Kitchen Garden Forum

I'd be interested to know from you all what you would choose to grow if you could ONLY have 3 vegetable varieties (i know that is cruel)to grow.

What would you grow? My top 3 would be-

Tomato: Noir de Crimee
Kale: Black Tuscan (Cavolo Nero)
Chilli: Cayenne or Satan's Kiss

oops can't cope will have to make the list 5 no 10
French Beans: Duel
Pumpkin: butternut or hokaido
Shallot: Rouge de Florence
Lettuce: Cos 'Corsair' Iceberg 'Regina delle Ghiacciole', Rocket (i know that's cheating)
Sweet Corn: still trying to find the perfect var
Mangetout Pea: still trying to find the perfect var
Sweet Pepper: Doux D’Espagne

I am still trying to make a final decision on what to grow next year - what seeds to order new and what to cull - I want to cut the number of varieties i grow next year and focus on the really best stuff. I obviously need help.

Interesting to see lettuce Corsair listed. I was growing Counter but decided to try Corsair for a bigger variant, it did not go as well so it's back to Counter. More trials next season, at the moment lettuce seedlings are not surviving and running out of Sugar Loaf chicory, must do more of that next year.
She who says these things says you can't beat lettuce to help you keep 'regular' I don't have that problem.
I prefer butternut sprinter to ripen a good crop in the short summer months.

Interesting - 3 years in a row Corsair has been a bit of a star - sweet crisp dense with a lot of taste and it can stand quite a bit of heat.

I grow it early feb-March in cells and set out March-April (and again late summer by the same method) then move onto more specialst summer varieties such as sucrine and then to the autumn winter varieties Winter Density & Rouge d'Hiver as well as chicories, with delle Ghiacciole and Brunia running all year. I will have a go at Counter as i haven't tried that one - where do you source the seeds the other one i was planning to try next year is Lobjoits Green Cos from Nicky's seeds.

Joy Larcom reckons that cos as a family are all somewhat hardy. Counter is D T Brown, a little bigger and slightly greener than the Little Gem which is now run by the Supermarket lot as 2 hearts on a tray with the outside leaves thrown out for you.
There must be many 'Romaine's to choose from.
Lobjoits Cos is a fine lettuce but the customers find it too big, I love it at home. We must explore and compare notes on this topic, there are too many options.
Another that always sells well but is on the flabby side for me is Marvel of 4 seasons, very forgiving of abuse and the customers seem to like the reddish leaves.Broadening the choice we sell a lot of polycress (a bigger-leafed cress), winter purslane, rocket, mizuna, all quick growers so very profitable.
Allan

Hello Allan
I'm a big fan of lettuce 'Counter'. It grows to a good size, not too small or too large, and stands well even in hot weather - much slower to bolt than other varieties. Also its crispy and tasty. Perhaps I'm a bit biased though as a pair of 'Counter' won me a red card in out local show this year!!!

It would be one of my three choices. I think I'd also have climbing french bean 'Cobra' and probably squash 'Uchiki Kuri'. Maybe I'd have to smuggle potato 'Charlotte' in there somewhere.

John

I would have

potato Anya, broad bean Witkiem Manita and kohlrabi Blusta
(just throw in a few herbs, like summer savory, thyme and parsley, and you've got a lovely vegetable stew!)

Monika

Potato - Nicola
Carrot - Nantes
Lettuce - Tom Thumb

But I reckon the tropics might be a bit tough for all of those.

I'll be boring and restrict to 5 types of veg I would not want to survive without

(I'll cheat and forage for salad greens)


Potato
French beans dwarf
Gardenes Delight tomato
Kale
Leek

Jalapeno pepper luxury item

mole

on the topic of survival has anyone grown Rutger's Tomato i was just reading up on it and
found that when NASA sent tomato seeds into space, the Rutger's Tomato (supplied by Parks Seed Co.) was the variety they used in the Seeds In Space program.

My seed list for 2007 is expanding not reducing i just can't help it. I'll definately be adding counter lettuce any more suggestions?

Onion, potato, and carrot ... not very interesting as such, but the basis of some very good meals