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Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: gardening-gal on March 09, 2008, 17:39:12

Title: unusual veg
Post by: gardening-gal on March 09, 2008, 17:39:12
Can anyone help me?
Where is the best place to get hold of rare or unusual veggie seeds?
Title: Re: unusual veg
Post by: gardening-gal on March 09, 2008, 17:42:48
LOL  yes that would make an unusual veg ;D
Title: Re: unusual veg
Post by: gardening-gal on March 09, 2008, 17:46:26
I did wonder where I would find garvel LOL ;D
Title: Re: unusual veg
Post by: Jeannine on March 09, 2008, 17:52:25
What kind of unusual veggie are you looking for
Title: Re: unusual veg
Post by: gardening-gal on March 09, 2008, 18:01:03
Anything really just something that isn't available in the shops, varieties that have been forgotten,  things that may not appear nice but taste wonderful.
Title: Re: unusual veg
Post by: raisedbedted on March 09, 2008, 18:10:12
I would recoomend Real Seeds address http://www.realseeds.co.uk/

They always have things a little unusual to tempt the credit card once again  :)

RBT
Title: Re: unusual veg
Post by: Jeannine on March 09, 2008, 18:10:19
Hard to advise  one man's unusual is abother commonplace. Tell me what you are already growing and I can help better.

? Purple cauliflower, orange cauliflower, schorzona, salsify, orach, white carrots purple carrots,ocra,some odd beans and peas,certainly some of the rarer squash,coloured and frilly lettuce,red spring onions, white pumpkin, minature pumpkin, lentils, garbanzos,white cukes, round yellow cukes ,all different colours and sizes of eggplants,popcorn, red or multi coloured corn, white beetroot, striped beetroot,kohlrabi, fakir,black or white radishes,jicama,red brussels sprouts, collards,edible flowers.

XX Jeannine
Title: Re: unusual veg
Post by: gardening-gal on March 09, 2008, 18:15:13
Wow well I've never heard of garbanzos, orach,  fakir or jicama, can you give me some idea of what sort of vegetable they are please.

Thanks raisedbedted will go and have a nosey.
Title: Re: unusual veg
Post by: Vortex on March 09, 2008, 18:32:42
If you want varieties that have been forgotten you'll need to join HDSL. You should also check out Garden Organic (http://www.organiccatalog.com/catalog/index.php (http://www.organiccatalog.com/catalog/index.php)), which is their commercial arm, and  Thomas Etty (http://www.thomasetty.co.uk/index.html (http://www.thomasetty.co.uk/index.html)). If you're happy just picking seeds with pictures and growing instructions you may also like to try Seeds-by-Size (http://www.seeds-by-size.co.uk/ (http://www.seeds-by-size.co.uk/)). If you're into giant veg then try W Robinson & Son (http://www.mammothonion.co.uk/ (http://www.mammothonion.co.uk/)).
Title: Re: unusual veg
Post by: gardening-gal on March 09, 2008, 18:35:38
ohhh thank you :)
Title: Re: unusual veg
Post by: Rhubarb Thrasher on March 09, 2008, 18:58:10
fakir is just a turnip rooted parsley? trying that this year
Title: Re: unusual veg
Post by: saddad on March 09, 2008, 19:02:28
Para Cress is about as weird as it gets... like eating local anaesthetic... makes your mouth tingle and then go numb...
;D
Title: Re: unusual veg
Post by: gardening-gal on March 09, 2008, 20:13:09
so we need to eat that one before a hot madras then ;D
Title: Re: unusual veg
Post by: Suzanne on March 09, 2008, 20:48:22
Or after?
Title: Re: unusual veg
Post by: Jeannine on March 09, 2008, 21:17:09
Jicama is an odd one, it is a tuber, looks like a turnip, belongs to the bean family, used as an alternative fro water chestnuts or eaten raw, similar to an apple or pear.

Orach, used in salads or anywhere you would use spinach, like spinach it bolts in a hot summer. Comes 4 colours, white, green, bronze and red. Grows to 4 feet.

Gabanzo also know as chick pea,small round bumpy beans, light brown, fairly common in tins.

XX Jeannine
Title: Re: unusual veg
Post by: gardening-gal on March 09, 2008, 22:03:35
Ahhh thank you :)
Title: Re: unusual veg
Post by: sawfish on March 09, 2008, 23:12:35
Try
http://www.thomasetty.co.uk/vegetables/index.html (http://www.thomasetty.co.uk/vegetables/index.html)
lots of strange victorian stuff.

Or
http://www.organiccatalog.com/catalog/ (http://www.organiccatalog.com/catalog/)

Or
http://www.tuckers-seeds.co.uk/ (http://www.tuckers-seeds.co.uk/)
more old odd stuff

Or
http://rareseeds.com/seeds/ (http://rareseeds.com/seeds/)
in America but cheap shipping and some funky stuff!
Title: Re: unusual veg
Post by: GodfreyRob on March 10, 2008, 08:50:39
Here's an online database that contains a lot of unusual vegetables/herb/fruit plus pictures and cultivation instructions:

http://www.thevga.co.uk/the_shed/sindex.cgi