On 4/1/09 11:52, in article , "Gopher"
wrote:

In message , Sacha
writes
I've had a tantalising catalogue from www.seedsofitaly.com For those
growing their own veg and herbs it has some delicious looking things in it.

I buy Italian seeds for much of my veg now. Not only do they seem to
provide a better percentage of germination but, in my experience, they
also give a lot more seeds per packet. And the cropping is excellent.
French beans, celeriac, tomatoes, red onions (esp. San Marzano and
Costoluto Fiorentino) and a couple of others have proved superb. The
tomatoes which, when used to make a sauce, provide a wonderful flavour ;
I was told by an Italian friend in Le Marche that one must never cut
toms when adding to sauce, but rather squash them by hand. Boy, does
that improve the flavour!!

I normally buy seeds during my regular visits to Italy - they are
cheaper there than the same seeds bought in the UK [which appeals to my
Scottish nature :-))..] but one has to be careful not to buy ones which
require climatic conditions which the UK cannot guarantee. It's worth a
little research before travelling. Funnily enough, I also acquire
certain seeds in Italy for my small wildflower meadow .... and they
seems to do well too.

Viva sementi d'Italia!!

Interesting to read this. The sale of veg seeds has overtaken the sale of
ornamentals seeds for a couple of years now. Certainly, we all know
Italians take food flavours very seriously and I wonder if the warmer
climate helps seeds to ripen better, perhaps?
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
(new website online)