VEGE SEEDS TO SOW IN SPRING

With the arrival of spring comes the opportunity to grow your own fresh food. Growing from seed is cost-effective and gives you the option to choose the varieties you prefer, and to try something new.

The ican seed range offers the very best vegetable seeds for the home gardener. The range of 15 vegetables was chosen after our garden experts carried out extensive trials and sought advice from vegetable seed specialists in New Zealand and overseas.

Each vegetable in the range is the very best performer that we can find for you. They grow and produce better, taste better, and resist pests and diseases more than their counterparts.

These varieties have been extensively trialled by our garden experts and we absolutely guarantee total satisfaction from our ican Chef’s Best VegetableSeeds.

Superior vegetable variety seeds may cost a little more, but they have a high germination vigour, and outstanding performance providing reliability—you don’t need to sow extras.  

Once the sealed foil sachet is opened, seed begins to deteriorate and frequently has lower germination the following season. Therefore we put a sensible number of seeds in a packet (according to species) to provide for one season, to avoid waste and keep these superior seeds affordable.

ican varieties are not available in other brands.

SOW EARLY SPRING

Success with seed germination can depend on where you live and the process you follow. In September the soil can still be cold from winter and spring frosts and a sun still lowish in the sky. Not all vegetables will be happy to be sown in the soil this early.

icanGarden recommends sowing these seeds this spring.

PEAS MAGIC is a vigorous high yielding variety. The pods are long, often with up to 10 peas per pod. ‘Magic’ has large tendrils which keep the plants upright on minimal support, making the pods easy to see and pick. Children will love to pick their own to eat fresh from the vine, and can search out the longest pods with the greatest number of peas.

1.    Choose a sunny spot with well-drained garden soil against a trellis fence or make a teepee or climbing frame for your peas to grow on.

2.    Dig the soil over, mixing in ican Premium Compost and ican Real Blood & Bone.

3.    Plant seeds about 2cm deep and 10cm apart next to their support.

4.    Keep the soil just moist (not wet).

5.    Apply slug bait to protect young seedlings from slugs and snails.

6.    Feed them with ican Fast Food liquid fertiliser as they grow.

BEETROOT RED LIGHTNING is early maturing with deep red tender bulbs. The plants are large and upright and uniform in growth. An all round healthy vegetable that is full of nutrients, it is best to minimise the cooking time to retain the maximum benefit. Even the younger leaves can be eaten in salads, or cooked like silverbeet.

1.    Choose a sunny spot with well-drained soil.

2.    Loosen the soil and dig in ican Premium Compost and ican Organic Vegetable Food.

3.    The seed can be pre-soaked in tepid water to assist germination.

4.    Plant seeds no deeper than 1.5cm and aiming for 10cm apart.

5.    Keep the soil just moist (not wet).

6.    Apply slug bait to protect young seedlings from slugs and snails.

7.    Thin out the seedlings when 3cm high, to approx. 10cm apart; thinning’s can be replanted.

8.    Feed them with ican Fast Food liquid fertiliser as they grow.

9.    For a continuous supply, sow a new row every 4 weeks until March.

CARROT EUROPA is absolutely the best carrot available. Fast, strong germination, and vigorous, it rates very highly for taste. Carrots are best sown directly into their growing place and then thinned as they grow. Soil preparation is key.

1.    Choose a sunny well drained spot and work the soil so that it is loose and crumbly, easy for the young roots to penetrate.

2.    Do not mix in compost or fertiliser but apply a side dressing of ican Potato Food once the carrots are growing.

3.    Make a shallow (3mm deep) channel in the soil. Sow the seed as thinly as possible, or sow with coffee grounds which will help spread the seeds. Cover with a thin layer of fine soil.

4.    Water gently with a soft spray hose fitting or watering can.

5.    When the seedlings are 3-5cm tall, thin them out to make room for the others to grow. Aim for a spacing of 5cm. Eat the thinnings as they are or add to a salad.

6.    For a continuous supply sow carrots every 3-4 weeks until March.

LEEK BABY is a trendy small growing leek that is ready to eat in 8 weeks. Delicious when harvested at finger thickness and can be planted close to save space.

1.    Choose a sunny spot with well-drained soil.

2.    Loosen the soil and dig in lime and ican Organic Vegetable Food.

3.    Plant seeds no deeper than 1cm and aiming for 5cm apart.

4.    Keep the soil just moist (not wet).

5.    Apply slug bait to protect young seedlings from slugs and snails.

6.    Feed them with ican Fast Food liquid fertiliser as they grow.

7.    For a continuous supply, sow a new row every 4 weeks until March.

LETTUCE TRENDSETTER is a cos type lettuce, crisp and crunchy, and loved by chefs. It requires little space in the garden, matures early and holds well. Best sown first into trays or punnets then transplanted into the garden.

1.    Choose a sunny spot with well-drained soil.

2.    Loosen the soil and dig in ican Premium Compost and ican Organic Vegetable Food.

3.    Plant seedlings at 25cm apart.

4.    Keep the soil just moist (not wet).

5.    Apply slug bait to protect young seedlings from slugs and snails.

6.    Feed them with ican Fast Food liquid fertiliser as they grow.

7.    For a continuous supply, sow a new batch every 3 weeks until April.

RADISH OLYMPUS, the best radish available, is quick growing.  A medium to large bulb with a crisp pleasant taste. Radishes prefer cooler temperatures, so grow them early spring and late summer.

1.    Choose a sunny spot with well-drained soil.

2.    Loosen the soil and dig in ican Premium Compost and ican Organic Vegetable Food.

3.    Sow seeds no deeper than 1cm.

4.    Keep the soil just moist (not wet).

5.    Apply slug bait to protect young seedlings from slugs and snails.

6.    Thin out the seedlings when 3cm high, aiming for 3cm apart; thinnings can be replanted or eaten in a salad.

7.    Feed them with ican Fast Food liquid fertiliser as they grow.

8.    For a continuous supply, sow a new row every 4 weeks until April.

SPINACH NUTRIPLUS is a vigorous, fast growing and nutritious hybrid that out performs all other spinach varieties. Spinach prefers cooler temperatures, so grow it early in spring and late in summer.

1.    Choose a sunny spot with well-drained soil.

2.    Loosen the soil and dig in ican Premium Compost and ican Organic Vegetable Food.

3.    Plant seeds no deeper than 1.5cm.

4.    Keep the soil just moist (not wet).

5.    Apply slug bait to protect young seedlings from slugs and snails.

6.    Thin out the seedlings when 3cm high, aiming for 10cm apart; thinning’s can be replanted.

7.    Feed them with ican Fast Food liquid fertiliser as they grow.

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For more information, collect a copy of the icanHarvest ‘Four season vegetable gardening’ brochure from an ican retailer. It is packed full of easy to follow advice, a planting calendar and practical tips, so you can grow your own vegetables year-round with confidence.