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It looks as if my favoured variety, Avalon, has disappeared ...  or is about to.

Do you have any recommendations?

I have tried Harrier in the past and was not impressed with it.

Thanks

Brian

Quote from: BAK on November 10, 2012, 07:49:00
It looks as if my favoured variety, Avalon, has disappeared ...  or is about to.

Do you have any recommendations?

I have tried Harrier in the past and was not impressed with it.

Thanks

Brian

Buy what you can now, portion it, put in glass jar with silica gel (the drying agent packets found in shoe boxes or handbags - ask for a few at a shoe shop perhaps).  Alternatively go for rice as drying agent.  Frozen like this in waterproof glass jars, seeds will last for a decade or longer.

Or bite the bullet and search for another variety.  Early Butternut, Hunter, Tromboncino, Trombo d'Albenga, Ponca , Hornet, Sprinter and there are many more claiming to be early.

Tozer seeds specialises in breeding for UK conditions.  Maybe keep an eye on what they are doing when you run out of Avalons.

Have I missed something - why is it disappearing?

It is still available - http://tinyurl.com/ammlokm

I ordered it from T&M although it was only available as a 2-pack item where the other pack was a different variety called
Barbara.

What came was just the pack of Barbara and a note saying that Avalon was not available!

There is no sign of it in any of my local stockists.

I will try Notcutts (from your link Nick) but I see that they are T&M seeds and I am not aware that any seed supplier other than T&M provides Avalon.

Having watched a number of my favourite varieties of vegetable seed disappear over the years (usually F1) I think that I recognise the inevitable signs ... but I may be wrong.

Quote from: BarriedaleNick on November 10, 2012, 10:51:58
Have I missed something - why is it disappearing?

It is still available - http://tinyurl.com/ammlokm

Available from several sources at the moment.  The issue is the same for all hybrid seeds, they can disappear quite fast and if a particular hybrid is really much better performing than any other, freezing stocks is the only way of keeping it.  The breeders will never tell you what the parent varieties were for any particular hybrid - strict commercial secret.

Open pollinated non hybrid varieties are more 'consumer friendly' in this respect.  And have the advantage that own seedsaving is possible.  However with a marginal crop like butternut squash, buying  hybrid seeds can be an advantage due to their hybrid vigour. 

It is difficult to recommend any particular variety, because they will grow/taste/perform differently on different soils.  In addition to trying out several yourself, Brian, maybe a walk up and down the lottie and if you see some you like the look of, ask what variety they are.  Good luck finding your new favourite.

ps:  Googling 'Avalon squash seeds' brought up loads more

Webbs say they have them in stock
http://www.webbsdirect.co.uk/thompson-and-morgan-squash-avalon-f1-hybrid-12-seeds-prod3260/
Seeds by Post
http://www.seedsbypost.co.uk/shop/5923/squash-winter-avalon-f1hybrid/
and so on

Quote from: BAK on November 10, 2012, 11:18:02
I ordered it from T&M although it was only available as a 2-pack item where the other pack was a different variety called Barbara.

Yes - I had thought of ordering some as I quite liked the look of Barbara and they are still selling them as a dual pack.  May give it a miss if you only get the barbara though..

Quote from: BAK on November 10, 2012, 07:49:00
It looks as if my favoured variety, Avalon, has disappeared ...  or is about to.
Do you have any recommendations?
Brian

I am still to find a variety that I have success with..... tried hunter, harrier and avalon.  May try butterboy next year

The year I tried Hunter , I had a brilliant harvest ....... but we also had good summer and early autumn weather .