Seed Pantry Blog

Tulip Mania, Tulip Craze, Dutch Tulpenwindhandel… When tulips came to the Netherlands the world was struck, but what is the history behind the bulb virus affecting the Tulipa genus? and why did it make them so desirable?

One winter morning in 1637 a sailor was offered a breakfast of red herring at a Dutch merchant’s counting house. Taking the chance to add a little relish to his sandwich he swiped an onion seen lying on the counter. Little did he know, his ‘onion’ had actually been a valuable ‘broken’ Semper Augustus Tulip bulb, whose worth could have fed his ship’s crew for 12 months! He was promptly charged with a felony and thrown in prison.

So, Seed Pantry, what is a ‘broken bulb’?

Spread by aphids the Tulip Breaking virus alters pigments in the petal cells, causing the flower to ‘break’ its lock on a single colour. The flowers bloom with intricate, multicoloured feathering and flamed petals. Like nothing anyone had ever known in the flower world, the distinct so-called “broken bulbs” captured the eyes and hearts of the world. The cause of these striking floral patterns was also it’s curse. Once a bulb is infected, it’s daughter bulbs will be too. The virus weakens the bulbs. With each generation they become smaller, weaker, and less likely to reproduce until they wither away completely. Some varieties, such as the Semper Augustus tulip, have now become extinct as a result of the disease.

How did these bulbs cause financial ruin?

The wonderfully unpredictable, vividly coloured flowers quickly became a popular commodity; their weakness a trait that only made them more rare and desirable. As demand quickly exceeded supply the prices for these bulbs began to soar. Until 1633 the tulip trade in Holland had been restricted to professional growers, but the rising prices tempted many ordinary families to enter into the market. That is, until 1636, when demand really took off. Homes were mortgaged so that bulbs could be bought and resold at higher prices. A single bulb even became acceptable as dowry for a bride!

In the depths of winter, the bulbs frozen beneath the ground, traders exchanged promises to buy the tulip bulbs in springtime. They had high hopes that the flowers would fetch even higher prices. The Semper Augustus bulb with it’s flame-like white and red petals, relative to the wages of the time, would sell for the equivalent worth of £770,000 today!

Alas, tulip mania collapsed before the arrival spring of 1637, before the first blooms. Tulip traders struggled to find new buyers who were willing to pay increasingly inflated prices for the bulbs. The market crashed, sweeping away fortunes and leaving traders in financial ruin.

We hope you enjoyed the brief history lesson and learning about Tulip mania. Look out for a wonderful range of tulips in October and November Grow Club boxes!

The Seed Pantry team 🌼

WIN a lucky-dip addition to your next box by sharing your plant pictures with us on Instagram. Use the hashtag #SeedPantryGrowClub or tag us @seedpantry to enter.

Subscribe to the Grow Club box for flowers, food and herb seeds ready to sow each month… Curious? Come check out all of this month’s options!

Sometimes it’s hard planting and designing spring flower bulb displays in the garden. Where do you plant this and when!? Well below is a sure-fire way to create a stunning spring flower display in your own garden spaces, big or small.

To create your own beautiful flower display in any pots and containers here are our 5 steps to success!

Step 1:           Take a large pot/container (from 20cm deep/wide upwards) and check the required planting depth for each of your flower bulbs. For example, daffodils need to be planted around 10cm deep while crocus at 5cm.  Once you know this, measure along the inside of the pot, from the top down, to the depth required for each bulb type and mark with a pen, note: add 2-3cm for the gap between the top of the pot and the level you fill the compost to.

Step 2:           After this add drainage to the bottom of the pot, such as a layer of pebbles or gravel. Bulbs generally like semi-fertile, slightly gritty soil that drains well. You can mix standard compost with some builder’s sharp sand or grit to help with drainage. Now fill the pot, with the compost, up to the deepest planting depth you marked inside the pot.

Step 3:           Start spacing out your first lot of flower bulbs on the compost surface generally in small groups or clusters or design how you would want them to pop up and flower. Always plant with the pointed tip upwards and allow some space between each bulb, 2 to 3cm or more.

Step 4:          Add another layer of compost over the top of your deepest set of bulbs, up to the next planting depth line you added and start planting your next group of flowers. You can avoid planting them directly above the bulbs below, although they will generally find their way into the light.

Step 5:         Then finally cover with new layer of compost before watering well and placing the pot in a nice bright position ready for spring and that’s it! Keep moist but not too wet and when they begin to grow and then flower, keep them well watered.

It’s a good idea to match 2 or 3 plant types together, that flower after each other in succession. For example; Crocus flower first in the year, followed by daffodils, followed by tulips, followed by alliums. So you could match and add bulbs/corms for crocus and daffodils together in one pot to get an early spring display, then make a pot with tulips and alliums in, for late spring displays, so you have continuous flowers.

To buy spring flower bulbs from Seed Pantry and pick what flowers you would like to use for your own bulb lasagne visit our Seed and Bulbs store or Join 1000’s of other people and become a member of our monthly Grow Club for extra tips and savings:

https://www.seedpantry.co.uk/seeds-and-bulbs.html

https://www.seedpantry.co.uk/grow-club.html

Neil – Founder at Seed Pantry

Stock Up The Pantry With Your Seed Pantry Crops!

It’s easy to get a little carried away when sowing your veg seeds and now you’ve got a wonderful bumper crop to deal with! If, like us, you’ve ended up with so much Courgette that the thought of another Ratatouille doesn’t tickle your taste buds, it might be time to turn them into something different!

There’s plenty of ways to preserve your produce if you can’t use them right away, and it’s really satisfying to see your belly, cupboards and freezer stocked up with home-grown produce for the winter months. Here’s a round up of the ways to store your excess bounty.

