New varieties - likes and dislikes

[Penellype]

Following on from the tomato thread, I thought it would be interesting if people who have tried new varieties rated them, perhaps comparing to a previous favourite. I always end up trying a few new ones, despite having very set ideas on which are my favourites, and sometimes there are surprises.

This year I have quite a long list:
Bean Sonesta
Beetroot Boldor
Beetroot Bulls Blood (cut and come again leaves)
Carrot Nandor
Carrot Sweet Candle
Cucumber Mini Munch
Lettuce Warpath
Runner Bean Firestorm
Runner Bean Hestia
Spinach Gigante D'Inverno
Strawberry Framberry
Strawberry Just Add Cream
Tomato Crimson Crush
Tomato Megabyte

Obviously I haven't harvested most of these yet, but there are a few that I have, so I will rate them in the following posts.

[Penellype]

Lettuce Warpath - mini Iceberg type

Current favourite - Relic (cut and come again red leaves) - rating 8/10
Ease of growth - excellent germination, 10
Health and vigour - very good even under lights in winter, 9
Yield - good, intentionally cut small but formed decent hearts when left alone (also works as cut and come again), 9
Taste and texture (I'm fussy about texture) - excellent. Takes a long time to start going bitter. 10

A fabulous little lettuce, knocks Relic off the top spot.

[Penellype]

Beetroot Bulls Blood (cut and come again leaf)

Comparison with perpetual spinach, the nearest thing I have previously grown (which I dislike), rating 2.
Ease of growth - so-so, germination was poor from thickly sown seeds, 5
Health and vigour - ok, produced some decent leaves and a lovely colour but got leaf miner, 6
Yield - poor really considering the length of time it takes to grow. Other leaves are quicker, 4
Taste and texture - nothing special, older leaves are rather leathery a bit like perpetual spinach, 4

Beats perpetual spinach and useful for brightening up salads. I'll probably finish the packet but I don't think I will be buying it again.

[Penellype]

Spinach Gigante D'Inverno (large leaf winter variety)

Comparison with Tirza, which is now only available coated with disgusting fungicide, and I have been trying to replace for several years, rated 9.
Ease of growth - like almost all spinach germination is very poor, 5
Health and vigour - I've only grown it over winter, so it started off very slowly, but did end up producing a nice crop of big leaves from the few plants that germinated, 7
Yield - not at all bad. Some of the leaves were bigger than my hand, so only a few were needed. 8
Taste and texture - excellent, as good as Tirza.

The nearest I have managed so far to replicating Tirza, with the advantage of somewhat bigger leaves. I will definitely grow it again.

[Penellype]

Strawberry Framberry (tastes like a cross between strawberry and raspberry)

Comparison with my favourite strawberry Marshmello, which I consider unbeatable at 10.
Ease of growth - ordered 3 plants by mail order, arrived already potted and very healthy looking. Plants produce copious numbers of runners which root easily, 10
Health and vigour - a very healthy looking dark green although like all my strawberries they did get aphids, 9
Yield - bitterly disappointing so far, as only one of the plants has produced any fruit. The fruit are small. As perpetuals, there could be more to come later. Provisionally 2
Taste and texture - unusual in a very pleasant way, the 2 I have eaten so far are lovely. 9

Subject to more of the plants eventually producing fruit, I will be keeping some of the rooted runners.

[Penellype]

Strawberry Just Add Cream (pink flowered perpetual)

Comparison with Marshmello, rated 10.
Ease of growth - 10 bare rooted plants arrived and were planted in a strawberry bag. Within a month 5 were dead. The survivors were moved into 2 litre pots and pampered, but even so one more died. I have to give these a 1.
Health and vigour - Very hard to rate. 2 of the plants still look sick, the other 2 are very good. Unlike any other perpetual strawberry I have met, they are producing more flowers before the first fruits have finished, and there are even flowers on one of the runners. Flowers are very decorative. 6
Yield - good, beats any other perpetual I've grown. 8
Taste and texture - a massive surprise. This, to strawberries, is what Sungold is to tomatoes. Absolutely fantastic, and given that I rated Marshmello an unbeatable 10, I have no option but to award this one 11.

Trying to root as many of the runners as possible.

[Potstubsdustbins]

Tried Mini Munch cucumber for the first time this year, it seemed ideal to be able to eat the cumber at one sitting and then pick fresh when needed.

Because of cumbers suicidal tendency as usual I planted 4 seed when really I only need 2 plants. All four quickly germinated and grew into strong healthy plants, being a softy I kept all four. I fed on Miracle Gro for high nitrogen to start with, changing to Tomorite high potash when the fruit appeared.

They grew quickly and were early to produce fruit, picked at 3 to 4 inches long they are lovely and tasty and firm with no large seeds. All four plants now have an equivalent length/height of about 9ft and going well.

