Pima Cotton Seeds (Gossypium barbadense) Premium long-staple cotton variety prized for silky fibers, heat tolerance, and historical textile value; ideal for educational gardens

Minimum: 10+ Seeds

Silky Fibers • Ancient Roots • Warm-Season Masterpiece
Legendary Long-Staple Cotton for Gardeners, Makers & History Keepers

There is something deeply grounding about growing your own cotton. Watching soft white bolls form under summer heat connects you to thousands of years of human craft, trade, and survival. Pima Cotton is not just a crop. It is a living thread of history, beauty, and patience. For warm-season gardeners, educators, homesteaders, and fiber artists, this is one of the most rewarding plants you can grow from seed.

Pima Cotton Seeds (Gossypium barbadense) produce one of the world’s finest natural fibers, prized for its silky texture, exceptional length, and strength. This is the cotton behind heirloom textiles and premium fabrics, grown on a small scale for those who value quality over speed.

At Terra Mater Gardens, we believe some plants are meant to be experienced, not rushed. Pima Cotton is one of them.

What Is Pima Cotton?

Pima Cotton, also known as extra-long staple cotton, is a warm-season perennial grown as an annual in most gardens. Native to the Americas and refined through generations of careful selection, it is famous for producing longer, smoother fibers than common upland cotton.

Plant characteristics:

• Warm-season annual shrub

• Deep green, lobed leaves

• Cream to pale yellow flowers

• Large white bolls filled with silky fiber

• Heat-loving and sun-hungry

Plants typically grow 3 to 5 feet tall with a bushy, upright habit and strong central stems.

Fiber Quality & Harvest Experience

This is where Pima Cotton truly shines.

Fiber features:

• Extra-long staple length

• Exceptionally soft and smooth

• Strong and durable

• Naturally bright white

Harvesting cotton by hand is slow, quiet, and deeply satisfying. Bolls open in late summer to early fall, revealing clouds of fiber wrapped around smooth seeds. Even a few plants produce enough cotton to spark appreciation for every shirt and towel you have ever owned.

Uses: From Garden to Handcraft

Pima Cotton is as educational as it is practical.

Ideal for:

• Educational and historical gardens

• Fiber arts, spinning, and weaving

• Homestead and self-sufficiency projects

• Botanical collections and seed saving

• Warm-climate ornamental plantings

The plants themselves are attractive, with hibiscus-like flowers and sculptural seed pods that add interest to summer gardens.

Cultural & Historical Significance

Gossypium barbadense has been cultivated for thousands of years in Central and South America, where Indigenous peoples selected it for fiber quality long before industrial agriculture existed. Pima Cotton later became synonymous with luxury textiles because of its unmatched softness and strength.

Growing it today keeps that legacy alive on a human scale.

Growing Conditions & Care

Pima Cotton thrives in heat and rewards patience.

Growing overview:

• Sun: Full sun, all day

• Soil: Well-drained, fertile soil

• Water: Moderate, consistent during growth

• Spacing: 18 to 24 inches

• Zones: Best for warm climates, including zone 7 with a long summer

Growing tips:

• Start seeds after all danger of frost

• Soil should be warm before planting

• Avoid excess nitrogen to reduce leafy growth

• Harvest bolls once fully open and dry

Plants benefit from long, hot summers and minimal disturbance once established.

Why Grow Pima Cotton?

✔ Premium long-staple fiber
✔ Heat-tolerant and sun-loving
✔ Powerful educational value
✔ Beautiful, functional garden plant
✔ A true connection to textile history

This is not a crop for shortcuts. It is a crop for curiosity and respect.

Seed & Botanical Details

• Species: Gossypium barbadense

• Common Name: Pima Cotton

• Seed Type: Untreated, non-GMO

• Plant Type: Warm-season annual

• Use: Fiber, education, ornamental

Perfect For

• Warm-climate gardeners

• Teachers and educational programs

• Fiber artists and makers

• Homesteaders and seed savers

• Anyone curious about where fabric begins

Terra Mater Gardens Promise

Some seeds feed the body. Others feed understanding. Pima Cotton does both in its own quiet way. Grow it once, and you will never look at fabric the same again.