Once you’ve got hold of a few of them, settle yourself in a deep armchair, pen and paper at the ready, and start leafing through them. The range on offer is astonishing, from compact varieties that will romp away in pots and window boxes to heritage vegetables, organic seeds, and numerous strange, forgotten or unusual varieties that demand to be tried out.

Some catalogues grade varieties according to how easy it is to get them going, and they all give descriptions of what to expect. Some, like Seeds of Italy, even offer suggestions for how to cook with them. Starting at about £1 per packet, you’ll soon find you’ve ticked countless boxes on the order form.

Many varieties, such as runner beans, can be sown directly into the ground or a pot in spring, so all you need to do is prepare the soil. Others can be started indoors, on a windowsill, and kept there with plants such as chillies and peppers, if you don’t have outdoor space. Fine seeds are better planted in seed trays, and these can be covered with a plastic bag or a plastic cover. Good-quality seed compost in clean containers gets plants off to a good start. Many of the catalogues supply seed trays, covers and watering cans with fine roses that won’t dislodge newly sown seeds.

Check out mail-order suppliers Harrod Horticultural (0845 4025300; www.harrodhorticultural.com) for all the equipment you’ll need for growing vegetables, big or small.

Pumpkin ‘da Mermellata’
Described as a traditional Italian jam pumpkin in the new ‘Le Bizarre’ range. Pumpkin jam sounds odd but is well worth a try.
Onion ‘Valencia Tardeva’
My friend Anna swears by growing onions from seed and this late-maturing, golden Spanish onion sounds very tempting.
From: Seeds of Italy (020-8427 5020; www.seedsofitaly.com).

Rocket ‘Sky Rocket’
A mild salad rocket rather then the peppery wild rocket, but quick-growing and ready to cut in a month.
Coriander Confetti
Sounds good as it has a normal coriander taste without the bitterness and, best of all, is slow to bolt.
Pumpkin ‘Jack Be Little’
Perfectly formed mini pumpkins. Great fun to grow, and a good flavour too. Harvest late summer to autumn for pumpkin soup.
From: Edwin Tucker and Sons, Devon (01364 652233; www.edwintucker.com).

Red hot chillies
Chilli Big Sun
A super-hot, lemon-yellow Scotch Bonnet type. Good for growing indoors in a pot.
Tomato ‘Chiquito’
A dusky-pink, baby plum bush that can be grown in a large pot.
From: Simpson’s Seeds, Warminster, Wiltshire (01985 845004; www.simpsonsseeds.co.uk).

Calabrese ‘Parthenon’
I’ll give this a try as I’ve never grown calabrese on my allotment.
Carrot ‘Nigel’
A quick-growing orange variety that is ready to harvest early and stores well.
From: Kings Seeds, Kelvedon, Essex (01376 570000; www.kingsseeds.com).

Courgette ‘Tricolour’
A jolly mix of three varieties of round courgettes (great for stuffing) — dark-green, light-green and yellow. Sweetcorn ‘Sweetie’ Sweet-tasting and early maturing.
Carrot ‘Yellowstone’
Bright yellow and easy to grow. Good flavour for salads.
From: Organic Gardening Catalogue, Hersham, Surrey (0845 1301304; www.organiccatalogue.com).

Pepino/Melon Pear
An Andean veg related to the tomato, which tastes a bit like melon and can be added to salads. One to try on my sunny patio at home.
Nasturtium ‘Princess of India’
It’s compact and elegant rather than showy, and hard to beat in pots or the border as well as in the veg patch, where it attracts hoverflies which attack aphids.
Runner Bean ‘Rotbluehende’ or ‘Teenie Beanie’
I never seem to pick my runner beans young enough so this stringless, short-podded variety could be the answer. They’d be good on a tripod of canes in a large pot, too.
From: Thompson & Morgan, Ipswich (01473 695225; www.thompson-morgan.com).

Tomato ‘Berry’
Strawberry-shaped fruits with a sweet flavour that you can grow in pots in the greenhouse or out on the patio or balcony.
Pea ‘Peewee’
A “tender, sweet petit pois”, well worth a try.
From: Marshalls, Huntingdon, Cambs (01480 443390; www.marshalls-seeds.co.uk).

Cabbage ‘Kilaxy’
An autumn-maturing variety that’s said to be highly resistant to club-root diseases.
Strawberry ‘Sonata’
Juicy, well-shaped berries. Can you ever have too many strawberries?
From: Suttons, Paignton, Devon (0870 2200606; www.suttons-seeds.co.uk).

Tomato ‘Black Russian’
An old variety, with dark-red, almost-black fruits which are rich and tasty.
Cauliflower ‘Trevi’
Interesting-looking cauli with yellow-green curds and a good flavour.
Herb ‘Par-cel’
Looks like parsley and is just as easy to grow, but tastes more like celery. Good for pots and window boxes.
From: Suffolk Herbs, Kelvedon, Essex (01376 572456; www.suffolkherbs.com).

A new series, Grow Your Own Veg, starts on January 5, BBC Two, at 8.30pm

Explore Gardens

• Hampton Court Palace Flower Show

• Chelsea Flower Show

Times recommends

• Second homes: credit crunch casualty or money-spinner?
• How I built my own sliding house
• Top 10 incentives for house buyers