Seedaholic

While on Irish gardeners Forum on Tuesday night I followed a link for buying seeds and discovered I could buy seeds on Ebay!I browsed and found this Seedaholic ebay store with a huge amount of flower and vegetable seeds at very reasonable prices and they are based in Co Mayo in Ireland. What really took my attention was the amount of detail they gave about sowing, looking after the plants, harvesting and uses of the various plants.
I ordered 4 varieties at 1.00am on Wed morning and they arrived in the post this morning!! Beautifully packed with all their information typed out plus a separate sheet on how to look after and store seeds.
They have their own website www.seedaholic.com which I will be visiting for seeds and information!This is the info that came with the Coriander seeds, all the seeds came with similiar detailed info!

Coriandrum sativum "Leisure"
Coriander, Cilantro, Chinese Parsley
Packet containing 2 grams,
Average contents 200 Seeds.
Hardy Annual, Herb

Flowers: Pale Mauve / white in July to August
Height: 45-60cm (18-24 ins)
Spacing: 22-30cm (9-12ins)
Position: Full Sun
Soil type: Well drained/light, Chalky, Alkaline,sandy

Coriander "Leisure" has been bred for large, flavoursome leaf production. This variety is extra slow bolting and is great for hot
weather regions. .
It is a particularly fine coriander variety of superb quality, the leaves are excellent in chopped in curries and chutneys, or as a garnish. Also grown for it's spicy seeds that are used crushed in curries.
It is also referred to as Cilantro although Cilantro is actually the leaves of the plant. All parts of the plant are edible, the leaves taste very different than the seeds, similar to parsley but juicier & with a hint of citrus.
An excellent herb for slightly shaded areas, it also makes a good window box herb and a very easy herb to grow.

Planting Position:
Herbs do best in a hot, sunny spot. In these conditions they'll make the highest level of the aromatic oils that give them their taste and aroma. They also prefer well-drained soil, and are perfect for growing in pots near the kitchen door or in hanging baskets. Like all plants they enjoy regular feeding throughout the growing season.
Sowing: Plant from March, every 3 to 4 weeks for continuous supply.
Coriander plants go to seed quickly, so if you want to use the young leaves at the time that tomatoes and peppers are ripe, you will need to plant some more in early or mid summer.
Indoors March to May
Sow the seeds 1 cm (%") deep into 7cm (3") pots containing normal potting compost. Make sure that the compost remains moist. The seedlings will appear a week to ten days later. Transfer them outside a month after sowing, space 20cm (8in) between each plant
Outdoors: April to June
Sow the seeds 1 cm deep in rows 30cm (12") apart in ordinary garden soil which has been raked to a fine tilth. Make sure that the compost remains moist. The seedlings will appear a week to ten days later. Thin out the seedlings to 20-25cm (8¬10") apart.
Harvesting Leaves:
Leisure will be ready to harvest in about 47 days. Harvest the young green leaves sparingly once the seedlings are 15cm (6in) tall. Cut the leaves with scissors when required, starting with the outside leaves (those nearest the edge of the plant) and working your way inwards.
Harvesting Seeds:
The seeds are ready to harvest when they begin to turn brown. Under ripe coriander seeds have an unpleasant flavour. Too ripe and they shatter. The process is progressive and you should harvest when between half and two thirds of the seeds are ripe. Don't leave them too long on the plant or they will disperse themselves. You may need to cut off the tops of the plants and take them indoors to ripen if you want to harvest as many seeds as possible, but this is usually not necessary. Harvest during early morning or late in the evening. The seed will have a very strong odour at first, but this will soften and become more lemony when the seed is thoroughly dry
Storing:
Leaves do not freeze well, the best way to keep them is in oil or vinegar for winter use.
Companion Plants:
Coriander is excellent planted near to vegetable beds as they deter aphids.

Baile an tsleibhe ''village of the mourntain"
Ballintleva Seeds, Ashburner's Cottage, Ballintleva, Clogher, Westport, Co. Mayo, Ireland. www.seedaholic.com


Back to my rodent problem.This is the third morning all of the bait has been taken!The directions for use says to put 3 of these, (they are quite substantial) in a plastic container. I have put out 4 of these containers each night and each morning they are empty! This morning I did not notice any further movement of the potato seeds which I have left as is, for the time being. I have got new seed but I am not putting them out until all danger of damage has passed.

Comments

Unknown said…
You did find a great seed site. Much needed and great info with those packets as well. Hope your rodent problem will be solved SOON!
The Mulch said…
We use the old fashioned method - bit of cheese on a trap.

We had field mice and I got four of the little marrow munchers a few weeks back.

None since, so that was all or them or the rest sensed danger and have moved on.
Anonymous said…
I can't wait to look at the seedaholic site. I think I am one of those, a seedaholic that is.
Hope those pesty rodents are gone now.
Have a great weekend.
Pam
What a wonderful find ! So nice that all the seeds come with such great instructions, too.

I believe in the US they also have sites/forums where you can swap any excess seed you may have with other gardeners - which sounds like a great way of doing it, too. I wonder if they have anything similar in the UK/Ireland ?

The fact that your rat bait has been taken 3 days in a row would indicate to me that there is (was) definitely more than one rat - unless he was a VERY hungry rat ! (Either way, he's now probably a dead rat !)
Anonymous said…
Your article on vegetable seeds was incredibly helpful! I appreciate the detailed explanations and useful tips. I'm now inspired to plant a variety of seeds, including kakadi seeds, which I believe will be a great addition to my garden. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!

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