We have whopping 27 newly introduced heritage vegetable seeds in the Seed List this year, out of the 165 tasty varieties. Five of these new varieties are ones that have returned, having been conserved by the HSL several decades ago, but they’re no longer being available to buy in the UK.

A record 107 varieties this year are certified as organic – a new record - grown on land certified by the Soil Association. The remaining have been grown by volunteer Seed Guardians, in accordance with our organic principles. So, while we cannot officially mark them as ‘organic’ you can rest assured they’ve been grown in the spirit of the organisation.

Here’s some exciting small parcels you can tuck into this year:

• Celeriac ‘Tellus’ (Organic) Also known as ‘turnip-rooted celery’, which describes the shape and flavour of this vegetable perfectly. Suttons says: “A quick growing, smooth, round-rooted type with a beautiful white flesh which does not discolour after boiling.” Seed Guardian Sandra Slack adds that it’s “sweet and nutty, and makes a lovely soup”. Also invaluable diced or grated raw as a tasty addition in winter salads.

• Celery ‘Solid Pink’ (Organic) Introduced in 1894, this hardy, traditional trench celery variety produces large, pink stems that can be blanched easily and quickly. Retains its colour even when cooked. Ready for harvest in November/December from an early April sowing.

• Climbing French bean ‘Striped Creaseback’ This variety is thought to be one of the oldest beans cultivated by the Cayuga Iroquois (one of the five original founding nations of the Iroquois Confederacy), who used it to make corn soup and bread. Also, one of the original varieties used in ‘Three Sisters’ method of growing. Produces white flowers, followed by broad pods with pronounced pink streaking. Primarily a drying bean but can be eaten fresh when very young. Seed colour light brown with dark brown stripes.

• Melon ‘Collective Farm Woman’ This Ukrainian heirloom variety produces tasty fruits which, when mature, have orange skin and very sweet, whitish-yellow, crunchy flesh. Most will be 500-600g in weight, occasionally achieving 1kg in optimum conditions. This variety is well adapted to Northern latitudes and reputed to ripen well, even in colder climates!

• Squash ‘New England Sugar Pie’ (Organic) The original small sugar pumpkin of New England, USA, first described by Fearing Burr in AR1360 (1863). Trailing plants produce orange, almost oval, lightly ribbed fruits weighing in at around 2kg with smooth skin and orange, creamy, sweet-flavoured flesh. The tough outer shell means that they keep well too.

The seed list will be live from 17 November 2026, and run until 31 March.