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~ Seed for HERBS ~

Herbs can be some of the most rewarding plants to grow, with even a few plants providing flavouring for many different meals, as well as filling the garden with scent and colour. Many of the herbs we offer can be grown very successfully in containers if you have limited garden space or want to cheer up a patio or balcony.

~ (i) BASILS ~




 

plant picture Finissimo Basil
The smallest-leaved basil there is. Finissimo forms a neat round bush which is ideal for growing in a pot. The leaves are tiny (1/2 cm), but have a lovely strong basil scent and flavour. One of Kate's favourites - perfect for growing on a windowsill so that it's always to hand when you're cooking.

Tiny, strong-scented bushes.

Order HeFB - 400 seed £1.69



plant picture Mammoth Basil
We had to put these two together! This is the largest-leaved basil we could find. Relatively compact (30cm) plants, but they have large 'lettuce'-type leaves. An excellent sweet basil flavour for salads and other dishes. We like it in tomato sandwiches as each leaf will cover an entire slice of tomato!

Note: several people have pointed out that this has a slightly more aniseed-tinted flavour than other basils. We like it! But we also now have a different sweet basil as well - see below.

Green, huge leaves.

Order HeMB - 400 seed £1.69



plant picture Sweet Genovese Basil
This is a medium-sized sweet basil from Genoa - which we have added for those of you who requested a traditional pesto variety.

Green, medium-sized leaves.

Order HeGB - 400 seed £1.69



~ (ii) OTHER HERBS ~

Give outdoor parsley some protection with a cloche or sow a late crop in a polytunnel for fresh leaves right through the winter.
Coriander can also be sown undercover in late summer for harvesting in autumn & winter.



 

plant picture 'Frise Vert Fonce' Parsley
A nice tightly curled green parsley from France, bred to have good long stalks that hold the leaves clear of the soil, so less mud to wash off when it rains. Germinates and grows easily in a pot or in the ground.

Good strong parsley taste - try an unusual 'pesto' made by blending lots of this parsley, cashew nuts or almonds, garlic, olive oil and a splash of vinegar plus a little warm water if needed to help it blend. Delicious!

An essential herb for the kitchen . Tightly curled.

Order HeFV - 2g (lots of seed!) £1.48



plant picture 'Gigante di Napoli' Parsley
A large flat-leaved parsley from Naples, ideal for cooked dishes and for those of you who prefer this type. Really huge dark green leaves & a good flavour.

Order HeGN - 2g (lots of seed!) £1.48



plant picture Coriander - leaf selection (Coriandrum sativum)
If you want to grow coriander for the fresh leaves (rather than for seed), it is important to grow a variety selected for this purpose. This selection is slow to bolt and produces nice bushy plants. Keep well watered and pick very frequently to maximise production.

Grows well outdoors from late spring through into summer. Extend the season by sowing under fleece or (ideally) in a polytunnel in early spring or in autumn and you can have fresh coriander almost all year round.

Slow to bolt, for fresh leaves

Order HeLC - 120 seed £1.86


plant pictureChinese Chives (a.k.a. Garlic Chives)
Chinese chives are an easily grown herb, very useful in the kitchen. Their clumps of distinctive flat leaves have rounded tips and a mild garlic flavour, hence their other common name of Garlic Chives.

We particularly like them snipped into an omelette. They actually make an underground rhizome and come back year after year, so once you have a clump established you have them forever.

Order OnCC - (lots of seeds) £1.68



plant picture 'Quillquiña' (Porophyllum ruderale)
With a citrus spicy scent and flavour, this is used in South America to make delicious salsa, & can also be used anywhere you would use fresh coriander. The plants have pointy leaves with an attractive blue-green colour & grow eventually to around waist high. Particularly good with bean dishes and potato cakes.

3' Tall. Spicy-citrus flavour.

Order HeQU - 40 seed [OG2] £1.50 - Seed kindly grown for us by Anne Bartlett


plant picture 'Papalo' (Porophyllum coloratum)
This quick-growing annual has a nice, intensely spicy-sharp scent, suitable for salsas, or an alternative to coriander.

Bright green plants with pretty round leaves grow 2' to 5' tall, and need a warm sunny spot. Ben's favourite, makes fantastic refried beans and chillies.

2' Tall. Nice savoury flavour.

Order HePA - 40 seed [OG2] £1.34

Feedback on Papalo & Quillquiña:

"They have been absolutely amazing and have changed the way I think about flavour and cooking in general. At first taste, my brain didn't know what to make of it, like licking a bar of soap maybe, but 15 minutes later I wanted to go back and try another leaf. And another. And another. Slowly you start to discern the subtleties of the flavour and it opens up whole new culinary possibilities. Q is great in curries & spicy soups etc. whereas the citrus taste of P is good in chilli and salsa. It adds some extra creativity to my kitchen, giving me more of a "what if I add some of it to this" attitude. So thank you for these interesting plants, they have been a real hit!" - Alex Wendes

 


plant pictureplant picture 'Green Perilla'
Perilla (also known as Shiso) is an easily grown, handsome annual herb similar to Basil but without such a high heat requirement.

This strain is a particularly bright and vivid lime green with a strong fruity flavour and an almost cinnamon-like aroma.

Used as a garnish in meat dishes, or wrapped around sushi in Japan, but equally good used in UK cooking. Perilla can also be used in sweet dishes like fruit salad.

Order HeGP - 1g (lots of seeds) £0.99


Saving Herb Seed:

plant pictureplant pictureplant pictureplant pictureplant pictureplant picture

It is different for each herb, but in general with the herbs, you get a lot of seed for not too much effort.

You need to grow only 1 variety to avoid crossing, and let it flower.

Usually you rub or stomp out the seed (the rubber mat from your car is ideal for this!), and then pass it through a sieve to get rid of the big bits of stalk etc.

The pictures show basil seed being done by Ben.
Basil seed is easy because although it looks as it will fall out when ripe,
it doesn't, so you can leave it to get really brown and dry without worry.

Seed-saving instructions are included with your seeds, so you can do this yourself.
And of course, seed-saving is only possible because these are all real, non-hybrid varieties.

 



The Real Seed Catalogue is produced by The Real Seed Collection Ltd , a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee.
~ Company No 5924934 ~ VAT No 841181938 ~ DEFRA registered Seed Provider No 7289 ~

Our Unique Guarantee:
We think these are the best seeds you can sow.
We will immediately refund or replace if you are in any way less than delighted with them, even including the flavour of the resulting crop!

Due to daft seed laws, rare veg seeds can only be supplied to members of our Seed Club. Membership costs one penny per annum. When we process your order, you will be charged for
a year's Seed Club Membership if yours is not up to date. For more details see our terms and conditions.

Gardeners Should Save their Own Seed:
Because none of these seeds are hybrids,
you can save your own seed for future use: there's no need to buy new each year.

Saving your own is easy. You will get great seed, and great vegetables adapted to your local conditions.
Do have a go - read the seedsaving instructions we provide with every packet, and also on this site.

~ 33,000 home seed-saving instructions sent out since 2003 ~

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