The tale of the incredible shrinking veg – ideal for windowsills and tiny gardens!
Bright colours, shrinking size and jam-packed with nutrients are the key points of the pick of the new vegetable seeds for 2025. Here are my choices to look out for:
Aubergine Baby Black Jack F1 – Thompson & Morgan
T&M’s first micro-aubergine, Baby Black Jack (junior sibling of ‘Jackpot’) is ideal for small spaces. Petite plants reach a height of just 35cm and will happily grow in 2-litre pots on windowsills or greenhouse shelves. Spineless for easy harvesting, Baby Black Jack produces dark-purple golf-ball-sized fruit – perfect for roasted vegetable dishes. Height and spread: 35cm. Sow: February to March. Harvest: July to October. Seed fill: 8 seeds per packet, price £3.49.
Agretti Roscano, Chiltern Seeds
Difficult to find in the shops, this is an Italian delicacy. Known as Roscano or Barba di Frate (Monk’s Beard) in Italy (or Saltwort’ in English), its fleshy needle-shaped leaves are traditionally served with olive oil and lemon. With a flavour described as a chivey samphire – with a mildly salty, mineral tang, similar to a succulent spinach. Steam lightly for the best colour and to retain its bite. Adds an interesting crunch to salads, stir-fries or pasta. This seed is short-lived and will only be viable until summer. Height: 60cm, number of seeds per packet 100, price £2.45.
Basil Sally – Lettuce Leaved, Chiltern Seeds
A very ornamental variety with large leaves that are dark green, dappled with very dark purple, number of seeds per packet 36, price £2.25.
Pick of the new vegetable seeds – Chilli Pepper Pit Viper Naga – Thompson & Morgan
One of the hottest chillies there is! Pit Viper Naga has a fiery bite, with fruits measuring up to 1,000,000 SHU (Scoville Heat Units). A Ghost Pepper and Trinidad Scorpion hybrid, Pit Viper Naga produces high yields of 5cm long, wrinkled and pointed pods with intense heat. Height: 120cm. Spread: 60cm. Sow: February to April. Harvest: July to October 6 seeds per packet, price £3.99. Read more on growing chillies.
Broccoli Beneforte F1 – Suttons
Bred by UK scientists to contain high levels of a key plant nutrient, Broccoli Beneforte may protect against heart disease and some cancers. A cross between commercial varieties and wild broccoli, Beneforte contains two to three times more glucoraphanin than other varieties. Studies suggest that regular intake of glucosinolates boosts our natural defence systems, keeping our bodies functioning well as we age, reducing inflammation and protecting against chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some cancers.
Developed from publicly funded research at two of the UK’s world-leading biological research institutes, the Quadram Institute and the John Innes Centre, Beneforte is an exciting breakthrough. Height and spread: 60cm. 10 seeds per packet, price £4.99.
Pick of the new vegetable seeds – Chilli Pepper Golden Jalapeno (not pictured) – Dobies
Chilli Pepper Golden Jalapeno bears golden yellow conical fruit – a change from the traditional red. An indispensable ingredient for Mexican cooking with a perfect balance of heat and sweetness. Golden Jalapeno is great for spicing up salsas, grilling, or adding a pop of heat to your dishes and pizzas. Scoville rating 6000-8000, making this a medium-hot chilli. Height: 75cm. Spread 50cm. 6 seeds per packet, price £3.99.
Climbing Bean Vine – Suttons
The long cropping period of this space-saving French climbing bean means you can enjoy sweet, tender beans for even longer. From the same breeder as Cobra, Vine has the same excellent quality and flavour as Cobra but produces up to double the harvest! Bears straight, 14-16cm long pods that are slightly glossy and darker than Cobra. Height: 180cm. Spread: 30cm. 40 Seeds per packet, price £3.99.
Pick of the new vegetable seeds – Cucumber Quick Snack – Suttons
A game-changing cucumber with miniature fruit! The result of a breeding breakthrough, Quick Snack forms a dwarf plant that is perfect for compact spaces. With fruits measuring 5-6cm in length and a plant height and spread of just 50-60cm, it’s ideal for small gardens, balconies, or even conservatories.
What sets Quick Snack apart is its parthenocarpic nature, ensuring fruit set without the need for pollination. Enjoy seedless and non-bitter cucumbers that never abort due to lack of pollination. These sweet and crisp delights are perfect for snacking or adding to salads. Height: 50-60cm. Spread: 40-50cm. 4 seeds per packet, price £3.99.
