April

Swede is one of the easiest vegetables to grow and well-suited to the novice gardener, few other crops are quite so straightforward. A favorite with growers, Swede 'Best of All' is an old variety that produced globe shaped roots with purple tops and yellow flesh, it is very hardy and reliable with good storing qualities.

The European woodland strawberry is the old fashioned wild strawberry once widely grown in gardens. Called 'Fraises des Bois' meaning literally Strawberries of the Forest, the compact plants give a good yield of small, intensely sweet little berries. A burst of true, scrumptious Strawberry that puts the taste of many bigger berries to shame.

This wonderful heritage variety of alpine Strawberry produces loads of little red strawberries that are bursting with flavour. Much sweeter than their traditional commercial cousins they possess a fine, old fashioned flavour. Plants have compact growth with few runners. An alpine Strawberry that is very hard to find, excellent for high altitude climates!

'Waltham' is an improved version of the common Butternut squash. First bred in the 1960's they are reliable, productive and a long-keeper. It has very little seed cavity, thicker & straighter necks, fruits earlier, and produces more flesh per fruit.

A curiously-shaped heirloom winter squash from France that is named for the colour and shape of the fruit, Squash 'Turkish Turban' produces attractive, acorn shape fruit, at its blossom end is a Turban-like cap, thus its name. Closely related to the buttercup squash, the taste is similar to other Cucurbita maxima cultivars.

Squash 'F1 Table Gold' is a high sugar Acorn type squash that is one of the most productive squash you can grow. Maturing in 85 days, the fruits can be harvested as summer squash or left for autumn. Deliciously sweet and just the right size, to prepare simply remove the seeds and bake.

An award winning variety of the Japanese Kabocha squash, 'Sweet Mama F1’ is a unique kabocha that produces on a very space-saving short vine. It produces flattened globe shaped fruit with an excellent sweet and nutty flavour. The distinct bush-type growth habit makes it possible to inter plant these vines quite closely.

'Spaghetti squash' is a unique variety whose creamy coloured flesh separates into spaghetti-like strands once cooked. Mild, sweet and nutty, this squash is delicious roasted. Sow May to July and harvest up to first frosts, it is a healthy gluten free alternative to pasta or use instead of rice noodles in Asian-style dishes. A great way pack more nutrients into your diet.

'F1 Rolet' is a Gem type squash variety that is summer-fruiting, like a courgette but with the creaminess and superb flavour of a winter storing squash. Its deep green smooth skin sets it apart from other squashes. Early maturing and high yielding, it is very easy to cook and has a incredible nutty, warm flavour.

Squash 'Turkish Turban' produces decorative fruits that are brightly colourful and striped. 'Mini Red Turban' is a small-sized bicolour variety with red cap and white turban. Perfect for baking or for use as an ornament for decoration in autumn, the taste is nutty and sweet and reminiscent of hazelnuts.

This very old Italian Heirloom rustic variety originates from near Venice and is considered the King of Italian Squashes. Round, short, and squat in shape, the dark green to grey-blue skin has slight, vertical ridging and is almost completely covered in bumps. When cooked, Marina di Chioggia squash is tender and sweet with nutty flavours.

Blocky, deeply ribbed and extremely bumpy, for most of the season they are a gorgeous dark green to charcoal black, but in autumn 'Futtsu Black Early' mature in a fascinating metamorphosis, to a grey-bloomed dusty orange. Harvest in the midst of their transformation for funky autumn displays or wait for them to ripen completely for maximum flavour, nutty and sweet with hints of chestnut.