6” apart. Pricing and More Information
Buffon d' Glaces Lettuce A crisphead with ruffled and toothed wrapper leaves with high contrast red-on-green stripes and splashes, making tight, juicy 8” heads at maturity. Internal color is white with pink patterns, sometimes becoming entirely pink, as is found in some chicories. This a first release from a long-term project, not yet quite complete, that began by crossing the heirloom crisphead ‘Reine d’ Glaces’ (“Queen of Ices”) with ‘Jester,’ one of my best flashy crispleaf varieties. When I posted online an early example of what I was looking for from the cross, a sharp witted Canadian suggested the name, which translates “Clown of Ices.” Perfect. Farm Original Variety! Pricing and More Information	Endivish Lettuce Bright green heads, 6-8” in diameter, comprised of tightly curled deeply wavy narrow pointed leaves. These begin as dense rosettes, then turn inward at maturity to make a somewhat blanched heart, resembling endive more than lettuce. This lettuce comes out of the ‘Standing Wave’ (‘Wavy Dory’ x ‘Red Ball Jets’) population we released in 2024, and is still somewhat variable in size. Limited seed. Farm Original Variety! Pricing and More Information
Speckled Romaine Mix Lettuce Upright leaves are green with fine red speckling, with blanched hearts that are frequently pink. This is a variable F4 family, useful for salad mixes where diversity is an asset. ‘Crisp Mint’ and ‘Red to the Heart’ are the parents in this combination. The breeding goal is a romaine as dependable and delicious as ‘Crisp Mint,’ with a solid pink heart. Farm Original Variety! Pricing and More Information	Sweet Baby Cos Lettuce Short, dense, compact medium green heads that can be spaced 6-8” apart, from a cross of ‘Concept’ and ‘Flashy Butter Oak.’ In bright light these will show slightly tinted leaves at the tips. This is an excellent salad lettuce with a high proportion of bite-sized leaves coming from mature heads, with thick leaves and crunchy midribs. Leaves make delicious “half shells” for serving hand-held salad servings—like hummus with radish on the half shell. Farm Original Variety! Pricing and More Information
Goodie Tomato This new selection is somewhat intermediate between our ‘Home Stoop’ and ‘Estate,’ more rounded than the first, with a more fasciated fruit than the second. Very productive determinant plants that reach about 36” tall. A short trellis is recommended. Small blossom scar completely avoids cat-facing. Fruits are firm, 4” diameter, with flattened tops and rounded bottoms, making them good as slicers or for salad wedges. My working name for this line has been “Great Taste,” but the release name, ‘Goodie,’ was my mother’s affirmation of a good situation. I still say it. Farm Original Variety! Pricing and More Information	Hawaii Marigold This is a tall beautiful solid orange marigold with doubled blooms that reach 3” across. It is the right kind for Day of the Dead celebrations, as well as Nepali and Hindu celebrations of New Year and Diwali, when they adorn people, places, and statues. These are perfect garland marigolds, representing energy, enthusiasm, and creativity. Karen purchased this variety for her dye garden from Grand Prismatic Seed in Northern Utah, which is operated by our old friends James Young and Guy Banner. Combining their passions for fiber arts and ethnobotany, James and Guy specialize in seed for natural dyeing species and native plants of the Great Basin. Pricing and More Information