What crop has been your most rewarding in terms of flavour, yield or any other category relevant?
My best by far would be my leeks. They are superb flavour and a good size. They also keep well. I grew Lyon Prizetaker and I am growing them again this year. I also had a very good crop of parsnips which were Albion.
What about you?
This is only my second year, but the greatest surprise from last year were my spuds ( which I planted at the very end of April ) and beetroot- I never knew either could taste so good!
To be honest, I have had several successes ...
I always do well with onions ... and carrots most years, two years ago was staggering, over 100kg I reckon, with monsters as big as my arm ...
Then there was my tomato glut last year,,, enough green tomato curry to feed the whole of Coventry ... (still got freezer bags of red tom puree)
One year I cropped 128 sweetcorn ...
Derek :)
Clear Pink Early toms last year. They really were early, and plenty of them.
as a relative newcomer .........and late starter last year.........my succsess was limited to toms grown in a half built greenhouse..........given as plants from a lottie neighbour.............again..........didnt know that toms could taste like that!
rocket spuds..............bunged in late and hurriedly and avidly eaten when ready............by all the family!
secret strawberrys..................hidden in undergrowth of weeds and brambles.......even from birds ect.............and ditto goosegogs...........
in fact..............i think all my freinds and family got sick of me saying....."its right you know....things do taste better off the plot"
this year im ready................sort of!
the best ones are the earlier ones for me, like you say, mm..early spuds, first new lettuce, radish(ate 2 yesterday), strawberries covered now, eaten early may..and surprises, the apple you missed, picked late off the tree..raspberries late last year 'cos of the mild weather..can't think of a better way of life ;D
Even after 16 years I enjoy the flavour and taste of all crops, in comparsion to those supermarket offerings, but especially toms, carrots and cucumbers
Eating our own carrots, after a decade of trying... they really do taste a lot better fresh!
;D
It has to be the sweetcorn, there is no,and I truly mean no comparison between the shop bought aged junk and home grown that gets to the pot within an hour.
Cherries and peaches, will not buy either in shops.
Then fast on their heels would come the toms.
XX Jeannine
carrots, onions, garlic, celeriac, new potatoes and overwhelmingly gross quantities of courgettes!
swiss chard. grown because it looked pretty and the packet said it was easy to grow - now we're die-hard converts and wouldn't be without it again.
the potatoes were astonishingly good - never knew they could taste like that.
long established raspberries eaten straight off the cane.
Tayberries - had only heard of them before but - wow!
runner beans i would never ever buy them in a shop better some yers then others it,s true also you can,t beat climbing french bean blue lake i save the seed every year they are never stringy and when you,v had your fill they freeze well
marg :-*
Sweetcorn , cannot and will not buy from any shop , rather go without.
Runners, Dwarf Curly Kale and Cavolo Nero
broad beans, most successful in that my husband decided he liked them fresh so much he'd even help down the allotment.
Parsnips, because I'd given up hope of getting any then got lots, and leeks because they are so easy & go on so long - must remember to sow even more this year!
Parsnips and sweetcorn on my first proper year. ;D ;D ;D
by far the best crops ... Greenhouse Toms, Alicante, Gardener's Delight, Sungold, Principe Borghese and Black Plum.
Runner Beans not bad (wonderful in 2005) ... but fantastic French Beans, Salad Leaves and Lettuce
Mikey
(slightly off topic)
I haven't grown anything yet, only got my plot at the end of last year, but reading everyone's comments about how fab stuff tastes that you've grown yourself, especially in comparison to stuff from the supermarkets, makes me all excited and itchy-fingered and impatient, and reminds me why it is that I wanted an allotment plot in the first place ;D
can't wait to get growing!!!
More failures than successes, but: -
Charlotte spuds we all love em.
Raspberries for the kids - Autumn Bliss.
Leeks - French variety
French beans - Aguillon - from France!
Wish we could grow carrots!!!!! They taste so much better than anything that you can buy!!!!