8652 Vegetable Seeds

Hi Jo
Cannot advise re seeds, but have you thought of buying seedlings?. A very cheap option, all the markets around you sell them, probably the biggest nearby are at Servigliano on the 1st and 3rd Monday in the month ,and in Piano de Falerone on the 1st Sunday.
The stallholders are helpful and informative, and you can order if they dont have what you want to pick up at another time. Might be a bit early for you yet up in Penna, they forecast more snow!!!
But good luck
Angie

[quote=simonandjo;81221]Does anyone have any experience of buying vegetable seeds?. Now we've attacked our vines and preparing to prune the olives i need to start thinking about resourcing the veggie patch!:smile:
I live in Le Marche (Ascoli Piceno/Macerata way) and am particularly interesting in sourcing Franchi Sementi (Seeds of Italy) seeds which I can obtain online from the UK but think surely that there must be some local suppliers nearer to home! or that i can buy online in Italy! Or you may know of some other brand which you have found.
Look forward to hearing from someone.
Best Wishes
Jo[/quote]
yes,servigliano,amandola ecc ecc they're all over the place in servigliano from the little consorzio EMPORIO NATALUCCI just after the total gas station but its very early we don't put anything in seeds or plants till April usuallyand we grow a lot last year 2.000 kgs of tomatoes..plus the rest.
you can get franchi seeds there and everywhere else

our friend, pepe, had just rotortilled our veg patch, it's our first spring, he said we can plant insalata and cipolli now and we can get them from any market, if it is being sold at the market as seedings then you can plant them. we are in falerone so i'm off to market on thursday to get some both insalata and onions, wish me luck.

Hi
One of my favourite markets very close to you although it is small is the Saturday morning one in Montappone, it has three plant and vegetable stalls, one held by a guy who I have only ever seen there. It has a little cafe and a very good fried fish van!, so worth a visit as you are so close.
A

where abouts in monteponne is the market? is it the car park next to the bar on the main road?
cheers
d

No, coming in from Monte Vidon it is on the left just past what I think is the first Api garage, so before you get to the main bit of the village. It might be best to park in the main square and then walk back just until you get your bearings.
A

ahah!!! i know where you mean,

chears ears

Thanks for all your replies. We visited the market in Falerone on Sunday - there were about 3 or 4 veg/plant stalls all selling latuga and cippolli, chives, coriander (I think) plus winter potting flowers but obviously at this time of year not a huge amount. One guy even had small fruit saplings for sale.
We have just harvested our first lot of sprouting brocolli and I have peas, beans and caulis all thriving alongside some cut and come again lettuce. My neighbour Bruna has just given us some garlic to plant - we just watch what she does and it seems to work!
We will vist the market at Monteponne, is it on every Saturday?
Thanks once again
Jo

Yes, every Saturday morning.
A

If you can get it try Sulmona Garlic from Abruzzo !Its red garlic and grows very well.[I]May also glow in the dark if its from too near Bussi.[/I]

I planted mine in Dec and its already 6inches high!!!This is in the UK so I think in Italy you may be a bit late to plant now as it needs a period of cold hence Nov/dec planting.

We love the Tuscan Black Cabbage it's got a fantastic flavour!And lamb's lettuce is a great winter salad crop to grow in Sept for winter use.

The big department store TRONY in Salerno has a nice garden center with a wall full of seeds--flower and vegetable. I*m assuming all the Trony stores have a garden center too? I*m not sure as I*ve only been to the Trony in Salerno. Hope this helps, I would also like to know of a company where I can order through a website. I did a websearch but didnt get far. If i run across one i*ll let u know. Hope u do the same for me!! thanks ^Della^

Does anyone know where one can buy water absorbing granules to mix with potting compost in Italy? I take some out and they have made a huge difference to my herb pots, but despite being much more vital in Italy than they are here in soggy Scotland, I can't find them anywhere in Umbria. Customs looks very askance at bags of white granules in my suitcase!

I know this may sound a bit strange....(dont laugh!)but i was watching a gardening show a couple years back and instead of using those granules you are talking about they used the "powder" from inside a pampers diaper and put it in the potting soil... they claim its the same kind of water absorbing granules and it really does work...i know it sounds strange though.

[I]I have been buying seed in Conad and Brico for the past five years. They are named Grande Orto, Blumen and Dom and I have found them to be really excellent. In fact everytim I go to Italy I bring seed back for my veg. garden here in Ireland and they all grow really really well. Also you get much more seed for far less money.....have been know to bring back 20+ packets at any one time. So give them a try.[/I]
[I]I would agree that for more tender veg. it is best to wait until all frost has gone if you are plantiing outside or in a cold greenhouse but that doesn't mean that you cannot start off in the warm enviornment of a house, I do it all the time and get early seedling and so early crops each year. Just wait until it gets a little warmer before you plant the seedlings out.....hope this helps[/I]