Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Allotment: Getting ready!

So far I have bought Charlotte seed potatoes (one of our favourites together with Nicolas) , Garlic-  a French variety, some blue climbing french beans from Franchi the Italian seed distributors ( lots of seed for your money) , some white salad bunching onion seed again from Franchi and some parsnip seed on tape as these work the best for me and generally I have a good germination rate with the tape. Perhaps its to do with the paper tape holding moisture long enough for the seed to germinate!

With regards to the potato varieties- we have tried all sorts including Anya, Pink fir ( too knobbly and nobody wanted to wash and peel these). Some blue variety ( I can't remember the name at the minute) Rocket as a first early (not enough produced to warrant the space on the allotment) and numerous others but always come back to Charlottes and Nicolas( we like these as can use as a salad variety and later if left as a main crop). We also have grown Sarpo Mira for the last few years and truly have found them to be blight resistant.  However I have grown far too many potatoes the last few years- something to do with buying a variety because the one I wanted wasn't available and then finding the one I wanted at a later date-  but not this year . I will be controlled -no impromptu varieties this year! So the hunt goes on for Nicola's!

The climbing blue french bean I choose because I planted a "climbing" variety last year and they turned out to be dwarf!. Also I think the purple will be easier to see when picking as invariably we miss some leave them to grow too big when picking. The salad onion is I hope like the massive ones found in France- which we always make a beeline for when shopping.
 That's all for now- I have though about my plot plan but haven't got it down on paper and hope to do that this week. So back to the drawing board.... if only could find a pencil............

1 comment:

Beth of The Linen Cat said...

It sounds like a great list. I agree on the potatoes, I always plant Charlotte as they are by far the best, although I'm trying 2 others this year as well, and like you I'm keeping the quantities small as I hate waste and last year one potato bag got left behind the greenhouse and was never eaten (which I felt very bad about). Beth (the linen cat) x