Herb Seeds

MH4 Tall Mallow - Malva Sylvestris

Young leaves used chopped in the kitchen, dried leaves and flowers in herbal teas. Sow Feb-Oct. £3.29

MH5 Valeriana Officinalis - Used for insomnia and some gastrointestinal problems. Sow Mar-Jul. £3.29

MH6 Fenugreek - Trigonella

Used by the Ancient Greeks & Romans. Annual. Seeds used in curries and pasta, bread, flavouring meat, fish and veg and in herbal teas. Sow Feb-Jul. £3.29

MH8 Cumin - Cuminum Cyminum

Annual. Crushed seeds use in sausages, soups, salsas, bread and with cheeses. Sow Mar-Jun. £3.29

MH9 St Johns Wort

Perennial. H 50cm Yellow flowers. For treatment of wounds, muscle pain and rheumatism. Also cited in research into Crohn’s disease. Sow Mar-Jun. £3.29

MH13 Roman Mentuccia Calamita

Nepita Rustic perennial, easy to grow. 50cm tall. Used in cooking and tisanes. Mint-like. Resists low temperatures and drought. £3.29

MH15 Garlic Chives Perennial, strong flavour. Easy to grow, it's also pefect to attract pollinators. Ideal in potato salad. Sow Feb to Sept £3.29

Seasonal Bulbs and Asparagus

This section is dedicated to our garlic bulbs, onion, shallot sets and British elephant garlic. Available in season only. You can pre-order these items for shipping in full season.

G1 White Garlic Bianco Veneto (Venice) - Soft Neck. White garlic. 3 pack. Sow Oct-Apr. £6.99 (UK only)

G2 Red Garlic Rosso of Sulmona (Abruzzo) - Hard Neck.

Sweet red garlic from Apennines. 3 pack. Sow Oct-Apr. £6.99 (UK only)

G3 French White - Hard Neck. From Rhone Alps. Late, productive, rustic, strong flavour and high quality. 4 heads. Sow Oct-Apr. £9.99 (UK only)

G4 French Red - Soft Neck. From Rhone Alps. Early, annual quality variety with a sweeter flavour. 4 heads. Sow Oct-Apr. £9.99 (UK only)

G5 Red Baron onion set. By popular demand and in limited quantities. Available in a value 500g pack. Red onions caramelise well £5.49 (UK only)

G6 Golden Onion Set Stoccarda (Stuttgarter Riesen).

A good storing onion. Strong, flat. You can buy this onion set in season only in a value 500g pack. £5.49 (UK only)

G7 French Restaurant Quality Shallot “Longue de Bretagne”.

Sweet, red blushed from Brittany. Very high quality. Indispensable in French cuisine. Each shallot will multiply unlike onions. 500g pack. £6.99 (UK only)

G11 Elephant Garlic “Aglio Elefante” From the leek family so a milder flavour and supplied for sowing in Autumn only. Grows a massive bulb one year, smaller cloves the next. From the UK. Traditionally roasted and just a real show stopper in terms of size! 5 cloves. £9.99 (UK only)

A1 Wild Asparagus Crowns “Scaber Montina”

Excellent flavour characteristics make this hard-to-find variety much sought after by chefs and foodies. Thin, tasty asparagus from small/med crowns. Pan fry with butter, use with eggs, crepes, risotto, “Torta di patate”’(potato cake) and with black truffles. Sow

Nov-Apr. UK only. 10 crowns £14.99

A2 Purple Asparagus of Albenga

Historic culinary variety with outstanding flavour. Sought after by chefs. 10 crowns £14.99

A4 Green Asparagus Verde “Superiore”

Regular traditional green variety used widely all over Europe. Superior quality. 10 crowns £14.99

Slug Bells

As an allotmenteer, I hate slugs and snails – they eat all my veg! But I also hate spreading slug pellets randomly all over the garden as I have hedgehogs and frogs, plus I keep chickens in my London garden. So I was very pleased to find this simple to use product, the Slug Bell.

Slug Barrier

TAP 4 Anti Slugs and Snails barrier £3.29 each

A colourful mix of flowers specially selected for their properties, to help repel slugs and snails. Sow the tape around the area you wish to protect, 1cm down and cover with the soil. Sow from February to June. 5 metre tape.

Drought Tolerant Veg

The Environment Agency Drought Group has warned that the UK is at risk of prolonged drought conditions which could last into next year. With climate change in mind, I wanted to feature a few varieties which whilst not bulletproof, will certainly tolerate dryer conditions.

SBPOT Pot Plant Bell (effective over 1.75m/4ft diameter area) £11.99 each

SBDOME Slug Bell Dome (effective over 2.5m/8ft diameter area) £14.99 each.

It is safe for children, pets and wildlife. It is also safer for the environment as it prevents the pellets (organic or conventional) washing away into the soil. They are made of spur metal which is powder coated, then hand painted and varnished. They can be moved around the garden, keep the pellets dry even if watering the garden. Simply place the pellets in the elevated basket provided, insert the basket’s spike into the ground and place the bell over it to protect it from the elements. The yeast in the pellets will attract the slugs to the bell day or night to feast on them rather than your valuable crops.

DROUGHT5 Drought Tolerant Veg £7.50

Swiss Chard – Rich in iron, potassium, Vits C, K and A, Chard is a very underused and underrated vegetable in the UK. In the US it will grow in zones 3 – 10 (13 being the hottest) and that is thanks to its very long roots. Prefers 70% to full sun and is totally delicious. Blanch the meaty stalks and fry in butter, when almost cooked sprinkle with parmesan. Great served with fried eggs.

Tomato Plum - If you look at the attached image (taken in my Zia’s ‘Orto’ in the Veneto), THAT is how a San Marzano SHOULD be matured. This variety hails from a very hot Naples and does best when largely ignored, water occasionally especially at first. The roots will dive deep into the soil and the plant will focus on ripening its fruits. In Italy its common to leave the whole plant to die with the tomatoes on to ripen them, though I’d imagine some raised eyebrows on some UK allotments at the sight of dead plants!

French Beans - are surprisingly drought resistant and don’t need watering as often as your courgettes where the leaves droop as soon as they get thirsty. In full summer heat they will develop quickly and are effortless to grow, hence Jack and the Bean Stalk of course! Climbers are more productive than dwarf and delicious for multiple sowings from Spring through to the end of July and versatile in the kitchen, boiled and served hot to bean salads, stews and casseroles. They can also be pickled and ‘canned’.