Oyster Leaf (Mertensia maritima) Seeds

Oyster leaf is a chef's herb with a flavour like no other: thick, blue-grey leaves that taste of oysters, salty and mineral, with no shellfish in sight. Mertensia maritima is a low, sprawling coastal plant native to northern shores, including Britain, also known as sea bluebells. Its fleshy, waxy leaves are joined in summer by sprays of small sky-blue flowers that open from pink buds. Eat the leaves raw with fish and seafood or in salads.

Sowing and growing

• Needs cold to germinate: sow in gritty compost in autumn or winter and leave in a cold frame, or chill sown pots in the fridge for 4 to 6 weeks before moving them to 15 to 20°C
• Depth: 5mm
• Germination: slow and erratic, from three weeks to several months
• Position: full sun in very free-draining, sandy or gritty soil; ideal in a pot or raised bed
• Height: about 20cm, with a spread of 30cm
• Harvest: pick leaves sparingly once plants are established, spring to autumn
• Hardy perennial; protect from slugs and snails from the moment seedlings appear

What you receive: a packet of 5 seeds from Piccolo Seeds, with growing instructions on the back. Sow each seed in its own small pot.

Oyster leaf sits well with the rest of our exotic edibles. Find pots and gritty seed compost in propagation, and browse all our seeds.