Penellype's 2015 Edible Garden Challenge

[Penellype]

Are you going for 150 next year?

I don't think I will set myself a target next year. What I wanted to do with this was try as many different things as I can, and choose the best ones. There are quite a few things I won't be growing again, not because they are no good but because they are not suitable for my needs. Examples are red cabbage (too big) and chard (I just don't like it).

The sheer number of plants has made the garden into one of those little puzzles where you have to make a picture out of squares by moving them around in a frame with only one space. But it has made me try new things, some of which have been a great success and some not so good.

If anyone can bear with me for that long I will do a detailed summary of exactly what I have grown, where I grew it and how it fared. That way you can see how many of the varieties were actually decent crops and how many were just a sprinkling of leaves in a salad.

[Nicos]

That'd be really interesting to see Penellype!

Which have been your biggest successes both with growing and/or enjoying eating which you'd not grown before??

[Penellype]

Mmm, now there's a question!

There have been a few new varieties of old favourites that have done really well:

Potato Rocket was exceptional in that it provided potatoes at the beginning of June and they were nice sized ones, not tiny marbles. The flavour is not the best, but the performance was brilliant.

Carrot Marion was a variety I had not grown before, which produced nice big roots with a good flavour.

Spinach Red Vein produced loads of attractive large leaves when grown in a self watering pot, although it did bolt earlier than Tirza grown in the other half of the same pot.

Bean Purple Teepee was probably the most interesting as I really don't have room for French beans and don't usually grow them. I started 3 seeds off in 2x 2 litre pots on the windowsill where they produced edible beans from mid May (tasty when small, not so good when larger). They became very long and unruly so I moved them to the growhouse, where they continued to crop sporadically. In mid June when I needed the growhouse for tomatoes I dumped them outside on a shelf in the shade, where they continued to crop. I was waiting for them to stop and die off, but they didn't, so towards the end of July I potted them up into a 30 litre bucket and put them in the sun. They continued to produce beans until the end of August. Meanwhile I sowed another 3 seeds in a similar pot in mid May and put it first on the top of the pole garden, and then when I needed to dismantle that I hung it on the trellis fence. It is still producing the odd bean now, whereas the green variety Topcrop, treated in the same way, was a comparative failure.

Of the more obscure veg that I have not grown before, Namenia (tried last autumn and failed completely) did very well sown into a pot outside in spring and makes a nice addition to salads, with a mild, lettuce like flavour. I am growing more of this now in a self watering pot and it is growing well. Mibuna is another very pleasant addition to salads that I have not eaten before - it has a slightly mustardy taste a bit like mizuna, but looks quite different. I'm growing this indoors in the grow light garden. I eat both of these as baby leaves.

I still need to sow amaranth microleaves, which I am looking forward to trying when the more conventional salads are less abundant, and I already have some new things to try next year including a variety of turnip called Oasis which is billed as tasting like melon! I've heard people describe unripe melons as tasting of turnip, but not the other way round!

[Penellype]

I should probably also put in a mention for Balconi red and Balconi yellow tomatoes, which started producing fruit as small bushes on my spare room windowsill in mid June, and after being moved outside at the end of June have continued to produce a steady trickle of ripe fruits. The flavour of the yellow variety isn't great, but in this desperate year for tomatoes they have provided something to go in my salads when every other variety was struggling.

[Penellype]

Still waiting for number 100, so I thought I'd post a picture of the best autumn salad I've ever grown.

Lettuce Valmaine (green) and Relic (red), Namenia, red Mizuna, Mibuna, Pak Choi, Choy Sum, Tomato Shirley and Sungold (both peeled), Cucumber Vega, Pepper Snackbite Orange, Apple James Grieve.



Just add tuna mayo and eat with home made bread

[1Bee]

Did you enter that in the awards, because it's a winner!

[Penellype]

Hadn't thought of that! Seems like I am a couple of days too late

[Penellype]

Having taken out 3 of my courgette plants as they had mildew, I took my eye off the ball a bit. Went out to cut one for tea and found these:



I was thinking of eating one the smallest size in a stir fry, so I suspect I will be making some more soup soon!