I have found one problem never have I seen a cumber plant so prolific. I am giving them away in large numbers and the neighbours are avoiding me even the old folks home tried to lock SWMBO out.

Joking aside if this is representative of an average year they are most certainly one to try. I will post a picture tomorrow.

[Potstubsdustbins]

I have never grown raspberries before a year or so back I bought 3 plants of Ruby Beauty, they arrived in leaf, looking healthy. Following the instructions I planted them out into their containers only to see the leaves fall off and the plants appeared dead. Being clever I immediately sent for 3 more plants, these I put in 6" pots and had them in the GH to give them a start. I will leave you to guess who ended up with 6 healthy plants.

This year was the first year I expected fruit and I was not disappointed, we have been eating fresh, giving away family only and freezing. They seem to be slowing now but that could change if we get a proper summer. Nice and sweet makes a nice breakie with yoghurt.

Again I can say if you grow in containers this one is worth a try but be aware mine are in 30ltr containers and even they can dry out very quickly.

[Penellype]

I've looked at Ruby Beauty several times as I love raspberries, but the 2 varieties I have tried (Autumn Bliss and Allgold) have both suffered badly from raspberry beetle and also wasps. Its therefore a bit of a gamble to take up a whole 30 litre pot for a couple of years before I know whether I am going to have anything edible!

[Small pumpkin]

I will join in with this thread later. It's very interesting.
I'm going to need a considerable amount of time to write down all my new varieties this year ( as ever I got carried away).

[Potstubsdustbins]

Here you go.....Anyone want a cumber?

[Small pumpkin]

Are you ready ?

Pea Oregon sugar pod = already producing early and producing well, taste great. Will grow again.
Pea early onwards = just started producing, seem a bit slow, but look like they will be good producers.
Kale Siberian = already producing, don't really like its very open growing habit. Tastes like kale. Not going again.
Kale Nero di Toscana = still growing ( a late sowing)
Kale red curl = already producing, a bit to tall and open habit. Tastes like kale. Not growing again
Kale curly scarlet = already producing. Nice compact. Tastes like kale. Will grow again.
Cauliflower snowball = still growing
Brussel sprouts early half tall = still growing
Kalettes = still growing
Courgette Tromboncino = still growing
Pumpkin wee-be-little = still growing
Pumpkin cushaw green striped = still growing
Squash acorn table King = still growing
Squash Queensland blue = still growing
Squash warted Hubbard = still growing
Squash jumbo pink banana = still growing
Squash Turks turban = still growing
Squash sweet dumpling = still growing
Carrot purple sun = low germination, still growing, jury's out.
Carrot red samurai = all bolted, not growing again
Carrot jaune bu doubs = had some already, looking good so far. They taste like carrots. Will grow again.
Onion Bedfordshire champion = first onions ever grown from seed, still growing but look good.
Tomato cuor di bue = still growing.
Tomato yellow pear = still growing
Tomato artisan pink tiger = still growing, not producing many toms that I can see, but it does seem to have a weeping type habit. They better be good or they are out the door.
Tomato sun gold = just started producing, fantastic in every way 10/10
14 varieties of chilli = I won't bother you with that lot!
Sweet pepper Palermo = probably shouldn't be included as seeds came from a shop brought pepper. But it's the best I've ever grown. It's producing lots of fruit, jury's out on weather it's going to taste like it's parent.
Cucumber crystal apple = still growing
Aubergine early long purple = still growing
Aubergine black beauty =still growing

[Deltawhiskey]

I have new compost in my raised beds and the dwarf green curled Kale is wonderful. Six plants and we can't eat to keep up with it. The same goes for perpetual spinach but I have frozen lots. Chinese Leaves Richi have hearted up and one is over 30 mm across. Bulls blood beet adds colour but no taste. At this point I'm very disappointed with Moonlight runners. But the few that germinated (1 in 10) are growing well. Cucamelons are taking over and grabbing anything they can climb on with lots of tiny fruit. Can't wait to taste them.

David

[Jungle Jane]

Potatoes
This year I grew some charlottes for the first time,a lot of people like them on here & now I see why,excellent yield,skins didn't fall off when boiled,not as tasty as Lady C but theyre very good taste & a much better yield than other second earlies British queen & Nicola so I'll definitely grow again.
Lady C are still my favourite for taste,Arran pilot & red duke of York all my favourite first earlies it's difficult to pick one except it's Lady C This is my second year growing rooster main crop,a few people on here liked them so I tried them & they're great,never tried any other main crop except when I was about seven I planted some near our swing,no idea what they were though except they were tiny.

[Potstubsdustbins]

^^^If you like Lady C as I do you could leave some in the ground they grow on just like second early spud and you end up with both new small ones and larger chippers and baker's