Radish - Qingluobo - 104RW
Radish - Pink Beauty - 96RW
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
Radish - Chinese Red Meat - 125SS
Propagation: Sow seeds in the ground where you intend to grow, cover with a fine layer of soil.
Become a Sentinels Seed grower
We're always looking for locally adapted landrace lines, young grex crosses, or heirloom plant seeds to include in our catalogue not currently grown by other Sentinel growers.
Mustard Lettuce - 87RW
Radish Seed Radishes are known for their rapid growth, maki...
Black Krim - 75SS
Propagation: Sow seeds in seed raising mix in Spring, prick out once 2 true leave appear.
Black Mini Popping corn - 254ALB
Japanese Black Trifele - 19NS
Passionfruit - Black Beauty - 119CMK
Black Matipo, Kohuhu - 201SS
Black From Tula - 179RG
Spinach - Bower - 25RW
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.
Poppy - Papaver
Please be aware not all poppy seeds are edible.
GG - 34NS
Russian Red - 45RG
Leopard plant - 261SPH
Crystal - 109RW
How to grow capsicum
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)
Turkish sage - 262SPH
Leek - Perennial Leek - 93RW
Broccoli - De Cicco - 170SS
Propagation: Sow De Cicco Broccoli seeds in trays of potting soil in late summer - early winter, plant out when 2nd leaves have developed.
Lettuce - Cooptown Italian - 182RG
Purple Snake - 234CMK
Saffron
Toi toi - South Island - 241RW
https://herbi.nz/
Life starts underground: soil health
Let’s dig deeper into healthy soil to grow your best-ever plants, fruit and vegetables.
The dirt beneath our feet is a living organism, connected to healthy plants, people, and the environment. Often misunderstood or treated poorly, healthy soil is home to a complicated ecosystem. It’s teaming with microbes that support plants to grow healthy produce, and increase resilience against diseases and bad weather.
Rhubarb - 162RW
Sow seed in a seed raising in small pots and plant out once seedling are 10cm tall
Larkspur - 41RS
Tobacco - 175RW
This is a pink flowered variety that can grow to close on 2m and flowers from Dec till late autumn. It attracts bumble bees big time. The second year after the plants have died they become quite useful for growing peas as the stems remain sturdy in the ground. Tobacco is very good as a carbon crop given its extensive root systems
Yarrow - Terractta - 238SPH
Green Grape - 147RG
salsify - 60RS
Salsify is grown similarly to that as other root vegetables such as parsnip and carrots, sow spring time and harvest roots during winter.
Kumi Kumi pumpkin - 177NS
Maize - Sola - 79NS
Celtuce - 242RW
Kale - Red Russian - 51RG
Tomatillo - 73RT
Sunflowers - Giant Russian - 103RW
Sow in spring in colder areas, year round in warmer locations.
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.
Wild Chicory - 134RW
Seed extraction and processing is extremely difficult and time consuming which reflects in the price of this seed
Scabiosa - Pink - 278RS
Nasturtium, Alaska Collection - 183SS
Nasturtium Seeds are best sown directly where to grow in a warm sunny location, should germinate in 7-14 days.
Orach - green - 256RS
Evening Primrose - 70NS
Leek - Purau - 91RG
Leek - Portage - 94RW
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
Etollbeet - 181RW
Onion - Medbury Red Longkeeper - 35RW
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
Five Finger, Whauwhaupaku - 174SS
Propagation: Sow Five Finger Seeds on a firm bed of seed mix, cover with a fine layer of mix and water thoroughly then place in a warm sheltered spot.
Blue Hopi - Maize - 74RG
Toconjoin - corn - 180RW
Over 200 plants are first used to achieve as much cross pollination as possible. The photo shows a selection of the best cobs from that 2020/21 crop.
13/7/2022 - During the growing season of 2020/21, one singe plant produced slightly purple kennels, those seeds were separated and grown 2021/22, this crop went on to produce around 10 plants with white kennels. No other maize or corn was grown nearby, there for there would not have been any contamination from outside of the garden. By combining a large pool of genetic diversity together, it can help in releasing genes that have been locked away from expressing themself, its possible that could go back 40-50 years.
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Pean bean (white) - 44NS
Seed storage
Glass Gem Popping Corn - 100CMK
Karaka - 83RW
Czar White - dwarf runner 39RW
Cedronella - 200SPH
Briza media - 51RS
Briza media is a rhizomatous, creeping, warm-season ornamental grass with a clump of erect narrow green leaves, typically growing up to around 40cm tall.
Sow seed pretty much year round in warmer areas, spring to autumn in colder soils.
Toi toi - Mini - 91aCMK
Pea - Onward - 55RW
Silver dollar - 168SPH
It grows to around a metre and prefers a well drained soil that's in full sun to partial shade, does do best if kept consistently moist. has iridescent "leaves" that are actually the seed pods coming after the dainty light purple flowers. Lunaria plants is a biennial which will establish a clump in its first year and the flowers and seed pods follow in the second year. These seeds or "silver dollars" are papery to the touch flat and oblong, with a short, needle-like projection that hangs down from the bottom of each seed
pod. Prefers moist neutral soils and full or part sun. In the brassica family.
Tarahumara - Climbing Bean - 265SS
Tarahumara Climbing Beans are a very unusual deep purple bean, with a few grey and dark red types mixed in. A Climbing bean with dark lilac flowers and colourful pods, this bean hails from Mexico.
Propagate: Plant Tarahumara Climbing Bean seeds in spring either inside in trays for later outside transplanting or outside where you wish to grow, watch for slugs and snails.
Spring Onion - 61ASS
Why you should grow your own
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?