Allotments 4 All

I have just created a new vegetable patch in my garden and am fairly new to growing vegetables. As the patch isn't huge I am trying to limit my crops to things that are much better than shop bought varieties. I am hoping to grow carrots - there are many types evidently but can somebody recommend a particulr type that tastes much better that a shop bought one? Are there any other vegetables that are so outstanding that you would definitely grow them outside for whatever reason (apart from cabbage as I don't like it anyway)?

I think all home grown veggies taste better than what you get from the shops. I suppose it's a case of growing whatever you like to eat!

What you grow yourself also tastes better simply from the satisfaction of having grown it yourself.

I grew sweetcorn for the first time last year and it was absolutely delicous! So sweet and juicy.

Tomatoes are another of my favourites. I had a bumper crop last year and again they were so sweet and juicy and so much better than the anaemic ones from the supermarket.

I'm planning to grow carrots for the first time this year, but am looking at suitable ones for containers as my soil is very heavy and stoney.

I totally agree anything that is home grown straight from the garden tastes far superior to that which has been sprayed with all kinds of chemicals and sat on a shop shelf for who knows how long.just grow what you like to eat best.
Aquilegia i never have any trouble growing carrots but buy my seeds abroard so cant tell you the type .But last year i had some given which were supposed to be grown in a grow bag they were like golf balls and a waste of space i thought(cant remember the name)

BB - were the grow bag ones Parmex? That's one of the ones I've been looking at.

- or any other French Frame variety - like Marshalls Lisa?
Can't see how they can be a waste of space if the space was empty?
And W&C - as said - they will all be better - the main thing to look for is whether you want earlies and/or main keepers. = Tim

I didn't have a lot of luck with Parmex last year - they went very green on top so by the time you'd finished the prep there wasn't much carrot left!  If I try them again, I'll 'earth them up' a bit to see of that helps!  They had a strange texture too but I'm not sure if that was down to the very dry weather.
The best flavoured ones I every grew were Chantenay Red Core...yum

AC  

hmm maybe I won't bother with the parmex then.

I was considering chantenay red core as they looked quite short. I think I will go with them now after that recommendation!

has anyone seen any seeds for the "new" (actually old) non-orange colour carrots that we had over here before the ?

Rdak - I saw some in the suttons catalogue. There are yellow ones on their website too.

T&M do yellow ones. Go well with purple potatoes?? = Tim


To save space, may I add, here, 'and sprouting, John!'

 My postscript to this is that W&C should try growing their own cabbage. The difference between a shop bought one and a home grown one, like everything else, cannot be measured. You may be pleasantly surprised.