Author Topic: Stick or twist  (Read 3215 times)

nodig

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Stick or twist
« on: February 15, 2019, 12:08:46 »
Well I guess many of us have already invested in buying new seeds, but have you gone for the ones you know best or something different.  I suppose it's a bit like gambling - do you place your money on a plant with reliable past form or do you take a long shot and back one with little form but will outperform the rest of the field according to a tip off.  Bit obscure really, but who's the gambler and who is the one who plays safe on this forum?

galina

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Re: Stick or twist
« Reply #1 on: February 15, 2019, 16:10:15 »
I play safe and prefer home saved seeds and seeds that were saved from known sources, like our seed circle.  I also trust seed companies like Real Seeds and Beans and Herbs.  Never had a problem with Nicky's seeds, Simpsons or Thomas Etty either.   

There is no reason to assume that the same variety from the same seed company comes from the same source the following year.  They might be the same and they might not.  And in most cases seeds are not grown in the UK with the big seed houses. 

Often there is no choice if I want a certain variety that only one source stocks - but soon enough I will try to make my own seeds from that variety.

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BarriedaleNick

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Re: Stick or twist
« Reply #2 on: February 15, 2019, 18:14:32 »
I stick and twist! 
Every year I carry through a few favourites that I grow most years but I always add something new into the mix.
Last year I discovered orange\yellow beetroot after years of growing Alto.  This year I have quite a few things to try from Real seeds.  Part of the excitement, for me at least, is to try new things but I also like to make sure I have a few standards that I know will do well.
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squeezyjohn

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Re: Stick or twist
« Reply #3 on: February 15, 2019, 21:18:03 »
I always go for broke ... it's not really like gambling because if it doesn't work out then that's some more knowledge learnt ... but if you always stick to the same varieties you'll never know if it could be better.  When I find someting rare that I like I always try to save my own seeds because you never know if you will always be able to buy them.  If I had stuck - I never would have discovered pipiche (mexican herb). taunton deane cottagers kale, gigant kohl rhabi or Amish paste tomatoes which are now my favourites.

This year - some interesting ones - skirret, Turkish rocket (perennial), mashua and probably more that I've forgotten!

Beersmith

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Re: Stick or twist
« Reply #4 on: February 16, 2019, 20:59:53 »
Our association gets a 40% discount on seeds from King's, and I have to admit that does rather influence my selections.  It is a hefty saving.

I'm still taking the odd punt, but as the years go by I have tended to develop favourites. Usually the reasons are flavour and reliability but not always. 

Much as I love the flavour of something like Galeux D'eysines squash, they are absolutely huge. One is a glut in itself.  So, not without a degree of reluctance, I grow smaller varieties now.

Not planning any novelties this season, but we are all human, and wandering around the garden centres I may find myself tempted by some new wonder vegetables and make an impulse purchase. Spring is not here yet.

« Last Edit: February 16, 2019, 21:01:46 by Beersmith »
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johhnyco15

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Re: Stick or twist
« Reply #5 on: February 18, 2019, 12:48:48 »
me at least half are new to me the only thing i keep the same is sweetcorn incredible which suits me fineall the rest i chop and change to what i think will suit my soil
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Plot 18

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Re: Stick or twist
« Reply #6 on: February 18, 2019, 16:34:15 »
I have some old stalwarts that grow very well, every year, but I'm always trying new varieties of tomatoes, peppers, beans & peas, along-side the old reliables.

Vinlander

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Re: Stick or twist
« Reply #7 on: March 30, 2019, 16:04:31 »
Quote
author=Beersmith link=topic=82255.msg828747#msg828747 date=1550350793
Much as I love the flavour of something like Galeux D'eysines squash, they are absolutely huge. One is a glut in itself.  So, not without a degree of reluctance, I grow smaller varieties now.
I got my first ripe Galeux D'eysines last Oct - my 3rd year of trying. It was only about 25cm diameter but covered in warts like they should be (I didn't give it massive amounts of manure or anything else - space was limited). I was a bit worried it would rot from the warts but it didn't. I would say it rotted early - late Feb - but it went from the centre like any other type, and I was able to rescue over 80% of it.

Absolutely fantastic flavour (I was worried it would be too sweet but it wasn't because the intensity of the flavour balanced it)

This is high praise from me because I've been growing squash & pumpkins for 30+ years and never once did I find one where the flesh was worth eating in anything - except raw in coleslaw.

Until I discovered the coleslaw gambit I just chucked the flesh away, avidly ate the seeds and bought carrots (if I didn't have enough to compensate for the flesh being in the compost heap). Apart from this the plants were just weed-suppressors (and to hoodwink the tidy-police).

Firstly I'd like to ask if you have found a good substitute yet?

Secondly - I'm worried that without a summer like last year I won't get any more ripe ones - I'm only 51oN but is that too much? Or do I have to plant them in the polytunnel?

I've always been worried that they are only worth growing in Provence...

Cheers.

