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Here’s our recommendation of the 10 best vegetables which you and your children can grow from seed. We’ve chosen them for their variety in colour, flavour, shape and seasonality. This selection of vegetable seeds will teach your children about how a seed germinates, the conditions that they need to grow into plants and  how to harvest the different parts of the plants for food.

1) CHRISSIE CRESS
You can’t beat cress for a first time growing and eating experience.
Sow: Any time of the year, on tissue, cotton wool or compost on a windowsill
Growing: Make sure the seeds are kept moist.
Harvest: 1 week after sowing
Eat: Be ready to share this new mind-blowing flavour experience with your children, homegrown cress is hot and peppery and can be a bit of a shock. Our favourite is to mix it in an egg or cheese sandwich.

2) MINGO MUNGBEAN
Sow: Any time of the year in a jam jar
Growing: Soak the beans for 12 hours then rinse morning and night, draining well.
Harvest: The bean sprouts will be ready to eat in 5 days.
Eat: Crunchy bean sprouts can be added to salads or tossed into stir fries. You can sprout other beans and seeds like chick peas and lentils learn more

3) BRUNO BROADBEAN
Sow: Late Autumn or Feb/March, you can start them in news-paper pots then plant them in the ground.
Grow: Blackflies love the tender top leaves, when there are some flowers on the stem nip out the top, before they infest.
Harvest: Large pods, 10 weeks later
Eat: Top leaves are eaten like greens, small pods can be eaten whole or pop the beans raw from the pods. Also delicious in fritters, or as a paste on toast.

4) PC PEA POD
Sow: In a seed tray in Spring or direct in ground in May and June
Growing: Peas need twigs to grow up, clinging to them with their tendrils.
Harvest: Mange-tout peas are great for kids as they eat the whole pod often straight from the plant. Round peas need to be left until the pods swell and then popped from the pods.
Eat: Salads, stir fries, boiled with a sprig of mint….so many ways.

5) BABS BEETROOT
Sow: From Spring through to Summer, sow every couple of weeks so you have a supply of tiny beetroots fresh from the garden.
Growing: Sow direct in the ground well spread out.
Harvest: About 60-90 days later you should find a golf ball sized root.
Eat: Wash the root and leaves, cook in boiling water. Tiny beets take 10mins, older woodier beets 30mins at least. They’ll stain everything pinky purple so be warned. Delicious in a salad with roasted nuts.

6) CARLA CARROT
Sow: April, May in sandy soil. They are going to around 10 weeks to be ready.
Growing: Plant near onions and chives or in raised pots to prevent carrot fly.
Harvest: After about 10 weeks you should be able to pull a small carrot from the ground.
Eat: Endlessly useful, carrot sticks for picnics, lunches and snacks, grated to add sweetness and colour to salads and soups.

7) RUDI RADISH
Sow: 1cm deep direct in ground in rows. From April-May then August-September.
Growing: Keep moist
Harvest: Pull when small and crisp
Eat: Normally not cooked but ideal for dips and snacks.

8) RIO ROCKET
Sow: Under a cloche or on a windowsill from February onwards, direct in the garden from mid-March-May then July-September
Growing: If you have a greenhouse you can get a great crop throughout the Winter, if not grow it on your windowsill for a few leaves that will add a fresh garnish to Winter dishes.
Harvest:The ultimate cut and come again crop, pinch off the leaves and more appear. When it goes to seed eat the flowers.
Eat: Salads, sprinkle over pizzas or chop into a paste for pasta.

9) SANGHITA SPRING ONION
Sow: Straight into ground. Best in a row as looks like grass to start with.
Grow: Keep well watered and keep sowing every month.
Harvest: Thin rows by pulling the tiny onions and leave the rest to grow bigger.
Eat: Raw or cooked onions add a tongue tingling taste to salads, stir fries or chop and stir into potatoes or other root vegetables for added zing.

