Kitchen Garden Forum

Does anyone continue to grow something just to prove they can (or in my case can't)? Each year I try celery & each year I get a wee crop of stems OK for soups and stews etc but you wouldn't let anyone see it before it went into the pot.

I won't be beaten though and will still find a spot for some more next year and won't be satisfied until I at least have a crop that is not moth eared and full of slugs and I can put it on a cheese board or such.

It is nothing to do with liking the stuff - not that fussed when it doesn't cost much anyway, it is purely the challenge.

Westi

We have the same problem with celery and also with celeriac but this year we will try again.

We had problems growing sprouts for a couple of years but stuck at it and it paid off this year.

What's life without a challenge!

For certain sure I try repeatedly, provided it is something I want. I try to read more and then do better.
There are also things which do well then next year fail, sadly.
It is often a mystery (to me)

My dad always did well with celery, I seem to remember him adding soot, though my memory could be playing tricks, he used to make a trench and earth them up as they grew. Like you I try modern self blanching celery and with no success maybe the old varieties are better? I can grow the herby celery leaf that is good for soups. Mum has been so poorly I haven't had the time to seek out an old variety and persevere. My sprouts turned out well this year, no frost yet, I think they are supposed to improve after a frost but they tasted fine.

Hi.

Every year (for three years now) I TRY to grow Leeks, and every year they get rust Thing is, I really like Leeks, and they are such a useful crop. Maybe someone has a useful tip?

Cheers...Freddy.

I've tried celery lots of times and only got spindly slug eaten plants despite all the rich soil and watering, and until this year I've only managed to grow golf ball sized celeriac. But this year's celeriac has been a great success, just trying a different variety and I've got lots of roots which are large tennis ball sized ones after peeling. So it is worth persevering.

Dear PlumPudding; which variety of celeriac have you grown this year that has been a success. For years I have only managed to grow small celeriac, despite having tried different varieties and different curses.

Our celeriac did ok this year, too, and it was Bianco del Veneto (Seeds of Italy) which we bought at RHS Garden Harlow Carr because they had grown some huge specimens of this variety in 2010.
Have never tried celery, so can't help there.

I'm the same with celeriac too and it really irks me because our local market fruit & veg stall sell some huge ones whereas the maximum size I can get, even when I'm lucky is that of a tennis ball.

Most of my tomatillos this year (first serious year of growing) were quite small but I did get enough to make a few small batches of salsa which are now in the freezer, so will try again next year.

My real bugbear is trying to grow yellow waxed French beans. I sowed hundreds of the darned seeds this year and had a very small crop. Like Westi, I hate to be beaten so will be trying again next year.

Freddie, I think most of us get rust on our leeks at some time or other. I know it doesn't look very nice but it usually only affects the outer leaves easily removed and the leek itself will be fine.
I just gather up the leaves and compost them.

Beryl.

Beryl wrote:Freddie, I think most of us get rust on our leeks at some time or other. I know it doesn't look very nice but it usually only affects the outer leaves easily removed and the leek itself will be fine.
I just gather up the leaves and compost them.

Beryl.

Hi Beryl, thanks for your reply

The thing is, mine are always devastated by rust, so there's nothing left of any use. I've done a bit of searching, and apparently Vaseline smeared over the leaves at the first sign of rust can be quite helpful, so I guess I'll give that a go next year.

Cheers...Freddy.

The celeriac variety that did well is Bianco del Veneto same as Monica's, so must be a good one.