Listing is for 5 fresh and large Camellia Sinensis seeds - variety "Darjeeling"

Tea can and is grown outdoors here in the UK - most tea plantations are in the south west but there are even some in Scotland. Well worth a try  - growing your own Darjeeling tea with zero air miles. If that sound like too much effort, Camellia Sinensis makes a beautiful house plant with its glossy green leaves and stunning white flowers. 

ALL ORDERS RECEIVED BEFORE 8PM WILL BE DISPATCHED SAME DAY

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.

Germination Guide

  • Carefully crack  the outer shell (or remove it completely) - I gently bite into it with my teeth then remove the casing with my fingernails taking care not to hazelnut-sized kernel inside
  • Soak the seeds in tap water for 24 hours 
  • Prepare a seeds tray with a good compost mix at room temperature - ideally 50/50 compost and vermiculite. 
  • Plant the seeds around 3cm deep and cover with the compost mix
  • Place the tray in a warm place, out of direct sunlight
  • Water occasionally but do not allow compost to become waterlogged.
  • Seeds usually take 4-8 weeks to germinate
  • Pot on once 3 to 4 leaves developed and gradually increase light levels


Olly's General Guide to Seed Sowing!

I love sowing seeds and it runs in the family - dad, granddad 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 seedling 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 germination or after "damping off" when the seeds germinate. To reduce the risk, ensure you have good free draining soil mix and that it is moist but not wet. The best investment you will make is a bottle of (very cheap) 4% hydrogen peroxide (mixed with water 1:4) - this disinfects and also encourages germination. 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. The surface is kept moist as required by spraying with my water/peroxide mix (see above)