Seed Bank

Welcome to the Little River Seed Bank, a resource for edible and beneficial plants both native and adapted to South Florida. 

(Consider this a work in progress as we figure out the best way to organize our seeds and information on the web)

We are in the process of building  a collection of edible and beneficial plant seeds that thrive under the often difficult growing conditions of the sub-tropics.  The majority of our seeds are grown and saved in our two urban gardens; they are produced in small batches and sold in sample packets.  It is our hope that these seeds will be used by South Florida gardeners to successfully grow their own food, improve the soil and perpetuate the plant varieties that are best suited to our distinct geography.

This page is designed to be a resource of information as well as seeds.  Browse through the plant profiles, which are put together from our own garden notes, to learn about growing, harvesting and uses for each plant.

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Cranberry Hibiscus (Hibiscus acetosella) also commonly known as False Roselle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In one summer season it will grow into a 6 foot leggy and attractive short-lived flowering perennial whose young leaves and shoots can be added to salads for color, cooked with rice or vegetables because of their slightly acid flavor and are sometimes used for tea.  Cranberry hibiscus is nematode, insect and drought resistant and does well in sandy soil.  It’s best to start seeds in early spring and enjoy tasty shoots all summer.  In the Fall the plant will begin to flower, which makes for a beautiful garden feature.  The flowers can be used for coloring foods or drinks.  Once it flowers and produces seeds it rarely continues to grow vegetatively, so it’s best to take out existing plants and start over from seed. 

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Moringa (Moringa oleifera)

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Pea Vine (Clitoria ternatea) also known as Butterfly Pea.

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Red Lady Papaya (Carica papaya)

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Velvet Bean (Mucuna Pruriens)

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Luffa Gourd (Luffa aegyptiaca)

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Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) also known as Florida Cranberry or Jamaican Sorrel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Spilanthes (Acmella oleracea) nicknamed “toothache plant”