[Penellype]

And the 100th variety is....

Potato Sarpo Mira.

Decided to empty them out of the water butt as I wanted to construct my new raised bed before the weather turns. Currently enjoying a huge plateful of mash with butter, fried onions, melted cheese and runner beans.

Total varieties so far = 100.

I will continue to post as I eat more varieties - lets see what I can get the final total up to.

[1Bee]

Congratulations, Penellype!! This is a really interesting thread, thanks so much for sharing your escapades with us.

[Bigmallly]

2015 Edible Garden Challenge Award

[bramble]

Well done Penellype, I will follow this thread with interest.

[Penellype]

Thanks for all your kind comments

Now comes the tricky bit - an assessment of how each variety actually performed. Obviously some things haven't finished yet and some winter crops haven't started, but I thought I would make a start on this anyway. This is going to take several posts and may take some time to complete.

First I will post the list of varieties I have grown and then I will attempt to assess each one under a variety of main headings so you can see more clearly the difference between growing something for a main crop and something that is intended to just provide a few leaves for flavouring.

[Penellype]

The 100 varieties

Key: Main = main crop, Inter = smaller crop, small = not much expected, salad = baby leaf or salad use, herb = flavouring only, flowers = mainly to add colour, Exp = experimental this year (new variety or new way of growing)
+ = exceeded expectations, + + = vastly exceeded expectations, - = disappointing, - - = bitterly disappointing. This could be due to a poor crop, pests, disease or a disappointing flavour.
Note that this refers to expectations, not actual size of crop, so a small but unexpected harvest gets a +, but a reasonable harvest of a poorly flavoured or damaged crop gets a -.

Alfalfa (salad) multiple crops
American Land Cress (Exp, salad)
Apple James Grieve (Main, - -)
Basil (herb)
Bean Purple Teepee (Exp, Main, +) multiple crops
Bean Topcrop (Inter, -)
Blueberry Bluecrop (Main, +)
Blueberry Dixie (Main)
Broccoli Early Purple (Main, +)
Cabbage Duncan (Exp, Inter, -)
Cabbage Hispi (Inter)
Cabbage Spring Hero (Inter, - -)
Calabrese Sakura (Main)
Calendula Art Shades Mix (flowers)
Carrot Autumn King (Main, -)
Carrot Eskimo (Main)
Carrot Marion (Exp, Main, +) multiple crops
Carrot Nantes 2 (Main)
Carrot Nantes Frubund Fastcrop (Main, +)
Celeriac Monarch (Exp, salad, +) leaves only
Chard (Exp, - -)
Chervil (herb)
