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Archive for December, 2012
Friday, December 28th, 2012
Late flowering hebe, flowers until November and maybe beyond!
Hebe Autumn Glory £14.99
An easy-to-grow evergreen shrub that is ideal for a warm, sheltered spot, becoming smothered in short spikes of deep purple flowers from midsummer right through to late autumn. Once established, it shows good drought tolerance. Flowers July-November. Height 80cm. Supplied in a 2 litre pot.
Filed: Suttons Seeds
Friday, December 28th, 2012
Erica plants
Erica x darleyensis Twin Pack £20.98
SAVE £3.00 on this Twin Pack containing 6 plants – 3 each of Kramers White & Kramers Red. These are amongst the hardiest of all heathers, and will thrive in almost any soil. They produce spreading mounds of evergreen bronze-green, needle-like foliage, which smothers out the weeds, making them a superb choice for ground cover. But it is in winter and spring when they really come into their own, becoming completely smothered in little spikes of bell-shaped flowers (which the bees adore), and putting on a colourful display even through snow and ice and anything else a British winter can throw at them. They prefer a sunny spot and benefit from a light trim after blooming. Flowers December-April. Height 30cm.
Erica x darleyensis Kramers White £11.99
These are amongst the hardiest of all heathers, and will thrive in almost any soil. They produce spreading mounds of evergreen bronze-green, needle-like foliage, which smothers out the weeds, making them a superb choice for ground cover. But it is in winter and spring when they really come into their own, becoming completely smothered in little spikes of bell-shaped flowers (which the bees adore), and putting on a colourful display even through snow and ice and anything else a British winter can throw at them. They prefer a sunny spot and benefit from a light trim after blooming. Flowers December-April. Height 30cm.
Heather (Erica) darleyensis White Perfection £6.99
Considered by many to be the very best white heather variety available! RHS Award of Garden Merit winner. Flowers December-April. Height 40cm. Supplied in a 10cm pot. HEATHER SPECIAL OFFER – Buy any 3 for the price of 2 and SAVE £6.99!These superb plants produce spreading mounds of evergreen, needle-like foliage, which smothers out the weeds, making them a superb choice for ground cover. In winter and spring they really come into their own, becoming completely smothered in little spikes of bell-shaped flowers (which the bees adore), and putting on a colourful display even through snow and ice and anything else a British winter can throw at them.
Heather (erica) carnea Golden Starlet £6.99
Spreading mats of bright yellow foliage that turns yellow-green in winter, and is topped with snow-white blooms. Flowers December-March. Height 15cm. Supplied in a 10cm pot. HEATHER SPECIAL OFFER – Buy any 3 for the price of 2 and SAVE £6.99!These superb plants produce spreading mounds of evergreen, needle-like foliage, which smothers out the weeds, making them a superb choice for ground cover. In winter and spring they really come into their own, becoming completely smothered in little spikes of bell-shaped flowers (which the bees adore), and putting on a colourful display even through snow and ice and anything else a British winter can throw at them.
Filed: Suttons Seeds
Friday, December 28th, 2012
Winter Jasmine is a wonderful plant that provides colour in the middle of winter.
Winter Jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum) £15.99
This popular shrub can be allowed to scramble freely over a low wall or bank, or trained against a wall or fence. Its stems are bright green and give an evergreen impression, even in winter, when they become smothered in masses of tiny, bright yellow blooms. Flowers December-March. Height 3m. Supplied in a 3 litre pot.Plan ahead and place a few winter and early spring climbers where you can see them from the warmth and comfort of indoors! Theyll create colour and interest, allow you to hide unsightly walls and bring an extra dimension to your garden!
Filed: Suttons Seeds
Friday, December 28th, 2012
Helleborus niger (The Christmas Rose) £15.99
The Christmas Rose boasts large, round, flat-faced, snow-white flowers which are set off beautifully against leathery, deep green foliage. Despite its common name, it cannot always be guaranteed to flower at Christmas, however; many plants do not bloom until the same time as other hellebores, later in the spring. It looks outstanding in a winter border, but is also ideal for growing in pots in a cold frame, sun room or frost-free greenhouse, which will encourage earlier flowering. RHS Award of Garden Merit winner. Height 45cm. Supplied in a 9cm pot.
