There is something rather delightfully old-fashioned about a packet of flower seed bearing the stern little warning “Not for human consumption.” One can almost imagine an elderly gardener peering over her spectacles and saying, “Good heavens, dear, don’t put those in the pudding!”
Flower seeds are, of course, intended for the garden rather than the kitchen. They may have been treated with chemicals to protect them during storage or improve germination, and they are not produced or packaged as food. Even when the plant itself happens to be edible, the seed packet should never be treated as a food product unless it is specifically sold and labelled for culinary use.
So, my advice, as any sensible old gardener would give it, is this: sow the seeds, admire the flowers, and leave the nibbling to the birds and the caterpillars. Keep the packets safely away from the pantry, label your seed trays properly, and wash your hands after handling treated seed.
After all, there is nothing quite so embarrassing as growing a splendid cottage garden only to mistake the seed tin for the biscuit tin.