Chinese Celery (Exp, salad/herb)
Chives (herb, flowers)
Choy Sum (salad, small, - -) multiple crops
Courgette Goldmine (Main, + +)
Courgette Green Bush (Main)
Courgette Piccolo (Main, -)
Cucumber Vega (salad, -)
Currant White Versailles (Inter)
Florence Fennel Sirio (Exp, +)
Garlic Chives (herb, small, +)
Gooseberry Captivator (Exp, small, +)
Kohlrabi Mix (Main, - -) multiple crops
Komatsuna Comred (Exp, salad) multiple crops
Leek Albana (Main)
Leek Oarsman (Main, -)
Lettuce Lollo Rossa (Main salad) multiple crops
Lettuce Mixed Salad Leaves (salad) multiple crops
Lettuce Relic (Exp, salad)
Lettuce Rosedale (Exp, salad)
Lettuce Salad Bowl (Main salad) multiple crops
Lettuce Valmaine (Exp, salad)
Lettuce Winter Gem (Exp, salad, +)
Mibuna (Exp, salad) multiple crops
Mizuna Red Knight (salad, +) multiple crops
Mustard Green Frills (Exp, salad, small) multiple crops
Namenia (salad, +) multiple crops
Nasturtium Firebird (Exp, flowers, salad, -)
Nasturtium Tom Thumb (flowers, salad)
Onion Sturon (Main)
Oregano (herb)
Pak Choi Tri-colour Mix (salad, -) multiple crops
Parsley French (herb)
Parsley Moss Curled (herb)
Pea Geisha (Exp, small, +)
Pea Half Pint (Exp, small)
Pea Hurst Greenshaft (Salad, Main) multiple crops
Pea Meteor (Main)
Pea Onward (Main)
Pepper California Wonder (Inter, -)
Pepper Snackbite Orange (Inter)
Potato Charlotte (Main, + +) multiple crops
Potato Desiree (Main)
Potato Rocket (Exp, Main, + +)
Potato Sarpo Axona (Main)
Potato Sarpo Mira (Main)
Provencale salad mix (salad)
Radish Sangria (Exp, salad, small) multiple crops
Raspberry Allgold (Inter)
Red Cabbage Kalibos (Inter, -) multiple crops
Rhubarb Red Champagne (Inter, -)
Runner Bean Red Rum (Exp, Main)
Runner Bean Stardust (Main, +)
Spinach Beet /Perpetual spinach (Exp, inter, -)
Spinach Amazon (Exp, Main, -) multiple crops
Spinach Bloomsdale (salad, -)
Spinach Reddy (salad, small, -)
Spinach Red Vein (Exp, main, +)
Spinach Tirza (Main)
Spring Onion Furio (salad, - -)
Spring Onion Ramrod (salad, - -)
Strawberry Buddy (Exp, Main, -) multiple crops
Strawberry Elsanta (Main, -) multiple crops
Strawberry Everbearer (Inter)
Strawberry Malwina (Inter)
Strawberry Marshmello (Main)
Strawberry Vibrant (Inter, -)
Thyme lemon (herb)
Tomato Balconi Red (Exp, + +)
Tomato Balconi Yellow (Exp, + +)
Tomato Garden Pearl (Exp, Main)
Tomato Roma (Exp, Main, -)
Tomato Shirley (Main, -) multiple crops
Tomato Sungold (Main, -)
Tomato Sweet Aperitif (Exp, Main, -)
Tomato Totem (Main)
Turnip Atlantic (Inter)
Turnip Snowball (Inter, -) multiple crops
Wild Strawberry Red & White mix (Exp, small, +)


