Welcome to jACKrABBIT! Here you can buy seeds for growing your own produce and ingredients for cooking and baking, you can find recipes for everyday and for preserving home-grown food and find activities and ideas for getting you and your children out of doors and enjoying nature. We also sell native wildflower seeds to encourage those important bees and butterflies into your garden.

Sowing Rhubarb Seeds

25 February, 2012.

To create a good rhubarb patch using plants is very expensive. I've found growing rhubarb from seed is pretty easy, and I've started sowing a few pots now, but will sow more as spring arrives. I used three large pots, and placed three seeds in each, sowing about 2cm deep. I watered a little and left outside to germinate. The weaker seedlings should be removed once they begin to grow.
One of my autumn sowings. It will be next year that I can begin harvesting. The following year will produce a full harvest. This method is slower than buying plants but is so much cheaper.

Comfrey Seeds

Comfrey Seeds (35 seeds) £1.65
symphytum officinale
PERENNIAL
Comfrey leaves are used as a compost activator and a mulch, they also make a useful liquid manure. A variety called Bocking 14 has been developed as a sterile plant that does not produce seeds, as comfrey will seed very easily. Our variety will self seed, so is best used in a well maintained area. Sow March-June. You can chill in the fridge for 14-28 days before sowing to activate the seed for more successful germination. Sow indoors in trays, thinly, 12mm deep. Harden off for 7-10 days after risk of frost. Plant out 60cm apart.

To find sowing information please click here.

Wildflower Annual Mix of British Produced Seeds

Wilflower Annual Mix (app. 2.5g (enough for about 1m square)) £1.29
Or 4 packs for £4
Contains a selection of British varieties produced in the UK; White Campion, Corn Chamomile, Scentless Mayweed, Charlock, Corncockle, Cornflower, Field Forget-Me-Not, Corn Marigold, Field Pansy, Wild Poppy, Field Poppy & Long-headed Poppy.
Sow in either spring or autumn. Will flower about three months after a spring sowing. Prepare the ground well before sowing. To aid an even sowing mix the seed with another substance such as fine sand.
These annuals can be maintained by self seeding but will need weeding and thinning.

Bugle Wildflower Seeds

Bugle Seeds (app. 35) £1.99
PERENNIAL
ajuga reptans
A good carpeting wildflower, with dark evergreen foliage and early flowering to support bees early in the season. Sow either March-May or August-September. Start seeds off indoors; sow thinly on seed compost in trays covering with a thin layer of compost (germination can be erratic). Water from the base and keep moist (do not water seeds and do not over water). Prick out seedlings when large enough to handle and pot-up. Harden off when there is no risk of frost. When planting out protect young plants from slugs and snails.

*Yellow Rattle Wildflower Seeds

Yellow Rattle Seeds (app. 300) £1.65
ANNUAL
rhinanthus minor
Yellow rattle is a semi-parasitic wildflower that is used to inhibit the growth of grass on order to allow other species to thrive. It feeds of the grass roots and is helpful when beginning to create a wildflower area where grass was the main plant growing. Yellow rattle must be sown in the autumn as it needs the cold winter weather to trigger its germination in late February to early March. To sow. Mow the grass short and 'scarify' the ground by ripping through parts of the ground with a claw fork (or similar tool). You will need between 0.1 and 1 g of seed per m2 (our packs are 1g) depending on how dense you want the yellow rattle. For best results you can sow two years in a row. Yellow rattle may need managing as it can feed off the roots of other plants; in this case, remove plants before they seed (being an annual it is quite easy to manage this plant).

*Viper's Bugloss Wildflower Seeds

Viper's Bugloss Wildflower Seeds (app. 120) £1.49 (inc. UK P&P or delivery)
BIENNIAL
echium vulgare
BEES LOVE THIS PLANT
Viper's bugloss is one of the plants to put in your garden or allotment to attract bees. It is best sown where you want it to grow as the roots are easily disturbed if moved. Sow either March-May (for some flowers that year) or August-September (for flowers next year). Sow thinly as seedlings can choke each other, 6mm deep. Fully grown plants should be about 38cm apart so thin as required. Keep well watered till established. Deadhead to prolong the flowering period. IMPORTANT: Use gloves when handling adult plants as there are tiny spines that can irritate the skin.

