Topic: Help Needed! Seedoholic ! How many varietys do I really need?

[carbonel11]

Can't stop buying seeds, have enough to populate the whole of the county now  :o Last night credit card took another bash when I just had to buy those Blue Jade sweetcorn seeds and to justify P and P picked up those asparagus peas I'd been thinking about and then those brazen Painted Lady runners and so on and so on .........................
Seriously though how many varieties are needed for my plot to produce optimal outcome. For instance with the Brassica bed I want to successionally crop through the year. Anyone any idea how many different varieties of cabbage, cauli, brussels, kohl rabi and swede i need to do this! Is it possible!
Forgive first post being what possibly may be a silly question but thought it might be a good way to break the ice ( been lurking for quite sometime). And if anyone out there does have some advice on curbing the seed addiction please let me know  :)

[lolabelle]

i', much the same but I see it as reseach to discover what suits the soil and my palate ....well that my excuse and I'm sticking firmly to it  ;D ;D ;D ;)

[saddad]

In answer to your first question................ all of them
Welcome to the site Carbonel, you sound like you will fit in straight away!!  ;D

[Barnowl]

Welcome to the site - plenty of fellow addicts here. I'm in a trying-to-cut-back-but-failing-miserably phase.  Swapping seed doesn't cure addiction but it helps keep the cost down.

Re Sweetcorn: if you are growing several different varieties it's best to make sure they are compatible.  There are early, mid-season and late varieties.

Check the harvest times of the different varieties not just the sowing times. Some are much faster growing than others. The number of brassica you sow at a time should reflect the rate at which you eat them. There are lots of varieties, even some suitable for sowing nearly all year round. Judging by this example you need 8 varieties of cabbage ....  :)

http://www.moreveg.co.uk/shop/article_COLCA1/CABBAGE-LOVERS-COLLECTION.html?shop_param=cid%3D12%26aid%3DCOLCA1%26

For something with a long over-winter through to Spring harvest try some Black Kale/Nero di Toscana/Cavolo Nero. You crop by taking leaves from the bottom upwards while it keeps producing more at the top.

[thifasmom]

Welcome to the site - plenty of fellow addicts here. I'm in a trying-to-cut-back-but-failing-miserably phase.  Swapping seed doesn't cure addiction but it helps keep the cost down.

this is so true.

what i also do is if i plan to do succession planting of specific crops i plant a different variety each time that allows me to try out 3+ varieties per season allowing me to decide which to eliminate and which to try again the following season.

[Deb P]

[[color=teal

what i also do is if i plan to do succession planting of specific crops i plant a different variety each time that allows me to try out 3+ varieties per season allowing me to decide which to eliminate and which to try again the following season.[/color]

Yeah, that's my excuse too and I'm sticking to it!  ;D ;D ;D

The trouble is eliminating them the next year, not so easy........ :-\

[saddad]

The black kale is just puting out those lovely tender side shoots this week...  :)

[asbean]

Yeah, but when there are those special offers of 3 packs for 99p, and half price offers, and 50p per packet etc etc who can resist???

Oh yes, carbonel11, welcome to the seedaholics forum

 :) :) :) :) :)

[Barnowl]

I tried 12 varieties of potato last season and liked all bar one of them - how to choose? ???


Modified: (sorry exaggerated 12 not 14)

[littlebabybird]

carbonel11 welcome to addicts corner oh and a4a

I tried 14 varieties of potato last season and liked all bar one of them - how to choose? ???

phew i'm not mad, we have a few each of 16 varieties to try this year  :-[

lbb

[RobinOfTheHood]

I tried 14 varieties of potato last season and liked all bar one of them - how to choose? ???

Don't plant the one you don't like....obviously!   ;D

[valmarg]

carbonel11, another welcome to the site.

You have joined an enormous number of seedaholics.

Our (my) weakness is tomatoes.  Every year OH says 'we are not going to grow so many plants/varieties next year'.  And I think  :-* oh yes you are.

Other weaknesses are Runner Beans, Climbing French Beans, Broad Beans,  Peas and Sweetcorn.  Not to mention containers of carrots, spring onions, various salad leaves, etc.

That's just veg.  Fruit - redcurrant, white currant and blackcurrant and blueberries.  Cherries, apples, raspberries, loganberries, blackberries.  (All right, the fruit is not grown from seed, but it's all part of growing your own).  Which is the addictive bit.

Happy growing.

valmarg

[littlebabybird]

I tried 14 varieties of potato last season and liked all bar one of them - how to choose? ???

Don't plant the one you don't like....obviously!   ;D

i'm sure we can find you another to replace it  ;)

[Barnowl]

How did you guess? Actually I've dropped 6 for this season but .........


........... added 4 new ones :)

[carbonel11]

Many thanks for all your warm welcomes. I am now wondering if I've got a spare smidgen of space on the lottie to squeeze black kale in !!!!!! :o........... or maybe I could put it in at home .................. Fraid you all ain't been much help on the seed addiction  ;D but it's nice to know I'm in good company :)

[littlebabybird]

I am now wondering if I've got a spare smidgen of space on the lottie to squeeze black kale in !!!!!!

pm your address and i'll send you the seeds for it
lbb

[thifasmom]

[[color=teal

what i also do is if i plan to do succession planting of specific crops i plant a different variety each time that allows me to try out 3+ varieties per season allowing me to decide which to eliminate and which to try again the following season.[/color]

Yeah, that's my excuse too and I'm sticking to it!  ;D ;D ;D

The trouble is eliminating them the next year, not so easy........ :-\

oh i can eliminate what i don't like thats easy, i don't seem to have the strength to not add new varieties to the list thats my weakness :-\ :-[

[shirlton]

I was ok until I joined this site. They really have led me astray. Well thats what I tell my Tony.lol

[manicscousers]

hiya, carbonel, welcome to the site  ;D
I'm afraid you're doomed now , people on here put bargains on, 10 packs of seed for 1.99, I didn't even need any more  :'( ;D
how big is your plot?

[carbonel11]

Littlebabybird and Barn Owl i have Pm'd you ( if my IT skills were up to it). Thanks for the kind offers  :) :)
Manicscouser my plot would appear to be about 170 m2 measured in strides which I calculate to be about 7 poles ( is that correct). Like most of you it was pretty overgrown when i got it ( back in November) but have carved out 7 beds of about 4.5 foot by 10m . The rest when uncovered had some well established black currant and raspberry beds which I.m letting be this year to see what they do. The blackberries in the main were past it and have been dug out. I continue to battle the couch grass just today I dug out another barrow load. So as you can see it's all been ground preparation up to now and dreams of planting, filling the seed shoe boxes rather than the beds  ;D