Citizen Seed Trial

Registration for our 2026 Citizen Seed Trial is now closed

Our Citizen Seed Trial (CST) is a community science program that engages gardeners and passionate growers in the process of seed saving and breeding. Every spring since 2016, we carefully select, prepare, and deliver hundreds of packages containing varieties of vegetable seeds to people across BC.

Each year we choose different varieties to trial based on particular characteristics that our team has identified as being valuable for growers while ensuring varieties are suitable and engaging for home gardeners, community gardens, and schools.

CST participants can request certain varieties during the sign-up process and are encouraged to provide feedback that can be analyzed by our team for continued research and development.

We collect data through Google Forms and SeedLinked, and social media. Seedlinked is an online platform that connects plant growers and their data to help breed, source, and harvest the best seeds. Home gardeners and growers enter observations and information about their seeds’ performance with guidance from us. The data is gathered and shared back with all participants and the wider gardening community.

Whether it is on a balcony or in the garden, CST provides the public with an opportunity to not only engage with seed breeders but, if they choose, to actively save and participate in local seed development. We offer detailed growing guidance, seed resources, and trial updates through our CST Facebook Group and regular newsletters to encourage home gardeners in the quest to grow their plants. As a citizen science program, we expect real results from real people. We hope participants cultivate their passion for home gardening and help grow BC’s seed development community.

The 2026 Citizen Seed Trial is underway! Please check your email for updates. Resources will be added below as the season progresses.

We are extra grateful this year for support from the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation

2026 Varieties & Resources

All varieties in this year’s tomato trial were bred by independent tomato breeder and avid gardener Karen Olivier, the Northern Gardener (@northerngardenercanada). With flavour and northern climates in mind, find your new favourite cherry, slicer or oxheart.

  • Cherry trial: Cinnamon Girl & Nightingale 
  • Slicer trial: One Trick Pony and Cowboy
  • Oxheart trial: Taiga and Midnight Sun

Trial goals:  Comparison trial using the Seedlinked app. 

Varieties: Pick one or both of the following breeding projects to help select towards colourful purple variations of Bok Choy and Tokyo Bekana (a non-heading napa cabbage, similar to Bok Choy). Observe how many purple vs green plants you get and select your favourites to go to seed. Note that Bok Choy and Tokyo Bekana will cross – which could lead to a whole new breeding project!

Trial goals: Grow a first-year cross of a Purple Lady Bok Choy crossed with Shanghai Green Bok Choy.  These are both open-pollinated varieties grown next to each other, but seed was collected only from the purple plants. 

Data Entry Form

Varieties: Pick one or both of the following breeding projects to help select towards colourful purple variations of Bok Choy and Tokyo Bekana (a non-heading napa cabbage, similar to Bok Choy). Observe how many purple vs green plants you get and select your favourites to go to seed. Note that Bok Choy and Tokyo Bekana will cross – which could lead to a whole new breeding project!

Trial goals: Grow an in-progress breeding mix known as “Road to Purple Tokyo Bekana,” started by Dan Brisebois of Ferme Tourne-sol Cooperative Farm.

Data Entry Form

 

Grow your own medicinals, try your hand at growing, harvesting and maybe even processing medicinal plants from your garden. Share your harvest yields and photos through the season.

Varieties: Tulsi, also known as holy basil, is an aromatic plant in the mint family. Tulsi flowers quickly and attracts many pollinators. Tulsi is commonly used in herbal teas.

Trial goals: Gather yield data for Tulsi

Data Entry Form

Grow your own medicinals, try your hand at growing, harvesting and maybe even processing medicinal plants from your garden. Share your harvest yields and photos through the season.

Varieties: Ashwagandha is a plant in the Solanaceae family (along with potatoes and tomatoes), but it is usually grown for the medicinal properties of its roots. It produces a papery covering on red berries, similar to that of a ground cherry.

Trial goals: Gather yield data for Ashwaghanda

Data Entry Form

Grow your own medicinals, try your hand at growing, harvesting and maybe even processing medicinal plants from your garden. Share your harvest yields and photos through the season.

