Seed suppliers Our selection of the best edible seed suppliers
If you’re looking for inspiration for herbs and vegetables to grow at home, take a look at our selection of the best seed suppliers
Chiltern Seeds
You’ll find an interesting, tried-and-tested list of seed-sowing choices in the Chiltern Seeds vegetable catalogue. Favourites include the climbing French bean ‘Cobra’, which proves resilient to variable British summers, providing a good crop time and again. If you have a sheltered, sunny spot, you could try aubergine ‘Kermit’, a small, green, Thai type, or if space is limited, the new ‘Shooting Star’ climbing, yellow courgette. 01491 824675, chilternseeds.co.uk
Franchi Seeds of Italy Founder Paolo Arrigo received the Slow Food UK Person of the Year award in 2020 for his dedication to promoting seed biodiversity. His seed selection focuses on endangered, heritage and ethical varieties with provenance. 020 8427 5020, seedsofitaly.com
Jekka’s Herb Farm
Fresh herbs can enhance your cooking and boost your well-being. Queen of herbs, Jekka McVicar, stocks 140 varieties of herb, and the website includes a handy list of her top ten culinary herbs to grow from seed – a great resource if you’re starting out with herb growing or want to expand your own list. Although the nursery is mail order only, Jekka holds plenty of open days and masterclasses. 01454 418878, jekkas.com
Kings Seed
Awarded Gold for Best Fruit and Vegetable Seed Range in at the 2020 Great British Growing Awards, Kings Seed offers an excellent range of edibles, with a good selection of organic vegetable seed and plug plant options. Good savings to be made on seed collections, such as the Easy Starter Vegetable Collection with ten easy-to-grow varieties. 01376 570000, kingsseeds.com
Moles Seeds
An independent seed merchant with a good selection sourced from some of the best seed producers, both conventional and organic. Although wholesale, Moles Seeds will supply anyone looking for larger quantities, so great for smallholding owners and gardening groups. 01206 213213, wholesale.molesseeds.co.uk
Pennard Plants
A 2019 RHS Master Grower, Pennard Plants sells one of the largest selections of edible plants, heritage and heirloom seeds, fruits and herbs, including over 80 heritage tomato cultivars. The nursery is run on organic principles and its range includes some interesting edibles such as ‘Golden Self Blanching’ celery with pale-yellow, stringless stalks. 01749 860039, pennardplants.com
Real Seeds
All veg have been trialled and are only selected for sale if they grow well and taste good. Seed is open pollinated (non-hybrid), so can be collected and re-sown from one year to the next. Unusual offerings such as the 19th-century French tomato ‘Peche Vilmorin’, with an attractive, orange-pink, fuzzy skin, and ‘Blue Fire’, which starts out deep blue and ripens to red and black with gold splashes. 01239 821107, realseeds.co.uk
Sea Spring Seeds
Every vegetable has been tested before it is included in the catalogue, which is updated year on year to ensure that the best edibles are included, choices and and a contains wide range good of veg cultivar (with a provides specialism a selection in chillies). of handy The website guides to growing. 01308 897898, seaspringseeds.co.uk
Seed Co-operative
The basis for this initiative is that the future of food needs to be rooted in a diversity of genetics and wildlife. All seed is from open-pollinated plants, much of it registered biodynamic and all adapted to organic growing systems. 01775 840592, seedcooperative.org.uk
Tamar Organics
A good range of vegetables for the organic gardener along with helpful growing advice. See the selection of sprouting seeds for that quickgrowing, flavour-filled vegetable hit. Online discount for orders over £150. 01579 371098, tamarorganics.co.uk
Thomas Etty
Among the range of heritage vegetable seeds are cultivars dating back centuries, meaning that there is always an interesting selection in the catalogue, such as ‘Spanish Black’ carrots dating from 1813 and newly offered perennial veg Alexanders, a native of Britain, with celery-flavoured leaf stalks and flower buds. 01460 298249, thomasetty.co.uk
Thompson & Morgan
A familiar name, and indeed one of the largest, in the seed catalogue world with 160 years of knowledge and plenty of grow-your-own choices. Why not jump right in and order their Vegetable Seed Bumper Pack, which includes 35 varieties of veg and salads, plus a pair of garden snips. 0333 400 0033, thompson-morgan.com