Speciality seeds

[Tinkerbell86]

I was just wondering the difference between the more usual variety of certain vegetables and some of the more specialised varieties. For example blue potatoes compared to bog standard spuds.

Do they taste any better or is it just for aesthetic purposes?

After getting growing bug and two years of growing stuff I decided to try some more unusual seeds. So going to grow black tomatoes, purple carrots (I know hundred of years ago carrots were originally purple not orange) and some black skin peppers.Had success for last couple years with roma tomatoes, moneymakers, marmande/beef eater tomatoes, sweet peppers, just wanted to see difference with less usual varieties.

So just wondered other peoples thoughts and experiences of growing more unusual varieties.

[Kleftiwallah]

I've tried quite a few (not noticed any flavour difference in blue / normal spuds) 'interesting' crops, asparagus peas were tasty. If you have the area to grow the 'old reliables' and a few weird jobs just to see, you're about right for a veggie gardener. Cheers, Tony.

[Two_Sheds]

It's like designer clothes (real designers, not the CK/Diesel/Superdry cr@p) versus high street clothes.

Kind of.

With the rarer varieties you get a bit of history, a bit of heritage, some craft, some care.

With the 'available everywhere' seeds, it's catering to the masses.



Snob, moi?

[Thelma Sanders]

Just because something is grown a lot, doesn't mean it's inferior. It usually means it's reliable and good...
I'm thinking of things like Autum King carrots...purple ones may look pretty but I wouldn't grow them instead of Autumn King...as well as maybe

But then again nearly any tomato is an improvement on Moneymaker tomatoes IMO

[Alison]

I like to grow different varieties that I couldn't buy and also as a talking point - freaked OH's family out the other year with purple carrots on Christmas day . If they don't taste great though I wouldn't grow them again. The variety of purple carrot I grow has a nuttier taste which I really love but I did try a different variety I wasn't struck on. Also you can't go wrong with sweet lemon mange tout (or whatever they're called). Didn't think that purple spuds tasted different in general terms but if you find a variety you like and it looks different that seems a double bonus.

[salome2001]

I have both, DH thinks I should "get the normal varieties right before trying anything exotic", but I figure it's much cooler to grow something if you can't get it in a supermarket. So I am trying rainbow chard, strawberry popcorn and kohlrabi amongst the regular peas and carrots. In addition, my lottie neighbour is addicted to the Real Seeds catalogue and has given me a whole heap of exotic varieties of tomatoes and peppers... and some oca tubers!!

[veggiechicken]

You lucky Salome!! Why be conventional when there's a whole world of interesting veg out there that you will never see in a shop. If you did it would sell at a premium but ordinary veg are dirt cheap.

[taff]

I found the balck tomatoes taste so much better than most, and make better passata/sugo too.
yellow courgettes taste lighter than green ones but dont last as long if you put them in a fridge/keep them in a veg rack.

[salome2001]

yes I am lucky VC... except that I'd already planted 6 varieties of my own tomatoes with extras in case of failures. About 40 plants worth. I now have another 24 new ones on the go... where on earth am I going to put 60-odd tomato plants??? (I am collecting 5-10 Morrisons buckets every time I go to Asda!!)

[veggiechicken]

Have a doorstep sale? Farmer's market? Pass them on to new friends (can you see my smiling at you ) Only joking but if I was nearer!!!

[salome2001]

VC, sunny south wales isn't that far

the main problem I have with that is that the cat knocked one of the trays of seedlings off the windowsill, and although all the seedlings survived, only the four pots on the end of the rows were marked with the variety. The rest ended up in a pile of seedlings and compost on the floor. So the plants may be Gardeners Delight, Shady Lady bush, Tigerella or Golden Sunrise, and no one will know which until they fruit!

Will probably give some of the mystery plants to DS' preschool though.

[veggiechicken]

Label them up as "Gardener's surprise" tomatoes. They'll fly off the stall! Probably find the seeds on offer in a swap next year!!

[Tinkerbell86]

Thanks for all the replies of your experience of conventional and unconventional seeds and vegetables. Guess because it's still early days on the growing vegetables journey (that got more cheesier than I meant it too lol) it would be right to keep rotating growing bog standard seeds and other less frequent seeds. Give knowledge and experience of growing different varieties which would have different needs or ways of care will be of a great help to growing.

[salome2001]

Tinkerbell, the best advice I ever got was to grow what you want to eat. Once you've planned those, have some fun with the seed catalogues