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Developed in the UK specifically for home gardeners, perhaps the first melon ever to be bred for this market. The fruit colour visibly changes from grey/green to a creamy yellow to tell you it’s ripe and ready to enjoy.SOWING INSTRUCTIONS: Sow in a propagator on a windowsill, in pots or trays using a good quality, moist compost in a greenhouse at approximately 15°C (65-70°F). Cover seed with 1cm (½in) compost until germination, which can take 7-14 days.GROWING INSTRUCTIONS: Transfer to 7.5cm (3in) pots, grow on and plant up into grow bags or large pots. Train up strings and support fruits with nets. Water and feed regularly. If growing outside it is best to cover the soil with black membrane to keep the soil warm and use a cloche to cover the plant. Pollinate by inserting male flower into female flower which has tiny fruit at the base.

Use in salads for a milder flavour, or use them in soups and casseroles. Due to their huge size the onions don’t store for long, so why not chop and freeze, perfect to add to any cooked dish without making your eyes water each time you use them.For exhibition in Dec-Jan sow thinly 6mm (¼in) deep into a tray of good quality compost and keep in a propagator at 15°C (59°F). For culinary use seeds can be sown direct outside in March-April into finely raked soil 13mm (½ in) deep, 30cm (12in) between rows. Or into modules and planted out after the last frosts have passed.Transplant into individual 7.5cm pots (3in) at the ‘crook’ stage (when the young seedling still has the tip bent over like a shepherd’s crook) and grow on at 12-13°C (54-55°F). Keep moist but not wet. Keep young plants in a cold frame or greenhouse, planting out in May after all risk of frost has passed.

Deep globed, straw coloured bulbs which if given space can attain weights over 1kg (21/4lb). For general kitchen use bulbs of 300g (10oz) are readily produced. Bulbs are mild flavoured with juicy flesh ideal sliced for salads and sandwiches, and many culinary uses. Bulbs are not suited for long storage.For exhibited sized bulbs sow 1cm (1/2 in) deep in pots of compost and place at minimum 20C (68F). For smaller bulbs, seed can be sown outdoors in March..Prick out seedlings when large enough to handle and pot up into 7.5cm (3in) pots. Grow steadily and transplant to a well prepared onion bed from late April. Keep well fed and watered throughout the growing season.

The best bulb variety to sow outdoors in autumn for overwintering, Onion Hi Keeper produces quality bulbs, 120g (4oz) in weight. Ideal for the exhibitor as well as the kitchen. Good winter hardiness. Onion Hi Keeper can also be spring sown, producing quality bulbs. Prefers rich, moist soil in an open situation.Sow seeds September outdoors or March-April for spring sowings. Sow seeds thinly in a good, well prepared, free draining soil 1cm (½in) deep. For autumn sowings do not thin until the following spring.Thin seedlings to 1cm (4in) apart, using the thinnings in salads. Keep bulbs well fed and watered throughout the growing season. When the leaves start to yellow and fall over, gently fork up the bulbs and leave on the soil surface to ripen.Store dry, sound bulbs in onion nets, used tights or tied in strings in a cool, frost-free, airy place.