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Ecological Crop Improvement For and By Farmers
Welcome to our 2020 catalog and website!
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.
All of our seed is Organically Grown by Shoulder to Shoulder Farm
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 2020
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!
Opalescent Basil
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Chinese Pink Celery I need to give credit to Bakers Creek Seeds for bringing this stunning celery from China into US commerce. I have grown every heirloom red or pink variety descended from European-type celery, but I have never seen bubble-gum pink as expressed in this Asian type. This is pink that pops! It also retains its color in light cooking unlike many red vegetables. The flavor is strong, like other red and Asian celery, not something you would eat like our common green varieties.. Bolts quickly and unevenly, should be planted close and eaten young somewhat like cilantro, with new sowings periodically. Stronger germination and faster growth than European types. The variation in bolting times indicates good potential for improved selections better adapted to North American conditions. Some plants have a perennial habit, resprouting new offshoots after cutting back. I wish I had bred something this stunning. |
Manoa Ocelot Lettuce
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Head Cardinal Lettuce The French variety ‘Cardinale’ has been in our catalog over 15 years. We began noticing plants with a tendency to make enclosed heads rather than the expected open rosettes. After a few rounds of selection we are offering this red heading crisphead version of the original crispleaf Batavian type. ‘Head Cardinal’ makes a full sized head, larger than ‘Crispino’, not as tight as ‘Gildenstern.’ Very similar to ‘Red Iceberg’, which makes me wonder how closely related this is to ‘Cardinale.’ |
Lava Dome GP Lettuce
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Greek Oregano This is the true Greek culinary species, with white flowers and the full potent flavor we want for pizza and tomato sauces. The flowering stems and seed heads can make a fragrant filler in arrangements. A perfect plant for the most exposed, full sun, arid locations. Good for bees. |
Lantern Peppers
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Pleated Tangerine Peppers
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Stoplight Yellow Peppers
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Stoplight Orange Peppers
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Stoplight Red Peppers
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Butter and Cream Gaillardia/Blanket Flower An annual blanket flower in two shades of yellow, comprised of doubled balls of fluted flowers with starlike projections. This is a selection out of the unique heirloom mixture ‘Lorenziana’. |
Broken Colors Mirabilis/Four O’Clocks Flower color in this species can be difficult to understand, with red, pink, yellow, or white blossoms sometimes occurring on the same plant, or changing colors from one generation to the next. In ‘Broken Colors,’ all of these colors can occur within the same flower, which is not explainable by Mendelian genetics. This an example of the effects of “jumping genes” on plant pigmentation, the very same effects seen in the swirling, speckled, or splotched color patterns of some indigenous maize. Jumping genes (or transposons) move within the DNA of plants, changing genetic expression of tissues as they form and grow. All parts of the plant are poisonous. |
Bergamo Monarda This relatively new cultivar combines mildew resistance with compact stature and a florific habit. The 2’ stems are chocked with magenta flowers whorled around them in 3” intervals. Leaves are fragrant with citrus. Possibly perennial in mild climates, but usually grown as an annual for cut flowers. Start indoors, transplant at a 12” spacing. |
Apricot/Peach Mix Helichrysum/Straw Flower Long stems and upright habit topped by a profusion of simple single white flowers with yellow centers. Foliage and blooms are sweetly fragrant, and the single form is particularly attractive to pollinators. Good for scented dried flowers, and makes an excellent medicinal tea. |
This is an F5 selection from Mrihani x Opal that looks very much like the original F1 cross. Very darkest purple with large-toothed savoyed leaves, reminiscent in appearance to the AAS winner from the 80s “Purple Ruffles.” But the fragrance and taste are completely distinct from sweet basil, and the fruity sweetness and cherry-magenta color it imparts to a salad vinegar is unlike any other herb I know. Beautiful beyond belief in a bottle with olive oil. Farm Original Variety!