Seeds

[yola]

Here you go Angie (and anyone else who's interested)! I appreciate I'm being a bit brave with trying all this from seed in what's only my 2nd year of vegetable gardening, but I like a challenge!

Red Knight Runner Beans
Trafalgar Sprouts
Organic Aubergine - Roas de Bianca (the striped pink/white one)
Boro organic beetroot
Goodman organic cauliflower
French breakfast organic radishes
Guernsey parsnips
Summer breeze pak choi
True gold sweetcorn
Californian wonder organic red peppers
Principe Borghese organic tomatoes (plum shape)
Romanesco organic fennel
Burpless (LOL) cucumbers
Nero de milo courgettes
Yellow straight neck courgettes

And some flowers!!!

[Mags]

Wow! you're going to be busy, Yola! :D

[angieh]

I really admire you Yola for the way you've got stuck in to growing your own veg. We don't have the space for brassicas or sweetcorn and I've never tried parsnips - but have grown the rest. Let's hope we get a good summer, especially for the aubergine (I've planted some this morning).

Good luck with all yours. I'll do a list too after I've finished my lunch!

[yola]

Well seeing as we've just invested in a greenhouse I shall be trying the aubergines, peppers and tomatoes in there, but will use it also to start all my seeds off in.

Can't wait!

[angieh]

Here's my list so far:

Aubergine - Black Enorma
Tomato Roma (plum type)
Peperone Piccante di Cayenna (Italian seeds - a present from a friend)
Chili Pepper (Superchili)
Poblana Chili (mild)
Sweet Pepper Jumbo
Leek Carlton
Herb mint
Catmint

Experiments
Agave species mixed
Aloe vera
Cobaea Scandens (cup and saucer vine)

I have the following to plant up next month:
Runner Bean St. George
Tomato Gardeners Delight
Thyme

Haven't bought salad type veg yet.

I look forward to seeing Eileen's list :-D

[dandysmom]

Well, here it is, Angie; surprised you'd want to see it as I have such a wee backyard plot!

tomato - Super Marmande
pepper - Thai Dragon (very hot)
basil - Genovese
beans - Borlotto Dwarf Bush
onions - just plant scallions with roots from the market - can't get just a dozen sets
potato - may try a cut up potato with eyes from the market again this year if I can find room

Flowers

Tithonia (Mexican sunflower
Zinnia - cactus flowered
Physalis franchetti - Chinese lantern:

Also have fenugreek sprouting seeds, haven't tried them yet; supposed to be nice in a salad.

Hope your Cobea does well' I had them years ago, very nice!

[angieh]

Does anyone know the poem "Ratatouille" by Douglas Dunn?

It is my ambition to grow everything needed to make the dish! Not got there yet.

btw - fenugreek IS good in a salad!

[dandysmom]

Forgot to say that sweet corn can be difficult unless you have a good stand of it. Easy to grow, but it's air pollenated and if there aren't enough plants the ears don't set well.

[yola]

Fenugreek, I just love the flavour - essential Indian cuisine. I have the dried (Sharwoods seeds) but not ever attempted growing them.

Borlotti beans is on my list of to-dos. My neighbouring allotment had a load of them, but as they are students I think they were away over the summer break. Beans were abundant but not being picked.

I have to admit to being sorely tempted but I resisted :D

[dandysmom]

You have more will power than I, Yola; afraid I'd have picked them. Lovely with a drizzle of good olive oil, a little vinegar and a grind of black pepper; can hardly wait. They are not available here in the markets, not even in the new farmers market .......

[yola]

Really? Borlotti beans are freely available as tinned, dried and fresh - most quality supermarkets or organic box deliveries will carry them in season.

[dandysmom]

Oh lucky you! Have never ever seen them fresh here, even in the very upscale gourmet markets like Whole Foods, Dean and deLuca, etc. I had hopes for our new farmers market last year, but no. I get my seeds from T & M here.

[farthing]

We have some seeds to get planted too, I filled the pots on saturday, but didn't have the heart to plany anything on sunday. I have to grow things inthe house at the mo because it is still to cold in the greenhouse- only problems is there are cats on most of my windowsills.

I've got loads of different toms, peppers, courgettes, pumpkin, squashes, aubergine, chillis to start inside. I've got the usual peas, beans, carrots, parsnips etc to start outside.

You should try the 3 sisters way of planting your maize Yola, http://www.reneesgarden.com/articles/3sisters.html.
If were ever get the poly tunnel up and organised enough to do it, I would like to give it a go.

[yola]

Farthing, thanks. I'm liking the bean/corn growing theory . . . and if we can underplant with pumpkin and this benefits all the crops then all the better!

[angieh]

That link is so interesting farthing - thanks for posting that.