Gardener's Sweetheart is an overachiever. It produces trusses as long as your forearm, laden with cute red tomatoes, shaped like anatomical hearts. Unusually for most heirloom varieties, Gardener's Sweetheart has a high resistance to splitting so you can leave whole trusses of tomatoes to ripen before picking them. The tomatoes have a lovely firm texture (they make great sauces too) and sweet flavour.
As with many tomatoes, the flavour of this variety is deadened with over-watering. Once plants are established, water the absolute bare minimum (if growing in open ground) and you will be rewarded with the sweetest fruits.
Gardeners Sweetheart is a vining, (indeterminate) variety which is best grown undercover, grown up strings - either in the ground or in containers.
Sow: March, with heat (25C)
Harvest: July-September
Kitchen: Pairs with savoury (anchovies, capers, cured pork), aromatic (basil, coriander, thyme), spicy (anise, clove, cinnamon), fats (avocado, cream cheese).
Solanum lycopersicum
Approx 20 seeds). We pack seeds by weight, the number of seeds in a packet is an estimate.
Germ Rate: 100% Oct 25
The best tasting deep red tomato we've grown - a moreish balance of sweetness and acidity. Exactly as a cherry tomato should taste! A very impressive open pollinated variety, bred by Kings Seeds and awarded the RHS AGM for excellent flavour. Plants are healthy, productive and vigorous. Rosella is a vining, (indeterminate) variety which is best grown undercover, grown up strings - either in the ground or in containers.
Sow: March, with heat (25C)
Harvest: July-September
Kitchen: Pairs with savoury (anchovies, capers, cured pork), aromatic (basil, coriander, thyme), spicy (anise, clove, cinnamon), fats (avocado, cream cheese).
Approx 15 seeds. We pack seeds by weight, the number of seeds in a packet is an estimate.
Germ Rate: 96% Sept 25
Purple Top Milan is bred to grow fast and be eaten young. Harvest when they are ping pong sized and cook whole - skins and all. We are really happy with this selection of the variety - the roots are beautifully flattened with excellent bright violet colouring. They have a nice firm texture and well-balanced flavour. Turnips excellent way of making use of any gaps in the vegetable garden which begin to show in late summer. It's worth having a packet of seed spare just in case!Sow: Valentines day-March (undercover), July-August (direct)Plant: multisow and plant 20cm apart or sow direct and thin to 5-10cm apart.Harvest: 6-8 weeks from sowingKitchen: Eat fresh, pickled or stir fried. Pairs with acid (lemon, lime, ponzu, balsamic, wine), aromatics and spices (coriander, ginger, five spice, chilli, thyme), alliums (spring onion, garlic), fats (bacon, sesame, cashew).1g (approx 450 seeds). We pack seeds by weight, the number of seeds in a packet is an estimate.
Germ 996% Aug 25
A kale that needs very little introduction. Nero di Toscana has a reputation for being the kale of choice for any gardening gourmet. The long, deep green leaves are more tender than standard curly kales with a flavour that sweetens after the first frost. A Tuscan heirloom which has been bred to withstand both hot and cold temperatures, you can harvest this kale from late summer to early spring.
Sow: March-April (undercover or outside with fleece or cloche)
Plant: May, 45cm apart
Harvest: Late summer- early autumn
Kitchen: Roast, steam, sautee or braise. Pairs with acidic flavours (lemon, white wine), fats (sesame, bacon, chorizo, walnuts, parmesan), alliums (garlic, leeks), aromatics & spice (mustard, cumin, parsley, coriander, ginger, chilli).
Notes: To avoid massive cabbage heads, grow no further than 45cm apart. As with all brassicas, plant deep to avoid toppling
Brassica oleracea
0.5g (approx 125 seeds). We pack seeds by weight, the number of seeds in a packet is an estimate.
Germ Rate: 97% Oct 25
An early spring treat for anyone who loves butterhead lettuces. Leaves are bright green, buttery soft, lightly dimpled and pleasantly sweet from growing in the cool. A key addition to my quest for a year round supply of butterhead lettuces! Harvest as a looseleaf salad mix by harvesting individual leaves or wait until for the dense heads to form in early spring.Lettuce is a very ancient crop, originally domesticated by the ancient Egyptians for its seeds and sap which were used as a pain killer and sedative. The Romans went on to cultivate lettuce for its leaves and used it as a braising green.Sow: Sept-November undercoverPlant: 4-6 weeks after sowing, plant 20cm apartHarvest: Feb-AprilKitchen: Best used in salads.Notes: Best grown undercover. To make the most out of your space, you can sow/plant 10cm apart then harvest every other plant leaving the remaining half to head up in early spring. Do not let seeds get hot when germinating. 15C is ideal, anything above 18C encourages seed dormancy.
Also available in our 'Cool Greens' winter salad seed collection.
Download our Winter Salads Growing Guide to learn more about growing winter greens.
0.25g (approx 200 seeds). We pack seeds by weight, the number of seeds in a packet is an estimate.Germ Rate: 70% July 25
The daintiest winter squash we grow! The plants are much less brutish than other varieties, co-existing well with the other plant life in your vegetable patch.
The squashes themselves are small too - rarely weighing over a kilo - making them the perfect size to roast whole. Fruits have a creamy texture and thin, digestible skins so no need for peeling. If the season is long, the fruits will mature to a dusty orange - pick at any stage.
Sow: April (undercover, ideally at 21C), late May outside
Plant: end May, 60cm spacing
Harvest: Sept-Oct
Kitchen: Roasted whole. Pairs with fats (hazelnuts, peanut, walnuts, goats cheese, feta), citrus (lemon, lime), aromatics & spices (coriander, sage, rosemary, thyme, chilli).
Notes: Protect early plantings from frost.
Cucurbita moshata
Approx 20 seeds. We pack seeds by weight, the number of seeds in a packet is an estimate.
Germ Rate: 98% Oct 25