10) DESIREE POTATO
Sow: Potatoes are not grown from seed but from an old potato (seed potato).
Grow: Plant 3-4 seed potatoes in 30cm of compost in an old compost bag that is rolled down and has drainage holes pierced in it. When green shoots appear at the top add more compost to the top unrolling the bag up to 60cm
Harvest: Wait  until the bag top is covered with leaves and perhaps a flower. Tip up the bag and search the compost for new potatoes. See who gets the biggest and the smallest.
Eat: Boiled, mashed, fried, roasted, always cooked. Try this ‘Potato Pizza’ recipe.

One of the most important things to remember when you are gardening is to make sure that your plants are well looked after and protected.  There are lots of things that can effect how well your plants grow – cold weather, frost, heavy rain and even bugs!  The more you can do to prevent your plants being damaged the better.

But how can I protect my plants?

It’s simple!  You can make your very own ‘Cloche’!

OK, but what exactly is a Cloche?

A Cloche is something used as a cover and placed over plants.

Cloche’s act like mini-greenhouses – they collect warmth from the sun during the day which warms the soil and keeps it warm at night.  This is how Cloche’s stop plants getting too cold when the temperature falls at night time. Clever eh?!

That is clever!  So how do I make my own Cloche?

The best way to make your own Cloche is to reuse any recycled glass or plastic jars and bottles that you may have.  Using something that is see-through is important because the soil under the Cloche needs light to help the plant grow.

Remember: the number of cloche’s you need to make depends on how much room you have to grow your seeds.

I used an empty jam jar, a plastic cup, an empty bottle of squash and an empty bottle of water.  I thought I would try different ideas see which worked the best. Keep a look out for see-through containers that could be recycled.

Making your Cloche:

1. Wash and remove any labels.

If you are using jars or cups that already have an open end then you can go to the next stage – ‘Prepare Your Garden’.  If you are using a plastic bottle you have just one more thing to do before it is ready for the garden.

 2. When you have washed and dried your bottle, you will need to get yourself a Grown-Up who can cut off the top with scissors.

Prepare Your Garden:

3. Now you’re ready to get planting! Make sure the soil is loose using a trowel or fork.

4. Next, place your Cloche’s upside and push them down into the soil so that you have made a circle mark – this is the area that you will plant your seeds in!

Plant Your Seeds:

5. Pour a few of your chosen seeds into the palm of your hand so that you don’t have too many all in one go.  Scatter them all over the circle and cover with a half centimetre layer of soil and firm down with your hand. If the soil is dry give them a sprinkle of water.

6. Finally, place your home-made Cloche’s back over the circle and push down hard so that they are firmly in the ground.  Now your seeds will be nice and snug and ready to start growing!

Remember: Your seeds will still need plenty of water to stop the soil drying out.

If you don’t make a cloche many seeds can be started off in a pot on a sunny windowsill.

Don’t forget to send us a picture of your homemade cloches! You can write to us at: Seed H.Q, Studio 013, Netil House, 1a Westgate Street, London E8 3RL. Or you can email us here.

I was picking my runner beans a couple of weeks ago when I noticed a lovely long straight bean.
Gently I tied a little bit of string loosely round the stalk and told everyone not to pick it yet.

My longest runner bean so far

A few days later I thought it looked fully grown so I snapped it off and brought it up the house to measure it.
It was over 31cm!

If you want your beans to grow really long follow our Expert Grower’s tips.

Are garden beasties eating your freshly grown veg before you can?

Here are our top tips to help you identify pests and protect plants with environmentally friendly and economical ammunition.

If you spend your time sowing, watering and looking after plants we think it’s only fair that you get to eat some of the garden too.

Creepy crawlies are important to keeping your garden healthy so before you point a finger of blame at every creepy crawly in your garden check out our guide.

Some creatures are very popular with gardeners, like worms and bees, while slugs and caterpillars are the least popular. But, without caterpillars there would be no beautiful butterflies and without slugs hedgehogs would be hungry. Here’s some tips on how to play your part in creating a balanced ecosystem and preventing the bugs from eating ALL your food. Here’s how?

