Seeds of Italy (Franchi)

I purchased some bean seeds to grow butter beans. The box was sturdy and I planted the beans in root trainers. These were then planted out. They grew really well but was unsure when to harvest the pods. A call to Paulo at Seeds of Italy UK was all I needed. He told me to harvest the beans when the pods are yellow. I had a bumper crop and will be growing these again instead of runner beans. Delicious in stews, soups or as an accompaniment to a meal. Just remember to soak the beans first in cold water for approx 8 hours or they will take hours to cook.

I've been ordering some of my seeds from them for several years. They don't carry everything I choose to grow, but I've begun saving some of my own tomato and pepper seeds recently, They do carry many varieties that aren't easy to find and their sturdy packets contain gobs more seed than others sell for the same price. Stored well, a packet of their seeds can last for many years. They aren't the only site I shop for seeds, but their seeds germinate well and are the best value I've found. Our summer heat is severe and we usually don't get much rain during the summer. I've found that the tomato varieties from Iraq do better than most in our climate so I've been placing small organza drawstring bags over unopened blossoms to prevent cross pollination by insects. Once the fruit is set, I remove the bag and mark that fruit or cluster with a colorful twist tie so I know which fruit to save seeds from. I've been doing this with tomatoes and peppers so I don't have to continually purchase new seed. The number of seeds that Seeds of Italy provide per packet, makes it foolish to go through all that work for varieties they sell. I've been pleased with everything I've purchased from them and just made another purchase today of the Taglio chard.

Posted on May 3, 2013, updated May 3, 2013 Wow. Placed my first order this winter. Fabulous seeds. I was truly shocked at how HUGE the packets are for the price. Stunning. No better value to be had anywhere. High end packaging too. In fact, the artwork and design of the packets are quintessential Italian... just beautiful. I actually hated to wreck the packets to open them. I couldn't resist ordering a couple of their fragrant soaps and loved them also. EXCELLENT germination too. A+. HIGHLY recommend. Can't wait to harvest and eat these unusual varieties.

Great company! Packages contain tons of seeds. Had fast germination and the varieties were ones that you can't find normally here in the states. I loved the Pomodoro Consoluto Fiorentino, my new favorite tomato! I highly recommend this company.

A great company to buy seed from and I have bought from then for 2 years now. They always deliver speedily and don't sell in tens as with most companies - you get hundreds of seed for you money. Also prices are really reasonable. I will be ordering from them always.

Unbelievable speed! I ordered the evening of Jan 26 and had seeds in hand the morning of Feb 5... that was quicker than I get my domestic orders! Packages are very well done and the seeds look good. Easy web-site to navigate and many hard to find varieties. These folks seem to care about their product. Highly recommended. Ted

Have ordered seeds from these folks for the last two years. They are nicely packaged and healthy first class seed. We have tried a variety of their vegetable seed and will be ordering again this year.

Wonderful seeds. Great % of germination and very prolific crops. Also customer service was excellent. Selection of Italian seeds was very pleasing. Made a customer out of me!!!