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Radish - Black Spanish 'round' - 62RW

Radish - Black Spanish 'round' - 62RW

Details   A large black skin, white flesh, winter radish, though this radish carries a recessive gene that produces a white skin as well. They can get to dinner plate size while still remaining mild tasting. Recommended not to sow before March in the South Island and April in the north as they can bolt to flower before growing its swollen stem.
Botanical name   Raphanus sativus
Grower name   Richard Watson
Date Of Seed Harvest   2017
Storage Info   frozen stored
Contains at least   50 seeds
Price per packet   $4.50
Radish - Qingluobo - 104RW

Radish - Qingluobo - 104RW

Details   Known also as Green Luobo . This is a unique radish that is sweet, crispy and slightly hot. It has green flesh. The skin is green with a white tip. Sow in spring, for summer, as it won't winter over where there are hard frosts.
Botanical name   Raphanus sativus
Grower name   Richard Watson
Date Of Seed Harvest   March 2022
Storage Info   frozen stored
Contains at least   50
Price per packet   $4.50
Radish - Pink Beauty - 96RW

Radish - Pink Beauty - 96RW

Details   A beautiful round pink radish that is sweet and tasty, less of a hot and spicy radish than most other summer radishes.


Richards selection work with this cultivar involves sowing earlier than normal for this summer radish, this way it helps expose the plants that want to go into reproduction in its first growing year, as they are considered a biennial , this means any plants that bolt early sees a one way trip to the cold composting heap, what plants do make it through a Amuri Plains winter without going to seed or rotting are saved for seed production the following summer

Botanical name   Raphanus sativus wood drills11
Grower name   Richard Watson
Storage Info   Seed long term stored in freezer
Contains at least   50
Price per packet   $4.50
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Radish - Chinese Red Meat - 125SS

Radish - Chinese Red Meat - 125SS

Details   Chinese Red Meat Radish is a heirloom variety that hails from China. A mild radish with a slightly peppery bite, it has a white and green skin but the centre is rich pink, sure to add a delightful colour to any salad.
Propagation:
Sow seeds in the ground where you intend to grow, cover with a fine layer of soil.

Botanical name   Raphanus sativus
Grower name   Sarah Smith
Date Of Seed Harvest   Feb 2021
Contains at least   50
Price per packet   $4.50
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Mustard Lettuce - 87RW

Mustard Lettuce - 87RW

Details   Has a distinct horseradish-mustard flavour. Regarded as one of the most nutritious green-leafy vegetables available around. Its lovely top greens have actually more vitamin A, carotenes, vitamin K, and flavonoid anti-oxidants than some of typical fruits and vegetables.
Botanical name   Brassica juncea
Contains at least   50
Date Of Seed Harvest   Jan 2020
Grower name   Richard Watson
Storage Info   Seed stored in freezer
Price per packet   $4.50
Black Krim - 75SS

Black Krim - 75SS

Details   Black Krim Tomato is an heirloom tomato originating from Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula. "Krim" is the Russian word for Crimea. This tomato is open-pollinated, and bears large flattened globe fruits that are dark reddish-purple to black with green/brown. A very good producing plant.
Propagation: Sow seeds in seed raising mix in Spring, prick out once 2 true leave appear.

Botanical name   Solanum lycopersicum
Grower name   Sarah Smith
Date Of Seed Harvest   Feb 2022
Contains at least   20 seeds
Price per packet   $4.50
Black Mini Popping corn - 254ALB

Black Mini Popping corn - 254ALB

Details   Black mini popping corn is Hulless so no getting them stuck in your teeth, they pop white, they are low growing cobs grow to 6 cm in length. plant in blocks for better pollination, avoid growing near other corn to avoid cross pollination. The drier the kernel the better they pop. Heirloom
Botanical name   Zea Mays
Contains at least   50 seeds
Date Of Seed Harvest   Feb 2023
Grower name   Alice Le Brun
Price per packet   $4.50

Japanese Black Trifele - 19NS

Details   Pear-shaped fruit that are a strange red/orange/purple colour with very good taste. Strong, vigourous plants, that should be allowed to carry 3 or 4 leaders. So put in several stakes for each plant. Excellent yields.
Botanical name   Lycopersicon esculentum
Contains at least   20
Date Of Seed Harvest   March 2022
Grower name   Nev&Sue Sinclair
Price per packet   $4.50
Passionfruit - Black Beauty - 119CMK

Passionfruit - Black Beauty - 119CMK

Details  
Passionfruit has a sweet and tangy taste, great eating on its own or with ice cream or made into a jelly. When growing they appreciate soil rich in organic matter. Protect from strong winds and frost, prefers a sunny location where it can grow up a support. They like a bit of fertiliser in the spring.
Contains at least   20
Date Of Seed Harvest   Sep 2022
Grower name   Carla McKnight
Storage Info   Seed stock refreshed yearly
Price per packet   $4.50
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Black Matipo, Kohuhu - 201SS

Black Matipo, Kohuhu - 201SS

Details   Black Matipo is a pittosporum and is commonly known as kohuhu and other Maori names kohukohu and tawhiwhi. Its small, very dark purple flowers are only scented at night.  This native grows into a small shrub or tree to a height of 3-6 meters tall.  Ideal as a revegetation species or in a understory position.
Propagation: Sow Black Matipo seeds directly onto a firm bed of seed raising mix and press in well.  Cover with a light layer of mix.  Seedlings usually appear in two to three months depending on temperature.

