Growing anything new this year?

[Alison]

Hi, Annette, you asked about Borlotti beans. They are one of my favourites, but I do agree that they need a long growing season to get a full dried-off crop. Last year I put them in too late, though the hot September did mean that most of them ripened well in the end.
I sow them individually in pots or loo roll centres in early May and plant out when frosts appear to be over.

I always grow the climbing variety as they have a very heavy crop for me, they don't get eaten by slugs, they dry off properly in the sun and wind hanging up on the wigwams better than at ground level, and they are really nice to look at.

I leave them on the plants till the pods are completely brown and dry in September, then shell them out, leave them on a tray somewhere sunny inside to dry completely, then store them in ordinary jars.

Before cooking, they need to be soaked - I pour boiling water over them and leave couple of hours till cold - then drain off and pour over more boiling water, boil hard for 5 mins or so, then simmer till done. I find home-grown ones cook much more quickly than shop-bought ones, so they are ready in about 20-30 mins.

Other beans that are good grown and cooked like this include Runner Bean Czar for really truly butter beans and Cherokee Trail of Tears for great black beans. Any of the ordinary fresh French beans e.g. Cosse Violette, GoldMarie, Lazy Housewife etc can also be grown for drying, and make excellent casseroles.

I have just cooked a lovely Cherokee casserole with onions, tomatoes and squash, and it is very more-ish.

I am trying several varieties of different squash this year, plus a tall 6-foot variety of pea, for which I am hoping to find a definitive answer as to the best way of supporting them. I am also trying something called Pea Bean, which I haven't tried before, but it is incredibly pretty, since the beans are half white and half maroon. It is meant to taste like peas but grow like beans, so we'll see....
Alison.

[darrenc]

The big thing this year for me is aubergines. I have moneymakers and stripey ones packed as eden project seeds marketed by suttons. i have tried twice to grow them but never had any success.this year i am planted them in different places , outdoors, outdoors in a cold frame, the greenhouse and the polytunnel to try and find the best enviroment. also i am trying some mixed leaves , winter lettuce and chicory from seeds of italy. any advice on cultivation would be welcome.

[Malk]

Thanks alan, that's helpful. Dry climates, I guess that may explain why I have problems up here in Scotland. Will keep them in the greenhouse this year. Don't know if either of those are what I have. I've only ever gotten leaves, no fruit and the seed pack came without details, instructions. Sweet idea from my mum but not very helpful. they sound yummy though.

Dareen, good luck with the aubergines. I grew them last year, got lots of flowers, no fruit, but no one I knew managed them, may have been the weird weather. I also had what I think was greenfly or aphids, though they were red and not spider mites.

Planted my seeds on Sunday and no sign of anything yet. I hate waiting.

[alan refail]

Malk

We now know that you are in Scotland - as you also comment on "Seasonal Tasks" thread. You are aware how much later everything has to be done. This would explain your melon and aubergine problems.
I'm reminded of Billy Connolly talking about sun-cream - something like "Ai'm a Scottish pairson - ye may have noticed - I'm BLUE - I need factor f***** 20!"
Much the same with growing. Remember, the very best raspberries come from Scotland.

Best of luck.

Alan

[Jenny Green]

If you're growing aubergines make sure you hand pollinate them. I've sometimes found this is the problem when I've grown them.

[retropants]

I'm going to attempt celeriac this year! Has anyone else tried this with any success and can pass on any hints and tips? I'd be most grateful!!

Darrenc, with aubergines, I grow mine every year in the greenhouse border. Once they start flowering, I feed them with comfrey tea, and also mist them once or twice a week. I always get a bumper crop, sometimes too many!!
Emma.

[Primrose]

Am opting for mouli and celeriac, both of which are either difficult or expensive to obtain in the shops, and some Cavallo Nero to supplement my Swiss Chard. Last year I grew a few Bright Lights. Very decorative but found the flavour a little earthy compared with the green varieties. I shall definitely be growing Blauhilde purple podded climbing Fench beans again after my first attempt last year. They cropped really well in the heatwave when my runner beans really let me down.

[Malk]

I've grown borlotti beans for the past three years, Lingua di Fuoco, last year tried a dwarf variety. Definitely prefer the tall ones for drying as late summer and early autumn a bit wet up here.

I like them in stews with sausages.

I've also grown yin yang beans just because the look interesting and my DP finds them funny, but I can't taste the difference once they're dried and then cooked.

[Bren]

I am going to try Mini Parsnip Arrow,
we had a bad year with Javelin last year full of canker, also trying Teenie Beenie runner beans and Harbinger tomatoes, as well as all the regular veg.
Bren

[darrenc]

I tried a mini parsnip called Lancer last year and was dissapointed they tasted starchy almost mealy. Yet the Gladiotors in the next row were sweet and delicious. If growing small varieies is your thing try lettuce Little Gem, Mini Green and Tom Thumb.They are just the right size for one person.

[Bren]

darronc

Thanks for letting me know about mini parsnips not doing well,I'll know its not my fault then, a good job I bought Gladiater F1 at the same time,so should have something to fall back on, it may be on this forum that I read that Gladiater were canker resistant, I grew Little Gem lettuce last year and they did very well,also Webbs wonderful, a bit on the big side and all year round lettuce.
There is two of us to feed.

Bren

[darrenc]

Been browsing through the seed racks at my local garden centre today and came across the alpine strawberry Mignonnete supposedly with the ability to fruit the same year as sowing, any advice please.Retropant, i did celeriac 2 years ago and was pleased with the results considering the hardship they were subject to,i think the variety was Prinz by Kings. I am going to try them again this year along with self blanching celery once again any advice on the celery.

[Monika]

Hello, retropants (sounds kinky!), celeriac grows with much less trouble, I think, than celery and is more versatile, but it needs a long growing season, feeding and lots of water.
I sow it in early March in heat and plant it out under fleece about mid-May, weather depending. The fleece comes off early June (when our last frost date has passed, I hope) and from then on they are well watered and occasionally fed with Growmore. When they are really balling up, I take the lower leaves off as they turn slightly tatty. We usually eat the first lot in September and finish them by December.

[June]

This is a reply for Chantal in respect of the query about Teenie Beanie Runner Beans.
They are a new variety this year but I grew them as a trial variety last year as I'm a subscriber to Gardening Which and every year they provide free seeds of varieties not yet commercially available for members to grow and report their findings.
I'm afraid I didn't find them very good at all compared to normal sized beans. They quickly turned very 'beany' rather than tender inside also. (sorry!)
Good luck anyway, June

[Chantal]

Not very encouraging but I'll give them a go anyway. Thanks