Kitchen Garden Forum

I won't grow so many varieties of everything . This year was experimental and it showed me which varieties of all the veggies I've grown will be repeated next year. One quite definitely a winner is the Harzfeuer tomato. It has regular sized fruit, the trusses all form on one side and they are prodigious and early croppers. The seeds are available each year at Lidl.
The jury is, of course, still out on the leek and parsnip varieties.
I have three aubergine plants - unfortunately, the most prolific one (currently has 9 fruit ripening ) I bought at a garden centre at half price, but the label merely says aubergine and how to care for the plant so I don't even know if it is an F.1. variety or worth saving seeds .
And Waltham Butternut Squash will also be on the list for next year's sowings, along with some pattypan if I can scrounge some seed from somewhere. I ordered from Seedfest in the States, paid my money, but haven't heard a word since in spite of trying to contact them several times. A word of warning there.

Yes - bindweed. I will get control of it by next year (???!!!!)

& Spring onion ... not a great success & not sure we'll eat them enough to justify fussing with sowing in modules etc

Not sure about the sorrel herb i gre, I haven't really used any of it - bitter as h***!

I have decided not to continue growing globe artichokes next year. Much as I love this splendid vegetable, I'm just not getting the amount of heads to justify keeping the plants in the border.

Like most people my garden is small and I don't really have the space.

Johnboy
Ref: I sowed 1176 and as far as I could ascertain only 8 failed to mature.

Did you really count out 1176 carrot seeds????????

Johnboy, I think the vast difference between your soil and mine is the most probable cause, it probably is unsuited in some way to breaking down the pelleting coating. If it were temperature how come that within the heat wave the AK carrots in modules IN THE GREENHOUSE with no effective shading germinated at what must have been very nearly 100%
I will investigate when I get round to it,a trial with only one variable is necessary, meanwhile I will plant out my 120 modules and won't go without carrots.
I have kept a lot of the GD tomato ripe seeds, as the strain is obviously a good one it is well worth propogation next year, I already have people asking for plants which is good for pin money.

Hi Frantony,
I know it sounds like me being a bit of a jerk counting my seed to the enth degree but there is a reason.
One of my experiments this year was with Pelleted Carrot seed in small raised beds. Two varieties Early Nantes 2 And Autumn King 2.
I wanted to find out how carrots would cope with very strict spacing and I built two 4'x4'x1' raised beds and planted 14 rows with 42 seeds per variety hence in this instance I know how many seeds there were. Normally if they were in the row I would only be able, like everybody else, to hazard a guess.
The experiment has been a very great success and I feel that because they were planted in early March
they didn't have to put up with the rigours of exceedingly high temperatures as I suggest to Allan as a possible reason for his poor showing.

Johnboy
very interesting, i feel humbled.
I can't grow carrots (well straight ones) to save my life.
this year I put more effort into them, taking all stones out, digging a deep trough, sifting the soil and adding sand. Enough done, I thought, but they are still crap.

I will deffo be growing my usual Blue Lake climbing french beans. They see to like our conditions - I try others but get dissappointed so go back to old favourites!

I will grow fewer chilli and pepper plants - I only have so much room on the conservatory window sill

I will not bother with spinach or rocket - not sure why but it went to seed in the blink of an eye!

Autumn King carrots doing well so will do those again

.....and why did I accept y freinds 'gift' of 20 sweetcorn plants when I did not grow any myself because of the hosepipe ban! She told e to just put them on the compost heap if I didn't want the - but how could I

Lottie Lou. With Rocket you must remember that it lives up to its name, everything is fast about it. It grows within 3 weeks and will go on to seed if not cut as soon as possible. you might get a second cut but that is all. Meanwhile you should have the next batch ready. On a similar timescale are radishes, pak choi but not in the summer, and a variant of cress called polycress which T& M do, also Unwins but be prepared to find it under another name. It is recognised by its much larger leaves than ordinary cress. The common pest of all these is flea beetle so mesh or fine netting necessary in the summer.
Allan

Marge wrote:I have decided not to continue growing globe artichokes next year. Much as I love this splendid vegetable, I'm just not getting the amount of heads to justify keeping the plants in the border.

Yes Marge, I came to the same conclusion last year. Because they hog the space they're in, they also mess up my limited attempts at rotation.

I`ve decided to avoid growing despondant if things dont grow they way they should ( or I think they should). There is always another year and with it more surprises.
Seedling

Not growing Pentlin Javelin next year. Don't like them as much as some other varietys.

I've always had excellent results from climbing french bean 'Cobra'. This year though I thought I'd try something different - 'Sultana' and 'Neckar Queen'. O foolish me! They just don't compare with 'Cobra'. So its back to my favorite again next year.

John

Shan't bother trying potatoes in black polythene bags/pots again. I've just eaten the whole harvest from four 'bags', which was enough marbles for one meal for four! Disaster.
The others growing in huge plastic bins are doing better, but not by much.....

Yes, Happymouse. Peas, because being in full time work I cannot give them the attention they need daily, so now that I have finished the packet I will leave them alone until I retire in 3 years time. Also swedes and Kohl Rabi, which both need almost constant watering. I sow them in toilet-roll inner tubes and they come up a treat, but soon they start being got at. I will have another go at these too after a while.

Tony, my San Marzano were also susceptible to BER, but I got a decent crop nonetheless from 6 plants. They do need more frequent watering then other varieties, according to the Italians here in Bedford. This year I have grown Andine Cornue and I think they are great; I got the seed from the Organic Catalogue.

Good luck

mike