The Lost Seed - Newsletter - JANUARY 2025

'The heritage of the past is the seed that brings forth the harvest of the future.'
(Inscribed on the National Archives Building - Washington)

Hi there!

Summer is always a busy month, getting in the last of the heat loving vegetables before the cooler weather sets in! We've planted out a heap of pumpkin & zucchini seedlings (around 25 varieties!) ready for our new beds - yes.... we're still busy turning lawn into garden but we're hopeful we'll have the beds ready in time. Potatoes are also in - finally!

Also still battling the pademelons....... hence all of the pumpkins & zucchini plants (it's the only thing we've found that they won't eat!). They are the cutest little things but absolutely LOVE to nibble anything without furry leaves! Currently counting down the days until the fence guy comes............. so can't wait!!!!!

Have also been handed a number of old corn varieties which we've put into bottles for display in our store. Thinking they are most likely too old to be viable as they were from a collection which was harvested around 40 years ago but they are amazing to look at. Such a shame that there are so few varieties left today.

In the office we've been working on our new logo - after 22 years we thought it about time for a change. So...... while we've got a new logo, we're still the same business.

In our gardens, the roses are in full bloom, the hedges need trimming, the topiary duck is getting a little 'hairy' and needs a trim, the bluebells need their straps pulled and then mulched and of course there's always weeding to be done. A few days were spent turning the leaf mulch piles and they're heating up nicely!

A lot of hard work, yes, but such a beautiful time of year!

Happy gardening!

Kerryn (& Akiera)

We hope you enjoy the photos! :0)

Our Heritage Garden - December

SWEDE 'Aspen Purple Top'

(Brassica napobrassica) Globe shaped root with creamy yellow base and uniform, deep purple tops and creamy coloured flesh. Larger than most other swede varieties. Nutty flavour. Used in soups, stews, roasted and in purees. 80-120 days. 550 seeds

MUSTARD 'Tsa Tai Round'

Heirloom from Southwest China. Also known as 'Sichuan' or 'Szechuan' meaning 'swollen stem' due to its large, broad stems at the base of the plant which can reach a size of up to 15cm across. Upper florets and leaves are harvested for use in soups, stir-fry, or pickled. Stems are generally peeled and either femented, sauteed or pickled with salt and chilli. 400 seeds

CAPSICUM 'Yolo Wonder'

(Capsicum annum) Lobed, bell shaped, green to red fruit to 12cm. Thick flesh. Plant has dense foliage protecting fruit from sunburn. 65-90 days

CARROT 'Lunar White'

(Daucas carota) White, almost coreless root to 20cm with mild flavour. Great for mixing with orange, yellow and purple carrots on the plate. 250 seeds

EGGPLANT 'Thai Long Green'

(Solanum melongena) Heirloom originating in Thailand. Long, thin, pale green fruit to 25cm with mild flavour. Well suited to Thai dishes. High yields. Commonly used baked, in sauces, fried, stuffed and grilled. 60 seeds

EGGPLANT 'Japanese White Egg'

(Solanum melongena) Japanese heirloom also known as 'Paloma'. Small, vivid white fruit similar in size and shape to an egg (hence the name) with a spicy flavour. Small bush which does well in pots. Produces over a long period. 69-79 days. 60 seeds

KALE ' Heirloom Mix'

(Brassica napus) Attractive mix of all kale varieties including Red Russian, Red Ursa, Lacinato, Ethiopian, Dwarf Blue Curled, Early Hanover, Green Cossack, Siberian, Vates Blue Curled and White Russian. A great mix for salads, kale chips or as a substitute for spinach. 55-65 days. 450 seeds

LETTUCE 'Sanguine Ameliore'

French heirloom first introduced in 1906 as 'Strawberry Cabbage Lettuce' by C. C. Morse & Co. Small lettuce to 18cm across displaying green leaves with deep, red/brown speckles.

Harvest year-round vegetables with the use of this handy monthly planting chart. Simply plant one or a few varieties from the list for the month to ensure a continuous harvest throughout the year.

COOL / HIGHLAND

If you live in the mountainous and alpine regions of NSW, Southern Tablelands, ACT, highland areas of VIC and Tasmania. This includes areas of Armidale, Guyra, Glen Innes, Canberra, Hobart and just inland from Coffs Harbour.

SUB-TROPICAL

If you live in the coastal areas from just below Townsville to Rockhampton continuing to just south of Coffs Harbour, and in the coastal areas of WA from Geraldton to Exmouth. Includes city of Brisbane.

