18 AMATEUR GARDENING10 AUGUST 2019
with Lucy Chamberlain, AG’s fruit and veg expert
Fo cu s o n...Edible seeds
T
HEY’REnutritionalpowerhouses
thatbringusprovenhealth
benefits,andyetwerepeatedly
walkonautopilottohealthfood
storesandsupermarketstobuybagsof
pumpkin,flaxandquinoa,Stop!Youcan
havefungrowingyourown,andhere
I’llgiveyoudetailsof thosethatareeasy
togrowandsimpletosourceand,most
importantly, they taste delicious!
Best-keptsecrets
Growingseedsforeatingis nothingnew.
Afterall,what’sa peaif it’snota seed?
Wewalkordrivepastacresof wheat,
barley,oats,flax,borageandoilseed
rape.It seemswe’refinallylatchingon
to what farmers have known for years –
seedsarea cinch
Whilefieldcropso
requirefiddlyprocessingfortheiroilsor
flour,manyotherscanbeeatenwhole
oncerelievedof theirseedpod,making
thema greatoptionforhomegardeners.
Grainssuchasamaranthandquinoayield
suchanimmenseharvestfromjusta few
plantsthatyourcupboardswillbestocked
upformonths.Soaretheyreallythateasy
to grow? The short answer is yes!
Familiarterritory
Manyof thesecropswegrowalready:
sweetcorn,pumpkins,coriander.Herbs
andornamentals,too,arewell-known
favourites.Poppies,fennel,nigella,flax
and sunflowers – the beauty of growing
themfortheirseedsis thatallare
encouragedtobloomin yourgarden;
in fact,that’sanessentialpartof the
process.Nowis theperfecttimetosee
if thesearealreadygrowingin your
garden. If so, reap the rewards!
All photography TI Media, unless otherwise credited
Fennelanddill:
Bothherbsimpart
ananiseed-like
flavourtodishes.
Steepedin hot
water,theymake
anexcellenttea,to
Poppyseeds:
Papaversomniferumoftenself-seed
in thegarden;onceyoustartgrowing
them,expectanendlesssupply!
Nigella:Love-in-a-mistflowers
(Nigellasativa) quicklyforminflated
seedheadsfilledwithblackseedsthat
areclassicallyaddedtonaanbreads.
Coriander:Theseedsof this
quick-growingherbcanbeharvested
andeitherusedfreshordried(green
seedstastetotallydifferenttodried).
Quinoaandamaranth:These
ancientgrainsyieldanincredibly
heavyreturn.Thrashofftheloose
outerhusks,andsoakyourquinoa
overnightbeforecooking.
Flaxseed:Popularduetomultiple
healthbenefits,andeasiertogrow
thanother‘supergrains’suchas
buckwheat,whichneedhulling
before consumption.
Lucy’s tips
The best ways to grow the classic seed trio...
1
Sweetcornforpopcorn:
Lookforvarietiesspecifically
recommendedforpopping;these
havea suitablyhardouterskinto
buildthepressurewhichthenpops
thekernel(suchasSweetcorn
‘Fiesta’, ‘Strawberry and ‘Robust).
2
Pumpkinseeds:Whengrowingfor
theseeds,lookforvarietiessuch
asPumpkin‘Kakai’andPumpkin‘Baby
Bear’– thesewillproducefruitswith
hullessseedssothereis nohard,outer
casingtoremove.Simply scrape out,
and then roast!
3
Sunflowerseeds:Large-headed
sunflowerssuchas‘Russian
Giant’producelargeseeds(and
therefore,largekernels).Hangheads
somewheredryoncethepetalsfall,
andthenrubseedsintoa bowl(the
hard outer husk needs removing).
Seedscanbeeasilyharvestedfromdried
seedheadsofHelianthus ‘Russian Giant’
Main image and insets: Alamy
Don’t
forget!
Marshalls Seeds
Youcanyieldanimmense
harvest from a few quinoa plants
Seed-producingnigella
hastheaddedbonus of
looking stunning!
6 seeds to grow at h
Lucy takes a look at healthy grains you can harvest now
Dillcanbe
allowedtoflower
and set seeds
Sarah Raven / Jonathan Buckley Alamy