Each crop has its own enemy. So Seed Agents here is your mission:

Click on the images below for tips of how best to protect your veg patch!

Protect your Plants

Confuse your Pests

Pick Off Pests

Other Ammunition

Let us know how you got on by sending in a photo of your Secret Seed Agent work in action!

Send it either by e-mail to: fun[at]secretseedsociety.com or by post to: Green House, 26a Boat Horse Lane, Crick, Northampton NN6 7TH.

Are your veg leaves looking like lace?

It’s not only humans who love fresh tasty veg, they are enjoyed by lots of other creatures.

It is very important that we create a healthy and varied eco-system in our gardens but also I think it’s only right that if we sow, water and generally look after what we are growing we should be able to enjoy eating it.

So, what should we be looking out for?

Some creatures are very helpful for example worms and bees, but some are not so like slugs, caterpillars and fleabeetles. We all love hedgey and he depends on having some juicy slugs to gulp down.  Similarly we love the butterflies that come from caterpillars so we need to be careful.  We don’t want to kill them all we just need to prevent them eating our food but how?

Each crop has its own enemy. So Seed Agents here is your mission:

Click on the images below for tips of how best to protect your veg patch!

Protect your Plants

Confuse your Pests

Pick Off Pests

Other Ammunition

Send it either by e-mail to: fun[at]secretseedsociety.com or by post to: Green House, 26a Boat Horse Lane, Crick, Northampton NN6 7TH.

Calling all Seed Agents! Grow a giant bean and win a great prize.

Do you think you can grow the longest bean this Summer?

Wow, Here's a long runner bean.

Here is what to do.

Search out some runner bean seeds, did you save some from last year? Or has your family or neighbour got a few?

FREE SEEDS. Our friends at Big Barn Stores are supporting the competition by giving you free seeds.

Look on the map for the rosette on the icon

It couldn’t be easier. To find your local seed supplier, go to Big Barn, type in your post code and look for the rosette on icons on the BigBarn local food map. Give them a call to make sure they are participating and wonder along and ask (politely) for your free seed!

Here’s some helpful hints:

• Runner beans like to grow indoors during May. Keep them warm and moist and you will see them start to poke through.
• At the end of May erect some poles in a sunny position for the plants to grow up. Each plant can share a pole with one other plant. If you make wigwam with your poles they’ll keep firm.
• Carefully plant out your bean plants. Dig a hole a little bigger than the plant next to a pole. Place your bean seedling in, fill around with soil and press down gently.
• Look after your plants, if the weather turns cold at night wrap them in newspaper or fleece.
• Water them if there is no rain
• feed them with chicken manure, worm cast or homemade compost
• As they grow train them up the poles… there are always one or two who twirl around another beans pole or just swish around in the air, be gentle and show them where to go.

Beans need bees

• The bees pollinate the flowers so that they become beans. Encourage bees into your garden with wild flowers.

When to pick

At first your beans will not be that long but they will be very tasty so eat them up. The more you pick the more you will get. Keep watering and feeding, watering and feeding.

Growing a long one

• Don’t let all your beans grow long, because your poor plant will be exhausted. Choose one or two to let grow long.
• When you see a really, really long one keep your eye on it (you don’t want Mum, Dad or your greedy Gran to pick it and eat it when y
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Mark Ridsdill Smith is also called the Vertical Gardener (not because he is very tall but because he is an expert in gardening in a small space which means growing vertically). Here are his tips to help you win the Giant Bean Competition.

Mark's runner bean flowers need the bees to form beans

1. Runners grow best with lots of water – so use a large pot (easier to keep well watered) or a container with a water reservoir (like an Earthbox)

2. They need pollinating by bees – so it can be fun and beneficial to grow some insect attracting flowers nearby.

Are your beans buzzing with bees?

3. Slugs love runner bean seedlings. You can protect with small home made cloches – cut empty drink bottles in half and put one over each seedling.

4. You can buy runners with both orange or white flowers. Mixing the two can look really pretty.

5. Runners need a good tall support to climb up – like a wigwam. If you can find tall branches, they can look much prettier than canes.