Remaining possibilities:
Beetroot Boltardy (Exp, inter)
Brokali Endeavour (Exp, inter)
Cabbage Pixie (Exp, Inter)
Corn Salad D'Olanda (Exp, salad)
Komatsuna Torasan (Exp, salad)
Mitsuba mashimuri (salad)
Spinach giant winter (inter)
Tomato Belle (Exp, inter)
Amaranthus (still to sow) (Exp, salad, small)
Cress (still to sow) (salad, small)

Failures:
Cauliflower All The Year Round (Exp, small, -)
Melon Alvaro (Exp, - -)
Melon Magenta (Exp, - -)
Leek Musselburgh (Main, - -)
Turnip Purple Top Milan (inter) (old seed)
Corn salad Elan (salad) (old seed)

[Penellype]

FRUIT

I'm starting with the fruit as most of these have now finished cropping, and if they haven't they have done enough for a good assessment of the results.

Apples
I wish I had room for more than one very dwarf apple tree.
- James Grieve (flower border) M27 rootstock, about 10 years old. Loads of blossom and young fruits, which developed bumps under the skin and kept falling off. I think this is a form of bitter pit caused by drought, but frost and aphids have also been a problem. I've never had this trouble before. Only about 5 fruits survived long enough to ripen.
Blueberries
One of my favourite fruits, warranting the luxury of 2 bushes for better pollination. Protected from birds in the fruit cage.
- Bluecrop (pot) masses of large fruit weighing down the branches. Plenty extra to go in the freezer.
- Dixie (pot) smaller bush than Bluecrop and later to crop, but plenty of good sized fruit.
Currants
An experiment with a cordon white currant has worked so well that I am planning to do the same with a blackcurrant for next year
- White Versailles (flower border) 3 year old double cordon produced its first decent crop this year. Several nice bowlfuls and some left over for the freezer. Netted against birds, and some problems with sawfly larvae and aphids.
Gooseberries
I love dessert gooseberries and you can't buy them in the shops, hence my persistence with a crop that has so far yielded one fruit from 3 attempts after wholesale destruction by sawfly larvae.
- Captivator (pot) New bush bought last November, so nothing was expected. 3 flowers opened and 1 fruit set, which survived to ripen and be eaten, much to my surprise. Training this bush as a triple cordon. Serious problems with 2 sorts of sawfly and bush almost completely defoliated by mid September. Will be protected with fine insect mesh for next year. Billed as "thornless" but in fact there is a sharp thorn at every leaf base.
Melons
Something I regard as a challenge and would really like to grow. Not a good year to try a crop that likes sunshine and heat! Both varieties billed as outdoor melons.
- Alvaro (self-watering pot, quadgrow) 2 plants, one outside and one in the growhouse produced nothing at all, although there were several flowers which appeared to be male. Unsure whether to try again on the grounds of a terrible summer, or give up the idea.
- Magenta (self-watering pot, quadgrow) as Alvaro. If anything this variety performed worse, with less growth and fewer flowers which were also all male.
Raspberries
Another crop I wish I could grow more of, but I don't have room for summer raspberries.
- Allgold (raised bed) large numbers of yellow fruits in autumn. Some damage this year, possibly from rain or maybe raspberry beetle. Plants will probably need splitting and replanting this winter having filled their little raised bed (which is almost completely in the dark and often very dry) in just 2 years. Flavour is not the greatest.
Rhubarb
A pleasant early taste of fruit, and surprisingly nice cooked with sausages.
- Red Champagne (raised bed) tried forcing under a bucket this year for the first time. The stems were ready no earlier than last year and were smaller and thinner, but much nicer tasting. I find this variety rather coarse and acidic – my Mum had a much nicer (unknown) variety, now gone. Unsure whether to replace it with something else, especially as it looks very pathetic at the moment having been heavily shaded by potato foliage.
Strawberries
My ambition here is to grow enough strawberries to make my own jam as well as plenty to eat fresh. Nowhere near this at the moment despite experimenting with various tower pot arrangements and varieties. All maincrop strawberries protected from birds by netting.
- Buddy (pot) 1 plant bought from garden centre to replace some bare rooted plants that died after planting. Perpetual variety and very pleasant, producing several fruit in summer and a few later including some large ones. Will get more of these.
- Elsanta (strawberry pot, tower) an old favourite, but disappointing this year. The plants in the strawberry pot are 4 years old and need replacing, so crops were poor. The ones in the tower (purchased with the Buddy that died) were new bare rooted plants this season. Some fruited ok, others shrivelled up and died. Possibly lack of water (although I was careful), possibly red spider mite. Might ditch the tower and start with new plants from somewhere else.
- Everbearer (pots) Un-named variety. These did well considering they were 4 years old and are about 6 plants in each of 2 3l pots. Slow but steady supply of fruit in summer, and just starting to flower again in September. I had been going to throw them away but kept them when the Buddy died. Fruits can be rather insipid, and Buddy is a much nicer variety, so these have probably had it now.
- Malwina (pots) late variety with good flavour but some oddly shaped fruits including some last year with leaves growing from the top. Useful for extending the season a bit.
- Marshmello (pots, tower) New last year and an instant hit with superb flavour. Prolific producer of runners and I got about 30 new plants from the 10 I started with, and these went into the tower. As with Elsanta, these were a bit of a disappointment, although none actually died. Again I suspect red spider mite could have played a part in this. More runners have been potted up from the healthier pot plants.
- Vibrant (pots) an early variety with big but thoroughly tasteless fruit. Didn't even manage the early bit this year, fruiting at exactly the same time as Elsanta and Marshmello. A waste of space and will be ditched.
- Wild Strawberry mix (pots on pole garden) very pleasant mix of red and white fruit grown from seed. Grew much better than expected on their pole, producing a steady trickle of fruit which the birds are surprisingly leaving alone. I have grown wild strawberries before in the soil and lost most of them to slugs. This seems a much better arrangement, although some of the fruit in the bottom pot has been eaten by slugs recently.