Filed: Suttons Seeds
Friday, December 28th, 2012
Flowering Quince (Chaenomeles superba) Fire Dance £17.99
This superb garden hybrid is a tough and very hardy shrub, ideal for bringing early spring colour to your garden, with its magnificent display of vivid red, cup-shaped flowers, followed by a heavy crop of fragrant fruits. Prefers full sun or partial shade. Flowers March-May. Height 1.5m. Supplied in a 3 litre pot. 2-in-1 shrub interest – long and amazing flowering period and edible fruits!Even when there is still snow on the ground, and before the daffodils and tulips flower, many plants are already bursting into bloom. And when these early bulbs and shrubs come into flower in late winter and early spring, its a delight to the senses!
Filed: Suttons Seeds
Friday, December 28th, 2012
Viburnum opulus Compactum (Guelder Rose) £24.99
A medium-sized deciduous shrub whose attractively lobed leaves form the backdrop to flat heads of cream-and-white flowers. In autumn, it boasts purplish-pink leaves and bright red berries. Flowers May-June. Height 1.5m. 2-in-1 autumn and spring interest. Supplied in a 5 litre pot.
Viburnum bodnantense Dawn £17.99
A magnificent deciduous shrub producing dense clusters of sweetly scented pale rose-pink flowers from late autumn right through to spring. Its leafless stems, clothed in flowers, are a heart-warming sight on a winters day! Flowers October-March. Height 3m. Supplied in a 4 litre pot. RHS Award of Garden Merit winner. 2-in-1 winter interest and scented.If your garden looks rather bleak and sad in the winter, then you need to spice it up! Many varieties are at their absolute best at that time of year, and if you add some of those, then youll soon find yourself looking on it in a whole new light!
Filed: Suttons Seeds
Friday, December 28th, 2012
A great mix of hedge plants suitable for year round interest.
Hedge Four Season Collection £24.99
This superb collection comprises four varieties to give colour and contrast from winter through to autumn. Bright red and yellow flowers, blue berries and colourful foliage are just some of the features that will make this hedge so special! Collection contains 10 plants:Copper Beech (Fagus sylvatica Purpurea) – A decidous tree with luxurious-looking glossy purple leaves that turn copper-brown in autumn. Height 5m+. Pack of 4 plants.Japanese Quince (Chaenolmeles superba) – A tough, hardy decidous shrub producing fantastic bright red blooms. Flowers March-May. Height 1m. Pack of 2 plants.Mahonia aquifolium – An evergreen shrub producing scented yellow flowers that are loved by bees and insects, followed by bright blue berries in autumn. Flowers January-April. Height 1m. Pack of 2 plants.Viburnum opulus – A hardy decidous shrub bearing clusters of snow-white lacecap-type flowers in spring and summer, followed by vivid red berries in autumn. Flowers May-June. Height 5m. Pack of 2 plants. BUY ANY 2 HEDGE COLLECTIONS AND SAVE £10.00!There’s nothing nicer than to watch the seasons pass with the changes that take place in a living hedge. Hedges provide privacy, shade, protection from the wind, and guard against soil erosion. Some good reasons to grow a hedge: some provide beauty and interest throughout the seasons, some make the perfect partner to spring bulbs, some create a rich tapestry of texture and others are deliciously scented! These hedges can be left to grow free, or kept neatly trimmed – the choice is yours!
Filed: Suttons Seeds
Friday, December 28th, 2012
James Wong’s Homegrown Revolution Book + FREE SEED! £20.00
Buy James’ brand new gardening book today and get 6 packets of seed worth £11.10 from his brand new seed range COMPLETELY FREE!In his new book, James’ shows us a completely new range of fruit and vegetables to grow and eat. It is also packed with tasty recipes that you can make at home with the crops that you grow!You will learn how to harvest homegrown quinoa, your very own popcorn or plant a mini green tea plantation on your patio. This inspiring new book is great fun and full of plant wisdom. TV presenter and two times RHS medal winner James Wong shows that there’s much more to grow than potatoes and sprouts on your allotment.PLUS to get you going with your own Homegrown Revolution we will also send you 6 packets of seed from the Homegrown Revolution seed range (worth £11.10!) that we have developed with James.This would make the perfect gift for newbie growers to seasoned allotment veterans – in fact anyone who grows their own will certainly enjoy this fascinating book!