Varieties: Calendula is in the daisy family and widely grown for its long season of brightly coloured blooms. With beautiful edible petals and historically used in love potions, amongst other medicinal uses, this brings colour to any garden. This is a mix from Rupert Adams of Kairos Botanicals.

Trial goals: Join the Calendula photo contest 

Photo entry instructions

Thank you for joining our webinars! Links to our meet & greet and final webinar can be found below once the webinar is complete.

Register for the breeding webinars here

June 18th 4-5:30pm

Breeding to Purple: Crossing & Selecting Brassicas

August 12, 4:00-5:30

Selecting and Breeding Tomatoes for Flavour and Short Seasons

November 2026 – date/time TBD

Final Results Webinar

 

After each webinar, please take a moment to fill out the survey to provide feedback on the sessions. Your feedback is important to us and our funders!

 

Trial Design Tips & Tricks 

When setting up your trial try your best to limit external variables between the varieties in a comparison trial. For example if you have one tomato variety in a pot it’s best to have the others in a similar shaped pot. If one of your varieties is in full sun try to have the other in full sun as well.

How many plants should I grow? 

As many as possible! The more plants you have the easier it will be to compare the populations or find unique crosses. Of course do what ever is feasible for you, we are all operating in different spaces, some on farms and others on balconies. Ideally, aim to have 6-10 heads of bok choy or bekana, 3-5 tomato plants of each variety,  2-4 row feet of tulsi and ashwagandha and as much calendula as you like. For the bok choy and bekana breeding projects, remember that the more plants you have, the better chance you have of seeing potential crosses. These can be planted in the spring and again in the late summer as well.

When to plant?

These are all suggestions. Feel free to use the timing and planting that works best for you and your region.

Bok Choy 

Bok Choy is a cool loving plant that can be started indoors 4 weeks before last frost, or direct seeded near the last frost date in your region.

Coastal BC: Start in March/April

Interior: Mid April – mid May

Northern BC: May – June

Observation form here

Bok Choy growing tips

Tokyo Bekana Chinese Cabbage 

Bekana is very similar to Bok Choy – follow the above directions for best results.

Observation form here

Bekana growing tips

Tomato Trials

Tomato seeds should be started approx. 6-8 weeks before the last frost to be transplanted out when the weather is warm. A heat mat under seeds helps with faster germination. Start earlier if you have a greenhouse or are growing in pots – start later if you plan to grow outdoors.

All regions: February (if you’re bold) – early April (at the latest)

These will be compared using the Seedlinked app.

Access the trial by logging in via the Seedlinked trial email you should have recently received in your inbox. You will need to login to each trial and hit the “accept trial” button for each trial to be enrolled in multiple trials.

Tomato Grow Guide by MoonGlow Seeds

Learn more about Northern Gardener varieties: Karen Olivier’s facebook page

Tulsi aka Holy Basil

Tulsi is a heat loving plant that does best transplanted in early summer. Start indoors 6-8 weeks before last frost.

Pro tip: nip off any early flower buds to encourage more leaf production.

Observation form here

Tulsi growing tips

Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha is a heat loving plant in the Nightshade family that does best transplanted in early summer. For best results, soak seeds 24 hours before sowing.

Similar to tomatoes, start indoors 6-8 weeks before last frost. Transplant once danger of frost has passed.

Technically a perennial, Ashwagandha can be grown as an annual, with roots harvested in fall of the first year.

Observation form here

Ashwagandha growing tips

Calendula

Calendula is a very resilient plant that blooms year round in some parts of BC. It is best direct seeded early in spring once the soil can be worked, just before the last frost date in your region.

Observation form here

Calendula growing tips

Green to Purple Bok Choy: Observation form here, Printable data sheet

Road to Purple Tokyo Bekana: Observation form here, Printable data sheet

Holy Basil: Observation form here,  Printable data sheets

Ashwagandha: Observation form here,  Printable data sheets

Tomatoes:

These will be compared using the Seedlinked app.

