Solstice site tour... Radicchio sowing and more...
On Tuesday (21 June) it's the summer solstice which marks the longest day of the year. The sun will rise at 4.43am and set at 9.22pm, giving us 16h43m of daylight.
At the summer solstice the Earth's energy is at its peak. The plants are thriving, the insects are buzzing, it's a time of strength, fertility and expansion.
Soon it's time to sow your chicory and radicchio seeds (read on for more info about them), Asian greens can also be sown after the solstice (they are day lengh sensitive), click the button below for a full list of seeds to sow in June.
| SEEDS TO SOW IN JUNE |
Virtual tour of Vital Seeds growing space
Below is a video tour of what's happening out in the field at the moment, it's a bit rough around the edges but gives you a vague idea and will hopefully be interesting, our last tour was very well received :)
Chicory and radicchio
Have you grown or eaten chicory or radicchio before? (Radicchio is the term for chicories that produce a firm head).
These wonderful and diverse crops are very popular in Italian cuisine, and are becoming increasingly popular around the world.
They add a scrumptious bitter sweet crunch to dishes, and have a long harvest window.
Some varieties are best cooked, some are best raw.
All are delicious...
How to sow and grow
Mid June to mid July is the sowing window, 1st week of July is optimal.
We recommend sowing seeds in modules about 0.5cm deep. They don't like being overly hot so if the weather will be very sunny then keep them in the shade to germinate rather in direct sunlight.
Plant them out after no more than 25 days to ensure continuous growth.
We are very proud of our diverse selection of chicories, check them out by following the link below.
| CHICORY AND RADICCHIO SEEDS |
Happy sowing and growing
Fred, Ronja, and the rest of the team
P.S. We will be launching our 2022 Second Spring seed collection soon packed full of varieties for late sowing and autumn/ winter eating - keep an eye out for it :)
Vital Seeds Ltd
I hope you have been enjoying some warmer and drier weather where you are - here in Devon we've finally had some good days and are hopeful of many more to come :) There are lots of seeds that can be sown in April, and now things are warming up, seedings will grow fast. For a full list of things you can sow in April click the button below: SEEDS TO SOW IN APRIL Courgettes and Squashes We will very soon be sowing our squashes and courgettes. They are best sown into large modules or 9cm pots and...
I don't know how it's been where you are but here in Devon it's been one of the wettest springs we've ever had. It feels like it hasn't stopped raining for months. It does look like we are due a few dry days in the not-too-distant future but I won't hold my breath! April is a great time to sow seeds, both direct in the soil and under cover. Read on for some tips or click the link below to browse seeds to sow now. SEEDS TO SOW IN APRIL Top 5 crops to sow now Lettuce April is the ideal time to...
On Wednesday it was the spring equinox, which means that now the days are officially longer the nights. This feels like cause for celebration! (despite the fact that here in Devon it has not stopped raining for what feels like months, and we cannot get on our land to plant our seedlings). The second half of March is when we sow most of our annual flower seeds, so we are going full power on this right now. It's also the time to sow many other seeds - to see the full list click the button...