Dahlia ‘Yams’ Seeds £1.85
Part of the James Wong Homegrown Revolution Range.Decorative and edible. Dahlias were brought to our shores as a prized edible crop. Rediscover your very own stash of Aztec gold!Believe it or not, the runner beans we all know and love were actually originally introduced to UK gardens as an ornamental plant for their pretty flowers, whilst conversely dahlias were brought to our shores as a prized edible crop! Cultivated for hundreds of years by the Aztecs, these sweet, starchy tubers were scoffed in huge quantities alongside such supermarket staples as avocados, chillies and maize. In fact, the 18th century botanist Anders Dahl (which the species is named after) was utterly convinced that these would soon supersede the potato in popularity, which actually came close to happening when they were tried out as a blight resistant spud-substitute during the Irish potato famine. Today, they are still a popular food in their native mountains of Southern Mexico. Sow: February-April. Harvest: October-December.
Salsify Seeds £1.85
Part of the James Wong Homegrown Revolution Range.Foolproof to grow. Extra harvest of spring greens. Delicious in soups. 2 for 1; creamy oyster flavoured roots and succulent spring greens. Tastes like: Parsnip, potato, artichoke.Combining the sugary flavour of roast parsnips with a silky creaminess that is altogether a more rich dairy treat than dusty old root vegetables, this old-school Victorian favourite should be mandatory growing for any rookie allotmenteer.Infinitely easier to grow than carrots, parsnips or pretty much any other root veg, the plants are as generous as they are resilient, offering up a delicious side-line harvest of tender spring greens, followed by stunning (and edible) pink blossom in their second year. Sow: March-April. Harvest: September-October.
Japanese Beefsteak Plant Seeds £1.85
Part of the James Wong Homegrown Revolution Range.Frilly, colourful foliage. A savoury, spicy ingredient. Delicious addition to oriental cooking. Tastes like Cumin, salty, roast beef. Already a hugely popular bedding plant known for its frilly, colourful foliage, it is surprising that no one knows that these young leaves are edible. Scatter a few of these plants through your flower border for a savoury, spicy ingredient that will happily sit incognito amongst your herbaceous perennials. Sowing: March-April. Harvest: June-October.
Asparagus Pea Seeds £1.85
Part of the James Wong Homegrown Revolution Range.Easy to grow. Delicious and ornamental. Perfect combination of asparagus and peas. Tastes like: Fresh asparagus & garden peas.Now heres a plant that really lives up to its name, perfectly combining the flavour of garden peas and fresh asparagus into its tiny, curiously-shaped pea pods. Frilly round the edges and divided up into four little wings, the peas are enormously popular throughout the whole of Southern Asia and they are probably the most attractive vegetable crop that you can grow. Little trailing branches which radiate out from a central point, give the whole plant a snowflake-like appearance when viewed from above, ending in pretty, rusty red flowers. Delicious, ornamental and easy-to-grow this plant really is the perfect horticultural multi-tasker. Sow: April-May. Harvest: July-August.
Electric Daisies Seeds £1.85
Part of the James Wong Homegrown Revolution Range.Has a fizzy space dust-like effect when eaten. Traditionally used in treating toothache, mouth ulcers & sore throats.Pop one of these unassuming little yellow flowers in your mouth and you will soon find out how it got its range of colourful common names; everything from buzz buttons to toothache plant. An initial burst of citrus tang is quickly followed by a curious, tingly sensation – like a jolt of electricity – that fills your whole mouth, ending in a mild local anaesthesia that can last for up to 15 minutes!This fizzy space dust-like effect – which some have likened to licking a 9 volt battery – is produced by the plants high levels of a pain-relieving agent called spilanthol, explaining its traditional use in treating toothache, mouth ulcers & sore throats for centuries. Spilanthol’s muscle relaxing effects have even meant that an extract of the plant has found its way into high-end face creams that claim to have a natural ‘botox’ effect. Sow: March-April. Harvest: June-October.
