Strawberry golden alexandria is a very attractive alpine strawberry with contrasting yellow foliage and small red berries. The plants can be grown in containers on the patio or even in a windowbox or in the open ground. The golden foliage adds a great interest to any garden, allotment or...

Durham early is a spring cabbage. Great for overwintering. Can be used as spring greens before full maturity early in the season when other vegetables are not available. Cut from March to use as spring greens, full heads fom April. Durham early is a traditional english cabbage, you can find...

White bush type summer squash. The prolific plants produce 5-10 white skinned, scallop edged fruits. Excellent for baby fruit and standard size production. The patty pan type fruits give an added interest to any garden.

Summer squashes are just as easy to grow as any courgette,...

A dwarf variety, growing to 45 cm, making it a great choice for small or exposed gardens.Good yields of 12-15cm long pods, each containing between 5 and 8 deliciously tender white beans. Suitable for both autumn and spring sowing.

Sow the broad bean seeds October-November or...

Ammi Majus has lacy white heads, and fern like slender foliage. Used as a white filler in hand tied bouquets, but attractive on its own too. Ideal to plant these flower seeds in the border, suites well among herbaceous perennials and looks great in a vase too, in fact florists use these often...

Godetia is a hardy annual flower. Adds interest to any flower border and the double blooms look great if planted in groups too.

Sow thinly direct outside in April-May to flower July-September, 0.5 cm deep in drills 35-45 cm apart in well cultivated soil, rake the soil well. Thin out...

Padron chilli is the ultimate tapas pepper. Variable in heat and best to pick when small and green.

 Planting

 The most important thing to know about growing chillis is that they need warmth. Chilli plants will not thrive in cold weather. They need at least 26C...

Charentais has fine textured scarlet flesh. The fruits are fairly large and sweet, slightly netted skin.; was a favourite in Victorian times.\nSow the melon seeds at a temperature of 20-25 Celsius, in good seed compost into small pots, 2 seeds per pot, about 2 cm deep. Sow March-April and keep...

Swiss chard Bright Yellow produces sweet stems and crispy light green leaves.

RHS Award of Garden Merit winner. Excellent as a baby leaf in salads. Slow to bolt and has good winter hardiness. Firstly cropping frommid-summer to autumn, and the tasty leaf beet will re-emerge after a...

Cleome is a tall growing hardy annual. Violet Queen is sumptuous purple, great as a border plant. Eye catching, spiralling scented sprays of blooms. A centerpiece in any flower garden.

Sow the cleome seeds in trays, pots of good seed compost in a propagator or warmplace to maintain an...

Unusual pink variety. Must have if you want to impress your friends and family. Compact growing plants produce a good crop of tasty pink beans.

Sow the broad bean seeds February-April.

Sow in double or single rows or in blocks. Plant the seeds about 4-5cm deep and 20-25cm apart....

Rijnsburger has large globular bulbs. A mid to late summer round onion with yellow brown, firm skin, excellent for storing.Onions have anti-bacterial and antiseptic properties, and are also believed to lower blood pressure.

Sow the Rijnsburger onion seeds from January indoors in good...

Kohlrabi is part of the Brassica family. The edible part is the swollen stem. Kohlrabis taste similar to the broccoli stem.The young kohlrabi is crisp and juicy. Can be eaten raw in salads or cooked in winter soups and stews. Delicacy purple is a purple-skinned variety with white inner...

Florence Fennel Sweet Florence produces large, thick, rounded bulbs with a distinct aniseed flavour. Large white bulbs. Mid season variety, best sown early spring. Can be eaten raw or steamed. You can use the leaves, the seeds, and then the swollen stems (as the bulb is actually the swollen...

Cape gooseberry or physalis produces sweet orange fruits in a husk. The fruit is very much like a cherry tomato in appearance. The fruits are really tasty, excellent in jams or eaten raw. Harvest when the husk changes colour from green to brown. The plants grow up to 180 cm tall, best grown in...

A cheerful mixture of gorgeous semi-double flowers. Adds height to border displays flowering from July to the first frosts. The fern like foliage makes this plant an amazing 'back of border' feature and ideal for cutting too. Cosmos grows to about 1 metre tall. Produces lovely flowers...