Heirloom vegetable seeds chosen by gardeners.
The best vegetable seeds for the Kitchen Garden
 

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VEGETABLE SEEDS

Aubergines
Beans
Beetroot
Broad Beans
Broccoli & Rapini
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Carrots
Celery
Chilli Peppers
Courgettes & Summer Squash
Cucumbers, Gherkins
& suchlike things
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Leeks
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( for cooking)
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Radishes
(salad, & cooking types)
Root Parsley NEW
Salad Vegetables
Sweet Corn
Swedes
Sweet Peppers
Tomatoes : Bush Types
Tomatoes : Vine Types
Tomatoes : New Centiflor types
Tomatilloes & Groundcherries
Turnips
Unusual Tubers: Oca & Ulluco
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Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties

 

SEEDSAVING

Why Save Your Own Seed?
How to Save Seed
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Threshing & Winnowing
Processing Brassica Seed

Drying your seed

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Why GMO vegetable seed is stupid

 

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click to


download as a Word Document

Home Threshing & Winnowing Seed

Lots of seed comes in pods, or with feathery bits attached.
Usually stomping on the dry seedpods will break it all up & release the seed,
but then how do you get rid of all the bits?

Often the answer is to winnow. Because the bits are lighter than the seed, they blow away in a breeze.

Harvest . . .
So, you've decided its time to harvest. Cut the whole stem off, and pile on an old sheet somewhere airy (and bird-free - they love the seed) to dry.

...Thresh . . . .

Once dry, jump all over them and you'll get lots of seed mixed with broken up stem & pods.

For things like oats and chard that have tough glumes or are well-attached to the stems, a great trick is to stomp and stamp it on a rubber mat. The rubber grips the plant material but is soft enough to stop the seeds being damaged.

plant pictureplant picture


So you've got this pile of stems and stalks and seeds - shake the pile & the seeds will fall to the bottom, and you can just pull off most of the big bits of rubbish now.

Sieve if you can
If you have a garden riddle – you know,  a round wooden sieve for sieving compost- it can sometimes help to pour the mixed seeds & debris through it, to get out the bigger bits of rubbish. If not, just pick them out by hand.

Putting the lot in a bucket and tapping it works well too – the bigger bits rise to the surface and can be picked out. Just be patient. You need to get out any big bits simply so it dries well. Large bits of stem or leaf never dry properly, and are an invitation to damp and mould in storage.

plant picture...and Winnow
Then to get the rest out, pour the seed and bits from one bucket to another in a breeze - the bits will blow away, and the seed will remain.

plant picture


 



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!

Seeds are only supplied to members of our Seed Club. Membership costs 1p 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 ~

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

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