Monastery Garden: rediscover medieval vegetables and herbs – Seed kit No. 22

Vegetables & herbs from medieval times

This seed kit brings together nine historic vegetable and herb varieties that were grown in medieval monastery and cottage gardens. They bring stories with them: of age-old growing traditions, of healing, cooking and self-sufficiency. Now you can rediscover a piece of gardening history for yourself – and bring the past to life in your own garden or raised bed.

Nine historic varieties

• Caraway (Carum carvi) – aromatic umbellifer spice used in bread, cheese and healing preparations for hundreds of years.
• Parsley 'Half-length' (Pastinaca sativa) – familiar root vegetable with a mild, sweet flavour, a staple foodstuff in the Middle Ages.
• Monk’s pepper (Vitex agnus-castus) – traditionally valued as a healing plant, with peppery-aromatic fruits.
• Einkorn wheat (Triticum monococcum) – one of the oldest cereals, the basis of many dishes going back to classical and medieval times.
• Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) – spicy herb and healing plant, used in many ways in cooking and medicinally.
• Rhubarb chard 'Vulkan' (Beta vulgaris ssp. vulgaris) – colourful leaf vegetable with red stems, traditionally used as a spinach substitute.
• Rue (Ruta graveolens) – distinctive healing and culinary plant with an intense fragrance, formerly widespread in monastery gardens.
• Peppermint (Mentha piperita) – refreshing herb, beloved as a healing plant and for herbal teas.
• Black mustard (Brassica nigra) – traditional spice and oilseed plant, the basis for hot mustards.

Beautiful packaging inspired by history

All nine seed packets come in a sturdy, colour-illustrated folding box. The design echoes historic botanical illustrations – making this a wonderful gift for gardeners with a feeling for history.

Sowing made easy

The varieties included are resilient and easy to grow. Every seed packet comes with the key sowing and growing information you need. Plus a QR Code on the box leads to a detailed sowing guide, available in five languages.

For history fans and gardeners

This kit is designed for anyone who enjoys finding out about gardening traditions & rediscovering plant species from the past. It combines the historic charm of monastery gardens with the pleasure of enjoying fresh herbs and vegetables straight from your own patch.

A living tradition

This Monastery Garden kit is a chance to rediscover plants from medieval times. Nine historic varieties to bring tradition and delicious flavours to your garden – from gardeners for gardeners.