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.

Can be grown over a long season, often succeeding where other brassicas fail. Suitable for fresh sales and prepack, also once the main heads are removed, small sideshoots form, which are ideal for florets.
250-400 seeds per gram. Sow March-July, sowing rate 500g per acre. Germinates between 7 and 30°C. Plant out April-July at around 23 x 30cm, for harvesting June-December. Later maturity is possible in milder climates. Stated maturity times are from transplant to harvest.

Another all-season crop offering various sales options - bunching, prepack, loose and processing. Long shelf life and good storage/handling abilities make carrots a good choice for the grower.
800-900 seeds/g. Germinates between 8 and 30°C. Spacing 2.5-7.5cm within, 40-75cm between rows.

Greenhouse Perennial:
Sow February-April, for flowering October onwards. 3-6 weeks at 15°C. Cyclamen require absolute darkness for successful germination and a constant temperature. Temperatures higher than 15°C may well cause germination failure. 200 seeds per gram.
Large-framed F1
Sell in: 12cm pots.
End Use: Indoor houseplant.
Mini F1
Sell in: 9cm pots, 4-packs.
End Use: Indoor houseplant, and Winter containers.

Hardy Outdoor Types:
Perennial, 1-6 months at 9°C; germination can be slow and erratic. Can be sown at any time of the year, however for optimum germination the temperature should not exceed 9°C.
Sell in: 8-9cm pots, in flower.
End Use: Borders, under trees etc.

Perennial, 2-3 weeks at 20-23°C, sow May-July. Cover with vermiculite. Arizona, Mesa and Primavera will flower in their first year from an early (January) sowing. Excepting Sundance Bicolour, all Gaillardia is now sold as rubbed seed only. 350-450 seeds per gram
Sell in: 8cm or larger pots.
End Use: Borders and containers. Flowers through Summer.

Annual (Sundance Bicolour): Sow March-April, 2-3 weeks at 18-21°C, cover lightly with vermiculite.

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.

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.