The Real Seed Catalogue

The best vegetable seeds for the Kitchen Garden

VEGETABLE SEEDS Aubergines Beans Beetroot & Carrots Broccoli, Rapini and Kale Cabbage & Sprouts Cauliflower Celery, Leeks & Fennel Chard, Spinach & Greens for cooking Dual-Use Greens for both cooking & salads Mustard Greens Courgettes & Summer Squash Cucumbers, Gherkins & suchlike things Lettuces More Salad Vegetables Herbs Onions Melons & Watermelons Peas Early Sweet Peppers Early Chilli Peppers Sweet Corn Tasty & Early Tomatoes Unusual Tubers: Oca & Ulluco Parsnips, Turnips & Radishes Winter Squash (Pumpkins) Tomatilloes & Groundcherries Various Grains Flowers Mini-Collections Useful Books

~ CELERY Seed ~

'Full White' Self-blanching Celery
A nice white celery. The upright plants are vigorous, and grow on well, needing little or no earthing up to give a nicely blanched & mild-tasting interior.

We can't be bothered with normal celery because it seems too much effort to earth them up. So we were very pleased to find this self-blanching variety which really is tender and mild without any attention at all.

The one Ben is holding in the picture was not earthed up at all, though we tied it loosely with a bit of hessian twine towards the end (partly because it was getting so big), and we think that it has come out really well for so little work! Some people like to pack straw around the plants to enhance the self-blanching effect further. Stands well, ready from October.

This variety is actually an Italian strain, but we have found that it does very well in the UK, even in the damp and humid bits of Wales!

White self-blanching var.

Order CeFW - 600 seed £1.05

~ LEEK Seed ~

Between them all you should - with a bit of luck - have leeks for almost half the year. Big packets, because we like to grow lots of leeks.

~ Listed in order of harvest. ~

'Jaune de Poitou' Yellow Leek (Early)
A nice productive early leek for autumn harvest. We also like this one because the yellow colour makes a great contrast in the garden. (Grow next to the Bleu de Solaise for a real contrast - see the picture!)

This traditional leek from the west of France grows quickly. Get it in early, and it is then ready right at the start of the winter, making short fat leeks in Autumn.

It normally would be harvested before the really hard frosts start, as it is not as cold-hardy as the overwintering leeks below.

Yellow! Early autumn leek from Europe.

Order LkJP - 400 seed £1.35

We think this is a good all-round leek. It is normally harvested in late autumn/early winter before the worst of the winter frosts.

Fat, for autumn/winter harvest.

Order LkMC - 400 seed £1.35

'Bleu de Solaise' Blue Winter Leek
An old French winter variety - long leeks with blue-grey leaves. Hardy and very cold-resistant, it turns darker after frost.

In a comparative trial against 'Musselburgh', it was noticeably more vigorous, growing faster & bigger, although the two varieties actually share a common ancestry.

A good one for standing overwinter even in atrocious weather.

Late, for winter/spring harvest.

Order LkBS - 400 seed £1.45

'Meziers' Long Winter Leek
Our quest for the best leeks continues, and after much discussion in the garden, and tasting in the kitchen last winter, we are making a slight change in the line-up this year.

This is now our recommendation for those of you who want very long leeks. It replaces the 'Genevilliers' leek we had before, as it is more productive, making excellent long white shanks.

You will of course get fatter leeks if you grow shorter varieties , so its really a question of personal taste as to which which shape you prefer.

It is particularly cold-hardy, and so good for standing overwinter and harvesting on into spring.

Long, long leeks, for winter/spring harvest.

Order LkLM - 400 seed £1.45

~ FENNEL Seed (FLORENCE TYPE) ~

'Colossal' Fennel
We have tried other varieties over the years, but are sticking with this one because it's just great. No point in change just for the sake of it!

In our experience, perhaps 'colossal' is a little optimistic, but this strain of bulb (florence) fennel grows well, forming a really nice big white bulb with less tendency to bolt than other varieties that we have tried. Best planted in mid summer for an autumn crop, but has also grown fine for us earlier in the year.

This has always done particularly well for us, despite alternating drought and downpours last summer.

Good for salads or cooking. Sow after mid-summer for autumn harvest

Order FeCO - 250 seed £1.40

'Mantovano' Spring-sowable Fennel
Fennel is normally sown in mid-summer, as it tends to bolt (go straight to seed) if planted in Spring.

But this new Italian variety was particularly bred to be also suitable for sowing in late spring (harvest July onwards), with strong bolt resistance.

It produces a nice white bulb, with a slightly flattened shape.

We first offered it in 2004 and have had a lot of positive reports back from people (and no complaints!), so we are pleased to be listing it again.

We'd still be interested in hearing how you get on with it; feedback (both good and bad!) is really important for us to make this catalogue a list of 'the best of the best'.

Order FeMA - 250 seed £1.30

When? Bolt resistant, particularly worth trying for spring sowing, with a summer harvest, but you can sow after mid-summer as usual as well.