Packet Content (approx.): 1000 (1.15g's) 

Endive Ruffec. Heirloom. Large head, very fine frilly leaves, large white stems.  75 or so days. Direct seed or use transplants Great cooked or in salads. Best for fall. Set out 5-6 week transplants 60 days before desire harvest or direct seed 80 or so days before desired harvest. 2-3 seeds/16 inches. If you grow them closer together (say 8 inches), they tend to grow upright and self blanch. Blanch heart by tying up leaves 10-12 days before harvest. Great cooked or in salads.

Green Curled Ruffec Endive Germination: Endive makes an excellent fall crop, since light frost sweetens the taste, and excess heat causes bitterness in the leaves or bolting. For an early summer crop, sow seeds indoors 2 months before the last spring frost; sow them 1/4" deep. When the seedlings emerge, thin them to 6" apart. Four weeks after planting them, set them outside 12" apart. For a fall crop, direct sow seeds in July. Water the ground, scatter the seeds on the surface, then cover with 1/3" of soil. When the seedlings emerge, thin them to 12" in all directions. Areas with warmer winters may be able to plant a winter crop about two months before the last frost.

Growing Green Curled Ruffec Endive Seeds: Keep the soil moist to prevent toughness or a bitter taste, but avoid getting the leaves wet as this may cause rotting. Mulch helps conserve moisture and control weeds. If desired, blanch the leaves about 2-3 weeks before harvesting by tying together the outer leaves to shade the inner part of the plant. Make sure that the leaves of the plant are completely dry before tying them, or rotting may result.

Harvesting Green Curled Ruffec Endive: Cut individual leaves for baby greens as soon as they reach a good size for eating. Cut mature heads off at the base. For additional growth, leave an inch of stem.

With its distinctive leaf texture and mildly spicy, wasabi-like radish flavor, Wasabina is an eye-catching and flavorful addition to any salad. Also great as a garnish, as a companion ingredient in vegetable dishes, or served alongside meats or deep sea scallops. There are a multitude of innovative ways to use this versatile new green.

• Try in salads and sushi!
• Name tells it: this quickly growing salad has a typical wasabina, strong taste.
• Germinates in few days only. Add the first Height Block when the first leaves appear.
• You can start harvesting some leaves in 2-3 weeks.
• You can harvest the biggest leaves first or cut all at once.

Brassica juncea "Wasabina"

Mustards are one of the oldest spices in history. In the old Mediterranean cultures a legend told that mustard was introduced to us mortals by Asclepius and Ceres. When talking about mustard, we usually mean the seeds. But the greens of the mustard plant are also edible and enjoyed in many cuisines. They are nutritious, too, containing vitamins A, B and C. Our light green leaf mustard with serrated, tender leaves has a peppery, subtly wasabi-like flavor. The young leaves can be enjoyed raw and give a nice, spicy flavor to milder salad leaves. The more mature greens taste best when boiled or in stir-fries.

Babyleaf

Babyleaf is a convenient way of describing the optimum growth stage of many different leafy vegetables when cut to provide an individual leaf for salads. This is normally within the range 8-14cm in size. The popularity of bagged salads in recent years has risen sharply due the excellent quality of the components, and over 90% of households in the UK regularly buy their salads in this form.

Viridis Hortus screen many varieties for their suitability for the babyleaf market, examining leaf size and shape, speed of growth, size of cut area (normally stem thickness) ease of harvest, flavour, colour and general appearance, and of course shelf life after harvest.

Do ask us if you want more information about any of our babyleaf products and their suitability for your needs.

Sowing:

In autumn and winter seed can be sown into pots or seed trays which can be grown on the kitchen windowsill or in a heated conservatory/greenhouse. Sow 20-30 seeds into a 10-12cm pot using a free draining compost and cover seed lightly after sowing.
For spring and summer crops, sow direct into prepared seed beds in the kitchen garden or greenhouse border, and this is the best growing technique for spring and summer crops.

Sow outdoors sprinkle seeds 1/2 inch apart in a 2 to 4 inch wide row covering lightly or broadcast sow. Tip a small amount of seed into your hand, take a pinch and spread thinly along the trench. Cover with soil, label and water.

If birds are a problem in your garden, spread netting to prevent them eating the seed. Sow every two weeks for a continual supply of tender young leaf.

Cultivation:
The best tasting leaves come from plants which are grown quickly; this means a temperature of 15-19°C (60-70°F).
Under optimum growing conditions a crop of salad leaves can be ready for picking 3-4 weeks from sowing. Slower growing crops can become more fibrous and hotter flavoured.

Once cut the plants should have sufficient energy for re-growth to provide a second or even third crop of leaves, giving a regular supply with "little and often" sowings.

A medium sized, loose lettuce, with thick leaves shaped like a canary's tongue. Can be used for babyleaf, full sized or cut-and-come again

A highly ornamental oakleaf variety which is ideal for baby leaf salads. Compact plants produce masses of deep-lobed leaves with a wonderful flavour and texture. Can be grown in pots as well as in the garden.

This variety is an Vegetable that typically grows as an Annual, which is defined as a plant that matures and completes its lifecycle over the course of a single year. Catalogna Cerbiatta normally reaches to a mature height of 7.8 inches.