Bergamot Seeds £1.85
Part of the James Wong Homegrown Revolution Range.Take the intense zest of citrus-peel, blend it with fragrance of fresh mint and wrap the whole lot up in a package pretty enough to upstage any garden flower and youll have Bergamot.Its characteristic scent is created by a naturally-occurring insect repellent compound, which means that inter-mingling them with crops such as tomatoes or carrots can help deter raids from marauding insects, not to mention making your veg patch look stunning.With its heady Earl Grey-scented leaves topped with dazzling flowers, mingle a drift of these through any bed or border for a summer of fragrance and colour thats as irresistible to bees as it is to greedy foodies. Bergamot-infused mojito anyone? Sow: April-June. Harvest: July-August (year 2).
Wintergreen Seeds £1.85
Part of the James Wong Homegrown Revolution Range.Scarlet root beer-flavoured berries on creeping evergreen plants. Prized by the Mohawks and Ojiwe tribes for its delicious, effervescent flavour and pain relieving properties, the fragrant leaves and red berries arethe key ingredient in old-fashioned US-style root beer – originally brewed (like Coca Cola) as a medicinal drink.They spread out to form an evergreen matt of shiny green leaves, white bell-shaped flowers and aromatic scarlet berries. They even have the added benefit of being one of the few fruit crops that positively love growing in shade, livening up dark corners as well as your palate. Sow: March-April. Harvest: September-December.
Borage Seeds £1.85
Part of the James Wong Homegrown Revolution Range.Easy to grow. Delicious ornamental. Perfect for the gardener who wants it all. Tastes like: Green melon, cucumber, runner beans.In Britain borages cucumber-flavoured leaves and starry-blue flowers are usually confined to the herb gardens of stately homes. However on the Continent far from being a historical relic, its fresh, delicate taste with hints of green melon, makes it a common supermarket vegetable from Frankfurt to Crete. Delicious, easy to grow and stunningly ornamental, this is the ideal multi-tasking veg for the gardener who wants it all. Sow: August-September. Harvest: October-November.
Inca Berries Seeds £1.85
Part of the James Wong Homegrown Revolution Range.Very easy to grow. Delicious and ornamental. Individual berries wrapped in a Chinese lantern. The Incan delicacy that thrives on neglect, giving fresh berries right up until Christmas. Tastes like: Gooseberries, kiwi, pineapple, orange.Recognisable in patisseries or indeed many cocktails, these shiny golden berries, each wrapped in its own paper Chinese lantern, are one of the trendiest garnishes around. Also known as the Cape Gooseberry (although it originates from highland Peru), the golden berry, or simply by its genus name Physalis, these sticky amber balls have a rich flavour of ripe gooseberries with a hint of tropical fruit, followed by a pleasant bitter sweet aftertaste. Sow: February-April. Harvest: August-October.
Queensland Arrowroot Seeds £1.85
Part of the James Wong Homegrown Revolution Range.Alternative to normal potatoes. Extremely adaptable ornamental and edible crop. Delicious roasted, mashed, in soups or as gnocchi.These stunning plants have been cultivated for what is believed to be over 4,000 years in the Amazon for their deliciously starchy rhizomes. They are now a major crop from Mexico to Vietnam to Australia (hence the name Queensland Arrowroot), where they are enjoyed in an enormous variety of ways from sugary cookies to fluffy cakes and silky, smooth soups. Sow: January-March. Harvest: October-November.
Chinese Chives Seeds £1.85
Part of the James Wong Homegrown Revolution Range.Very easy to grow. Thrives for up to 30 years! The ultimate low maintenance crop. Tastes like: Mild onion, sweet garlic.The ultimate low maintenance crop for gardeners who want loads of flavour for minimal labour, the young leaves and slender flower buds of Chinese Chives are somewhere between a fresh cooking green and a delicate chive-like herb, with the flavour of sweet, roasted garlic.Thriving in your plot for up to 30 years from a single planting, this extra long-living plant will reward you with decades of gourmet veg harvests in your back garden. If all that wasnt enough they will decorate your garden with a dusting of white star-shaped blossom throughout the summer!The leaves can be harvested to within 3cm of the ground up to 3 times per year, 4 if using cloches. However if the delicious flower buds are what you are after then only cut 2 harvests – one in early summer and one in late autumn, so the plant has sufficient reserves to give a decent crop of both leaves and flowers. Like with many flowering plants, the more you pick the more they produce, so keep snipping throughout the summer for maximum harvests. Sow: February-April. Harvest: August-November.
