Seeds Galore
So I finally got myself organised enough the other day to order my vegetable seeds. After lots of humming and hawing, I had to look this phrase up, I thought it was umming and arring and wasn’t sure how to spell it and then discovered it was actually humming and hawing. It’s amazing what you can find out just by writing a post. Anyway I digress. After lots of pondering over seed catalogues and plans of my allotment. I finally plumped for the following varieties:
Mangetout Pea Ezeta’s Krombek Blauwschokker which I’ve seen recommended by quite a few people including Jamie Oliver in his excellent Jamie at Home book
Peas Kelvedon Wonder and Greenshaft
Broad Bean Masterpiece Longpod
Borlotti Beans Lingua di Fuoco
Climbing French Bean Blauhilde
Cucumber Crystal Lemon an amazing looking yellow round fruit. I’ve heard it can be a bit difficult but I wanted to give something a bit different a try.
Beetroots Barbietola di Chioggia and Pablo
Celeriac Prinz
Chinese Broccoli KaiBroc like a tenderstem broccoli but because it is so fast growing you can crop from it after 9 weeks from sowing.
Spring Onion Summer Isle a Japanese bunching onion which apparently has a milder flavour
and finally 3 varieties of Lettuce, Freckles, Lobjoits and Rubens.
These are joined by the seeds I got at the Seedy Sunday at Holt Farm, Uchiki Kuri squash, dwarf french bean Yugoslavian Black Bean and Victorian Purple Podded peas.
I ordered my seed from More Veg. After posting about my seed choosing dilemmas I received a couple of comments recommending More Veg because they sell seeds in smaller quantities and as a result are cheaper. I had never come across them before but most people are left with seeds at the end of every season. One catalogue I was looking at was selling packets of 500 cabbage seeds. I really can’t imagine why anyone, unless you run a market garden, would want 500 cabbage seeds. More Veg’s website is really easy to use. I ordered my seeds on Tuesday and they arrived yesterday so I couldn’t complain about the service and each packet of seeds comes with good sowing and growing instructions and includes how to cook the vegetable which I think is a nice touch.
I just can’t wait to get growing now.
You can find More Veg at www.moreveg.co.uk
Well done for finding a firm which deals in smaller numbers of seeds, we always seem to waste so many. What a wonderful selection you have chosen , will look forward to hearing all about their growing and later their eating!!
Good luck with your vegetable seeds. I always think it is so exciting when seeds arrive. Thanks for the tip about the seed company, I always wonder why seeds are sold in such large numbers. I’ll look at what they have. Christina
I had decided to just try using leftover seeds and my own collected ones but it’s too tempting and I’ll havr to have a look at the More Veg site.
I’ve tried some of your chosen veg in the past. “Kelvedon Wonder” was always very reliable but I think I left some of the pea podstoo long on the plant. Better eaten smaller. Climbing French Bean “Blauhilde” was prolific and we even managed a few Cucumber Crystal Lemon a few years ago when we had a polytunnel. I seem to rememeber they were quite small but crunchy. They probably should have been bigger!
I’ve been looking at the More Veg website as there’s some squash seed which I want to order. Glad to hear the good review, I think I’ll go ahead and order from there. I grew Crystal Lemon cucumbers one year in the greenhouse and they were prolific, though I wasn’t very keen on the taste. I haven’t heard anyone else say they didn’t like them though so I may give them another go sometime, it may just have been that particular plant.
I’m going to have a look at the More veg website myself it looks really good, though I think I’ve got most of my seeds sorted for this year, so maybe its not a good idea to look! I’m going to have a go at Crystal Lemon cucumber too, they look very unusual don’t they!
I’ve grown the climbing french bean ‘Blauhilde’ before too and they were great and look fabulous, shame they don’t keep their colour once cooked but add some colour to the allotment.
A good selection – and a new seed supplier to me. I like Pennards for their small packets of seed (and good price) too. I’m itching for seed-sowing time to properly arrive, aware that the odds and ends that I’ve already started are privy to the worst light levels of the year. Think I may have ordered more seeds than I will have space to grow though, oops. Must not get carried away. Must not order any more seeds this year!
Sounds like you have picked a good selection there – be interesting to see how they all fare.
Now, I’m annoyed with myself for not shopping around and trying harder. For instance I have received ‘Pea’ Kelvedon Wonder – 250 seeds £2.77. I will probably use about 50? seeds (the use by date is Aug 2013 so I could use them next year too. But; had I used ‘more veg’ to source my seeds I could have got 50 for 50 pence and then bought fresh next year. Oh well, you live and learn – does anyone want some spare pea seeds?
Anyway, thanks for the tip – one I will be remembering!!
Hi Alison,
Do you have a community garden near you? I have just donated my left-over seeds from last year to my local community garden and they were over the moon. I think when money is tight places like this need all the help they can get.
I’m not sure about there being a community garden near us, I’ll see if I can find out. I think there is a gardening club in the next village – they might know. Another great tip from Wellywoman – thanks.
I’ve used MoreVeg for several years and have no hesitation in recommending them. That’s an interesting selection you’ve chosen and it’ll be interesting to see how got get on with them! xx
Looks like a interesting selection. I used MoreVeg last year and like their minimalist approach. Very useful for current times.
Some familiar names there WW some of which I will be growing again this year 🙂 Hope to get my seed orders off this weekend at long last but will now just have to have a peek at the More Veg site before I do.
Hi Welly, pleased you had a look at my recommendation – seems to have sparked a lot of interest here! It seems we’re all united in our love of seed variety and also of hating waste! I’m still putting together my list; I’ve done the veg but want to grow some edible flowers this year as well. We have a frost forecast for this weekend; I’m going to use the time to plan the veg garden and see if I can nail the seed order!
I have sent for seeds of Cucumber Crystal Lemon too. It will be interesting to see how they do. My outdoor Marketmore Cucumbers were rubbish last year. Perhaps I need to do more research on growing them outdoors.
I have made a note of Moreveg as I like to grow some new things each year and feel guilty about throwing away unused seed.
Just about to do my veg order so the MoreVeg recommendation is very handy. I have a hard time practicing seed control and an even harder time thinning out and throwing away seedlings. Sounds like MoreVeg might be the answer.