Due to how easy it is to grow in a variety of conditions, Catalogna Cerbiatta Lettuce is great for beginner gardeners and those that like low maintainance gardens.

• Height :  6? - 12 ?
• Spacing   : 12? ? 18?
• Sun Light :  6 hours - Full
• Water : Average
• Harvest   : 45 -50 days
• Sowing : Sow seeds ½ ? ? ¼ " deep
• Germination : 7- 14 Days
• Size  : 8? ? 13?
• Color : Green
• Use : Excellent for making All Salad recipe 
• HEIRLOOM

Cultural Details:

Sow March - August, for spring and summer crops, sow direct into prepared seed beds in the kitchen garden or greenhouse border, and this is the best growing technique for spring and summer crops.

Cover with vermiculite - germinates in 7-14 days around 12-15oC.

Prick out into module trays when large enough (unless sown directly into modules), then when ready, plant up at 25x30cm, either out-doors or for earlier crop in unheated glasshouse or polythene tunnel.

Harvest May - November

If birds are a problem in your garden, spread netting to prevent them eating the seed.

Sow every two weeks for a continual supply of tender young leaf.

Broccoli Raab is an incredible green-budded variety of sprouting broccoli, which crops more heavily and much more quickly from seed to harvest than Purple Sprouting.

Hugely popular in the Mediterranean, this little known vegetable is eaten when the heads are young, looking a little like sprouting broccoli. The flavour is somewhere between that of broccoli and spinach, but with a lovely tangy mustard tone (that gives away its relation to the turnip!). Very quick, around 40 days from sowing, and easy to grow, it also requires little space making it perfect for pots. Our variety has been specially selected for the vagaries of the British climate.

• Soil: Neutral - Alkaline
• Height: 40cm (16in)
• Group/Species: Heritage/(Cima di Rapa)
• Common name: Broccoli raab, Rapini
• Moisture: Well-drained
• Aspect: Full Sun
• Spread: 15cm (6in)

Sowing:

Sow Cima di Rapa directly is usually sown March-June, and can also be sown October. Sow 1cm (1/2 ") deep into prepared soil. Avoid very hot or very cold weather. Germination will vary depending on the weather. Should be ready to harvest 40-60 days from sowing.

Growing Instructions: 

Water regularly. Keep weed free. May require staking. Can be container grown. This vegetable should be eaten young, like sprouting Broccoli.

Harvest: 

Harvest 40-60 days from sowing. If you harvest carefully, leaving the lower 2 leaves intact, further growth will often re-sprout several times. Steam, sautéed, boil or stir-fry the leaves /heads for 8-10 minutes only. The plant bears yellow flowers which are also edible.

Be prepared to water well and supplement feed with high-potash feed during season. Regular feeding is recommended.

Salad Rocket, Victoria

The classic salad rocket also known as Oriental Brassica Salad, with a rounded leaf blade and attractive dark green colour. Very vigorous and fast growing.
Oriental brassicas are excellent from late summer onwards right through the winter if grown under protection.

Sowing:
Salad Rocket ‘Victoria’ – grows best in the cooler parts of the year. As the days get longer the plants quickly run to seed.
Seeds can be sown directly in early spring as soon as the soil can be worked or even in late summer or early autumn. However, the plants are quite hardy and can cope with a few degrees of frost. Because plants are quite short-lived, sow in succession of about two to three weeks.

Sow small amounts every 3 weeks from late June until late September. Seeds can be sown directly into the ground or into modular trays (5 seeds per cell) and planted out 4 weeks after sowing.

Spacing:
Between rows: 25 cm. Between plants in the row: 25 cm (5 seedlings per station)

Harvesting:

You can either harvest individual leaves as they are needed or use the cut-and-come-again method: cut the whole plant at about 5cm height from the soil level and the leaves will re-grow within the next two to three weeks. The leaves get bitter when the plant starts to bolt.

Seeds per Pack (approx.): 920 (2g's)
 

Uber Salad Rocket with the typical wild rocket leaf shape. Mild rocket flavour. Widely grown and reliable with good texture. It adds colour and vibrancy to any salad bowl and as a great flavour! Also looks great in the garden or in a pot on the patio.

Often expensive when shop bought, so grow your own - it's easy from seed and more satisfying!

Uber Salad Rocket can be harvested a few leaves can be picked as & when needed & it will continue to produce new leaves for 2-3 months. It is a good variety to sow successional every 2-3 weeks.

They can be grown all year round, for a continuous supply of tasty and nutritious baby leaves. They can be grown in the home, on windowsills or raised in pots in glasshouses or polytunnel ?S in cooler areas for winter early spring crops.

Cultural Details:

Sow March - August, for spring and summer crops, sow direct into prepared seed beds in the kitchen garden or greenhouse border, and this is the best growing technique for spring and summer crops.

Cover with vermiculite - germinates in 7?14 days around 12-15oC.

Prick out into module trays when large enough (unless sown directly into modules), then when ready, plant up at 25x30cm, either out-doors or for earlier crop in unheated glasshouse or polythene tunnel.

Harvest May - November

If birds are a problem in your garden, spread netting to prevent them eating the seed.

Sow every two weeks for a continual supply of tender young leaf.