Chop Suey Greens Seeds £1.85
Part of the James Wong Homegrown Revolution Range.The edible oriental Chrysanthemum that goes from seed to plate in 6 weeks. Tastes like: Broccoli, samphire and the smell of chrysanthemum. You might be far more likely to find these seeds in the flower section than alongside trendy oriental veg like pak choi and bean sprouts, however the leaves of this pretty Chrysanthemum are easily the most delicious traditional Asian green that can be grown in the UK. With super fast growing leafy greens and aromatic, sunny yellow flowers, there is so much more to this plant than just a pretty window box decoration. Sow: March-September. Harvest: May-October.
Squash Flower Seeds £1.85
Part of the James Wong Homegrown Revolution Range.Easy to grow. High yielding delicious delicacy. Makes full use of the entire plant. Tastes like: Eggs, green beans.They might be found in every allotment in the country, but if youve ever grown squash before and only eaten its fruit, you will have inadvertently wasted two-thirds of your harvest.Easily as delicious as the squashes themselves, the flowers and young shoots of many squash plants are widely eaten as conventional vegetables in every country from Argentina to Zimbabwe, often costing over 4 times the price of squash themselves at fancy farmers markets and up-market deli’s in the UK. Variety: Courgette Nano verde di Milano. Sow: April-May. Harvest: July-September.
Cucamelon Seeds £1.85
Part of the James Wong Homegrown Revolution Range.Easy to grow. Vigorous climber/trailer. Pest and drought resistant. Grape-sized ‘watermelons’ that taste of cucumber with a tinge of lime. Tastes like: Cucumber & citrus.These tiny watermelon look-a-likes from Central America are small enough to fit into a teaspoon, yet bite into one and the flavour is pure cucumber with a fresh tinge of lime. Popular since pre-Columbian times, these rampant trailing vines produce a constant stream of fruit throughout the summer, known in Mexico as Sanditas de Raton, literally Little Mouse Watermelons. Despite their exotic origins and adorable appearance, they are much easier to grow than regular cucumbers. They are ignored by pests, resistant to drought & perfectly happy to grow outdoors in the UK, given a sheltered sunny site.Cucamelons can also be treated like a perennial providing you with fruit year-after-year. In late autumn once the fruiting period is over, lift the cucamelon’s main radish like root and store in barely moist compost in a garage or shed over winter. Plant out again in early April to achieve early fruiting. Sow: April-May. Harvest: July-September.
Radish Mooli Seeds £1.85
Part of the James Wong Homegrown Revolution Range.Quick and unbelievably easy to grow. Crisp, peppery roots can store for winter use. Treat them mean and keep them keen!The dim sum favourite thats as foolproof as a garden radish to grow. Tastes like: Turnip & radish.The mooli, the exotic oriental sister of the normal radish, is not only easy to grow but is infinitely more fun in the kitchen. Baked, boiled, fried, shredded & transformed into some pretty fancy dim sum. They come into crop at the chilly end of autumn when little else exciting is rearing its head & unlike their ubiquitous European siblings, are rather tricky to find outside of Asian grocers. They even come in a bewildering array of colours, from pure white to acid green and even a version with a shocking pink heart. Make space for half a dozen of these and open up a whole range of new culinary experiences way beyond the scope of the sad supermarket types. Sow: July-September. Harvest: August-November.
Eucalyptus Lemon Bush Seeds £1.85
Part of the James Wong Homegrown Revolution Range.Incredible lemon sherbet flavour. Can be grown in small urban gardens.Can be used as an infusion or rub. Tastes like: Lemongrass, sherbet, mint, toffee.Combining the familiar herbal scent of gum tree with warm, toffee-like notes to create a sweet, woody flavour, the aroma of whole eucalyptus leaf will work its magic on anything from crisp roast pork to an indulgent creme brulee. Suspend your skepticism, give it a go & you will wonder why it isnt in everyones spice rack! Sow: February-April. Harvest: All year.
