Annual, 4-7 days at 20-23°C, sow January-March. Do not cover. Crop time 8-9 weeks.
Sell in: 10-12cm pots.
End Use: Hanging baskets and containers.

Popular supply of winter greens when other brassicas are not available for bunching and leaf sales. Also used as a game cover crop.
300-450 seeds per gram. Germinates between 10 and 25°C. Sow between mid May and July, at 250-500g per hectare for a transplanted crop, or around 2 kilos per hectare for direct drilled crop. Plant spacings 60 x 60cm. Harvest in autumn and winter.

Cabbage can be produced throughout the year, providing growers with a continuous supply to their outlets. Faster-maturing spring greens are ideal for utilising redundant polytunnel or glasshouse space over the winter months. Cabbages are popular for young plant sales to home gardeners.
200-400 seeds per gram. Germinates between 10 and 25°C. Sowing and harvesting times as given in the charts. Seed rate approx. 600g per hectare transplanted, 1.25-2.5 kilos per hectare direct sown. Spacings 30 x 60cm, up to 60 x 90cm.

Perennial, treat as annual. Sow December-February - takes 2 weeks at 18-21°C, cover lightly with vermiculite, grow on at 13-15°C, prick out after 5-6 weeks into packs or 9cm pots,13-14 weeks sowing to flower. Cleaned seed.
Sell in: 4-packs and 9cm pots.
End Use: Borders.

A range of annuals, biennials and perennials grown for culinary and medicinal purposes. Ideal for plant sales. Sell in 9cm pots and upwards. Best sold as green plant with label.

Impatiens require great care, particularly in the early stages, to get the best from the seed. Modern F1 hybrids are produced to yield 90-100% germination given favourable conditions during raising.
Sow January-March. For first 5 days: 22-24°C, cover seed with vermiculite but do not exclude light, make sure well watered, low nutrient compost pH 6.2-6.8. For following 10 days, 22-24°C, medium moisture, ideally provide supplementary light above seedlings, give one weak strength feed. For following 10 days, reduce temperature to 20-22°C, one moderate strength feed. For next 7 days, temperature now 17-18°C, one moderate strength feed. At the end of this stage, strong seedlings should be ready for planting on into packs/pots as required.
Impatiens Downy Mildew is a potential problem for producers and users of this important bedding plant. We recommend taking professional advice regarding routine spray programmes when producing this crop. New Guinea Impatiens does not appear to be affected. Approx. 1000-2500 seeds per gram.

A mainstay amongst salad crops. For protected all year round cropping and open ground production. Curly and coloured lettuce are popular with consumers and retailers alike. Well suited to sales in packs and as young plants. The wide range of colours and textures available makes lettuce ideal for mixed sald packs and 'baby leaf' products.

Approximate crop spacing: (in row x between rows)
Mini & small Cos: 15cm x 20cmButterhead: 25cm x 30cm
Other types: 35cm x 38cm
(Actual spacing varies with production technique). Seed count: see variety entry.

Lettuce types:
Butterheads: flattish, rounded heads, soft texture, heart forming, can be grown nearly all year-round with careful varietal choice.
Cos/Romaine: Tall and upright, sweet flavour, loose heart forming. Both large and small types.
Crisp/Iceberg/Batavian: crisp leaves, compact hearts. Iceberg: very crisp leaves. Batavian: thinner leaves than Icebergs, but thicker and crispier leaves than Butterheads.
Curled/Oak Leaf/Salad Bowl: mainly non-hearting types. Wide variety of leaf textures and colours.
Lollo Bionda/Lollo Rossa: nonhearting types with very deeply curled leaves. Lollo Bionda varieties are green, Lollo Rossa varieties are red (triple red has more intense red colour than double red).
The wide range of colours and textures available are ideal for the production of mixed salad packs and ‘baby leaf’ products.

