Conopodium majus Pignut / Earthnut
30 seeds per packet.
Fresh wild seed collected from the nursery meadow and orchard. Native UK perennial of grasslands from the Umbellifer family. Finely cut leaves and small umbels of white flowers in April to June followed by attractive, red developing seeds. The plant is not only a beneficial plant for insects but is also popular amongst foragers - its underground tuber, which resembles a chestnut, has a nutty, sweet taste. Sun to part shade in moist soil.
GROWING INSTRUCTIONS:
Sow upon receipt (best in autumn). Cover seed thinly, press in gently and keep top of compost from drying out. Keep pot outdoors or in cold frame over winter. Seeds germinate in spring.
Alternatively, if seeds can’t be sown in autumn use the following method: mix seeds with damp vermiculite and place inside a ziplock bag, keep bag somewhere warm for 3 weeks, then place in fridge (not freezer) for 8 weeks. Next spread mixture on top of a pot, thinly cover with compost or grit and keep warm at 15 to 20°C until germination, then move to somewhere cooler.
Carefully prick out seedlings when they have developed true leaves and are large enough to transplant to individual pots for growing on.