How to sow your free rocket seeds - Six Months of Seeds

Start sowing your own crop of peppery rocket leaves, with the help of our video guide, below.

You Will Need

• Free rocket seeds
• Seed tray, or large pot
• Multi-purpose compost, or vermiculite
• Tamper, or another flat object
• Watering can with rose attachment
• Plant label

Step 1

Fill a tray or large pot with multi-purpose compost and use a flat board or tamper to gently firm and level the compost.

Step 2

Pour some seeds into your hand, then carefully sprinkle them as evenly as possible over the surface of the compost. Lightly and evenly cover the seeds with a more multi-purpose compost or vermiculite. A sieve will help to remove any lumps.

Step 3

Water your tray, using a watering can with a rose attachment to avoid dislodging your seeds.

Step 4: Pricking out

Once your seedlings have germinated, you'll need to prick them out. Use a tamper or another flat object to apply light pressure. This will ensure good contact between seeds and compost.

Step 5

Water gently using a small can with a rose to make sure the seeds and compost aren't disturbed. Keep just moist.

Step 6

Place it in a frost-free spot and watch for germination. Thin out the seedlings as they grow, eating them as delicious micro greens.

Coming up - more free seeds

February 2021: Dahlia and echinacea

Colour made easy with our February double pack, worth £5.20

• Dahlia Mignon Mixed - loved by bees and butterflies, these colourful, compact plants are ideal for pots and borders
• Echinacea Large flowered - beautiful in summer borders, with elegant, lance-shaped leaves and large daisy-like blooms. The long stems make them ideal for cut flowers

March: Pollinator mix and sunflower

Perfect for pollinators, our March packs are worth £5.50

• Pollinator Mix - a wildlife-friendly mix of beautiful flowers, rich in nectar and pollen
• Sunflower Sunburst Mix - super-easy to grow, the cheery large flowerheads are a magnet for pollinators and the seeds are a great source of food for birds later in the year

April: Tomato and basil

The taste of summer. Packs worth £4.80

• Tomato 'Red Cherry' - heavy crops of small fruits with delicious, sweet fruits flavour. Can be grown outside or in an unheated greenhouse
• Basil 'Lettuce Leaf' - this unusual basil bears enormous, frilly-edged leaves, which have a sweet aromatic flavour you can enjoy all summer long

May: Cosmos and carrot

A couple of classics in this double pack worth £5

• Cosmos 'Purity' - this much-loved favourite will give you a dazzling display of large white flowers right through summer. Also great for cut flowers
• Carrot 'Royal Chantenay 3' - sow direct in the ground, or in containers. Kids will love growing and eating this fast-growing variety and the small, sweet roots are delicious cooked whole

June: Zinnia and cornflower

Get speedy results with this colourful couple, worth £4.80

• Zinnia 'Early Wonder' – large dahlia-like blooms in a mix of showy, vibrant colours
• Cornflower 'Blue Ball' - easy to grow, with masses of bee-friendly blooms, cornflowers are the perfect cottage garden flower