Access the trial by logging in via the Seedlinked trial email you should have  received in your inbox. You will need to login to each trial and hit the “accept trial” button for each trial to be enrolled.

Getting started on seed-linked tutorial

Printable data sheets

 

CST Worksheets

Worksheets – We are working on developing printable worksheets from the observation forms – coming soon!

Bite-sized lessons, games & activities

Bite-sized Lessons – browse our resource section for bite-sized lessons and more

Bite-sized Games & Activities

Plant Matching Game

  • Download our printable Seed Matching Game
  • Seed Matching game Instructions
  • If you would like to order a professionally printed version of this game, we will send one to you.  $15 includes shipping.  You can order as many decks as you’d like here.

Seed Saving Crop Cards

For fun facts, harvest, and seed-saving tips. Download our crop cards.

More resources

You-tube channel – browse our video library for virtual tours and past webinars

Browse our Resources for more!

Thank you to everyone who supports the Citizen Seed Trial through participation and engagement.

And thank you to our 2026 sponsor: TD Friends of the Environment Foundation

Stay in the Loop

Find past emails and resources below

 

Holy Basil: Two sources

Beets: Stripe n’ Gold, Rainbow Mix

Tomatoes: Alpha and Oregon Spring

Lettuce: Magenta

Broccoli: Purple Peacock Sprouting Broccoli

CST Meet & Greet 2025: https://youtu.be/mOu_1jMXPZM 

Growing #1 Getting Started with Seeds: A Guide to Soil Prep & Seed Starting March 12, 2025 | 6:00 PM-7:30 PM
Growing #2 Building a Healthy Garden: Transplanting, Soil Health, & Smart Weeding Techniques May 14, 2025 | 1:00 PM-2:30 PM
Growing # 3 From Garden to Table: Harvesting, Seed Saving & Culinary Uses of Your Homegrown Crops July 9, 2025 | 6:00 PM-7:30 PM
Advanced #1 Mass Crossing, Landrace Farming & Biennial Seed Production April 23, 2025 | 12:30 PM-2:30 PM
Advanced #2 Advanced Plant Breeding for Tomatoes: Hand Pollination, Breeding New Varieties, & Advanced Techniques June 4, 2025 | 6:00 PM-8:00 PM

Final Citizen Seed Trial Results Webinar

December 4th, 2024

For those of you who were not able to attend the final webinar, here is a recording of the presentation:

View recording here

 

Breeding Projects Showcase
Guest Speaker: Jen Cody
August 20th, 2024
For those of you who were not able to attend the kale breeding webinar with us, here is a recording of the presentation:

https://youtu.be/C-688kdT09M

Find information on setting up a variety trial, instructions for starting each crop, and see a picture of a seed packers.

Find Out More

Print out these sheets to evaluate your crops on paper.

Printable Data Sheets pdf

Find information on setting up a variety trial, instructions for starting each crop, and see a picture of a seed packers.

Find Out More

Find instructions on growing the crops, and getting your classroom involved with the Citizen Seed Trial.

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Find information on setting up the Citizen Seed Trial. Join us in our first “Meet and Greet”.

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Watch our Citizen Seed Trial Meet & Greet on Youtube.

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A reminder to evaluate your crops on SeedLinked, be sure to add your sowing date, transplant date, germination, and vigour evaluations. Find rubrics for the Citizen Seed Trial. Learn about the upcoming webinar on “Tender, Tasty Turnips: Growing Japanese turnips on the West Coast”.

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Learn about the upcoming webinar on “Tender, Tasty Turnips: Growing Japanese turnips on the West Coast” presented by Heather from Umi Nami Farms.

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In this email find various recipes and tips and tricks for growing Japanese turnips shared by Heather from Umi Nami Farms. Also, check out the recording of Tender, Tasty Turnips: Growing Japanese Turnips on the West Coast on Youtube, here.

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Learn about the upcoming webinar on “Cultivating Curioustiy & Cultures of Care: Breeding Turnips and Beyond” present by Petra from Fruition Seeds.

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A quick update on the Citizen Seed Trial

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