Botanical name   Pittosporum tenuifolium
Grower name   Sarah Smith
Date Of Seed Harvest   March 2022
Storage Info   Seed frozen stored
Contains at least   30
Price per packet   $4.50
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Black From Tula - 179RG

Details   A rare Russian heirloom known to set fruit in hot weather. Black From Tula is one of the largest black tomatoes that grows a flattened fruit which has a rich, salty, smoky flavour.
Botanical name   Solanaceae Lycopersicon lycopersicum
Contains at least   20 seeds
Date Of Seed Harvest   Feb 2022
Grower name   Rick Ginders
Storage Info   Seed stored in freezer
Price per packet   $4.50
Out of stock
Spinach - Bower - 25RW

Spinach - Bower - 25RW

Details   Bower spinach is a scrambling short shrub that forms dense leafy patches of up to 14 m. The stems are long and trailing, often succulent and colored red or pink when young, maturing to dark green to brown-black and becoming woody. The leaves are alternate, clustered, and fleshy. The yellow flowers are solitary. Fruits are pink to dark red, succulent berries up to 8 mm long.

 

It is grown for edible leaves and can be used as food or as an ornamental plant for ground cover. As some of its names signify, it has similar flavor and texture properties to spinach and is cooked like spinach. Like spinach, it contains oxalates. Its medium to low levels of oxalates needs to be removed by blanching the leaves in hot water for one minute, then rinsing in cold water before cooking. It can be found as an invasive plant in North and South America and cultivated along the East Asian rim. It thrives in hot weather and is considered an heirloom vegetable. Few insects consume it, and even slugs and snails do not seem to feed on it.

The thick, irregularly-shaped seeds should be planted just after the last spring frost. Before planting, the seeds should be soaked for 12 hours in cold water or 3 hours in warm water. Seeds should be planted 5 to 10 mm deep and spaced 15 to 30 cm apart. The seedlings will emerge in 10 to 20 days, and they will continue to produce greens through the summer.



Botanical name   Tetragonia implexicoma
Contains at least   30
Date Of Seed Harvest   Feb 2014
Grower name   Richard Paul Watson
Storage Info   picked fresh each year
Price per packet   $4.50
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Poppy - Papaver

Poppy - Papaver

Details   These seeds are a mixture of both common and opium poppies, oriental, potentially hybridised and peony poppies in red, pink, plum, mauve, black purple and lilac collected from various places in my garden. A herbaceous flowering plant which is normally grown as an annual, dying down after flowering. Very attractive to bees producing alot of pollen. The seeds are rich in oil, calcium and protein. The foliage is blue/grey and the plants are tall. These plants produce hundreds of seeds and will thrive in most soils.
Please be aware not all poppy seeds are edible.
Grower name   Sara Pepers-Hilltrop
Date Of Seed Harvest   March 2023
Contains at least   100
Price per packet   $4.50
Watch Out of stock
GG - 34NS

GG - 34NS

Details   This variety was gifted to Nev which he has now grown for over 20 years. A black hilum forage pea was at the time being exported to India. They have found it to be an ideal pea for making into hummus. Grows about 30-45 cm tall and is quite productive.
Botanical name   Vigna unguiculata
Contains at least   40 seeds
Date Of Seed Harvest   Feb 2022
Grower name   Nev&Sue Sinclair
Price per packet   $4.50
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Russian Red - 45RG

Russian Red - 45RG

Details   A reliable mid size cool-climate type with good flavour,
Botanical name   Solanum lycopersicum
Contains at least   20
Date Of Seed Harvest   Jan 2022
Grower name   Rick Ginders
Price per packet   $4.50

Leopard plant - 261SPH

Details   Dark bronze leaved variety. (specific variety unknown) Shade loving, tropical looking perennial with large dark purple/black leaves. Flowers are deep yellow, flowers late summer to autumn. Great for cutting.
Botanical name   Ligularia Reniformis
Contains at least   30 seeds
Date Of Seed Harvest   Feb 2023
Grower name   Sara Pepers-Hilltrop
Price per packet   $4.50
Crystal - 109RW