Dwarf French Bean Quartz – Thompson & Morgan
Dwarf French Bean Quartz has exceptional heat tolerance and excellent disease resistance, ensuring reliable crops even in challenging conditions. The white flowers of this heavy cropper develop into slightly shiny, dark-green pods approximately 6-17cm in length. Sow: April to July. Harvest: June to October. Height: 45cm. Spread: 30cm. 120 seeds per packet, price £2.99.
Pick of the new vegetable seeds – Lettuce Oakus – Dobies
Oakus is an amazing new oakleaf type lettuce with shiny, dark red, almost black leaves. It is ready to harvest from June until November, producing bundles of crunchy, deep red leaflets. The delicious leaves work well in a range of different dishes.
Happy in partial shade and performing well against disease resistance, Oakus is ideal for the kitchen gardens and patio pots. Height: 15cm. Spread 30cm. 35 seeds per packet, price £3.49.
Kale Cobra F1 – Dobies
Cobra is a wonderful new kale, ready to harvest when each leaflet measures the size of your palm. With bundles of rubbery, black foliage, enjoy adding leaves into a range of different dishes.
Happy to develop in direct sunlight, this Tuscan black kale is known for its excellent bolt and cold resistance with dense production of tender, narrow leaves, consistently yielding a second crop after the first harvest. Height: 90cm. Spread: 60cm. Average Packet Content 20 seeds per packet, price £3.49.
Luffa cylindrica (loofah), Chiltern Seeds
Grow your own loofahs! The fruits, as well as yielding sponges, are edible although for this purpose they should be harvested when young. For best results, grow them like a greenhouse cucumber. Height: 3m, number of seeds per packet 15, price £2.25.
Mizuna Vitared, Chiltern Seeds
New variety with attractive red stems and veining, a light peppery flavour and packed full of nutrients. A vigorous grower producing numerous stalks bearing deeply cut and fringed leaves. They have a fresh, crisp taste and can be used on their own or cooked with meat. Highly resistant to cold and grown extensively during the winter in Japan. Number of seeds per packet 175, price £2.25.
Runner Bean Celebration, Chiltern Seeds
Beautiful salmon-pink flowers, followed by fabulous beans. Early maturing, smooth, stringless, tasty and plentiful pods. Height: 3m, number of seeds per packet 37, price £3.75.
Pick of the new vegetable seeds – Salad Onion Ruby Red – Thompson & Morgan
Onion Ruby Red is a multi-use red onion, with a sweet and mild taste. For spring onions, harvest them young and pink-flushed, when they’re perfect for salads. Alternatively, mature to full-size bulbs with burgundy skin and red flesh, which keeps its colour when cooked. Harvested mature bulbs will store for 5-6 months.
Sow: March to July. Harvest: June to October. Height: 30cm. Spread: 5cm. 100 seeds per packet, price £2.99. Read more on growing members of the onion family.
Samphire, Chiltern Seeds
A coastal plant with succulent texture and salty flavour that goes well with fish. It can be grown in the ground or in pots. The secret to success is sun and well-drained sandy soil and regular doses of salty water! Number of seeds per packet 228, price £2.85.
Squash Kabocha Rosie F1 – Suttons
Squash Kabocha Rosie looks and tastes delicious. The fruits weigh around 1.3-1.8kg and when ripe they have a lovely pink skin adorned with a subtle blue star on the base. Inside lies sweet, dense flesh that is perfect for roasting, stewing and soups.
The fruit has a long storage potential of up to 6 months. Height: 35cm. Spread: 2m. 4 seeds per packet, price £3.99.
Pick of the new vegetable seeds – Sweetcorn Sweet Start F1 – Suttons
One of the earliest sweetcorn varieties. This Supersweet variety produces tender cobs that are so much sweeter than shop-bought ones. To capture the sugars, cook them immediately after harvesting – barbecue, steam or boil and serve with butter! With plenty of hybrid vigour, Sweet Start is perfect for the British climate. Height: 2m. Spread: 45cm. 30 seeds per packet, price £3.99.
Tomato Fraise – Suttons
This cordon/Indeterminate variety has glossy, deep-red strawberry-shaped fruit. Fraise is a vigorous and high-yielding variety with long cascading trusses. Each truss bears an average of 16 juicy, soft-skinned fruits with a firm texture. The sweet flavour rates 8 to 10 on the Brix scale. Perfect for lunch boxes – children love these heart-like fruits. Height: 200cm (79in). Spread: 50cm (20in).
For greenhouse cultivation, sow from February to April. For outdoor growing, sow from March to April. Height: 2m. Spread: 50cm. 6 Seeds per packet, £2.99.
