Grow Your Own Needs Your Help!

[RuthC]

We're getting excited about the new growing year here at GYO (I know it's cold outside, but there's so much to look forward to!). Do any of you sow the same varieties each year due to their reliability, ease of cultivation, disease- or pest-resistence or guarantee of a bumper crop? If so, please tell us what these are and why they're such a safe bet, plus what kind of results you have from them.

Your responses may be edited and published in the April issue of GYO (with a possible £10 voucher from Thompson & Morgan!).

[pdblake]

I always use my own saved garlic bulbs and get great results. It's cheap and they become accustomed to the conditions over the years. As for seed I also use my own saved marmande tomatoes and green curled kale for the same reason.

For bought seed I always sow bolthardy beetroot (a good, reliable cropper) and winter marvel lettuce (from TRSC, another good, reliable cropper).

The rest I sow as I fancy or as bargains and freebies appear

[OllieMartin]

Last year I had great success with my Boltardy Beetroot, I was in a rush so pickled them all. This year I'm planning on doing a few different things with it, roasting, using in salads etc.
I also got a good crop of potatoes from a random sack that grew eyes in my kitchen cupboard, this year I've bought a bag of Maris Piper seed potatoes to see how different proper seed potatoes are.

[pdblake]

Last year I had great success with my Boltardy Beetroot, I was in a rush so pickled them all. This year I'm planning on doing a few different things with it, roasting, using in salads etc.

Chocolate and beetroot brownies/cakes are fantastic. I think the recipe is on the River Cottage website somewhere.

[FROSTYFRECKLE]

Have to say Sweet Chocolate Peppers (originally from Real Seeds) are a must from now on. Even this far north, with a rubbish summer I can pick a plentiful supply of peppers. The inside of the peppers are a beautiful burnt orange and it's definitely a talking point at the dinner table. Very easy to grow.

[HeyWayne]

It's too early in my growing "career" to really contribute heavily to this, but I'm planning to grow more peas and beans from saved seeds - they're so easy.

I'm still discovering what I can save, what I can't - I didn't know what an F1 variety was until a year or so on the vine.

[Flummery]

I grow crimson flowered broad beans. They are both beautiful and delicious. The pods are small but plentiful and the beans are a bright jade green. They were only available from other growers or the Heritage Seed Library until this year, when a well known seed company is selling them again.

[snuffer]

Have always grown Desiree main crop potatoes. They are good croppers and store very well. They don't have a particularly good reputation for desease resistance but have never had any problems in all the years I've been growing them. Good all-rounder in the kitchen as well.

[sagegreen]

I like to try something new every season, but my mainstays are 'Aquadulce Claudia' and 'The Sutton' broad beans, 'Hurst Green Shaft' peas, plus saved-seeds of runner bean 'Enorma'. These varieties have not let me down over several years!

[vicky]

Ferline Tomatoes are my number one. They are great tasting and have large fruits. But best of all they are blight resistant. This means I am (almost!) guarenteed a crop in our rather dubious British summer. When all the other varieties have blight Ferline will still be fruiting without a blemish amongst them!

[smallblueplanet]

Although I love trying out new veggie varieties I balance the urge to try new types with choosing old favourites that I know grow and taste great and never let me down.

I love french beans, and well beans of all sorts...this year I'm again growing Bunyards Exhibition broad bean as they taste great and crop well from a spring sowing - I can never get organised enough to do an autumn broad bean sowing! Of the climbing beans I like to grow some purple Blauhilde for both taste and colour. Goldfield is a flat, yellow waxpod that I discovered when I started growing veggies in 2000 - not long ago perhaps, but for their buttery flavour and the fact that they're edible even when they get big I'm still growing them. I love the taste of Spagna runner beans, a new discovery thanks to Pigletwillie. Unlike most runners with Spagna the beans are eaten rather than pods and the big, fat white 'butter beans' are yummy.

I'm still trying out varieties of dwarf beans to grow year in year out, so if anyone has any 'must grow' favourites?

[slooky]

I grow Climbing French Bean Blauhilde every year. They have lovely purple flowers crop well and look great mixed in with Runners. Also they grow purple and turn green on cooking now that is magic * I save some seed every year

[snakeshack]

After initially buying a range of garlic types I have just kept back the best ones to replant,same with my runner beans.
I always grow gartenperle and tumbler tomatos in hanging baskets,they give a good crop and have never had blight yet.

[HayleyB]

Borlottis provided a bumper crop last season, eat early beans like runners they're also good for freezing, then later let the beans grow on for the borlottis themselves, two crops in one.

[HayleyB]

Borlottis provided a bumper crop last season, eat early beans like runners they're also good for freezing, then later let the beans grow on for the borlottis themselves, two crops in one.