Crystal - 109RW

Details   This climbing bean was given to Richard 2017 under the name 'Crystal', grows to 2 -3 metres tall and produces a black seed.
Botanical name   Phaseolus vulgaris
Contains at least   40
Grower name   Richard Watson
Storage Info   Seed frozen stored
Price per packet   $4.50
How to grow capsicum

How to grow capsicum

Details   Small bushy plant about 40cm high The seeds are reluctant to start germinating if temperatures drop at night. These are best sown in small trays in a warm, sheltered place: a small greenhouse if possible. Then plant out when about 10 - 12cm tall.
Capsicums are frost tender and need warmth to ripen the fruit to the brilliant reds and yellows of commercial ones. They can be used green but are not as sweet.
There are a number of colours available, chocolate, black, yellow, orange as well as red. They all start off green and change as they ripen.

Harvest in 70-90 days
Grow in seed trays, and plant out in 4-6 weeks.
Best planted at soil temperatures between 18°C and 35°C.
Space plants: 100-150cm
True Seed Garlic (TSG)

True Seed Garlic (TSG)

Details   These bulbils have come from seven generations grown from true seed grown, this gives them a huge advantage over clove grown because when clones are replanted seasonally viruses can be transferred down reducing the new plants vigour and size. Growing from seed on the other hand breaks this virus cycle meaning much better quality bulb. Bulbs displayed in the photo are from the same true seed. It takes two growing seasons to reach this size but the wait is worth it. Best place to store garlic is in the ground, it doesn't matter when garlic is sown, garlic will emerge from the ground when garlic wants to emerge. Also the time frame when garlic emerges in one area of NZ may not be the same as other areas. Dry soil can very much slow down bulbil emergence, so water well after sowing. To date it is unknown if anyone has intentionally managed to grow their own TSG in NZ, though it would be unlikely, there have been two cases of seed grown in NZ in the 1990's but in both cases the growers of the seed had no understanding of just how unique and rare those tiny black seeds that fell out on their storing table were. Only one of these gardeners grew that seed, thus likely to have been the very first TSG sown in NZ. Thankfully this gardener did and has subsequently shared out bulbils widely. The growing of your own TSG takes about two months longer than if only growing for bulb production. Keeping garlic plants alive two extra months has been the problem as to why its been so difficult for a number of kiwi gardeners to archive there own TSG. The key is controlling allium rust which seems to be getting worse by the year More bulbils should be available Jan 2024 Info on TGS- https://www.rasacreekfarm.com/true-garlic-seed
Botanical name   Allium sativum
Contains at least   20
Date Of Seed Harvest   Jan 2024
Grower name   Richard-Paul
Price per packet   $4.50
Medbury Gardens

Medbury Gardens

Richard-Paul Watson started growing seed when he was given what was later to be renamed the Benhorn carrot.This was in the late 1980's and two years later he joined up with Kay Baxter who had only just set up Koanga Gardens, as a volunteer heirloom seed grower.

Through the 1990's he leased land in around Rangiora area which helped build his knowledge and understanding of the complexities of growing seed but it wasn't until he and his family bought 5.1 hectares in the Amuri basin that he was able to increase both the number and the volume of seed lines. In more resent years Richards interest has shifted more to developing landrace cultivars and working towards enabling clone grown cultivars to reproduce from true seed such as garlic and sweet potatoes.

Onion - Medbury Red Longkeeper - 35RW

Onion - Medbury Red Longkeeper - 35RW

Details   History knowledge of this onion is limited, was originally given to koanga by a ex-breeder from Yates, unsure it came with a name. The selection work carried out by Richard on this large red onion strain involves, 1, aiming to achieve the longest growing season possible by sowing seed late winter and harvesting when tops start to fall over late summer early autumn. 2, the best of that seasons onions are stored in autumn, some of these onion will grow shoots through winter meaning they are discarded, its the last to start growing a green shoot in early spring are then planted out for flowering/seed. 3, selecting on the shape of onion - Richard is trying to move away from flatter type shape to more of a round or even taller upward torpedo shape. the idea is that less of the onion is sitting on the soil surface.


Sow seed early spring in the South Island, North Islanders may be able to sow autumn through winter as well, feedback from customers would be appreciated


Botanical name   Allium cepa
Grower name   Richard Paul
Date Of Seed Harvest   2021
Storage Info   Seed frozen stored
Contains at least   50 seeds
Price per packet   $4.50

Purau Gardens

Rick Gender's Purau Gardens is located in Purau by the Lyttleton Harbour. Well known as an historic early market garden for Christchurch with a great climate and rich volcanic soil. No chemicals or fertilisers are required for the production of fantastic fruit and vegetables and its relative isolation makes this a great area for specialist seed production and development.

