Blog: Multicoloured veg and stylish cool blooms take centre stage
There’s nothing quite like a surprise parcel of new goodies to perk up your gardening seed trials for the year. I have to confess, I’ve had a bit of a downer on gardening lately. I’m old enough and ugly enough to realise this has happened to me throughout my life. Sometimes, other things take precedence – health, family, etc and even as a gardening writer, that’s OK. I’ve written widely on anxiety, depression and other health conditions. Read more about mental health and gardening.
It has been quite sad not to feel excited/anticipation for the new season. I have planned nothing as yet, although I have properly overwintered my tender plants. Shamefully, last year’s tomato plants are still festering in the greenhouse!
However, when this mystery parcel arrived, I did get that old familiar flutter. I usually have every square inch planned and with no plans at all, I can actually grow some of these lovely seeds.
Along with the lovely heritage tin were 10 packets of seeds – seven veg and three flowers. Here they are:
Cucumber Party Time F1
I’ve grown this one before – my daughter loves it. A prolific snack-type, all-female variety, producing three or four fruits at each node. The sweet, crisp fruit are about 8-12cm long. Ideal for lunchboxes and snacking. Good resistance to powdery mildew. Height 3m x spread 45cm, £3.99.
Gardening seed trials – Tomato Crokine F1
Cordon/Indeterminate. Plants yield up to 300 sweet cherry tomatoes. Winner of the All America Selections Edible Winner 2020. In-bred resistance to Late Blight allowing harvesting to continue well into September. Up to 10-12 fruits in each cluster, and is a lovely red colour on harvesting. The small, firm fruits have a sweet, slightly acidic taste with a Brix of 8.5, a crunchy texture and good resistance to splitting. Height 1.8m x spread 50cm, £3.99.
Lettuce Sulfita
A cross between a red Batavia and a red Iceberg, Sulfita has the crunch of an iceberg, the curl of a Batavia, plus a lovely cherry colour. Harvest whole heads or pick as single leaves. Plants are slow to bolt and resistant to downy mildew. Their iceberg parentage gives heads a long fridge life. Height and spread: 30cm, £2.99.
Gardening seed trials – Winter Squash Futsu Black Early
An heirloom Japanese variety with decorative, delicious medium fruits weighing around 1.5kg. The fruits start round and dark green, almost charcoal black, with deep ribs and wrinkles. As they mature, they turn dusky grey-orange, developing a nutty flavour and sweetness. The thin skin is edible, so there is no need to peel. Roast the golden-yellow-flesh until caramelised and crispy-sweet. Futsu Black Early’will keep for months in storage. Height 60cm x spread 140cm, £2.99.
Beetroot Golden Eye
A colourful alternative to red beetroot, Golden Eye has golden yellow flesh and a sweet flavour which lacks the ‘earthy’ taste of other varieties. Grow as mature roots or as baby beets, roasted, juiced or grated into salads. Height 30cm x spread 15cm, £2.99.
Gardening seed trials – Sweet Pepper Spiralus
An early variety with long ram’s horn fruits with an average length of 20-25cm. The fruits start a very pale green and gradually turn red. Healthy and high-yielding, use Spiralus fresh in salads or try it roasted in the oven. Suitable for growing under glass or in a sunny/sheltered spot outside. Plants require support as the fruit begins to ripen. Height 70cm x spread 40cm, £2.99.
Flowers – Scabious Salmon Queen
These pretty pincushions come in an antique shade of rose salmon, held on long, sturdy stems forming a light and airy plant. It is perfect for a romantic ‘cottage garden look. Pollinators love its fully double, lightly fragrant blooms, making it perfect for wildlife-friendly gardens. It’s also great for cutting. Height 90cm x spread 40cm, £2.99.
Gardening seed trials – Cosmos Pink Mosaic
A new Cosmos featuring mottled mosaic pink petals that turn from a deep rose to a delicate pale pink, adorned with flecks and streaks. Secondary petals emerge from the flower’s centre. Bloom until the first frosts. Height 80cm x spread 60cm, £3.99.
Agastache Arizona Sunset
Drought-resistant and long flowering, this small perennial Agastache is ideal for sunny patios or hot borders. The two-tone flowers have pink buds opening to lavender flushed with peach. Plants will flower in their first year, with blooms produced from July to October. The aromatic foliage has a lemon-mint fragrance. The flowers are highly attractive to bees. Height and spread 25cm, £3.49.
Expect to see posts on how my trials go throughout the year. If I don’t have room for all of them, I have a pal who’s starting a vegetable garden, so they will be well used. For more information, visit www.suttons.co.uk.
