What to plant in Arid Climates during April
Sugar Snap Bon Pea are a popular, high-yielding variety that produces crisp, sweet, stringless pods. Sugar Snap Bon Pea plants can grow up to 50cm tall and produce pods of around 8cm long. Sugar Snap Bon Peas are low maintenance and are resistant to powdery mildew. This is a climbing variety of pea that will require staking or a trellis for support.
Novella Pea is a 'leafless' shelling pea variety. Novella Pea grows as a bush reaching 75cm in height that does not produce as many leaves as other pea varieties. Instead, the Novella Pea produces tendrils that web together to provide support for the plant. Novella Pea is a yielding variety that produces all season long. Novella Peas are sweet, tender, and juicy.
Vulgare Oregano is an evergreen, perennial herb that packs a full-on flavour. Oregano is popular in Italian and Mexican cuisine and can be used fresh or dried. Vulgare Oregano will grow to 15cm tall and around 60cm in diameter. Vulgare Oregano plants are drought tolerant and can withstand poor soil quality (but make sure your soil is living and healthy to grow the best crop). We recommend using a 5 to 10 gallon grow bag as a 'forever pot' — this will give your Oregano enough space to spread.
Brown Spanish Onion produces a light brown globe shaped bulb, that is medium in size and has a strong, pungent flavour. Brown Spanish Onion is relatively early-maturing compared to other brown-onion varieties and stores well. This onion variety needs a sunny spot in your garden (a minimum of around 6 hours per day) and regular watering. Harvest Brown Spanish Onion when the green onion tops start to wilt and turn brown. This onion variety performs well in pots and containers.
Amposta Purple Onion produces a reddish-purple coloured bulb that is medium is size and midly-sweet in flavour. Amposta Purple Onion requires 12 to 14 hours of consistent sunlight hours per day to form a uniform bulb and regular watering. Harvest Amposta Purple Onion when the green onion tops start to wilt and turn brown. Amposta Purple Onion can be harvested early as 'spring onions' and the green onion tops are also edible. This onion variety performs excellent in pots and containers as small as 3 litres.
Romanian Red Cos Lettuce is a bi-colour variety which has deep-red and vibrant green leaves that grow vertically to form a loose head. Romanian Red Cos is slow bolting and can handle warmer climates, so it is a great lettuce variety to add to your garden for the summer. The outside lettuce leaves can be harvested as required during the growing season and this will also encourage more plant growth. Romanian Red Cost Lettuce prefers rich well-draining soil and a sunny spot in your garden (but it can tolerate partial shade). Romanian Red Cos Lettuce may require protection from the sun during the extreme heats of summer. Protect your lettuce from pests like snails, slugs, and aphids.
Grow your own 'iceburg' lettuce! Great Lakes Lettuce is your common, drum-head lettuce with crisp, slightly crinkled leaves. Great Lakes Lettuce is easy to grow, slow bolting, and can handle a partially shady spot in your garden. While Great Lakes Lettuce dislikes extreme heats, this variety can handle hot conditions better than other lettuce varieties — so it will be a great addition to your garden in the summertime! This lettuce variety can grow well in a variety of different soils, but it will need to be protected from pests like snails, slugs, and aphids.
Dwarf Blue Curled Kale produces dark blue-green curled leaves rich in vitamin A and C, and is high in antioxidants. This is a dwarf variety that reaches 35 to 45cm tall and about 75cm wide. Dwarf Blue Curled Kale is hardy and frost tolerant. Plant this variety in an area that gets at least 6 hours of sunlight per day.
Our Elegans Formula Zinnia seeds are a mixture of 17 different colours. Elegans Formula Zinnias are an easy to grow annual that produces double flowers in bold, bright colours. The stems of the plant are sturdy and can grow to 90cm high. Elegans Formula Zinnias are great to use for cut flowers, to add a pop of colour to your garden, or to attract beneficial insects! Elegans Formula Zinnias are perfect for growing in pots, containers, or grow bags.
Yellow Cherry Honey Bee Tomatoes are a compact, 'bush-style' tomato plant that produces large clusters of fruit. Yellow Cherry Honey Bee Tomato plants produce vibrant yellow tomatoes that are 2 to 3cm in diameter. This is an early-maturing and very high-yielding tomato variety. Yellow Cherry Honey Bee Tomato plants are easy to grow, disease resistant, and perfect to grow in pots or containers.
Yellow Cherry Honey Bee is a semi-determinate variety. This means that your Yellow Cherry Honey Bee Tomato plant may not require as much support as an indeterminate variety, but will still produce throughout the growing season.
