Late-sowing swedes? Anyone tried Franchi's swede variety?

[gray1720]

The flea beetle have written off my swedes this year, but I've just investigated Franchi's catalogue (because there's always so many seeds to a packet I can try, try, try again!), and they reckon their variety they carry can be sown from April to late July.

Has anyone tried sowing them this late, and has anyone tried their variety? If so, could you check the packet, please, and tell me whether that's a UK sowing date?

Many thanks,

Adrian

[gray1720]

[Deb P]

Franchi seeds have a colour coded system on them, blue is the UK if I remember rightly!it says sow until the end of July on their website.. 
I haven't tried their swedes but everything else I've tried from them has been fab.

[gray1720]

As they will send out a single pack of seeds for £1 postage, I think I'll give them a go. I don't fancy a winter without swedes!

Adrian

[Jayb]

I haven't tried Franchi's swedes but I'm just about to sow a second batch of Invitation and Brora. Both say they can be sown in July. I think I'll start mine either in modules or cover them as flea beetle have been rampant here this year.

http://www.seedsofitaly.com/SWEDE_CAVOLO_NAVONE_GIALLO/p1834925_8313650.aspx
http://www.tuckers-countrystores.com/pk-brora-swede/
http://www.dtbrownseeds.co.uk/Vegetable-Seeds-1/Swede-Seed_2/Swede-Invitation-Seeds.html#.VayqRvlVhBc

I can't remember how much postage is with Tuckers, but dtbrown is 95p

[Jayb]

Mr Fothergills http://www.mr-fothergills.co.uk/ has free postage until midnight tonight enter code F16EPOPPY at the checkout. I haven't checked out what swede varieties they have, but they have a good selection of most things.

[gray1720]

Bother, I'd already ordered the Franchi before I saw those! Ah well, there'll be plenty of seeds to try, which is why I though of them.

Perhaps we should use this as a late swede thread? I may well try some in the ground under fleece (if I can find what the wind left me), and some in modules. The latter also gives me an excuse to stack my pots!

Adrian

[Jayb]

Perhaps we should use this as a late swede thread? 

Sounds good 
Does debris netting keep flea beetle out or does it need to be fleece?

[gray1720]

I think it probably needs to be fleece, flea beetles aren't much bigger than their namesake. And I might have some, I definitely don't have debris netting. Mind you, neither is ideal as we are very wind swept. It's eating all those veg that does it...

Adrian

[Jayb]

Ok, fleece it is, I'm pretty sure I've got some folded up. Yes we catch the wind a fair bit here too, fleece is a bit of a nightmare outdoors! I try and weigh mine down with stones, but it always seems to work loose when it's windy. I've been meaning to buy in some pegs for ages but the cost puts me off.

[gray1720]

The seeds arrived in the post yesterday, and were sown into freshly-rained on ground. Nature, in its infinite wisdom, is watering them in as I speak! Just as soon as I have a mo the fleece I bought this morning will be going on them as the effing beetle are still active out there.

The instructions do indeed include Great Britain in the list of places where you can sow until July. Let's hope they're right!

Watch this space...

Adrian