Details   Purau Gardens is a 7 acre block of prime volcanic silt loam situated at the bottom of the Purau Valley in Lyttleton Harbour. The land was purchased by Ric and Aileen Ginders in 2005 and had been a campground for many years. Prior to that it was a market garden supplying early tomatoes, strawberries and other produce to Christchurch. Historic records show that this area has a long history of early vegetable production due to the area having a unique microclimate and very fertile soil. This also makes it a great area for specialist seed production  as it is relatively isolated. I am dedicated to producing good quality seed that thrives in our country and is a joy to grow and welcome any feedback.

Giant Alderman - 57RG

Details   A tall climber that can get as high as 3m, has large pods and peas, The Alderman pea variety is known to date back to 1893 and was a common site in Victorian kitchen gardens. Its long-cropping time made it ideal for using fresh and any excess crops were dried, stored and used later in the year for soups, stews and other dishes. The Americans have their own version of the Alderman variety which they call the Tall Telephone in honour of Alexander Graham Bell who invented the telephone.
Botanical name   Pisum sativum
Grower name   Rick Ginders
Date Of Seed Harvest   Jan 2022
Storage Info   Seed long term stored in freezer
Contains at least   40
Price per packet   $4.50
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Sara Pepers-Hiltrop

Sara Pepers-Hiltrop

Hi, Im Sara. I live in Mosgiel, Dunedin with my husband Kris and our 2 children. I have always loved plants, flowers and gardens from a very young age. My photographic memory helps with names and working in a garden center, I have access to lots of interesting plants to add to my collection. (I have a bit of a plant problem lol!)

Gardening and growing is my life. This is a picture of me in my 3 year old garden which was rank, clumpy cocksfoot grass and heavy clay in March 2020 when we moved here. I've worked really hard to build up the soil and am a firm believer in the no dig and chop and drop methods, to mimic nature. So far I’ve scoped out about an acre of food forest with fruit trees, berries, root crops, perennials, natives, shrubs, bulbs and flower gardens, vegetable beds and tunnel houses. I'm looking forward to sharing what I have grown here and spreading the love of seeds and gardening.
Carla McKnight

Carla McKnight

Details   Carla was born in Holland, moved to NZ with her family at age 9 and has always worked in gardens from a young age.
At age 15 she had at least 40 plants in her room, some rather large.
Still keen on house plants, just a few more than 40 now, she believes a house without plants is an empty shell.
 
Now married to husband Paul, together they have three grown children with seven young grand kids, on an eleven acres in the Waikato with three Clydesdales, two miniature horses and a Quarter horse x, two cats and a dog.
 
Carla has spent most of her life working in gardens, has always had a keen interest in growing indoor and outside plants especially interested in native plantings. Now has big vegetable gardens/fruit trees and a small mostly native nursery keeping her busy. Wanting to make that little bit of difference for our environment and wildlife, the more people plant trees and grow their own produce the better.

Leek - Purau - 91RG

Details   Bred at Purau Gardens for many years and had adapted well to the coastal climate, this strain of leek may well suit warmer areas of NZ. Its a cross between three well known NZ varieties including Musselburgh. Suggested growing method is to aim for a long length white stem of up to 40cm, sow seed late winter/ early spring close enough together aiming for a spacing of 2cm apart, by mid summer the plants should be up to 30cm tall, dig them up trying not to damage the roots too much and place in a bucket with enough water in it to cover the roots. The soil these plants go into needs to be deeply dug over then using a rake or shovel handle poke it down into the soil as deep as 40cm, wriggle it around to make a shaft to which a leek plant is dropped down, then pour a small amount of water down, its just then a matter of insuring that the growth tip can grow up and out of the shaft
Botanical name   Allium porrum
Contains at least   50
Date Of Seed Harvest   Feb 2021
Grower name   Rick Ginders
Price per packet   $4.50
Epazote - 154RW

Epazote - 154RW

Details   Epazote, once cultivated on a large scale as a medicinal herb, is now grown in few herb gardens. A roadside weed in much of North America and central and southern Europe, its herbal uses are barely recognized today outside its native Mexico and South America.
Various native peoples in the American and Mexican West today drink epazote tea or eat the plant to facilitate childbirth and ease painful menstruation as well as to expel worms and relieve gastrointestinal disorders (some of which might be brought on by the worms). Epazote leaves can be poulticed on arthritic joints, athlete’s foot, and insect bites.
Botanical name   Dysphania ambrosioides
Contains at least   100
Grower name   Richard Watson
Storage Info   Seed stock refreshed yearly
Price per packet   $4.50
Why you should grow your own

Why you should grow your own

Details   If you already grow your own plants and vegetables you know how satisfying it is. Whether you enjoy the taste, smell, sight or knowledge of good healthy produce...

So maybe you're wondering if now is the time to start to grow a few for your self and see what all the fuss is about?