Kitchen Garden Forum

With most of the garden produce picked and preparation is in hand for the winter, thoughts turning to next year and plans for what to grow. My late father used to grow something new each year, both as a challenge and to try something different in the kitchen, with that in mind I've just ordered some Trench Celery seeds, always fancied trying growing it as I love the taste of "proper" celery as apposed to the rather bland self blanching stuff the shops seem only have these days. Need to do some reading now as I have little idea, I remember seeing fields full of it in the Fens back in the 1960's and early 70's all earthed up like tatties, I have a spare raised bed just for the purpose, anyone grown it recently?

I've made numerous attempts at celery over the years but wouldn't say any were particularly successful. It needs good rich soil and plenty of water and you need to keep the slugs off.
If you can keep your raised bed watered sufficiently you may get a decent crop, and it shouldn't have so bad a slug problem as growing in the open beds.
When the slugs spoiled the earthed up ones I tried tying cardboard round the plants the following year but found that was even more attractive to the little keeled slugs. The self blanching ones did better but never achieved anything like the size of the shop bought ones, they did have a nice strong celery flavour though.

If you don't have a slug problem and rich moisture retentive soil you should get a decent crop.

I always try to grow something new each year mainly for the fun of it and if you get a decent crop that's a nice treat.

I've grown the self blanching type this year and last ,last year I had loads it was half decent this year only two have survived and are still growing

I haven't totally decided what my challenge crops will be for next year. This year I grew chickpeas and they were fine as caught them at the right time too, as I like them fresh not dried & succeeded with Soya beans but they are not worth it!

I'm thinking maybe have another bash at sweet potatoes and try peanuts again, although with the last that just seems to be to fatten up the field mice but I did get about 1/4 of a bucket full about 2 years ago, so they are not totally reliant on hot weather & the mice do leave some! Oh! And spinach, that is a tricky crop as it soo loves to bolt. I don't mind the perpetual which I can grow but like the nice coloured stems & leaves of normal spinach in a salad.

I'm going to try Chinese gooseberry again (Physalis peruviana). It did very well for me a couple of years ago - in fact, too well, and turned into a tangled jungly mass so I'm going to be very stern with next year.

Sweet potatoes. I really must try them

Having a year off next year. Will be weird!

Hi all,grew greek beans this year,very easy but would have been much better had the weather been less hot.Having a crack at watermelons next year.

A warm welcome to the Forum, Pete, I think someone on here had a go at growing Watermelons but, I can't remember who!!!!

I planted watermelon seed last year but nothing grew, so not exactly "having a go", I might try again as I did grow one(just the one) in the 1980's when I lived in Leicestershire.

I've never tried growing watermelon I've always thought they needed longer summers than we usually get.

I don't think I'll bother with my Thai pumpkins again as the 20 ft plants have produced just four fruits, the largest being 3 inches across!!!
The shoots were very nice though. The Thai sugar snap peas were lovely and I've saved some of those to sow next year.

Welcome Pete!

I grew watermelon a few years ago. It looked fine but it is hard to judge when they are ripe so I took it too soon and it had too much white pith under the skin but what flesh there was, was great! I will dig out the photo from my old computer & post later, I think it was a sweet baby or something like that, a round one. Now the challenge would be to grow a long cylindrical whooper one, although may have had a chance this year!

I will be getting the compost over the next week and getting the electric propagator cleaned and ready, soon be Onion seed sowing time, only 20 days to go(apparently something else happens the same week too).

I tried melons this year I had around ten but everyone went bad before I had chance to taste them one day they were hard the next to soft to eat, next year because of family problems I'm not making plans

Mammoth Red Onion seeds sowed in the heated propagator, gardening has re commenced.