Seed Subscription: Vegetable, Temperate Climate, Summer 2025

Subscriptions are an excellent way to explore new seed varieties without having to spend time choosing the seeds yourself, and are perfect for busy gardeners, delivering seeds and all the information you need to plant them directly to your letterbox. 

Each season we’ll choose a selection of seed varieties tailored to your climate, and send you the seeds plus a colour information sheet with photos, tips and sowing information - all you need to do is plant!

You are currently viewing a single season of seeds which can be purchased individually. To subscribe to a years worth of seeds click here.

Seeds included in this subscription:

• 

  Rocket

  Annual plant growing to 100cm. Has large, green, serrated leaves with a peppery taste. Mainly used in salads but can be cooked. Best when leaves are young and tender. Tolerates cold. Also known as Arugula and Roquette.

  Sow direct or raise seedlings, 3mm. Germination 7-21 days @ 15-20°C.Annual. Rows 40cm, Height 100cm, Spacing 40cm. 60 days.

  Best months in Temperate Climates: FEB MAR AUG SEP OCT NOV (Click for full sowing chart, grow guide and more)

• 

  Kohlrabi- Purple Vienna

  Purple skin with crisp white flesh; tender and sweet. Excellent flavour; can be eaten raw or cooked. Good in salads, soups and stews.

  Sow direct, 5mm. Germination 3-10 days @ 16-27°C.Biennial (usually grown as an annual). Rows 40cm, Spacing 20cm. 55-75 days.

  Best months in Temperate Climates: JAN FEB MAR APR AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC (Click for full sowing chart, grow guide and more)

• 

  Beetroot- White

  White skin with white flesh. Sweet flavour. Will not change the colour of other vegetables when cooked together like red beets. Good for boiling, pickling and baking.

  Sow direct, 15mm. Germination 5-10 days @ 10-30°C.Biennial (usually grown as an annual). Rows 50cm, Spacing 10cm. 60 days.

  Best months in Temperate Climates: JAN FEB MAR APR JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC (Click for full sowing chart, grow guide and more)

• 

  Malabar Spinach- Green

  Malabar spinach, a frost-tender perennial vine, is grown as an annual in cooler climates. It has soft stems, succulent leaves, and is a vigorous climber. The leaves resemble true spinach and are used as a substitute in salads and as a leaf vegetable.

  Sow direct, 10mm. Germination 10-21 days @ 24-30°C.Perennial (grown as an annual in cool climates). Spacing 20cm. 60-70 days.

  Best months in Temperate Climates: JAN FEB SEP OCT NOV DEC (Click for full sowing chart, grow guide and more)

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• 

  Leek- Elephant

  Large leeks that can grow up to 10cm in diameter. Good flavour. Perfect for salads, stews, soups, stir-fries and steamed.

  Sow direct or raise seedlings, 5mm. Germination 10-14 days @ 18-23°C.Biennial (usually grown as an annual). Rows 45cm, Spacing 12cm. 100 days.

  Best months in Temperate Climates: JAN FEB MAR APR AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC (Click for full sowing chart, grow guide and more)

• 

  Endive- Green Curled Ruffec

  Well know variety. Curled crispy dark green leaves. Resistant to cold very wet conditions. Commonly used raw as a salad green but can be eaten cooked in stir-fries, soups or stews.

  Sow direct or raise seedlings, 5mm. Germination 4-7 days @ 15-18°C.Annual. Rows 50cm, Height 20cm, Spacing 30cm. 90 days.

  Best months in Temperate Climates: FEB MAR APR AUG SEP OCT NOV (Click for full sowing chart, grow guide and more)

• 

  Silverbeet- Orange Fantasia

  A biennial often grown annually, reaching 60cm. Bright orange stalks, veins, midribs, and shiny green leaves. Retains colour when cooked. Thick, tender stalks. Highly productive, good for baby leaves. Can be ornamental in mixed borders or beds.

  Sow direct or raise seedlings, 15mm. Germination 5-10 days @ 10-30°C.Biennial. Rows 50cm, Spacing 30cm. 60 days (30 days for baby leaves).

