Oriental Leaves Mix (Bag) – Franchi Sementi

Chard Verde da Taglio. Green cut & come again. Very thin stems, incredibly sweet & tender leaves. Harvest outer leaves or simply cut the entire plant as it will regrow. Tastes as good as spinach. Spring, summer & fall; will overwinter in zone 5 in an unheated greenhouse or with some protection. 7 gram packet. Approximately 40-60 seeds per gram.

*Heritage Variety*
Light green, smooth leaves which are cooked liked spinach. If you like to eat the legs of the chard then we recommend the Swiss chard above as they are larger. This variety can be harvested 1.5 months later than Swiss Chard however. Grows again quickly after cutting and commonly called Perpetual Spinach although it is not a true spinach it doesn't bolt like spinach and goes on and on or spinach beet bearing in mind that this variety resembles spinach more than chard but is a beet (related to beetroot!).

Approximate seeds quantity:@500
Sow: from March - mid September

Partnership plant: Carrots, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Bean, Radish,

What to sow after: Cauliflower,Cucumber, Chicory, Bean,
Endive, Lettuce, Melon, Pea,Leek, Radish, Courgette.

Carrot Pariser Market 4. Small, round specialty type carrot. Tender and crunchy. Really pretty carrot and very popular in French markets. Children love these little round carrots as well. Does well anywhere, but really good and quick with heavy clay soil. Fairly early. 6 gram pack. Approximately 400-1200 seeds per gram.

This variety is on the Slow Food Ark of Taste which means it is endangered. By using Franchi seeds you are supporting BioDiversity. https://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/en/ark-of-taste-slow-food/paris-round-carrot/

V18 - Featured on BBC Gardeners World 20/04/07. Round French Parisian carrots with good flavour. It's a classic case of the carrot changing to suit it's environment, and is basically a clay carrot. Easy to grow in containers and not as prone to carrot root fly. Sow in the Spring as you can get quite a late sowing. Also great to use in Indoor Farming systems and for Urban gardening in containers.The carrot (Daucus carota) is also called “Pastenade”, probably arrived on French tables in the 14th century, but at the outset it had little in common with the carrot we know today, since it was white, tenderer and mostly more fibrous. It took until the 18th and the middle of the 19th century for the orange varieties – coming from Afghanistan – to be more and more appreciated, probably for its tenderness. In the beginning it was known as a “lower class” vegetable, reserved for the common people, historically a very consumed vegetable, and still the second most eaten vegetable in France today. The Paris market carrot is a small round one (2-4cm in diameter) of the Grelot type that is sought after for its tenderness and sweetness. It is a very early carrot, fast-growing and preserves well; it can be sown all year round, and especially in spring and end of summer. This variety grows on the surface of the soil, and it also prefers sandy to clayey but not compact soil. Some people attribute a honey flavour to it; when used in the kitchen, it is often prized in part for what sets it apart: its unconventional shape. Carrots are inseparable from the popular stew, beef-carrots and also Vichy carrots, created in the 16th and 17th centuries and cooked in Vichy thermal water. Like all ancient vegetable varieties, the Paris round carrot has a low yield, a surprising aspect that can make it difficult to use. Thus it has been replaced by more productive hybrids that often have no heart (or at least a very thin one) like the Nantes or Touchon varieties. There are not many market farmers who grow it. One of them, Laurent Berrurier, tells us he grows on average 500 bunches per year (about 450 kilos).

Approximate seeds quantity:@7000
Sow: from February - July

Very flat red beet shaped like a cipolla onion. Excellent taste. Very sweet beet; no earthy taste to these. Nice red tops. Beautiful tops become dark bronze/red in cool weather. Ready in 55-60 or so days. 7 gram pack. Approximately 40-60 seeds per gram.

V10 - 'Dark Flat Egyption'. Early round variety. Semi flat of medium dimensions with purple red flesh. Dates to around 1850.


Approximate seeds quantity:@450
Sow: from March - June

Violetto Aromatico / Dark Opal basil. This is a really pretty basil. Nice color, good size plant similar in size and growth habit to Genovese basil. Good aroma and flavor. Will do ok in a pot, but does better outside in the garden. Consider using it as a decorative plant in place of flowers. A bed of red basil, Genovese basil and lettuce leaf basil is quite pretty. For transplants, start 6-7 weeks before set out date (10 days after last frost date), 5-6 seeds/cell and thin to two or three. Plant at 12 inch intervals. For direct seed, 6-7 seeds every 12 inches cover with 1/4 inch fine soil and keep watered until germination: 7-10 days. Thin to 2-3 plants per space.

Basil has approximately 600-650 seeds per gram.

*Heritage Variety*
Red Basil. This is a mid-early variety with vigorus plant. The leaves have a bright violet colour and a sweet intense perfume. Sweeter tasting than regular basil with a slight clove undertone.
Easy to grow and ideal for containers.

Approximate seeds quantity: @3200 seeds.
To be sown from March to July directly in the ground or all year long in a protected indoor system.