A very tasty sweet pepper with lipstick-red, heart-shaped fruits. Lesya is often touted as being one of the sweetest peppers around, we're a little dubious of the title, but what we will say is that Lesya reliably produces very tasty peppers with thick flesh, thin skins and rich flavour. And they're very popular with kids. Despite their compact size, these plants don't take well to being grown in pots.
Sow: Valentines day to end March, with heat (25C)
Harvest: July-September
Kitchen: Pairs with savoury (olives, bacon, cured pork), aromatic (parsley, coriander, oregano, ginger), spicy (paprika, cumin, cinnamon), fats (avocado, soft cheese, eggs).
Notes: Grow in greenhouse or similar. Stake plants using a tripod method - they don't get very tall but branches are liable to snap under the weight of their fruit.
Capsicum annuum
Approx 20 seeds. We pack seeds by weight, the number of seeds in a packet is an estimate.
Germ Rate: 78% Oct 25
Elegant, draping seed heads which work beautifully used fresh or dry. Immature seed heads are a fresh green, maturing to a rich aubergine black. A drought-tolerant and generous grass which produces abundantly from a single sowing.
The same species as red millet which has been eaten by humans for centuries but is most often grown as winter bird forage in the UK. These are wonderful wildlife plants. Grow an abundance and enjoy seeing the sparrows swooping down to eat the seeds throughout the autumn and winter.
Sow: March-April indoors
Plant: 30cm apart
Harvest: When just emerging or fully extended
Vase: Expect vase life of a 7 days
Notes: Harvest for drying after pollen has dropped and hang upside down in bunches.
0.5g (approx 100 seeds). We pack seeds by weight, the number of seeds in a packet is an estimate.
Germ 85% Sept 25
All cut flower seeds are subject to 20% VAT which is added at checkout. If your order contains VAT-able goods, 20% VAT is also charged on shipping.
Rossa di Milano is a stunning, deep red Italian heirloom with broad shoulders, tapering down to a narrow root. One we're really excited to bring to UK gardeners. A reliable variety to grow from seed, we sow in February and harvest in late summer. A brilliant storage variety - worth a try if you're after lovely sweet red onions which keep all winter.
Sow in March - 3-5 seeds per modules a la Charles Dowding. Harvest fresh and you can use the stems too. Later harvests have a more pungent flavour. Dry the bulbs out after harvest and they'll keep until December.
Sow: multi-sow 3-5 seeds per module for bulbs or clusters of 10 for spring onions, March undercover
Plant: 20cm spacing between modules
Harvest: July-August
Kitchen: Pairs with everything. Use raw or cooked in a myriad of dishes.
Allium cepa
1g (approx 250 seeds). We pack seeds by weight, the number of seeds in a packet is an estimate.
Germ 98% Sept 25
Ice-white papery flowers with a striking jet-black eye. A delicate strawflower which is one of the most elegant of its type. It stands beautifully well into autumn - its always one of the last cut flowers standing.
Wonderful to use fresh or dried. The flowers open in the sunshine and close when its overcast.
Sow: May-June (best sown direct)
Harvest: Expect flowers July-October.
Stem length 40-50 cm.
Vase: Use fresh or dried. Dried flowers
Notes: Best direct sown.
Helipterum roseum
0.5g (approx 150 seeds). We pack seeds by weight, the number of seeds in a packet is an estimate.
Germ: 69% Oct 25
All cut flower seeds are subject to 20% VAT which is added at checkout. If your order contains VAT-able goods, 20% VAT is also charged on shipping.
Thrupp is a very special parsnip and an example of the wonders that can come out of community seed saving. This genetically diverse, modern-landrace parsnip was originally bred by Amanda Godber at an allotment site in Stroud, Thrupp has been stewarded by Down to Earth Stroud and the Stroud Community Seed Bank for years.
It was brought to my attention by seed steward Dan Fox of Two Acre Farm in the Mendips. Dan has put lots of work into trialling, selecting and adapting the parsnip and the seed offered here has been grown on his farm. He describes them as 'proper parsnips' with very little forking - a very rare variety which is strongly adapted to the South West climate.
1g (approx 200 seeds). We pack seeds by weight, the number of seeds in a packet is an estimate.
Pastinaca sativa
Beautiful butter yellow beans which are easy to spot and harvest. A great variety to grow with children. The beans are succulent with a mellow, grassy flavour. Dior is a slower maturing variety which offers longer harvests than most dwarf varieties. It works well grown with fast-maturing Faraday for extended harvests.
Sow: April undercover, May-June outside
Plant: 30cm apart
Harvest: July-September, pick regularly.
Kitchen: Cook lightly and pair with savoury (parmesan, bacon), aromatic (tarragon, ginger), acid (white wine, lemon), fats (olive oil, almonds).
