Franchi Seeds
Because what you sow, you will reap.
By the time of the mutiny on the bounty in 1789, Giovanni Franchi was already 6 years into his business of selling seeds around the market squares of Parma from his horse drawn cart, and the company is still in the same family 226 years later with Giampiero Franchi at the helm. 1783 also witnessed the death of the landscape architect Capability Brown, the end of the American War of Independence and the flight of the Montgolfier brothers balloon over Paris. Franchi are the oldest family run seed company in the world and are much more than just seeds in a packet – they are a story of tradition, pride, experience, quality, passion and excellence handed down over 7 generations that continues today alongside state-of-the-art technological solutions.
Italian Seed Selection - 5 pack
£9.95
Italian Seed Selection - 5 pack
Easy to grow Italian vegetable seeds- suitable for experts and beginners!
£9.95
A very easy to grow selection of vegetables and salads:
Contains:
Courgette Striato - for bumper crops
Tomato Red Cherry - suitable for outdoor growing in tubs
Wild Rocket - hot, spicy flavour
Lettuce Misticanza - pick and come again salad
Basil Genovese - perfect for pesto
All growing instructions for Franchi seeds are on the back of the pack. Just follow the blue dot symbols.
Basil Genovese
£1.95
Basil Genovese
Classic Genovese style basil
£1.95
Easy to grow Genovese style basil seeds to sow in pots. Lasts through the summer. Sow Mar - mid July.
Swiss Chard Costa Bianca
£1.95
Swiss Chard Costa Bianca
Fry the stalks in butter, eat the leaves like spinach
£1.95
Easy to grow - sow directly into the ground from March- end July.
Cauliflower Romanesco
£1.95
Cauliflower Romanesco
Green cauliflower from Rome with unusual spiral patterns over each floret forming an unusual head.
£1.95
c1800 seeds Sow May-end July.
Beetroot of Chioggia
£1.95
Beetroot of Chioggia
A wonderful variety from the Venice region.
£1.95
Round red root with alternate white and red stripes on the inside. Sow from March - end June. c600 seeds.
Chilli Pepper - Red Cherry
£2.50
Chilli Pepper - Red Cherry
'Piccante Calabrese' or hot of Calabria.
£2.50
These chillies are round, hot and can be stuffed with tuna and arranged into jars of olive oil. Also great for stuffing as they will lose half their heat when cooked but have an excellent flavour of the fruit itself rather than just being all heat. Sow February - June.
Pumpkin Marina of Chioggia
£1.95
Pumpkin Marina of Chioggia
Very old, rustic pumpkin from near Venice.
£1.95
Thick, knobbly skin and sweet yellow/orange flesh. Rich in Vitamin A which helps keep eyes and skin healthy. Also contains mineral salts (Calcium & Phosphorous). c9. Sow Mar-end Jun and harvest till the end of November.
Flat Leafed Parsley
£1.95
Flat Leafed Parsley
A large flat leaf variety from Naples.
£1.95
Really tasty. Will grow again after cutting. 6600 seeds. Sow Mar-end Sep.
Borlotto Bean Lamon
£2.25
Borlotto Bean Lamon
We are so used to eating Borlotti beans out of tins or seeing them dried. Why not grow them and eat fresh beans instead?
£2.25
Variegated bean, pinkish red splodges on white. The plants are 180-190cms tall. 6-7 beans per pod. High iron and fibre content. 50g. Sow April - June.
WORM TOP TIPS
If you’ve had trouble with beans sown directly outside because of poor germination or slug problems, try sowing them in early May in pots under a cold frame or similar covering. Healthy young plants will be ready to plant out within about 5 weeks and then growing away far quicker than your outdoor sowings.
Why not also use the Borlotti ‘Lamon’ for making the famous Venetian dish of ‘Pasta e Fagioli’ and Borlotti beans freeze brilliantly.
Courgette Striato
£1.95
Courgette Striato
Courgettes amongst our favourite vegetables to grow in the garden - the sheer productivity of a courgette has to be seen to be believed.
£1.95
The classic striped Italian Zucchini. A productive, bushy plant with medium sized fruits, producing upto 5kg of fruit per plant.
approx 54 seeds.
Sow mid Mar-Aug.
Featured by Carol Klein on ‘Grow your own veg’ BBC2
Mixed Lettuce Misticanza
£1.95
Mixed Lettuce Misticanza
Pick and come again mixed lettuce
£1.95
Traditionally, ‘Misticanza’ is a Roman feature going back over 2000 years. In the 15th century, Borrage, Mint, Chicory barba di Frate and Rocket were also included, but this pack has 13 varieties of lettuce all mixed together.
Sow in succession for a continuous harvest.
Everything you need for the salad bowl in one pack.
approx 6000 seeds.
Sow Mar-end Sep.
Wild Rocket
£1.95
Wild Rocket
like an interesting man... hot, wild and Italian!
£1.95
Garden quality wild rocket. Stronger flavour than the cultivated variety (some say a better flavour), with a smaller leaf area. A must have, and great value as there are 6000 seeds. Cut and come again (2-3 times). Sow Mar-May and Aug-Sep.