Rouge De Marmande Tomato plants produce clusters of large, vibrant-red, ribbed fruit that can grow up to 9cm in diameter. Rouge De Marmande Tomatoes are early-maturing and high-yielding. This variety of tomato also boasts good disease and pest resistance. Pick your Rouge De Marmande Tomatoes when they turn ripe throughout the growing season to encourage more plant growth.
Rouge De Marmande Tomato is an indeterminate variety. Ensure you have a cage, trellis, or stake to support your Rouge De Marmande Tomato plant.
Grosse Lisse Tomato plants produce large, smooth, red-skinned fruit. This variety of tomato is similar to the common store-bought tomatoes but Grosse Lisse Tomatoes are juicey and packed full of flavour. Grosse Lisse Tomato plants are sturdy and vigorous fruiters. Interplant your Grosse Lisse Tomatoes with marigolds and herbs for natural pest deterrents.
Grosse Lisse Tomato is an indeterminate variety. Grosse Lisse Tomato fruit can become large and very heavy. Ensure you have a cage, trellis, or stake to support your Grosse Lisse Tomato plant.
This mix contains popular cherry tomato seeds, including red, black, pink, yellow, and white fruiting varieties.
Do you ever look at all the different varieties of tomatoes and simply can't decide which one to choose for your garden? Leave the decision up to chance! Our Cherry Tomato Mix seeds are the perfect solution if you want to try a range of tomatoes without buying hundreds of tomato seeds. Our Cherry Tomato Mix will give you variety in your garden and on your plate.
The varieties in our Cherry Tomato Mix are indeterminate. This means that your tomato plants will require support with a trellis, cage, or stake. This also means that your tomatoes won't ripen all at once! Pick your tomatoes as they ripen throughout the growing season to encourage further plant growth.
Black Cherry Tomato plants are a climbing variety that produce trusses of deep purple-black small tomatoes. Ensure you have a trellis or stake to support your Black Cherry Tomato plant. The fruit of a Black Cherry Tomato plant tastes similar to Beefsteak Tomatoes. They are sweet and juicy, low in acidity, and have a slightly smokey aftertaste. Black Cherry Tomatoes are high-yielding and disease resistant. Make sure your Black Cherry Tomato plant is in a sunny spot in your garden.
Black Cherry Tomato is an indeterminate variety.
Swiss Chard, known more commonly as 'Silverbeet', is a green, leafy vegetable with edible stalks (like celery) and leaves (like spinach). Rainbow Swiss Chard is a mixture of red, green, pink, and yellow swiss chard varieties. This variety of swiss chard is likely to reach around 60cm in height. Because Rainbow Swiss Chard grows vertically, this vegetable is great for growing in pots and containers. The stand-out hues in Rainbow Swiss Chard are sure to brighten up your garden and would be great to get kids interested in gardening (and in vegetables too!).
Fordhook Giant Swiss Chard, known more commonly as 'Silverbeet', is a green, leafy vegetable that can reach 70cm in height. Fordhook Giant Swiss Chard grows vertical white stalks that house tender green leaves. Fordhook Giant Swiss Chard is faster growing than other similar varieties. This variety of chard is frost tolerant and resistant to bolts. Treat your swiss chard leaves like you would other leafy vegetables, and don't forget the white stalk can be eaten like celery!
Grow your own baby spinach! This variety of spinach is best for baby leaf production. This means you don't need to wait for your spinach to reach full maturity before your first harvest. Pick your spinach leaves as you need them. Baby spinach leaves can be picked as early as 3 to 4 weeks in. This variety of spinach can also be grown as a microgreen.
Oregon Sugar Pod Snow Pea plants are a dwarf variety of pea that grows up to 90cm tall. Oregon Sugar Pod Snow Pea plants are high-yielding, low maintenance and resistant to powdery mildew. This variety of snow pea produces pods that can grow up to 10cm in length. Pods are sweet, crisp, and high in vitamins A, B and C. Oregon Sugar Pod Snow Pea plants can be staked or left to grow horizontally across your garden.
White Icicle Radish forms a carrot-shaped edible root that is snow white and mild in flavour. White Icicle Radishes can grow up to 15cm long, are crisp in texture and have a thin skin. This variety of radish is fast growing, early maturing and can handle being planted in an area that only gets partial sun.
French Breakfast Radish produce cylindrical edible roots that grow to around 5cm long. Radishes have a deep pink and white skin and white flesh, with large leafy green tops growing 15cm tall. French Breakfast Radishes have a crisp texture but are relatively mild in flavour. This variety of radish is fast growing, early maturing and can handle being planted in an area that only gets sun for half of the day.
