What to Sow in May
May is the last time to sow sweetcorn, to give them plenty of time to grow and ripen. It's also the last opportunity for late summer Cabbages. Sprouting broccoli produces nutrient-packed, succulent spears. Keep sucessional sowing with varieties such as Lettuce and Peas for an extended harvest period. Grow nectar rich plants like Comfrey, Borage and Phacelia...the bees will thank you!
Below is our full range of seeds for sowing in May...
Chicory Variegata di Castelfranco is an ancient Heritage variety developed in the 18th century in the Castelfranco region of Northern Italy. One of the best for eating quality. A very decorative variety that produces attractive, rosette-shaped heads with an appearance is best described as a large, tie-dyed cricket ball, leaves are speckled...
£1.85
Radish Watermelon is a Chinese heritage Radish with a surprise...the lovely smooth white globes are cut open to reveal bright pink centres - no surprise they are also known as "Beauty in the Heart". The flavour is milder than other radishes - sweeter, less spicy. Thin slices look really amazing...
£1.95
Swiss Chard Fordhook Giant has gorgeous dark savoy green leaves with vibrant ivory stalks & veins that brighten up your veg patch, your dinner plate & maybe your flower beds too! Despite its size, it is a very easy to grow vegetable. The flavoursome leaves are thick and tender, making...
£1.65
Chicory Pain de Sucre, also known as Sugarloaf, is a large, leafy variety of chicory which resembles a cos lettuce. It is a good alternative for late-season salads but it will only stand mild frosts. As the name suggests it has a sweeter taste than most chicories which tend to...
£1.85
The flowers in the Bees & Butterfly Wildflower Meadow seed mix will help you create a flower-rich meadow with a particular emphasis on species that are known to be important as sources of nectar for bees, butterflies and other insects. If you ever wondered what beekeepers sow to attract the...
from £4.95
Beetroot Burpees Golden is an unusual beetroot in that the roots are orange/yellow in colour unlike normal red beetroot. It does not stain or bleed like the red ones and it goes a golden colour when cooked. Burpees Golden has a sweet flavour and good texture when picked at golf...
£1.85
Beetroot Chioggia is the most beautiful of beetroots. It has concentric circles of dark pink & white flesh that are a real talking point when used raw especially on a gourmet plate and/or mixed with other red beetroot (the beetroot does fade to light pink when cooked though). It is...
£1.75
Beetroot Boltardy is a real winner - a traditional old favourite that has well earned its place as one of our best selling veg seeds. It is easy to grow, very reliable and has rich crimson globe-shaped roots with the wonderful earthy sweet beetroot flavour. Beetroot Boltardy is a 'bolt...
£1.75
Phacelia Tanacetifolia is a quick growing hardy annual green manure that germinates at low temperatures and is ideal for sowing from March until September. It will grow up to 1m in height and is tolerant of cold temperatures and may over-winter if it's not too cold. It suits most soil...
from £2.55
Coriander, also known as Cilantro, is an interesting little herb as the leaves are pungent and oily but the seeds for which it is also grown have a different warm, orangey taste. Coriander is a key ingredient in hot spicy food such as curries and also adds flavour to soups...
£0.99 £0.99
Perpetual Spinach is a great easy to grow 'cut & come again' productive little plant that is winter hardy. It is a beet leaf that tastes like spinach but doesn't bolt like spinach and produces the earliest fresh veg of the year. It can last for up to 2 years...
£0.99 £0.99
Kale Black Tuscany, also known as Cavolo Nero, is a great easy-care veg that is packed full of vitamins. It has a long harvest period from the summer through the winter (it is hardy to -15C) to early spring when it will bolt and flower. The flowers can be eaten...
£1.85
Runner Bean White Lady is an outstanding white-flowered bean producing the most tender, thick, and succulent pods that you will ever taste. The delicious long, mid-green beans of Runner Bean White Lady are stringless with a wonderfully smooth texture. Runner Bean White Lady produces white flowers that are not so attractive...
£3.25
Swiss Chard Bright Lights is a striking-looking plant with stems that vary in colour from red, pink, white, violet and golden yellow. It looks fantastic in the garden or in containers and on your dinner plate. I saw it at RHS Wisley where they had planted up a raised brick...
£0.99 £0.99
Spring/Salad Onion White Lisbon is an excellent salad onion that is relatively low maintenance and not only suited to overwintering producing early crops but good for successional spring/summer cropping too (sow at 3 weekly intervals). Salad Onion White Lisbon is very quick growing and produces the classic bulb type salad...
£1.75
Amaranth Red (also known as Calaloo, Rajgira, Lal Saag) have intense reddish leaves with cherry pink stems and has a slightly nutty flavour. It is very easy and quick to grow and can be eaten as a microgreen, babyleaf or up to mature leaf size. Interesting facts...Aztec tribes consumed Amaranth...
£1.55
Caliente Mustard 199 is an excellent green manure that has biofumigant properties. (Biofumigation is the suppression of soil-borne pests & diseases by the release of naturally occurring gases). By combining the lush organic matter with the plants biofumigant properties the activity of beneficial soil microbes is increased, so they can...
from £3.45
Red Clover is a fast growing perennial green manure. It is the best variety of clover for fixing nitrogen from the air, weed suppression & improving soil structure. Its roots penetrate deep into the soil and help to improve its structure by binding soils together (especially light ones) and this...
from £2.95
Yellow Trefoil 'Black Medick' is a low growing green manure that has excellent weed-suppressing properties. It is good at fixing nitrogen and if allowed to flower encourages bees & beneficial insects to the area which in turn pollinate veg crops. PLEASE NOTE THAT YELLOW TREFOIL IS OUT OF STOCK FOR...
from £2.95
Pea Douce Provence is a compact growing variety that only reaches a height of 45cm so requires a little bit of support. Pea Douce Provence is a very early & reliable cropper with an excellent sweet taste. It can be sown in Autumn/Winter (mid-October - November) and this will produce...
£1.45