Soil: Soak the seeds and let them sprout in a jar (or other container) for 16 to 24 hours. Then spread them in a box that’s lined with a one-inch layer consisting of equal parts moist peat moss ...

“Some seeds double in size while other seeds grow 10 times as big,” Evans says, as to how much food you can expect your seeds to yield. Either way, that extra room in the jar is definitely needed.

The recently arrived Salt Spring Seeds catalogue has expanded by more than 70 new varieties, thanks to “an awesome seed harvest in 2012.” Proprietor Dan Jason notes that 2012 was “our fourth ...