Many of the vegetables we grow today were around in Victorian times the only difference is; many of these varieties have now been hybridised!

There was a programme ( a great programme I must add) on BBC 2 a few years back called The Victorian Kitchen Garden

It can now be found on You tube!

This link will get you to part 1 (January) then you can follow the other parts from the archives alongside.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXO4mAY8tGI

I grow cardoon ornamentally Steve and it is *huge* after its first year so unless you are going to blanch and eat them whilst young, make sure you give it plenty of room. Asparagus pea (which is neither asparagus nor pea) is low lying and not to everyone's taste but was certainly eaten by the Victorians and if you have access to a greenhouse then Crystal lemon (also known as Crystal apple) cucumbers were eaten straight off the plant in the absence of foreign apples (planes weren't very fast then :o)) ). They are also nice as cucumbers. If you lived in the south you wouldn't need a greenhouse but if you want to take the risk they are OK outside up here in a good summer, whatever that is.

There are companies that specialise in seeds of old varieties..The ones I found on google are in the US but if you like I will email my son's partner who buys hers from a British one and send you the details.

Try putting heriage seeds uk into google, I think that they sell a lot of the old varieties

They do Pamg though you need to become a member of their organisation I seem to remember... we certainly get seed from them.

Heritage Seeds is part of Garden Organic. You pay a membership fee to support their conservation work and get to choose some seeds for free. I don't think that they actually 'sell' seed but they do offer some exciting varieties. If you join them and explain your educational project I am sure that they would manage a few extra varieties for you.

oops! misread the question, but no matter it should give you some ideas as to what was around at the time, and you can perhaps source them from 'Heritage seeds'

Type 'Victorian Vegetables' into Google images and go from there. Its a rarified subject, but there's enough there to find out where to get seeds of old varieties. It doesn't get far down before it developes into a clutter. Worth a visit.

Hi All
Thanks for all you replies found this company and they seem to stock all the stuff that I am after its worth looking at there catalogue and resources
http://www.thomasetty.co.uk/index.html
Steve

Interesting - good luck!