Freezing

Quick and easy, freezing your produce in Tupperware or bags is great way to store even small quantities. Simply blanch or steam your crop, which helps to kill bacteria and maintain the vitamin content, allow to cool and bag up. Label your freezer-bags with the date and you’re ready to freeze! Some vegetables, like tomatoes and french beans can even be frozen after picking after just a good rinse.

Suitable crops: Root veg, onions, sweetcorn, tomatoes, courgette, all types of beans, brassicas, soft fruits and tree fruits (on their own or in sugar or syrup) and herbs too!

Dehydrating

Britain isn’t exactly known for it’s tropical climate, but whilst drying in the sun might not be feasible, the drying process is still easy to do indoors. If you’re a seasoned Grow Your Own-er then you might even consider buying a dehydrator!

How to do it

Apples: Core and slice into rings and soak in slightly salted water (1tsp of salt to 1litre of water) to prevent them from browning. Dry the rings and thread them on a string, hang them indoors, well spaced, for 3-5 days. You can also dry Chillies or Mushrooms this way, although it may take a little longer.

Tomatoes: Cut in half, cover with a little salt and dry in a cool oven. Store in air-tight containers or olive oil (you can add a little dried Basil or Oregano).

Peas and beans: Blanch or steam before rinsing in cold water. Lay on a clean tea towel and dab off any excess moisture, dry on trays in a cool oven or airing cupboard until hard. Allow to cool before packing into air-tight containers and store in a cool, dry place.

Suitable crops: Onions, tomatoes, chillies, mushrooms, apples, pears, plums, raspberries, strawberries … the list goes on, I’ve even been known to make cucumber crisps this way.

Chutneys and Pickles

Sugar and spice and all things nice, who doesn’t relish a little chutney with cheese and crackers? This classic preserving method is a great way to store onion, cabbage, beetroot, cucumber or any other random assortment of surplus you might have – even plums and pears make a great addition!

How to do it – Any-Veg Chutney

1kg seasonal fruit or vegetables, diced into 1cm cubes
500g cooking or eating apples, peeled and diced
250g onions, peeled and diced
375ml white wine (or cider) vinegar
250g light soft brown sugar
250g dried fruit, chopped
1-3 tsp dried chilli flakes (or ginger)
1/2 tsp salt

Place the vegetables and fresh fruit into a large pan, with the dried fruit and sugar. Add the vinegar and 250ml water to the pan with the chilli/ginger and salt.

Heat the mixture gently, stirring occasionally until all of the sugar has dissolved before slowly bringing to the boil. Simmer, uncovered, for 1-2 hours, stirring regularly so that it doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan. When the chutney is rich, thick and reduced it is ready (you can test this by dragging a wooden spoon through the mixture: it should part enough to reveal the base of the pan). If it seems a little dry before this stage, add a little boiling water. Allow to cool a little.

Pot the chutney while warm into sterilised jars. Seal with plastic-coated screw-top lids and leave to mature for at least 2 weeks before using.

Flavoured Oils and Vinegars

Used as salad dressings or flavourings for steamed puddings, flavouring vinegar with fruit, vegetables or herbs is a delightful and simple way of using up small quantities of surplus garden produce. Fruit, vegetables or herbs are steeped in vinegar over a period before straining the liquid and heating with sugar. Even Violas, Lavender and Rose petals can be used to add a delicate flavour.

Suitable Crops: raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, blackcurrants, strawberries, apples or vegetables such as cucumber, celery, horseradish, peppers, Chillies, garlic, mint, thyme, tarragon, basil, marjoram (singly or in combination).

How to do it

For Herbs, half fill a 1L jar with fresh herb leaves, or clean petals (for Violas, Lavender or Rose flavours) and top up your jar with white wine vinegar. For Fruits and vegetables, use roughly 500g to every 600ml of vinegar with the exception of Garlic or Chilli where you should use around 50g.

Cover and allow the mixture to steep for 7-10 days in the fridge. Stir or shake each day. Herb and Vegetable vinegar can then be strained into a bottle and sealed, ready to use. You can even mix the vinegar with a little oil for a richer dressing. For Fruit vinegar, after steeping, strain the mixture and place the liquid into a pan with 350g of sugar.

Bring to a boil, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Allow to cool a little, then bottle and seal into sterilised jars.

So there you have it – a rough and ready guide to reap the rewards of your Grow Club success! We’d love to hear about your GYO journey – please tag us in your success stories (and heroic failures too!) on Instagram and Facebook.

Seed Pantry Team 🌼

Subscribe to the Grow Club box for flowers, food and herb seeds ready to sow each month… Curious? Come check out all of this month’s options!

Botanical terms boggle your mind? Here’s an easy guide to help you understand Tulip groupings…

Don’t be fooled into thinking that the Tulip season is fleeting! There are actually fifteen different groups of Tulips with different flowering times and shapes. By bringing together early, mid-season and late-flowering Tulips, mixing flower forms and colours you can enjoy the burst of colour for twice as long… and we’ve made it a little easier with a Seed Pantry bite-size guide.

Whether you plant them in pots or in the ground, Tulips are a spring garden’s perfect companion! We love the striking contrast of orange and purple with Tulipa ‘Apricot Beauty’ Tulipa ‘Queen Of Night‘ and Tulipa ‘Rem’s Favourite’. Choose your own Spring border combinations from the Grow Club Tulip selection, get those green fingers at the ready and check out our handy Tulip planting guide for Autumn planting season!

Click here to see our stunning range of Tulips in the Seed Pantry Grow Club during October and November!

If you’re already a seasoned Grow Clubber, we’d love to see your planting combinations! – please share your pictures with us on Instagram and Facebook, or pop us an email at support@seedpantry.co.uk!

Seed Pantry Team 🌼