6. When the runners reach the top of the canes, pinch out the tops (this means cutting the very tip off). This will encourage the plant to send out more shoots – and beans – below.

7. Pick, pick, pick. It’s very important to keep picking running beans – as this encourages the plant to grow more. Pick the beans small for a delicious, tender treat (big beans look cool but can be rather tough to eat).

8. To boost your crop, feed with liquid tomato food once every two or three weeks after the plant starts flowering.

Mark tends his runner beans

Hey! I’m Mingo Mung Bean the speediest sprout in Seed City! Mung Beans are ready to eat in just 3 days, let me share with you some of the hows and whys of sprouting beans and seeds.

You can make your own sprouting jar with a jam jar conversion kit – a piece of net and a rubber band.  The book The Mighty Messenger starring me, Mingo Mung comes with Mung Beans, the jam jar conversion kit, instructions and a recipe.

This is what mung beans look like when they are ready to eat, shiny white skin like my face, curly bits like my hair and green shells.

Sprouting with Mingo Mung

So you sprouted your little pack of mung beans, how did you like them? Did you pop them in to your mouth as soon as they were ready? Or did you choose some delicious ingredients to mix them with in a stir fry? However you ate your mung beans, they aren’t the only things you can sprout, have a look in your store cupboard and see what else might sprout.

What else can you sprout?

I asked Shena to take a look in her kitchen cupboard, this is what she found…

Lentils sprout really easily and have a great flavour. You can also try peas and other beans like aduki, you may discover more mung beans, chick peas too. Have a go! Some beans can’t be eaten raw, kidney and black eye beans. If you are unsure as to whether a seed or bean can be eaten raw have a look here. Let us know what you sprout.

If you can not find anything in your store cupboard visit Secret Seed Society Shop there are variety packs of beans and seeds and gadgets so you can sprout for all the family.

Why should you sprout beans and seeds?

Inside every bean and seed is the secret to life. A seed contains so much goodness that it can grow into a whole plant, so seeds are very nutritious. The magic of seeds is that all that nutrition is locked away and preserved. Once you you sprout a seed you unlock it and your body can access that goodness easily and without the farting that beans that aren’t sprouted are famous for! Yes, no farting!

One of the most important things to remember when you are gardening is to make sure that your plants are well looked after and protected.  There are lots of things that can effect how well your plants grow – cold weather, frost, heavy rain and even bugs!  The more you can do to prevent your plants being damaged the better.

But how can I protect my plants?

It’s simple!  You can make your very own ‘Cloche’!

OK, but what exactly is a Cloche?

A Cloche is something used as a cover and placed over plants.

Cloche’s act like mini-greenhouses – they collect warmth from the sun during the day which warms the soil and keeps it warm at night.  This is how Cloche’s stop plants getting too cold when the temperature falls at night time. Clever eh?!

That is clever!  So how do I make my own Cloche?

The best way to make your own Cloche is to reuse any recycled glass or plastic jars and bottles that you may have.  Using something that is see-through is important because the soil under the Cloche needs light to help the plant grow.

Remember: the number of cloche’s you need to make depends on how much room you have to grow your seeds.

I used an empty jam jar, a plastic cup, an empty bottle of squash and an empty bottle of water.  I thought I would try different ideas see which worked the best. Keep a look out for see-through containers that could be recycled.

Making your Cloche:

1. Wash and remove any labels.

If you are using jars or cups that already have an open end then you can go to the next stage – ‘Prepare Your Garden’.  If you are using a plastic bottle you have just one more thing to do before it is ready for the garden.

 2. When you have washed and dried your bottle, you will need to get yourself a Grown-Up who can cut off the top with scissors.

Prepare Your Garden:

3. Now you’re ready to get planting! Make sure the soil is loose using a trowel or fork.

4. Next, place your Cloche’s upside and push them down into the soil so that you have made a circle mark – this is the area that you will plant your seeds in!

Plant Your Seeds: