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speedy-seeds.co.uk

Blackcurrant "Ben Hope" | 100+ seeds | Organic - Own Stock | Same Day Dispatch

£3.19 GBP
£3.19 GBP
Sale Sold out
Tax included.

Please find for sale 100+ fresh Blackcurrant  seeds (variety Ben Hope). Seeds harvested & prepared from my own plants in Sept 2022. Ben Hope is a reliable a heavy yielding variety - I have 5 mature plants and these produce 5+ kg of fruit every year. I also sell blackcurrant plants that I have raised from seed - available in spring.

SAVE PACKAGING MATERIALS  - SEE OTHER INTERESTING & UNUSUAL SEEDS & PLANTS IN MY SHOP

INSTRUCTIONS - TO SAVE PAPER I NO LONGER SEND OUT WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS TO CUSTOMERS. INSTRUCTIONS ARE BELOW SO PLEASE BOOKMARK THIS PAGE. FEEL FREE TO MESSAGE ME WITH ANY GROWING QUESTIONS.

Sowing Guide 

Blackberry seeds require a period of cold stratification for optimal germination - this is natures way of stopping seeds germinating at the wrong time of year, eg the autumn and being killed by frost/snow before can get established. Thanks to fridges we can "trick" such seeds into thinking that winter has passed and now its time to wake up!

You can do this in two ways: natural or artificial

Natural

Sow the seed in trays of compost (ericaceous ideally), lightly cover with sieved compost. Cover with netting or similar to keep animals and birds off. Leave outside over winter - the natural fluctuations of temperature will trigger germination in the spring.


Artificial

  • Place the seeds in a small ziplock bag along with some slightly damp potting compost and place in the fridge for at least 2 months, or longer until sowing time of around February. 
  • Prepare pots or seed trays of a well-draining compost mix - ideally 50/50 compost and vermiculite mix
  • Sow  evenly spaced on surface. Press gently to surface but do not cover.
  • Regularly mist surface with water
  • Cover seed tray with plastic dome (vents open) or a clear bag with air holes cut.
  • Ensure compost kept moist but not wet - best to water from the bottom.
  • Seedling should appear in around 6 weeks
  • Pot on once have several sets of true leaves using ericaceous compost 


Olly's General Guide to Seed Sowing!

I love sowing seeds and it runs in the family - dad, grandad and finally my great-grandad for whom the hobby helped him get over his experiences in the Great War. I still get a big kick when I see the first seedliing poking through from a new plant that I have never sown before or been successful at. However, even the most experienced gardeners draw "blanks" from time to time. Whilst I sow all the seeds that I sell so I know that they are viable, some are trickier than others and problems can arise so here are some tips to make "blanks" few and far between:

1) Dont Rush! Tempting though it is when that packet arrives in the post to simply bung the seeds in some compost!

2) Google and Youtube are your friends! Take some time so see the methods other people use to germinate the seed. 

3) Think Nature! What conditions do seeds face? For example a seed from a tropical plant will fall to the warm, wet and dark jungle floor. A seed from the mountains of Europe will fall to the floor in Autumn, then have to endure months of freezing temperatures before germinating in the spring. So as growers, what we are trying to do is to simulate the conditions that the seeds will naturally experience and there are plenty of tricks that can be done to short cut the processes somewhat.

4) Good compost pays dividends . The best investment you can make is to purchase three bags - one of potting compost, one of vermiculite and one of horticultural sand. With these three bags I can make up whatever soil type a particular seed likes (although for most seeds I find a 50/50 mix of compost and vermiculite works just fine) 

5) Rot is your enemy. The single biggest danger to seed germination is rot - either before or after "damping off" the seeds germinate. To reduce the risk, ensure you have good free draining soil mix and that it is moist but not wet. Unless the seed variety absolutely requires it I prefer NOT to cover my seeds trays with plastic bags, Whilst germination is often faster this way, it greatly increases the risk of rot. I prefer to place my seed trans inside a watertight plastic tray and water from the bottom - airflow over the surface reduces the risk.


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Buyers please note that they are responsible for any local customs duties or other taxes in their local country and should also ensure compliance with an biosecurity regulations.

Problems? Dont rush to feedback, get in touch and we will get it sorted asap!

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