Callaloo Seeds £1.85
Part of the James Wong Homegrown Revolution Range.Easy to grow. Delicious and ornamental. Perfect combination of spinach and watercress. Tastes like: Spinach, broccoli, watercress.Central to any good West Indian feast, the delicious spinach-like leaves of this super fast-growing plant come in every conceivable psychedelic shade, from acid green and highlighter orange to the deepest blood red. Sow: May-August. Harvest: June-October.
Goji Berries Seeds £1.85
Part of the James Wong Homegrown Revolution Range.Highly productive. Delicious & foolproof to grow. Sky high in antioxidants. The eastern ‘superfood’ thats easier to grow than a stinging nettle. Tastes like: Malt, tomato, cranberry.The goji berry bush is a perennial plant and as such will continue to produce fruits each year. You might be surprised to learn that the exotic Himalayan Goji Berry lives a secret double life as a common, and quite often very invasive, weed throughout much of the UK. Highly productive, delicious and foolproof to grow, before planting one of these it is actually even worth double checking that it hasnt already planted itself in that neglected corner completely unbeknownst to you. Free from the risk of pests or disease, keep on top of watering and the Goji Berry is happy to get on with the job – producing berries by the punnet load year-after-year. Shelter your plant from the worst of the winter in its first year either by bringing pots into a greenhouse or by covering with fleece outdoors. Sow: January-March. Harvest: July-October (year 2).
Nasturtium Gem Mix Seeds £1.85
Part of the James Wong Homegrown Revolution Range.Flavourful and versatile salad crop. Crisp, peppery flowers and seeds.Foolproof to grow! Tastes like: Watercress, black pepper, horseradish.Despite being possibly the most flavourful & versatile salad crop that can be grown on our blustery little island, this exotic Incan vegetable has nevertheless been unfairly relegated to the flower border for over a hundred years.Yet give it a chance in the veg patch and it will adorn your beds with an almost inexhaustible supply of peppery leaves, watercress flavoured flowers and crisp caper-like seed-pods for literally months on end. There is literally no cheaper, prettier or easier salad ingredient you can grow. Sow: March-June. Harvest: June-September.
Sea Kale Seeds £1.85
A true UK native vegetable. Easy to grow. Grows year-after-year. Tastes like: White asparagus, samphire.Along with watercress and perhaps leeks, sea kale is one of the very few truly native UK vegetables, once found on pebbly beaches of sandy coastal soils all over the country. Wonder why you havent seen one of these on your last seaside trip? Well the short answer is that greedy Victorians loved its delicate, nutty flavour so much that they pushed it to the brink of extinction in the wild. In fact they are still a protected species today, which means the only way to get hold of their ivory stems for the kitchen is to grow them yourself!With its coastal origins, sea kale enjoys a site with particularly well-drained soil in full sun. Dig a good couple of spadefuls of grit into the soil prior to planting and keep well-watered while establishing. Apart from this your plants will only need a hardy pruning in the late autumn, cutting them down to ground level. Although they can be found growing native on beaches across the UK, they are a protected species meaning they are illegal to harvest from the wild (the result of generations of mass over-harvesting by Victorian foodies). Sow: April-June. Harvest: July-November.
Musk Melon F1 Emir Seeds £1.85
Part of the James Wong Homegrown Revolution Range.Early fruiting. Sweet, tasty, fragrant, orange flesh. Fruits outdoors, even in the UK! Grow exotic melons without the need for a greenhouse! Tastes like: Cantaloupe melon.Once thought of as a resolutely heat-loving species, recent breakthroughs in melon breeding have transformed these natives of the African desert into something that can reliably fruit outdoors even on our blustery North Atlantic island chain. Treat a couple of these trailing vines to your hottest, sunniest site and be duly rewarded with up to six fragrant gourds per vine, whose sugary sweetness is almost unrecognizable to the pre-sliced, packing foam version at your local supermarket.Give your plant the sunniest, most sheltered possible position in your garden. A covering of thin black plastic laid over the soil, through which the vines are planted, will help further absorb and retain the suns heat around the plants roots and stems. Even bin bags will do for this purpose, pinned down with a few hooks of wire, as long as you ensure enough water gets to the roots. For best results cover your young plants with open-ended plastic cloches to get them off to the best start until they start to come into flower. These should then be removed to allow the bees in to pollinate them and ensure plenty of fruit. Sow: April. Harvest: July-October.