  Best months in Temperate Climates: JAN FEB MAR APR MAY SEP OCT NOV DEC (Click for full sowing chart, grow guide and more)

• 

  Brussels Sprouts- Catskill

  Heirloom variety with large, firm, flavourful sprouts, tightly packed on sturdy stems. Harvest sprouts from the bottom of the stem upwards. Keep well watered through summer and pinch back growing tips in late summer to encourage upper sprouts to develop.

  Sow direct or raise seedlings, 7mm. Germination 10-15 days @ 7-25°C.Biennial (usually grown as an annual). Rows 100cm, Height 80cm, Spacing 70cm. 85-120 days.

  Best months in Temperate Climates: JAN FEB MAR APR DEC (Click for full sowing chart, grow guide and more)

• 

  Carrot- Samurai Red

  Heirloom Japanese variety with long, tapering, rosy-red roots. Flavour is sweet, and texture is crisp and tender, with colour holding up during cooking. Roots can grow 25-28 cm in length.

  Sow direct, 4mm. Germination 14-20 days @ 10-30°C.Biennial (usually grown as an annual). Rows 25cm, Height 15-20cm, Spacing 5cm. 70 days.

  Best months in Temperate Climates: JAN FEB MAR APR AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC (Click for full sowing chart, grow guide and more)

• 

  Corn, Sweet- Anasazi

  Old multi-coloured American heirloom corn. Tall plants grow to 200cm, typically yielding 2 cobs each. Cobs are large and sweet. Kernels start yellow and white, but dry to a mix of yellow, white, blue, and red.

  Sow direct, 20mm. Germination 5-14 days @ 16-35°C.Annual. Rows 75cm, Height 200cm, Spacing 30cm. 90 days.

  Best months in Temperate Climates: JAN SEP OCT NOV DEC (Click for full sowing chart, grow guide and more)

Tips for gardening in summer:

• Watering: Learn when to water by using your index finger to check soil moisture. Scratch back a little of the surface soil and use your finger to see if soil is moist about 5cm below the surface; if it’s on the dry side, it’s time to water.
• Crop protection: As fruit and veggies develop they may need protection from burrowing insects, fruit fly, birds, possums or bats. Berries, fruit trees and soft fruit like tomatoes are especially at risk. Use insect exclusion netting, bird netting or fruit protection bags to protect crops. Ensure your netting is pegged or tied securely at the bottom to stop pests getting in.
• Pinch for More Flowers: Pinch the main stems of flowering plants to encourage strong growth, a bushier habit and more flowers. Once plants are 20-40cm tall and have several sets of leaves, use sharp, clean snips or secateurs to cut off the top 10cm or so of the main stem of the plant, making the cut just above a set of leaves. Flowers including aster, zinnia, chrysanthemum, calendula, marigold and dahlia will all benefit from pinching.
• Provide shade for sensitive plants: Use shade cloth or even old sheets to protect delicate seedlings and leafy greens from the harsh summer sun, especially during the hottest part of the day.

Pests and diseases to look out for in summer:

• Aphids: Small, sap-sucking insects that congregate on the new shoots or the underside of leaves. They can cause leaves to wilt or become discoloured, and also excrete honeydew which can attract ants and other insect pests. To manage aphids, remove them by spraying with a garden hose, apply a soap or alcohol spray, or encourage predatory insects to your garden.
• Whitefly: A sap-sucking insect related to aphids, whitefly are found in large numbers on the underside of leaves, and will swarm in clouds when disturbed. Plants may have yellowing leaves or may wilt, and growth will be slowed. Whitefly can be removed with a garden hose or sprayed with soap spray. Badly affected plants should be destroyed.
• Slugs and snails: These slimy pests love the humidity of summer nights and can decimate seedlings and tender young plants. They leave tell-tale silvery trails and irregular holes in leaves. To control them, try hand-picking them at night (with a torch) and disposing of them, creating barriers crushed eggshells around vulnerable plants, or using beer traps.
• Fungal diseases: The combination of warm temperatures and summer humidity can form the perfect conditions for fungal diseases to spread. Water plants in the morning at ground level, avoiding wetting foliage wherever possible. Prune off affected foliage, space plants to allow more airflow, and treat fungal outbreaks with homemade or purchased sprays.

Product code: SS_VEG_TEMP_SUM_2025