African varieties:
Annual, sow February onwards, germinates in 4-7 days at 20°C, cover with vermiculite. Prick out after 3-4 weeks into 4-packs, 6-packs, or 10cm pots for pot bedding sales. Grow on at around 15°C, sowing to flowering around 10 weeks. Best garden performance (in terms of eventual plant size and length of time plants flower) is obtained from planting before plants have flowered, although sales appeal is lessened, this can be offset by using colour labels in the pack/pot. 300 seeds per gram (sow 5g for 1,000 plants).
Sell in: 4-packs and 9-10cm pots.
End Use: Borders and containers. Formal bedding schemes.

Annual varieties:
Sow February onwards, germinates in 4-7 days at 20°C, cover with vermiculite. Prick out after 3-4 weeks into 4-packs, 6-packs, or 10cm pots for pot bedding sales. Grow on at around 15°C, sowing to flowering around 10 weeks. Best garden performance (in terms of eventual plant size and length of time plants flower) is obtained from planting before plants have flowered, although sales appeal is lessened, this can be offset by using colour labels in the pack/pot. 300 seeds per gram (sow 5g for 1,000 plants).

African varieties:
Annual, sow February onwards, germinates in 4-7 days at 20°C, cover with vermiculite. Prick out after 3-4 weeks into 4-packs, 6-packs, or 10cm pots for pot bedding sales. Grow on at around 15°C, sowing to flowering around 10 weeks. Best garden performance (in terms of eventual plant size and length of time plants flower) is obtained from planting before plants have flowered, although sales appeal is lessened, this can be offset by using colour labels in the pack/pot. 300 seeds per gram (sow 5g for 1,000 plants).
Sell in: 4-packs and 9-10cm pots.
End Use: Borders and containers. Formal bedding schemes.

Annual varieties:
Sow February onwards, germinates in 4-7 days at 20°C, cover with vermiculite. Prick out after 3-4 weeks into 4-packs, 6-packs, or 10cm pots for pot bedding sales. Grow on at around 15°C, sowing to flowering around 10 weeks. Best garden performance (in terms of eventual plant size and length of time plants flower) is obtained from planting before plants have flowered, although sales appeal is lessened, this can be offset by using colour labels in the pack/pot. 300 seeds per gram (sow 5g for 1,000 plants).

Oriental vegetables are becoming an important market for the producer as an increasingly culturally diverse population has led to the wider culinary use of such products. Speciality leaves are now an established sector of the salads market. The colour, texture, shape and flavour of these products adds interest to mixed salad packs and baby leaf mixes.

A fast-maturing, long season crop which is suitable for bunching and prepack. A popular salad item which is high yielding, in limited space. An excellent catch crop throughout the season.
80-100 seeds/g. Germinates between 14 and 30°C. For early glasshouse production sow January-March. Sow maincrop March-August. Sow late glasshouse crop September-October. 60-75kg seed per hectare. Spacing 1.5-2.5cm x 20-45cm.

We offer a wide range of varieties designed to meet most growers' requirements. While the old established favourites are still popular, the recent hybrid introductions have resulted in plants which not only perform better but taste better, an important characteristic in any tomato variety. New hybrid varieties with more unusual fruit shapes, colours and sizes are proving very popular both with fresh market sales and retail plant sales. Young tomato plants remain the best seller for vegetable plant sales to the public.
For varietal fruit shape, size, colour and suitability please see technical table and individual product descriptions.

We offer a wide range of varieties designed to meet most growers' requirements. While the old established favourites are still popular, the recent hybrid introductions have resulted in plants which not only perform better but taste better, an important characteristic in any tomato variety. New hybrid varieties with more unusual fruit shapes, colours and sizes are proving very popular both with fresh market sales and retail plant sales. Young tomato plants remain the best seller for vegetable plant sales to the public.
For varietal fruit shape, size, colour and suitability please see technical table and individual product descriptions.

We offer a wide range of varieties designed to meet most growers' requirements. While the old established favourites are still popular, the recent hybrid introductions have resulted in plants which not only perform better but taste better, an important characteristic in any tomato variety. New hybrid varieties with more unusual fruit shapes, colours and sizes are proving very popular both with fresh market sales and retail plant sales. Young tomato plants remain the best seller for vegetable plant sales to the public.
For varietal fruit shape, size, colour and suitability please see technical table and individual product descriptions.