Winter Greens | Kale & Spinach

***COMING NOVEMBER 1ST*** A robust, slow-to-bolt spinach with beautiful deep green leaves. If you're looking for a spinach to succession sow throughout the year - this is the one for you. Sow in successions every 4-6 weeks from March until September. Awarded the prestigious RHS AGM for its thick, succulent leaves and upright growth habit. As with all spinach varieties, Matador is high in vitamins A and C. Sow: March to Sept. Sow early sowings undercover. Plant: densely for baby leaves, 20cm for greens Harvest: 4-8 weeks after sowing Kitchen: Eat young leaves fresh, mature leaves just wilted. Pairs with citrus (lemon, lime), aromatics and spices (basil, turmeric, cumin, chilli), alliums (spring onion, garlic, garlic chives), fats (sesame, cashew, bacon, feta). Notes: Early sowings benefit from fleece. Succession sow for continuous supply. Spinacia oleracea 5g (approx 460 seeds) We pack seeds by weight, the number of seeds in a packet is an estimate. Germ: 82% Aug 25

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***COMING NOVEMBER 1ST*** Cottagers is one of the oldest kales the UK, dating back to a time when gardens weren't places to sit and admire, they were places to grow food, medicine and fibre. Cottagers is a tall, productive and exceptionally hardy variety - it will give you leaves all winter and tasty shoots in the spring. The plants are beautiful with glaucous green leaves and purple ribs.   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   Approx 100 seeds. We pack seeds by weight, the number of seeds in a packet is an estimate. Brassica oleracea Germ Rate: 96% Oct 25

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***COMING NOVEMBER 1ST*** 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   0.5g (approx 150 seeds) We pack seeds by weight, the number of seeds in a packet is an estimate. Brassica oleracea Germ Rate: 97% Oct 25

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***COMING NOVEMBER 1ST*** Vibrant green leaves a top long, slender white stems with no bulbing. Ishikura is a fantastically robust and frost hardy Japanese variety with a crisp texture and mild onion flavour. Awarded an RHS AGM for its vigorous growth. Sow every couple of months for harvests throughout the year. Sow: Feb-March undercover, April-September outside. Sow clusters of 10 in modules or sow direct 5cm apart. Stagger sowings every 8 weeks for continuous supply. Plant: 4-6 weeks after sowing, plant clusters 20cm apart Harvest: Year round Kitchen: Best used in salads or slowly caramelised. Notes: Keep cool while germinating. Temperatures above 20C inhibit germination. Allium fistulosum 1.5g (approx 375 seeds) We pack seeds by weight, the number of seeds in a packet is an estimate. Germ Rate: 91% Sept 25

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***COMING NOVEMBER 1ST*** Fireworks makes a beautiful addition to your garden (vegetable or ornamental) and a very nutritious addition to your plate. You can 'eat the rainbow' by growing just one variety! It's a celebration of colour and diversity. You'll find stems in icy white, canary yellow, zesty orange, and cerise red with leaves ranging from verdant green to deep burgundy.  Say goodbye to uniformity and say hello to diverse form and colour. This is a diverse interbreeding population of plants rather than a single variety. If you dig up a seed cluster as its germinating and you'll see different coloured shoots stretching out of a single cluster. Each cluster is made up of several individual seeds, each with their own unique genetics. What a joy. Sow: April (undercover) & July (outside or undercover) for continuous supply. Plant: 4 weeks after sowing, or sow direct. Harvest: Baby leaves in 6 weeks, big leaves in 8-10 weeks. Harvest outside leaves. Kitchen: Eat baby leaves raw and cook older leaves - steam, sautee, or braise. Cook stems a little longer than leaves. Pairs with acid (lemon, balsamic vinegar, lime), fats (goats cheese, walnuts, coconut milk, butter), salty (olives, feta, parmesan), aromatics (chilli, nutmeg, dill, fennel, thyme). 3g (approx 150 seeds) We pack seeds by weight, the number of seeds in a packet is an estimate. Beta vulgaris var. cicla Germ Rate: 84% Sept 25

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***COMING NOVEMBER 1ST*** This kale is popular for a reason! Also known as 'Ragged Jack', its blue-green leaves have jagged edges and delicate purple stems and are some of the most tender greens around. Cold weather brings a sweeter flavour and a bright magenta colouring in the leaves. Red Russian Kale came to Europe from North Siberia and its impressive frost hardiness has meant its been grown all over the Northern hemisphere. The 'Red' in the name refers to communism rather than the colour of the plant. In the US this variety is nicknamed  'Communist Kale'. Whatever your political persuasion, your bound to be impressed by this popular heirloom Kale. Sow: mid March-May & Aug-Sept (undercover or outside) Plant: densely for baby leaves, 20cm for salad leaves, 30cm for cooking greens. Harvest: 4-8 weeks after sowing Kitchen: Eat fresh or stir fried. Pairs with citrus (lemon, lime, ponzu), aromatics and spices (turmeric, ginger, five spice, chilli), alliums (spring onion, garlic, garlic chives), fats (sesame, cashew). Notes: Early sowings benefit from fleece. Long harvest period, particularly over winter - you'll have greens from October into spring. 1g (approx 250 seeds) We pack seeds by weight, the number of seeds in a packet is an estimate. Brassica napus Germ Rate: 80% Sept 25

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