C-D

The classic tall Italian radicchio. Upright with red and white striped leaves with large pure white stems. Highly prized, this flavoursome early variety is grown in the Treviso area in winter and is eaten, root and all, simply pan fried or grilled. It has high resistance to cold.

Famous for the forced, blanched heads or ‘chichons’ that are loved by gourmets Chicory 'Brussels Witloof' is the traditional finely-textured variety used for forcing. With a delicious, tangy, unique flavour, it is very easy to grow and produces one of the finest tasting winter vegetables.

Chervil 'Massa' has a sophisticated yet gentle, aniseedy warmth. It is a dark green selection with smooth leaves and good plant vigour, it has better cold tolerance than standard Chervil and is used for autumn sowings, it also bolts much later.

Camomile is a most useful plant. It can be used to make beautiful lawns and raised beds, an infusion of the plant is an ideal family remedy, calming and sedative, perfect for restlessness or travel sickness, while for gardeners the tea is effective as a spray to prevent 'damping-off' of seedlings

Cutting celery or Leaf celery is the type that is used in Europe. It looks similar to parsley but tastes like regular stalk celery, but with a slightly stronger, herbier taste. It is a darker green, with thin, rounded, flexible stalks and curly, aromatic leaves; it is much easier to grow than its big brother.

'Golden Self Blanching' produces thick, crisp, juicy, aromatic stalks of celery with solid hearts that have no hint of bitterness or stings. This dwarf variety is ideal for smaller gardens and does not need blanching. It produces naturally cream-coloured stalks with a crisp, crunchy texture and mild flavour.

Originally from Northern Italy and named for the fair city of Verona, this heirloom celeriac variety produces large white skinned globes with a sweet yet savory flavour and a creamy texture, similar to a potato. Crisp and delicious, and it keeps all winter, once you’ve grown it you’ll realise that ugly is only skin deep.

Cauliflower Snowball is a superb heritage variety from the 1890's, this regular favourite has certainly stood the test of time. This easy maintenance variety is very suitable for the home gardener, the pure white, snowball-sized heads can be harvested when small or left to mature.

One of the most beautiful vegetables and a true Objet d'Art. Each complex, symmetrical head features whorls of chartreuse green florets, in a complex, bewitching design, an amazing example of phyllotaxis - the fractal patterning that appears in nature.

The Giant of Naples cauliflower is a popular open-pollinated heirloom, a typical variety from the South of Italy. Attractive, good tasting white heads that are medium sized with a hemispherical shape. If left to mature they can weigh 1.6 to 1.8 kg.

It is very uplifting to go to the garden on a cold December day to harvest a perfect, intricately woven, beautiful white head of cauliflower. “All Year Round” produces good quality white heads and is an excellent all-purpose variety for successional sowing.

Early Nantes 2 An excellent variety for early and successional crops producing uniform blunt-ended cylindrical roots. With good carrot fly resistance, it matures in 110 days in a warm climate and reaches an average size of 15cm. Ideal for freezing. Sow February to August, harvest in June to October .

Carrot ‘Kuroda’ is a refined Chantenay strain that is widely adaptable, suitable for growth almost everywhere. Producing high quality, uniform roots of great flavour, it is highly tolerant to heat and thrives in even the poorest of soils, use as a main crop for enormous yields that mature late in the season, Kuroda keeps well in cold storage and is an awesome juicer.