Help! Which varieties should I plant?

[sez]

Was wondering if I could get some advice from you experienced lot Yet again I've bought far too many seeds and have more than I have room for So, any advice with picking which to use would be great, thanks

Tomatoes:
Golden Sunrise (normal sized, yellow)
Red Pear (small, teardrop shaped)
Tigerella (normal sized, striped)
San Marzano 2 (blocky plum shaped, raw/sauces)
Costoluto Fiorentino (large ribbed)
Moneymaker
Roma
Gardener's Delight
Gartenperle

erm... not sure how I ended up with 9 varieties... I have a small back garden not an allotment!

I love cherry toms so gardener's and gartenperle are definites, but I'm not sure what else to plant. I have just a small bed, enough room for 1 or 2 varieties, or can any of them go in large pots?

Same problem with courgettes... I have
Gold Rush
Black Beauty
Zuboda
Black Forest
Green Bush

Black Forest is a 'climber' I'll be trying, plus Gold Rush, which other would be best?

Then there's the Sweet Peppers...
Corno
California Wonder
Yolo Wonder
Sweet Mini Red (definite)

... and the hot peppers...
Meek & Mild (definite)
Jalapeno (definite)
Bolivian Rainbow
Cayenne
Fothergills Mixed Chillis

... and the aubergines...
Black Beauty
Moneymaker
Mini Bambino

(the peppers/aubs will be in growbags or large pots inside a plastic greenhouse)


Erm, help me with my seed addiction?

[shirlthegirl43]

They can all go in large (10litre) pots - that might make your task easier.

[milliebecks]

Yet again I've bought far too many seeds and have more than I have room for.

Erm, help me with my seed addiction?

Hells teeth!

You are not kidding!

Think rehab might be the only option

[smallblueplanet]

Not recommendations, just my take on your choices with limited space.

Tomatoes:
Golden Sunrise (normal sized, yellow) - dunno
Red Pear (small, teardrop shaped) - big plant, toms okay
Tigerella (normal sized, striped) - limited success
San Marzano 2 (blocky plum shaped, raw/sauces) - when do they crop?
Costoluto Fiorentino (large ribbed) - fancied these myself!
Moneymaker - dunno
Roma - okay but late ripening
Gardener's Delight - very prolific and to 1st frost.
Gartenperle - neat in a tub!

Although there are 'paste/plum' toms for sauces, we cook with any tom we can grow! I think plums can be late to crop?

"I have just a small bed, enough room for 1 or 2 varieties, or can any of them go in large pots?" - Try 'em!

Same problem with courgettes... I have
Gold Rush - dunno
Black Beauty - dunno
Zuboda - okay
Black Forest - dunno
Green Bush - dunno

Depends how many people you're feeding with them? Courgettes are usually very prolific, you might need only a couple of plants

Then there's the Sweet Peppers...
Corno - not impressed with yield
California Wonder - not impressed with yield
Yolo Wonder - dunno
Sweet Mini Red (definite) - agree

... and the hot peppers...
Meek & Mild (definite)
Jalapeno (definite)
Bolivian Rainbow - meant to be very pretty
Cayenne - normally a good yield and can easily be 'strung' and dried
Fothergills Mixed Chillis - you might get something you don't want? How will you know what it is if you like it? We tried a mix in our 1st year, but stuck with those with names thereafter.

... and the aubergines...
Black Beauty - big fruit
Moneymaker - dunno, but says early and prolific - so yes
Mini Bambino - grown for containers, so yes too

Erm, help me with my seed addiction?

You're beyond help!

[sez]

the courgettes are feeding... um... me OH hates them lol. *scratches head* i'm not sure if i trust the climbing one, but want to give it a go... yellow looks pretty... and i gotta have a 'normal' one, right? uhm. yes...

thanks for the advice, anyway, manda if you want a few 'costoluto's i'd be happy to send you some...

[smallblueplanet]

the courgettes are feeding... um... me OH hates them lol. *scratches head* i'm not sure if i trust the climbing one, but want to give it a go... yellow looks pretty... and i gotta have a 'normal' one, right? uhm. yes...

Then I'd recommend 'striato d'italia' or cocozelle!

[sez]

you nasty woman, do i look like i need to buy more courgettes???

[smallblueplanet]

you nasty woman, do i look like i need to buy more courgettes???

not nice, you asked fair and square!

Perhaps you could check the varieties and see if any of them do well as 'marrows', cocozelle does!!!

