We’ve finally ordered this year’s fruit and veg seeds. I’m glad we got it done before the end of January, as it was one of those jobs that has been hanging over us and really needed doing before the month was out.
We’ve decided to more or less start again with our seeds. Last year was the third time around for some of our stock and from the results it was obvious. A fairly disappointing harvest. Our tomatoes were slow to ripen, the carrot crop was small and the beans were noticeably less successful than in years gone by.
In fairness, we did pretty well to keep re-using them for so long (and the compost, too, some of which has also been used for a few seasons).
2010, then, will be a bit of a new start, with fresh seeds and virgin compost. So, what will we be growing?
Potatoes have always been a success for us, so we’re growing two varieties this year: Rooster, which is a really versatile all-rounder, looks nice and tastes great, and Blue Danube, which we’ve never done before. Again they’re a good general-purpose cooking potato, but they have deep blue skins and white flesh, and are apparently ‘stunning’ when in flower.
We’ll be growing three types of tomato – our regular Gardeners’ Delight cherry toms, yellow Lidi tomatoes and a general Alicante for salads and sandwiches – and two beans: Aintree and The Prince, which between them will give us runner and French varieties. We’re not buying any new broad bean seeds. We love broads, particularly in three bean risotto, but we have some of last year’s crop left in the freezer, and the low-growing plants take up so much space that could be better used for something else.
Finally, carrots: autumn king.
That’s it for the plot, but as we have a couple of trees to transplant from large pots into the earth somewhere (where, I don’t know, as our borders are pretty full), we’re going to have a couple of large terracotta plots available, so we’ve bought a redcurrant bush and a lingonberry plant. The latter is particularly exciting as it’s an evergreen, so should still look good in the winter.
What are you growing this year? Let us know in the comments below.
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I’ve a full, large allotment so lots of space. Beetroot, Broad Beans, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Cabbage, Calabrese, Carrot, Courgette, Florence Fennel, Kohl Rabi, Kale, Leeks, Lettuce, Onions, Parsnip, Peas, Potatoes, Radish, Rocket, Runner Beans, Swede and Turnip are all on the agenda to go with the strawberries, raspberries, fruit trees and herbs that are already there. It will be a squash but I’ll find room for some of each of them. There’s be tubs in corners and courgettes on the compost heap but that’s how you use up the space.