TEMPERATE

If you live in inland QLD, NSW Tablelands, in the coastal areas south of Sydney, coastal areas of southern Australia. This includes cities of Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney and Perth and towns of Bunbury, Esperance, Eucla, Seduna, Wollongong, Newcastle, Kangaroo Island, Toowoomba and Ballarat.

TROPICAL

If you live in the northern part of Australia from Exmouth in WA right through around the top of Australia to Airlie Beach in QLD. Includes cities of Darwin, Cairns, Townsville.

ARID

If you live in the hotter, drier areas covering most of central Australia from Carnarvon in WA to the Great Dividing Range of Eastern Australia. This areas includes towns such as Alice Springs, Bourke, Kalgoorlie, Emerald, Longreach, Charleville, Coober Pedy, Broken Hill, Mildura, Tamworth.

NOTE: We send our newsletter out to over 10,000 customers. Please note that orders may be delayed by up to 1 week as we process a usually high volume of orders.

We thank you for your patience!

Most gardeners in our country aren't quite sure what to do with endive - it tastes quite bitter when raw, so consequently most generally leave it alone and stick with plain old lettuce like the iceberg type that they buy in the supermarket or spinach.

While travelling through Europe a few years ago, we stopped at a small cafe on the edge of a Greek seaside village and enjoyed a lovely meal which included the traditional Greek dish 'horta' (boiled Greek wild leafy greens). A mix made up of basically any wild greens which were traditionally harvested by the roadside and which can often include wild spinach, nettles, beetroot leaves, dandelion, chicory, endive and so forth (see below for recipe!)

However, back to endive, basically there's two types - flat / broad leaved and curly. While the curly, finer types are usually grown throughout the warmer months, the broad-leaved varieties are much hardier and will tolerate the cold (including heavy frost). A great green to harvest during the winter months when leafy greens are often rare and few.

If you're put off by the bitter taste there's actually a two-fold trick to growing which makes all the difference.........

CLICK HERE to read more......

RECIPE DOWNLOAD

Horta

(Boiled Greek Wild Leafy Greens)

WANT TO SAVE ON POSTAGE COSTS?

We've introduced our seeds into stores across our beautiful country so keep an eye out for our stands.

If your local garden centre is not currently stocking our seeds, please tell them about us!

Thank you! :0)

We are always looking for lost or undiscovered heirloom vegetable & fruit varieties.

Our roadsides are especially rich with wild fruit varieties that may have existed many years before and yet go largely unrecognised even though they may be passed by hundreds of times per day. For example, the 'Huonville Crab Apple' with scarlet red skin & red coloured flesh was discovered in Huonville, Tasmania. A huge old tree growing by the roadside, largely unnoticed, and yet producing such abundant & rich fruit of the most unusual variety.

Perhaps you've come across a particular variety of bean which has been given to you by your grandmother, or bought a collection of vegetable seeds at a garage sale which seem to be of interest.

They are all a part of our rich heritage just waiting to be rediscovered.

If you have any seeds listed below or any other vegetable seeds, or fruit trees which you feel may be of interest, please let us know. We'd love to hear from you, and it will help us in our efforts to keep these varieties alive.

You can either CONTACT US or fill out the form above and post to us (reply paid).

BROAD BEAN - Sutton
BEAN, RUNNER - Butterfly, White Czar, Czar (black) or any other unusual type
CARROT - Oxheart, Long Lemon, Lubyana
CAPSICUM / CHILLI - Bogysziglo
CORN - Country Gentleman, Hickory King
CUCUMBER - any interesting type
GOURD - Calabash
KALE - Zeye
KOHL RABI - Blue Delicatesse
LEEK - Eel-Head, Cannell's Mammoth
ONION -
ORACH - Chakwat, Belle Dame
PARSNIP - Oxheart
PUMPKIN - any interesting variety
ROCKMELON Takii's Honey
SUNFLOWER - Arrowhead, Sunspot
TOMATO - any favourite variety not listed
WATERMELON - Bradford, Desert King, King and Queen
ZUCCHINI - Nimba (cold tolerant)

BULBS, TUBERS and CUTTINGS

CHOKO - any unusual varieties
TREE COLLARD (a perennial collard which grows from cuttings)
RASPBERRY - Black
plus anything else that you may have that's interesting.

A thousand thank-you's!!!

If you've enjoyed reading this newsletter and you know of others who may benefit, please forward this email.

Thank you! :0)

Once again, we thank you for your continued support & wish for you a most abundant harvest!

Happy gardening!

Kerryn Martin
Proprietor / Grower

www.thelostseed.com.au

mob: 0456 720 753

PO Box 6 RIDGLEY TAS 7321

thelostseed@mail.com

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PO Box 6
RIDGLEY
Tasmania
7321
Australia