Purslane Seeds £1.85
Part of the James Wong Homegrown Revolution Range.Foolproof to grow. Unusual refreshing flavour. Continual harvesting during growing season. Succulent creeper with leaves that taste of mangetout and bramley apples.Once a hugely popular salad vegetable in Tudor England, the ancient herb purslane is still a foodie staple all over the Mediterranean, from France to Greece, where it is used in everything from soups to crisp salads.Its small, fleshy leaves and stems are filled with a crisp, succulent gel that has an unusual refreshing flavour that somehow blends mangetout and sour green apples. The best thing? Its a weed that will thrive on any patch of dry, dusty ground.Unusually the acid level of the crops (provided by malic acid, the same stuff that makes green apples taste sour) does fluctuate wildly over the course of each day, making them up to 10 times more sour when picked first thing in the morning than late in the afternoon. So choose when you pick these according to how much tang you fancy. The plants will provide continuous harvests until they are cut down by the first frosts. Sow: April-August. Harvest: May-October.
Quinoa Seeds £1.85
Part of the James Wong Homegrown Revolution Range.New trendy ‘superfood’. Just 10 plants produce up to 0.5kg (1lb) of grain! Grows well in cool, wet climates. The sacred grain of the Incas that’ll grow easily even in sunny Scotland. Tastes like: Couscous, nutty & slightly hop-like.Unlike wheat, oats or barley, quinoas ultra high yielding habit makes it one of only two grains (along with maize) that you dont need acres of land to produce a worthwhile harvest on – offering up to an astonishing pound of grain from just 10 plants! Sow: Mid March-April. Harvest: September-October.
Popcorn Fiesta Seeds £1.85
Part of the James Wong Homegrown Revolution Range.Edible and ornamental. Great way to encourage children to eat veg. Watch your cobs leap about with every pop! Tastes like popcorn.As tasty as it is ornamental, Popcorn Fiesta is the one sure-fire way to get kids to eat their veg. Particularly when they get to see the whole ear somersaulting in the microwave, spitting out little white clouds of deliciousness! Growing popcorn is just as easy as regular sweetcorn and can essentially be treated in the exact same way. The only key difference between them is that popcorn requires a slightly longer growing season to allow its kernels to fully ripen, unlike sweetcorn which is harvested when its ears are still immature. Sow: April-May. Harvest: August-November.
Wild White Strawberry Seeds £1.85
Part of the James Wong Homegrown Revolution Range.Enjoy the same way as a normal strawberry. Fantastic in a fruit salad, on muesli and scattered over trifles. Tastes like: Ripe pineapple.One of the easiest of all fruit crops to grow, these nouvelle-cuisine sized strawberries incredibly pack all the flavour of a ripe pineapple into a fruit the size of a raisin. Their unusual cream colour does not only give them a fun visual appeal, but means they are virtually invisible to marauding birds – meaning there is all the more for you! They are resistant to pests, hardy to -20 degreesC and have a season that extends from April to November. Sow: April-May. Harvest: August-November.
Tomatillo Seeds £1.85
Part of the James Wong Homegrown Revolution Range.Vigorous, high yielding plants. Delicious in salsas, marinades and soups. Easy to grow. Tastes like: tomato & lime.Sealed inside their own little paper envelopes, these round, green tomato-like fruit were once actually more popular than tomatoes themselves amongst the Aztecs of their native Mexico. They are freshingly fruity and taste weirdly like a cross between a lime and beefsteak tomato.Far easier to grow and immeasurably more productive than a lowly tomato, there is no excuse why every fajita fan shouldnt make space for a couple of these too! Sow: March-April. Harvest: August-October.
