The Italian Gardener

Early summer is a busy time in the vegetable garden. The plantings of summer vegetables are well underway. Tomatoes need pruning and tying, zucchinis are well on the way to setting fruit, early greens are there waiting to be picked and of course the weeds seem to like it too!

It is also time to start thinking about the large winter cabbages. We have a couple of beautiful savoys the green Mantovano and the red tinted San Michelle. Yes both these varieties have a long growing season but these beautiful plants will hold well right through to the middle of winter and the sweet, tender crinkled leaves are well worth the wait.

If you are running a bit late with your plantings or live in a cold area like us try the sweet, dry, quick growing pumpkin or winter squash Marina di Chioggia we stock it in standard and organic seed and it was sensational in our garden last summer. The other good performer in a short season was the melon Ananas - fragrant, juicy and fast growing - delicious!

Thyme, sage and borage have been added to our range of herbs and we now stock leeks & kholrabi.

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Welcome to the world of Italian vegetables. Here you will find a wonderful range of new varieties of familiar vegetables and herbs such as tomatoes, basil, rocket and zucchini. Others such as cavolo nero, cima di rapa, chicory and radicchio, will be known by those with an Italian background and to others with an interest in Italian food and travel.

The Italian Gardener sells vegetable and herb seed from Franchi Sementi S.P.A, one of the largest seed producers in

Italy

, and a family owned business since 1783. Italians are very fussy about their vegetables. For more than 220 years, Franchi have won the support of gardeners by offering a range of heirloom varieties, selected for their taste rather than “supermarket” characteristics of transportability and uniformity. Franchi vegetables deliver on quality and flavour. Their seed

The attractive packets contain a very generous quantity of seed, typically two to five times that provided by other companies. Seed will last for several seasons if stored under cool, dark and dry conditions. All seed is tested for germination and purity and is unconditionally guaranteed to meet or exceed stated specifications.

Australian customers have commented "...my father...has grown tomatoes all his life and believes these are the best he has tasted" and "Thanks for the seeds. We love them. Fantastic service."

While vegetable descriptions and growing information on the rear of Franchi packets is in Italian, a brief description and cultural information in English is provided. The pictorial planting guide can be used by adding 6 months to the month indicated by Roman numerals. Red indicates a Mediterranean climate, and blue cool-cold winters. For additional information see Growing Tips.

The simple and straight forward approach of Italian cooking is popular world-wide. With Franchi seed, now you can grow a wonderful range of vegetables, your own Italian ingredients, and share in the enjoyment and benefits attributed to the Mediterranean diet. As stated in the River Café Cook Book Green (Ebury Press) “good food is about fresh, seasonal ingredients, organic whenever possible, used thoughtfully. It is something the Italians have always known”.

Seed can be purchased from the Italian Gardener via this secure internet site with payment by credit card (Bankcard, Visa or Mastercard), or by completing the order form and faxing it with payment by credit card, or mailing it with payment by cheque, postal order or credit card. Seed can also be purchased from selected merchants.

Please email info@theitaliangardener.com.au if you have any questions regarding our products or if you would like to comment on your gardening and cooking experiences. Please let us know if there are any additional Italian vegetable varieties that you would be interested in purchasing.