Phaseolus vulgaris
7.5g (approx 45 seeds). We pack seeds by weight, the number of seeds in a packet is an estimate.
Germ Rate: 98% Sept 25
The most striking cabbage in the patch. Kalibos is a crisp, pointed cabbage in a shade of electric purple which is impossible to ignore. It must be very good for you too. This Eastern European heirloom is very sweet and very crisp. It's well suited to making into salads or krauts.
A beautiful choice for an ornamental kitchen garden, particularly when paired with French Marigold 'Red Gem'.
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 (mustard, cumin, parsley, coriander, thai sweet basil, ginger).
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: 90% Oct 25
Large double strawflowers with papery, burnt orange petals around a cheery yellow center. A perfect addition to warm autumnal arrangements.
A brilliant cut flower which can be used fresh but comes into its own when dried. Pick at the height of flowering, bind together in generous bunches and hang them to dry upside down and the colour will intensify. You'll have colourful blooms to brighten up the house and take you through the winter months and beyond. There's a reason this is known as the 'everlasting flower' and 'immortelle'.
Helichrysums are Australian natives which are very robust and drought tolerant. They are avoided by deer and rabbits.
Sow: Sow undercover in April or outside direct in May. Benefits from warm soil.
Plant: 4 weeks after sowing
Harvest: July-September. Pick when flowers are half open. Stems 80cm or longer.
Vase: Can be used fresh or dry. To dry, strip off foliage, tie in a bunch and hang upside down. Flower colours will intensify.
Helichrysum bracteatum
0.25g (approx 300 seeds). We pack seeds by weight, the number of seeds in a packet is an estimate.
Germ: 60% Aug 25
All cut flower seeds are subject to 20% VAT which is added at checkout. If your order contains VAT-able goods, 20% VAT is also charged on shipping.
The sweetest onion in our catalogue with a rich flavour only found in homegrown onions. Long Red Florence is a very versatile Italian heirloom variety which can be cropped as quick-growing, bright purple salad onions or left to mature into elongated, red bulbs. The mature bulbs are so sweet and full-flavoured, delicious in salads or as a rich base for any dish.
Sow in March - 3-5 seeds per modules a la Charles Dowding. Harvest fresh and you can use the stems too. Later harvests have a more pungent flavour. Not the best storage onion, best eaten within a couple of months of harvest.
Sow: multi-sow 3-5 seeds per module for bulbs or clusters of 10 for spring onions, March undercover
Plant: 20cm spacing between modules
Harvest: July-August
Kitchen: Pairs with everything. Use raw or cooked in a myriad of dishes.
Allium cepa
1g (approx 250 seeds). We pack seeds by weight, the number of seeds in a packet is an estimate.
Germ 91% Sept 25
A traditional Italian winter salad leaf, cropped from autumn to early spring. It is very easy to grow and will thrive in any garden (even coastal ones!) but rich soils will yield more succulent leaves. Rich in calcium, vitamins A and B2.Buckshorn plantain has been a prized salad green in Italy since the 16th traditional ingredient in Italian peasant cooking. It is an authentic element of Roman misticanza - a salad mix of wild greens. You'll find it on Tuscan and Umbrian tables sauteed with white beans in Minutina e Fagioli. Try it in Frittata con Erba Stella or as a replacement for basil in pesto. Sow: April-AugustPlant: 30cm apartHarvest: 8-10 weeks after sowingKitchen: Eat fresh or wilted. Pairs well with citrus (lemon), spices (fennel, chilli), alliums (spring onion, garlic), fats (parmesan, eggs, butter, walnuts), salty (olives, capers).Notes: Early sowings benefit from fleece.
0.15g (approx 500 seeds). We pack seeds by weight, the number of seeds in a packet is an estimate.
The most stunning winter leek I've come across. Shades of Belgian Blue is a diverse mix of winter-hardy leeks with leaves that tend towards blue and purple pigmentation. Cold temperatures bring out the stunning colouring. Selected for rust resistance.Diverse population which has been selected to overwinter well in our soggy field in Dorset. This is an Open Source Seed Initiative variety.
Sow: April-May undercover or outside. Sow thickly in a seed bed. You can make a seed bed in open soil or use a crate/large pot filled with a multipurpose compost.Plant: May-June. Separate leek seedlings and trim roots and leaves by two thirds. This makes it easier to plant the leeks. Dib holes 20cm apart. Place 1 leek in each hole for big leeks, 3 in each hole for baby leeks. Do not recover with soil.Harvest: October-JanuaryKitchen: Almost as versatile as an onion. Slow cook to bring out sweetness or roast, barbecue & grill whole to add another flavour dimension. Pairs well with acid - lemon, white wine; fats - butter, cream, yogurt, cheese; aromatics - chervil, chives, tarragon, thyme.1g (350 seeds). We pack seeds by weight, the number of seeds in a packet is an estimate.
Germ: 89% Jan 26