Dwarf Double Opera Dahlias are a frost-tender perennial that produce double and semi-double flowers. This is a dwarf variety and the compact flower stems do not require staking or support as they grow. Dwarf Double Opera Dahlias are heat resistant and have a long flowering season. Remember to remove the old spent flower heads to stimulate further plant growth (otherwise known as 'deadheading'). This mix contains white, orange, purple, yellow, and red Dahlia varieties. Dwarf Double Opera Dahlias are great for growing in pots, containers, grow bags or as a flower boarder.
Eureka Coriander, also known as "Cilantro" or "Chinese Parsley" is an annual aromatic herb that can grow up to 50cm tall. The entire Eureka Coriander plant is edible — including the leaves, stems, roots, and seeds. Add the leaves and stems to a pasta dish, sauce, dip, or simply eat them fresh. Harvest and dry the seeds to use whole or grind up as a spice. Eureka Coriander is a slower bolting variety, meaning it is one of the better varieties for growing in the heat. Eureka Coriander can be planted in full sun to part shade, but make sure you keep your coriander out of the direct afternoon sun to be safe.
Early Jesi Cauliflower is a popular, easy to grow variety that produces a large ivory head weighing up to 1.8kg. Early Jesi Cauliflower is high in vitamin C and the leaves of the cauliflower plant are edible too! Ensure your cauliflower head is protected from pests by taking the inner green leaves of the plant and tying them up around the head.
Paris Market Carrots produce small, round carrots approximately 5cm in diameter. Paris Market Carrots are orange or red in colour and full of flavour. This variety of carrot can be grown in usually unideal soil conditions — if your soil is rocky, shallow, is lacking nutrients, or is rich in clay, Paris Market Carrots can still thrive. Paris Market Carrots grow great in containers and pots, so they are the perfect addition to your urban garden. Water your Paris Market Carrots regularly to ensure they form their round-shape.
All Seasons Carrots are a popular, 'store-bought' variety of carrot with a bright-orange skin and a reddish core. All Seasons Carrots are easy to grow, resistant to disease, and high in vitamin A and carotene. Carrots are crunchy, full of flavour and can grow to 20cm in the right conditions. All Seasons Carrots are best grown in full sun but they can handle partial-shade. Ensure your soil is loose and sandy, and carrots are not over-crowded to grow aesthetic long, straight produce. Don't forget, the green carrot tops are edible too! Try carrot greens out in pesto, chimichurri, or sauté like you would kale or pak choi.
Yolo Wonder Capsicum is closely related to the California Wonder Capsicum, but has increased disease resistance and produces thicker foliage which is said to better protect the fruit from sunburn. Yolo Wonder Capsicum produces fruit of up to 10cm long that ripens from green to red as it matures. This variety can grow up to 60cm (you may need a stake to support the plant as it grows!) and is a heavy producer. Fruit can be eaten green if you prefer a more bitter capsicum or let the fruit turn bright-red for a sweeter capsicum. Yolo Wonder Capsicum prefers a sunny location, but can handle partial shade. Plant Yolo Wonder Capsicum in well-draining, fertile soil.
California Wonder Capsicum is a well-known pepper variety producing bright-red and green fruit. The fruit of this capsicum variety is sweet, crisp, and high in vitamin A and C. Fruit can grow up to 10cm long, and will start green and become red as it matures. California Wonder Fruit can be harvested when green or red. Capsicum is easy to grow and produces well. California Wonder Capsicum prefers a sunny location, but can handle partial shade. Plant California Wonder Capsicum in well-draining, fertile soil.
Green Vertus Savoy Cabbage is a hardy cabbage variety that produces a medium sized-head up to 20cm in diameter. Green Vertus Savoy Cabbage is easy to grow and is extremely cold tolerant. This cabbage variety is sweeter than Golden Acre Cabbage and is commonly used to make sauerkraut. Ensure the cabbage head is protected from caterpillars and aphids.
Golden Acre Cabbage is a popular variety that is fast growing and early maturing. This cabbage variety produces firm round heads of around 15cm in diameter. Plant Golden Acre Cabbage in full sun or partial shade in well-draining soil rich in organic matter. Golden Acre Cabbage prefers cooler weather* and can bolt if the temperature becomes too hot. Ensure the cabbage head is protected from caterpillars and aphids.
Our Nana Compacta Petunia seeds produce a mixture of purple, pink, and white hued flowerheads. Nana Compacta Petunias are a dwarf, multiflora variety that produces smaller but prolific blooms. These flowers are perfect for bordering, companion planting and simply adding colour to your garden. Nana Compacta Petunias are great for pots, containers, grow bags, and (our favourite) hanging baskets!