Stevia Seeds £1.85
Part of the James Wong Homegrown Revolution Range.Ornamental herb. Grows well in pots on your patio. PLEASE NOTE: Plant not approved for human consumption.The Stevia plant has been grown and prized in South America for many centuries as the native Indians recognised and used the sweet properties of these plants leaves. The food sweetening potential of Stevia has now been recognised in many countries around the world and commercial processing techniques have been developed to extract the sweetness and add this to other ingredients to produce low sugar foods and artificial sweetening tablets. In the US, Canada, Japan and Switzerland among other countries, the legislation around the sale of these plants is different to in the UK. Here we are governed by strict legislation that does not permit the sale of this plant for any use other than its ornamental qualities. The plant has hairy green foliage and insignificant small white flowers, growing to around 25-35cm (10-14) in height, providing the leaves are not picked to trim the plant. Sow: March-July. Flowers: September-October. Height: 50cm.
Anise Herb (Anise Hyssop) Seeds £1.85
Part of the James Wong Homegrown Revolution Range.Hardy and low maintenance. Perennial liquorice-flavoured herb. Easy to grow and loved by bees. Spires of powdery blue flowers atop sweet liquorice leaves. Tastes like: Liquorice, fennel, mint, eucalyptus.With all the flavour of sweet aniseed, although far easier to grow and an awful lot better looking, the aromatic leaves and edible blue flowers of anise hyssop are a must for any ardent Ouzo fan.Native to the dry scrub and fields of North America, these hardy, low maintenance plants are perfect for growing in sunny gravel or Mediterranean-style gardens – with their beautiful powder blue flowers making them able to easily hold their own in the ornamental border. Once you have got an established clump going, you can propagate these by lifting them, dividing the cluster up into smaller sections and planting them back out, spaced about 30cm (12) apart. Anise Hyssop is a herbaceous perennial and as such will bloom year-after-year. Sow: March-April. Harvest: June-September.
Microgreen Herbs Seeds £1.85
Part of the James Wong Homegrown Revolution Range.Vibrant colours. Dynamic flavours. As easy to grow as cress. Tastes like: Oriental salad leaves.These are a new generation of sprouted salad leaves that are a far cry from 1970s health food store fodder. Coming in a range of vibrant colours and dynamic flavours, they are still just as easy to grow as cress on your windowsill. Unlike sprouting seeds, microgreens are left to grow until they develop the first two cotyledons (seedling leaves)and the first two young true leaves. Grown to a maximum size of 3cm (11/2) the small greens carry very strong flavours. Sow: All year round. Harvest: All year round.
Radish Rats Tails Seeds £1.85
Part of the James Wong Homegrown Revolution Range.Foolproof to grow. Pods are produced in great bunches throughout the summer. Crisp, mustard-flavoured chillies you can pick all summer long. Tastes like: Mustard & radish.Imagine a radish plant pretty enough to blend seamlessly into the flower border, only twice as productive and truly foolproof to grow. Then crank up its fiery mustard flavour, combine it with a crisp, green bean-like crunch and wrap the whole lot in a delicate chilli-shaped pod & you have this remarkable veg.Hailing from exotic Java, the crisp seed pods of these aerial radishes are none-the-less no newcomer to the British table, having once been a favourite crop on our shores in the early 1800s. Delicious, unusual, yet surprisingly versatile, the pods are produced by the dozen in great bunches right through the summer. Variety: Radish Munchen Bier. Sow: March-August. Harvest: May-October.
Filed: Suttons Seeds
Friday, December 28th, 2012
The Incan delicacy that thrives on neglect, giving fresh berries right up until Christmas. Tastes like: Gooseberries, kiwi, pineapple, orange.
Inca Berries Seeds £1.85
Part of the James Wong Homegrown Revolution Range.Very easy to grow. Delicious and ornamental. Individual berries wrapped in a Chinese lantern. The Incan delicacy that thrives on neglect, giving fresh berries right up until Christmas. Tastes like: Gooseberries, kiwi, pineapple, orange.Recognisable in patisseries or indeed many cocktails, these shiny golden berries, each wrapped in its own paper Chinese lantern, are one of the trendiest garnishes around. Also known as the Cape Gooseberry (although it originates from highland Peru), the golden berry, or simply by its genus name Physalis, these sticky amber balls have a rich flavour of ripe gooseberries with a hint of tropical fruit, followed by a pleasant bitter sweet aftertaste. Sow: February-April. Harvest: August-October.
Filed: Suttons Seeds
Monday, December 24th, 2012
The Northern Fruit Group
Promoting fruit growing in the North of England. With section on Yorkshire Apples
Filed: Uncategorized
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