Author Topic: Next years crop (Read 8271 times)

MikeB · « **on:** October 11, 2005, 10:10:42 »

I have been browsing the posts for the last month and have come up with the following recommendations from yourselves. Can you fill in the missing boxes or do you think some of them should be changed?

Final list below

MikeB

timmyc · « **Reply #1 on:** October 11, 2005, 10:33:38 »

been very happy with polestar runner beans this year - butler's last year were excellent too!

Doris_Pinks · « **Reply #2 on:** October 11, 2005, 11:01:18 »

Marion swede has done me very well this year, Courgettes defender and, my parador were good, sweetcorn was fantastic, used Sweet nugget.
Lollo Rosso lettuce was our favorite, for tomatoes ferline produced a good crop and lasted the longest due to it's blight resistance.
Beetroot love golden and white blankoma, also enjoy the chioggia. For regular type I used Boltardy. Turnip liked golden ball, though the germination was not too good, the market express has done well. Hope this helps! DP

tim · « **Reply #3 on:** October 11, 2005, 11:24:59 »

How long is a piece of string? There are a dozen options for each plant. Any of the varieties wil do fine, given a chance, so all one can do is comment.

1. Much prefer white sprouting to purple.
2. If you have protection, why Redskin ('container') pepper? Vida Verde's Sunnybrook (red) is neat, early & prolific - & Antoi Romanov (the other) is also prolific, but a bit bigger plant. Neither are large fruit. Both could also cope outside. See photo.
3. Lettuce - I find Cos/Romaine types less likely to get rot. Like Little Gem, Sherwood or Claremont.
4.Leeks? We've been lifting our 'mini leeks' - Bleu - for a month or so - nearly finished.
5. Runners? We usually go for 'stringless', but this year grew Enorma - like the 'growers'. Not 'stringless', but it was! Just had the last yesterday. Some of the longest, straightest beans we've had. BUT - so much depends upon the soil etc.
6. Oh, Golden Beet every time!
7. Courgettes? Genovese for a neat, hugely productive type. We've had 60 from one plant. White Volunteer for a Lebanese type - more rambling. Dense flesh & keeps well.

PS Do agree with DP on loose leafed lettuce as well. Fristina works well - crisp!

MikeB · « **Reply #4 on:** October 11, 2005, 11:43:27 »

Redskins? because thats what I grew this year and didn't find any posts saying different. Believe me Tim I'm more than happy to be guided by the members of this forum. Next year sunnybrook.

Thanks for your help and input.

List Updated

Regards

MikeB

cleo · « **Reply #5 on:** October 11, 2005, 12:22:21 »

As Tim says-it`s a matter of choice in many respects,so many to chose from.

One I have gone back to after trying a few is Pea,Hurst green shaft.

Potato-Pink Fir Apple is a must for me-but grow another variety as well.

Aubergine-Bonica is good as a standard purple, and Rosa Bianca is now appearing more often-I have grown them for years after getting some seeds in Italy.

Stephan

micsmum · « **Reply #6 on:** October 11, 2005, 13:01:45 »

Beetroot - Couldn't get on with Bolthardy - it bolted so recommend Detroi and Crimson King

wardy · « **Reply #7 on:** October 11, 2005, 14:08:42 »

I agree with Detroit beetroot. Cabbage Hispi, Fennel - Selma, Turnip Purple Top Milan, Lettuce Little Gem (fab), Courgette Sunburst, My fave spud is Arran pilot, Main Crop Desiree, Carrot = Chantenay, Celeriac - Prinz

Outdoor cue - Burpless Tasty Green

That's me done :)

Mrs Ava · « **Reply #8 on:** October 11, 2005, 14:46:32 »

The new pea winner for me this year was the old variety 'Alderman'. Grew 5 foot tall and was smothered from ground to tip with lovely peas!

Carrots, early nantes. They were slow to get going, but once they started, we have been rewarded with lovely sweet straight carrots for months now. We have sowed several times since, different varieties, and autumn king have been quick and are producing thicker roots. Hoping they will hold okay in the ground until Chrimble!

Celery, I have tried a self blancher, can't remember the name, okay for cooking, but it has never grown to a great size - I don't think it was in the best of positions. Might try buying plug plants next year to get a head start!

Spuds, Charlotte were wonderful, and pink fur apple produced masses of monster ugly spuds! Both already ordered for next year!

Toms, I have grown masses! I would choose a plum for cooking, a cherry for salads, a beefsteak for sangers and stuffing, and a regular for 'other' things....my favourity 'round' tom is a yellow one called Golden Queen. Sweet as sugar, juicy but firm, and looks so darn sexy on the plate!

