seed help please

[lynda66]

i'm currently looking for next years seeds, and faced with about 500 different varieties of everything it's quite difficult, so if everyone could tell me their favourite easy to grow, (ie. no piddling about ... plant them and they turn into veg after they have been looked after and talked to) varieties that would be a big help, then i can pick the 2 or 3 varieties that most people prefer, and i hopefully might end up with some nice tasty veg, instead of whatever i've found ...... i also fancy having a go at different coloured things, like carrots .... me love carrots. so i'm hoping to grow

carrots
tomatoes
cucumber
parsnips
lettuce
potatoes
onions / spring onions
leeks
cauli
broccoli
turnips
beetroot
courgette
melon
peas
and beans

any help really would be appreciated, it seems to make sense to grow tasty varieties rather than just wot they have in wilkies lol

fankooooooooo Lynda xx

[di]

We've grown some yellow carrots this year & they're really bland.Our red ones are still seedlings so I'll have to let you know how they taste later!!(also will try to find the names!)

[lynda66]

ok that's your yellow carrots out then lol

[mythyme]

Am in Bucks and relatively new to this growing lark but I can recommend :- defender courgettes-grow all by themselves, safari kenyan dwarf beans,- put in seed, water, defend against slugs and have daughter in tears as she hates green beans and you get plenty! Station sown White gem parsnip germinated the best. Previous years- bolthardy beetroot, this year nothing at all but second attempt with wodan -so far so good. Also, crown prince pumpkin are delicious

[amandaandherveg]

Yup, my first year too and the Defender Courgettes seem to be idiot (Amanda) proof. Of the squash, my Golden Nuggets germinated easily the others were a hit and miss. Boltardy Beetroot took care of itself and I pickled the first bunch last Friday. Rooster and Pink Fir spuds are happily doing their thing. Ice King Lettuce are hearting up now and looking fansastic and the cos and little gem are doing well. French Breakfast radish grew well and the Red Beard Spring onion were very slow to start but are fattening up nicely.

I bought some red and yellow carrot but they are for next year.

[lynda66]

well as long as they are lynda proof that will be a good start lol defender courgettes are sounding promising though i have some boltardy beetroot this year, and they aren't dead yet so i'm guessing thats a good one too plus anything that tastes good that i don't kill this year lol......... any more???

Lynda xx

[acreman]

if you want to try an old fashioned tomato then try Brandywine,they are slightly mishappen and form lovely big tomatoes,pinkish in colour and can grow to about 1lb in weight

[lynda66]

do they taste good and are they easy to grow though? odd shaped will be good for me lol

[amandaandherveg]

mythyme, what's your secret? I tried the Crown Prince, I was all geared up and ready to grow but two batches failed to germinate. Sweet Dumpling and Golden Nugget have done well though.

Golden Detroit Beetroot are coming along, bit slow though. Leeks (Lyon Prizetaker) are plumping up nicely and pointy white cabbages are looking good as is the Romanesca. Tumbler Toms are the only toms looking like they could be eaten soon. Pak Choi grew well but I didn't know that they liked it cooler so they bolted, will give them a go again next month. Sprouts are getting big, my other half is not best pleased at the fact that I'm growing sprouts for Christmas - his Mum loves them but they don't love her, toot toot!

[acreman]

they do taste nice and if i can grow them i'm sure you can

[gojiberry]

Look for the old favourites if you want taste. The main reason they have been going for so long is because of their flavour. Early nantes to start your carrots off followed by autumn king. I have grown many sorts of lettuce this year and given a lot away, the two that have been liked the best are Sherwood and bronze arrow. Beetroot boltardy or if you want something a little different bulls blood. Potatoes have to be charlotte for all round performance.

Ian

[Earthbabe]

Carrots - Only ones we've had any real success with are Autumn King but plant them late (July-Aug) and they will stand in the ground over winter. Might split a bit but taste good.

Leeks - I don't think you can go wrong with Musselburgh really although Swiss Giant Zermatt are very good too.

Parsnips - Avonresistor -stand well through the winter, slightly shorter root so better if your ground is not perfect and very tasty.

Lettuce - Green oakleaf (or red) or a good cos

Cucumber - Marketmore did it for me.

Potatoes - for an early maincrop in most conditions you can't go wrong with Desiree - very useful, very tasty and good disease resistance. We had a good crop in a year where we had little rain and have grown it ever since.

Courgette - Black Beauty are very good and Sungold F1 (from Tamar)

I hope that helps.

[Comfreyfan]

I don't know if you're into spring onions, but I've grown Ishikuro for the past couple of years. You can use the little thinnings like chives, use them normal size, but you can also leave them in the ground until autumn and use them like leeks - so you don't waste anything, I plant them by the carrots to deter carrot fly. Sow them and leave them to do their own thing.
Potatoes - I love Pink fir Apple - gorgeous tasty salad potatoes. Probably heresy but because of space problems I plant them fairly deep and then cover them with black plastic (cut a hole to let the top growth out) so I don't have to earth them up. We're lucky to have toads which love to hide under the plastic and seem to deal with the worst of the slugs.

[Tam]

Do grow Romanesco calabrese (I have also seen it identified as broccoli and even cauliflower) as it is a superb vegetable and very easy to grow. It also has been my least beastie affected plant, which I cannot understand as it has such a wonderful flavour

[lynda66]

Look for the old favourites if you want taste. The main reason they have been going for so long is because of their flavour. Early nantes to start your carrots off followed by autumn king. I have grown many sorts of lettuce this year and given a lot away, the two that have been liked the best are Sherwood and bronze arrow. Beetroot boltardy or if you want something a little different bulls blood. Potatoes have to be charlotte for all round performance.

Ian

i have some early nantes for next year..... and my autumn kings are looking frilly so that's good ..... i just got some bog standard lettuce that haven't done much, and a friend gave me some thinnings, but i'll definitely look out for them, i have both bulls blood and boltardy growing now ...... and the potatoes were just various unnamed varieties that sprouted, but i'm gonna try those blue ones from quark, and i'll look out for some charlottes .... i'm so glad i posted this now thanks xx