Seed overload

Both my mum and my sister bought me some seeds for Christmas and when you add them together with those I ordered myself, I probably have enough for everyone at my allotments, never mind just my plot.

These ones which my sister bought me are especially exciting: ‘Pipiche’, a kind of mexican herb, and ‘chocolate cherry’ tomatoes. They’re both from the Real Seed Catalogue.

 

The Pipiche is described as citrusy-coriander and it has blue flowers with no petals. I’ll probably grow this in a pot on the front patio at home, along with my other herbs, rather than at the allotment, as I like having herbs outside the front door where my sous chef can be sent to pick them as I cook dinner.

The cherry tomatoes should end up as small purple-brown fruits like these:

The rest of the seeds I have include nasturtiums, beetroot, a mystery mix of radishes, runner beans, a couple of other varieties of tomatoes including some yellow ones, rainbow chard, kale, parnsips, French beans, purple sprouting brocolli, mange tout, radiccio (or chicory) and a few varieities of chilli peppers including padron.

I think it’s a good mix of easy-to-grow choices and things I’ve grown successfully before like the runner beans and broccoli, plus some more experimental options like the radiccio and chilli peppers. I really hope we get some padrons so I can grill them with salt like the ones we ate in Spain last year.

Now we just need the snow and hailstones to stop and spring to arrive so I can get on with sowing them all.