PS. The size is a worry, but since they taste good cooked then surely you can roast them and freeze the result? Maybe a stupid question but I'm new to the idea of eating them...
With a microholding you always get too much or bugger-all. (I'm fed up calling it an allotment garden - it just encourages the tidy-police).

The simple/complex split is more & more important: Simple fertilisers Poor, complex ones Good. Simple (old) poisons predictable, others (new) the opposite.

Beersmith

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Re: Stick or twist
« Reply #8 on: March 31, 2019, 21:22:31 »
RE:. Galeux

I am currently growing "Honey bear" and "Uchiki kuri" . Both pleasant flavoured, though neither exceptional.

My secret?  Total ignorance. I had no idea Galeux were in any way difficult to grow. I used to start them at the same time as cucumbers and courgettes and put them out when risk of frost was over. I used to give them a lot of room but otherwise nothing special. 

To be honest I thought they were an easy crop. I did observe that the degree of wartiness seemed unpredictable, and my plot gets plenty of sunshine but that is all. I see plenty of honeybees in the area, so someone has a hive hereabouts and my crops usually get good pollination.  Perhaps that helps.  No doubt if I ever try them again armed with this additional knowledge, total failure awaits!!
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Tiny Clanger

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Re: Stick or twist
« Reply #9 on: April 09, 2019, 12:02:46 »
I like to go for a mix of both.  I stick with tried varieties that have been proved on our soil - like arran pilot, but I always grow something new - new for me anyway each season.  This year Blue potatoes and Oca, also a few different kinds of winter squash along with the old favourites that are popular in the kitchen.

I really DO like to try and grow something that I can't get for 50p in ALDI.   :blob7:
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LottieLil

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Re: Stick or twist
« Reply #10 on: April 10, 2019, 12:24:13 »
Yes, I also like to mix what I grow. I love, when it's cold, going through the seed catalogues and online pages and making selections of things that look interesting. Then I also pick up odd packs from Aldi/Lidl etc which was where I got two packs of my tomato seeds (Marmande & Hildares, neither I have had before) but I always like to grow Chocolate Cherry and also some mixed/sweet cherry toms.

I am trying peppers this year (in case there is a shortage!) so have gone for snackbite (3 colours) and california and also Machu Pichu chilli and only a couple of cayenne that came up! Cues came from Lidl and not sure what they are!

Has anyone grown Cucamelon or Lemon Cucumber? Thought they'd be nice for the grandkids, so giving them both a try. Good germination so see how they go!
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gwynleg

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Re: Stick or twist
« Reply #11 on: April 11, 2019, 07:13:29 »
I like to try one or two new things each year. This year I’m excited about edible Lupins ( apparently the seed has lots of protein) from Realseeds. I’m going to put them at the front of the plotas neighbours tell me stuff gets nicked from there. I don’t imagine many people strolling through will want to pick them....

Vinlander

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Re: Stick or twist
« Reply #12 on: April 11, 2019, 09:41:00 »
RE:. Galeux

My secret?  Total ignorance. I had no idea Galeux were in any way difficult to grow. I used to start them at the same time as cucumbers and courgettes and put them out when risk of frost was over. I used to give them a lot of room but otherwise nothing special. 
I think I made mistakein the past with Galeux by trying to treat them like "ordinary" pumpkins & squash - which I abuse routinely by putting them in anywhere there's a space - sometimes as late as June. It took me a while by trial and error (mostly the latter) to learn that even ordinary ones will stall if they don't get a well-fertilised pit at least a spade-width square. I suspect the very few that did well in the past without this had found a random rich spot (maybe a dead rat or pigeon).

I know that ordinary pumpkins and squash have been bred for fast and productive growth - there isn't a seedsman on the planet who doesn't do this - in fact it's automatic, because any failure to produce viable seed means that lineage is gone.

Breeding for flavour is much more difficult - you have to try the flavour of the flesh and then decide whether you will keep the seeds for eating or keep them for next year's plants.

I have enough trouble eating the pumpkin flesh I grow - I can't imagine any seed company doing it - unless they send the half-eaten pumpkins to a food bank (where they would only keep a few days).

Unfortunately this means true flavour varieties are pretty much doomed to start degrading soon as they leave the dedicated communities that bred them.

The future is bland, the future is orange! Sadly.

Anyway... I plan to try and get usable medium-sized Galeux fruits by giving them a really good start pit to get them moving quickly enough to produce in a normal year, but not enough fertiliser in the soil around it to grow huge.

However even if I overdo it there is always the freezer - since Galeux are worth eating cooked (unlike the ordinary ones). I will try the much-vaunted idea of roasting them and freezing the result - hope springs eternal (doing this to an ordinary pumpkin was possibly the most disappointing experiment of my life).

Cheers.
With a microholding you always get too much or bugger-all. (I'm fed up calling it an allotment garden - it just encourages the tidy-police).

The simple/complex split is more & more important: Simple fertilisers Poor, complex ones Good. Simple (old) poisons predictable, others (new) the opposite.

 

anything
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