Flowers: June-September
Height: 90cm

Yarrow Wildflower Seeds

Yarrow Wildflower Seeds (200) 89p
PERENNIAL
achillea millefolium
Yarrow is an easily grown and low maintanance plant. Cut back in autumn and divide every four years. Can be sown direct, but for best results begin indoors. Sow Feb-May or Aug-Sep. Sow the seeds on the surface (they need light to germinate) in trays or cells filled with seed compost. Propogate (or leave in a sunny place) till germination (5-10 days). Water at the base and keep moist. Harden off once fear of frosts have passed for 7-10 days before planting out.
Height: 8-40 cm.

YARROW IS ESPECIALLY ATTRACTIVE TO MANY BUTTERFLIES.

* RECIPE: Simple Pickled Onions

This is a really easy recipe taken from Mrs. Beeton's cookbook.
1) You'll need enough vinegar to cover the onions that you are using, and Mrs. B suggests using two teaspoons each of allspice and of black peppercorns to about every litre of vinegar.
2) Peel away the outer skin of the onions, and then remove a couple of the inner layers till you have white, clear looking onions.
3) Place the onions in steralised jars, add the spices in equal proportion, and the cover with cold vinegar.
4) Cover and lid the jars and store in a cool, dry place for at least two weeks. YOUR PICKLED ONIONS WILL LAST 6-8 MONTHS.
Click on the 'pickling' label below to find tips and even more pickles.

RECIPE: Butternut Squash and Fresh Stuffed Pasta



INGREDIENTS, for two to three people:
250g butternut squash flesh, cubed app. 1 inch
1 pack 300g fresh stuffed pasta, use a mainly cheese based one, like five cheese tortiloni
2 tbsp oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 small onion, chopped finely
2 cascabel or Sichuan chillies, soaked and soft flesh scraped out and collected
Rind from ½ lemon plus 1 tsp juice
35g Applewood smoked cheese, grated (or other (preferably smoked) cheese)
Salt & pepper to taste
15g butter
35g breadcrumbs
1 tbsp fresh sage, chopped

METHOD
Steam the squash for 10-15 minutes. – Top up the steaming water to boil the pasta to the pack instructions. – Mash the squash to a smooth paste. – Place the oil in a large frying pan or wok and heat, then add the garlic and onion and cook for 5 minutes till the onion is golden. – Add the chilli, lemon and squash, then the cheese and stir well. – Add the cooked and drained pasta and season. – In a separate frying pan melt the butter over a medium heat, then add the breadcrumbs and sage and fry till crispy. – Serve the pasta & squash and sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top, also serve with hot buttered pitta bread.

Plants Bees and Other Pollinating Insects Like

We do not stock all the plants below yet, but have added them to offer a comprehensive list of BEE FRIENDLY herbs. The more bee friendly plants that are added to gardens, parks and other public areas, the more food available for our native insects.
You can find out more at the Bumble Bee Conservation Trust.
It is a good idea to plant flowers that will give the bees and other insects food all season long. Flowering herbs and wildflowers that will give the bees food from March to April are bluebell, bugle and rosemary, as well as blossoming trees such as apple, cherry and pear.

Plants bees love are;
Angelica
Betony
Borage
Bugle
Campion, White
Catmint
Chicory
Chives
Clover
Comfrey
Common Poppy
Cornflower
Dill
Evening Primrose
Fennel
Feverfew
Foxglove
Goldenrod
Heartsease
Horehound, White
Hyssop
Lavender
Lemon Balm
Marjoram
Motherwort
Mullein, Greater
Pot Marigold
Rosemary
Sage
Savory, Summer & Winter
Soapwort
Sunflower
Tansy
Teasel
Thistle
Thyme
Valerian
Viper's Bugloss
Wild Carrot
Wild Clary
Wild Marjoram
Woad
Yarrow
Yellow Rattle

'Grow Your Own' Brussel Sprouts**

Brussel Sprouts, Groninger
These seeds have quite a wide growing season and produce tasty medium sized buttons that can be harvested from late October to January, so great for Christmas picking. The best flavour is achieved after the first frosts.
99p per pack (app. 125 seeds)
Minimum order £5.



GROWING INSTRUCTIONS
Preparation.
These plants need fertile, well drained and firm soil. Sowing.
Sowing.
Sow outdoors March to May thinly 1cm deep in rows 15cm apart in a seed bed or large trays. Thin plants to about 7cm apart and then plant to final position 75cm apart. Mulch and keep well weeded to help firm buttons to form.
Growing and Harvesting.
Water well in dry weather and mulch plants in the summer. You can also feed in the summer if desired. The buttons will be ready to harvest approximately 30-32 weeks from sowing.