If you grow that many courgettes you'll soon discover whether your neighbours like you or not!

[veg4681]

Purely from my personal preference from reading about them, I like the ones highlighted in red .

Tomatoes:
Golden Sunrise (normal sized, yellow)
Red Pear (small, teardrop shaped)
Tigerella (normal sized, striped) - wasn't blown away by this one
San Marzano 2 (blocky plum shaped, raw/sauces)
Costoluto Fiorentino (large ribbed)
Moneymaker - people have said the taste is somewhat rubbish
Roma
Gardener's Delight
Gartenperle

I think Costoluto Fiorentino is better tasting than the other 2 Italian but I could be wrong.

Gold Rush - because it's yellow and some people have said it's prolific cropping
Black Beauty
Zuboda
Black Forest - because it's climber
Green Bush - too ordinary

Then there's the Sweet Peppers...
Corno
California Wonder - I'm ditching this one in favour of smaller fruiting varieties
Yolo Wonder - still looks conventional size
Sweet Mini Red (definite)

It's just me really but I feel safer with non bell/conventional shaped peppers.

... and the aubergines...
Black Beauty
Moneymaker
Mini Bambino

If you grow them in the growbag, you can also put a pot (cut at the bottom) over the growbag to give them more space.

[Flummery]

Funny - I LOVE tigerella. Good job we don't all like the same things or some of us would get killed in the rush!

[Cutecumber]

Sez,

I am similarly addicted to seeds. Stand up with me and say "it's been 24 hours since I last bought a packet of seeds"... (if you can!)

Anyway, back to the matter in hand...

The tomatoes can go in pots, but will need good support and protection from the wind if they are outside (in my garden, the blasted things always blow over in a strong wind once they are laden with fruit!). How about choosing a range of sizes? If you have set your mind on gartenperle and gardener's delight, then make sure the other two or three are larger, if nothing else. I would choose San Marzano myself - they are wonderful for cooking - then Tigerella and Golden Sunrise.

To be honest, I wouldn't bother with Gardener's Delight anymore, having tasted other varieties, but they are different for everyone according to the growing conditions that are provided and our personal taste.

Courgettes need more room than tomatoes and will not be so happy in a container. Of your list, I have grown Black Beauty and it was fine. It would complement your climber and the yellow fruited courgette.

I have no experience of the pepper and chilli varieties that you mention, but I would highly recommend Moneymaker aubergine as opposed to the others. It has always worked for me.

You have to make the decision yourself in the end, but I hope my words are of some interest.

[zazen999]

Hi

Sorry to contradict; but I have grown courgettes in pots and they were fine; in fact more than fine they were prolific. Just have to drench the soil morning and evening when it is hot. And the plants that I grew in pots survived a 3 hours trip in a plastic bag in the heat...my mother sowed them and they took over the small greenhouse so she donated them to me.

I have also tried them both yellow and green; and found yellows much harder to get to full size - so it is worth growing one of each if you have space...I would also say that for the toms as if you look into the cropping months, using different 'makes' you could extend the cropping period quite significantly.

Incidentally; I used the gartenperle ones last year - from seed - in an upside down tomato experiment; and they croped for ages; and didn't get blight. I will be growing these again as a fall back just in case...

Although none of it will help if we get a year like last year...its every plant for themselves if that happens. At least in pots if your garden sown stuff takes off and is ok, then the pot stuff you can move about/give away to friends/family...

[Two_Sheds]

I have spent the last two years sowing lots of different varieties, with a view to narrowing down my choice to "the Best". No recommendations re:toms though, as mine were all pants last year. Golden Grapes were fab in 06, but did nothing in 07. I'm trying Sungold (?) this year.

As I am breaking in a new plot for most of this year, I will be growing - not much . I am planting up my first plot with lots and lots of spuds and onions, and French Beans. The second plot will have a few little bits of something when its cleared a bit.. poss just salads

[PAULW]

I used the gartenperle in hanging baskets or wall pots

[veg4681]

I would highly recommend Moneymaker aubergine as opposed to the others. It has always worked for me.

Really? Moneymaker aubergine but how many fruits on average per plant? The size of the fruits looks unworkable for me but maybe I'm getting confused with Black Beauty .

Sorry to contradict; but I have grown courgettes in pots and they were fine; in fact more than fine they were prolific. Just have to drench the soil morning and evening when it is hot.

I'll have no bed space to grow courgettes this year but dreading the thought of growing them in pots...so what size were your pots for the courgies?