Seeds

[Stan0406]

I am a new allotmenteer... and all this seems very daunting. 
Any tips for 'Best' seeds to plant to ensure results.... want to keep all, including the kids motivated. 
Have planted broad beans, peas, beetroot, cabbage and kale.
Also what will chomp the produce (other than myself), ie slugs, caterpillars, and what can I do to keep them away?
Thanks - any help and advice welcomed.

[Stan0406]

[stuffed]

Protect your brassicas from butterflies with mesh or similar or they will lay lots of eggs and soon the caterpillars will eat the whole plant >:( >:( That was a lesson learned the hard way.

[Gadfium]

My brassicas didn't even get to the caterpiller eating stage....

I vaguely wondered why people had mesh cages over their young cabbages and caulis, but didn't investigate further. Stuffed my young plants in, totally unprotected, went away for a week, and let the pigeons eat the lot.

Having learnt from this fiasco, I planted three spindly Brussels Sprouts plants - erstwhile rejects - in a quiet corner of the GARDEN, where they grew tall and strong; I plucked multitudes of caterpillars from them, looked lovingly at them, I had GROWN them. They were mine. They were going to sit proudly on the table at Christmas.

Then a peacock found them, and thought they were the best thing mother nature had ever invented.

Skeletons.

[bupster]

Radishes, leeks, spuds. Idiot proof (i'm the proof).

[supersprout]

Any tips for 'Best' seeds to plant to ensure results.... want to keep all, including the kids motivated. 

Climbing and runner beans (they can have a race!) and pumpkins, gourds, courgettes and squash. Both these families grow fast enough to keep kiddies interested!

And spuds and carrots which of course are Buried Treasure ;D

[Stan0406]

I actually planted some runner beans with the kids today - like the idea of a race.
Thanks for tips.