Courgettes, I love the yellows, 'Golden Zucchini' this year - had trouble keeping up with the production. Also as Tim says, the white volunteer is an interesting courgette - different shape, but a winner for stuffing and baking!

blight · « **Reply #9 on:** October 11, 2005, 21:01:10 »

@tim

Quote

Much prefer white sprouting to purple.

don´t know these. not easily available round here. what is the difference to the purple variety, the one I grow?
and - the main thing for me - are they as frosthardy as the purple ones?
and while you´re at it- as I´m a new convert to runner beans- which is the strongest, meanest tasting of the lot? strings welcome?
thanks

moonbells · « **Reply #10 on:** October 11, 2005, 21:23:13 »

veg I can recommend for light, free-draining soil.

cabbage summer minicole - they're only 4-5" across, you can plant them a foot apart and they stand forever (up to January!) even if they do look like coconuts on stalks by then! (Peel off outer layers and you've a perfectly usable cabbage).

onions overwinter I grew Swift last year and they were better than my summers! Only a couple bolted (unusual for autumn onions) and better still they were only 99p from Focus!

carrot early nantes. Best for cloches. Agree on the autumn kings.

potato Kestrel. It's a second early and we just ate the last of them tonight with a roast chicken. Sir parboiled then roasted some and I mashed some with my new toy (spud ricer) and they were fluffy as can be. They held in the boiling, miracle this year... Large tubers too.

marrow long green striped - a trailer but grows real marrows not overgrown courgettes. Juat ate half one of these.

parsnips agree

runners - Enorma - agree. They're still flowering... (just ate some)

courgette - agree with Defender. Don't turn your back... never had such a prolific little so and so. (oddly I have some defender marrows too ;D ;D).

Garlic - I will put in a word for Marco. They are mid-sized bulbs of serpentine garlic, which means they grow a flower scape. You cut off the scapes before they straighten out and either use them in stir fries or, as we did, make garlic scape pesto with pine nuts, parsley and scapes. YUM! Then the bulbs are ready early July. And they only grow a few very fat, easy to peel cloves per bulb in usually one layer. Perfect if you hate the fiddly little things in most white garlic.

French dwarf yellow Berggold. They're still going too... had more beans than we could bear to prepare a few weeks back. Easy to spot as they aren't green...

moonbells

MikeB · « **Reply #11 on:** October 12, 2005, 11:26:07 »

Updated list below, Tim couldn't you recommend some indoor tomatoes? Still some blank spots nobody grow broccoli this year? and Lottie couldn't you suggest a melon?

MikeB

wardy · « **Reply #12 on:** October 12, 2005, 11:34:54 »

Parsnip Gladiator
Dwarf French Beans Sonesta (yellow waxy, prolific and gorgeous)

Vez1 · « **Reply #13 on:** October 12, 2005, 11:36:52 »

tomatoes I would recommend sungold f1. they are a cherry sized orange tomato and they taste wonderful. They are quite sweet, someone next to me grew them this year and I plan to grow quite a few next year.

my burpless tasty green cucumbers tasted reat, though they did get powdery mildew evn though the packet said they were immune, mind you they were next to my grapevine which i think spread it to them.

tim · « **Reply #14 on:** October 12, 2005, 12:10:51 »

Mike - what a great plan!

White sprouting? Most suppliers have it. Not as f/f as purple but, in Norfolk, you should be laughing. Or use 9 Star Perennial - 'cut & come again'- or some such. See below.

Cus - yes, Burpless outside but, indoors, why not all-females such as Passandra, Carmen, Danimas & so many others. We had 405 cus from 8 Passandra this year.

Tulipa · « **Reply #15 on:** October 12, 2005, 13:49:14 »

Mike, that looks a wonderful chart and will be very useful to lots of people, thank you. You have saved me reading back through lots of threads which I had planned to do. OH will be pleased!

sandersj89 · « **Reply #16 on:** October 12, 2005, 19:04:30 »

Filling in some gaps.

Cabbage - Winter: Cant be January King. Large crisp heads

Calabrese - Trixie: Tried for the first time and resisted club root. Nice tight heads.

Chillie Pepper - Hot Stuff and Pinnochio's Nose

Cauliflower - White Excel: Very pleased with large and tight curds

Cucumber - Telegraph: Long and straight

French Bead Dwarf - Opera: Large crop and straight stringless beans

Melon - Ogden: OK once I sorted out pollination

Parsnip - Gladiator: Sweet and no canker

Early Spuds - Mimi: Lovely delicate flavour

Late Main Crop Spuds - Arran Victory: The best roasting spud you can get and heavy yield

Swede - Devon Champion: If you can find the seed and are on light soil this is the best swede you can grow. Used to attract a premium price at Covent Garden

Tomato Main - Supermarmande: Large heavy fruit with plenty of flesh

Tomato Early - Sungold: Good flavour

Tomato Plum - San Marzona: Heavy yield of fleshy fruit ideal for cooking

Butternut Squash - Avalon: Large fruit good flavour

HTH

Jerry

tim · « **Reply #17 on:** October 13, 2005, 07:08:26 »

Oh, Mike - do try at least half a dozen Hunter type climbing beans - early, sweet & good pollinators.

MikeB · « **Reply #18 on:** October 13, 2005, 07:42:34 »

Which seed merchant would I get them from Tim?

MikeB

MikeB · « **Reply #19 on:** October 13, 2005, 08:17:19 »

Final List, glad it has been of some help

Regards

MikeB

News:

Author Topic: Next years crop (Read 8271 times)