Old Geezer the Gardening Guru: Vegetable seeds – what to buy
Tuesday, 17 January 2012 4:04 PM
By Old Geezer
Not many people will be doing much on the veggie patch at this time of year, however that doesn't mean there aren't jobs to do aside from lifting carrots and parsnips for that warming stew.
The most profitable pastime this time of year for most gardeners is perusing the numerous catalogues which have been dropping through the letter box of late.
If you are newish to growing veggies, then beware of glossy pictures! Despite this, the promoted F1 hybrid vegetable seeds can produce fantastic crops, if everything is just right. Remember that F1s sown together will be ready together, whereas most such crops are best grown for the freezer.
Relative beginners are best sticking to the tried and trusted old varieties, ones which have been around for years. There is a reason these have stayed popular, it is because they are reliable in most conditions.
You can order F1s from a catalogue (most are excellent), but you will pay a bit extra for the convenience of having them delivered. Alternatively you can use the catalogue to select your varieties and then get them from the cut price stores or market stalls.
Here is a list of reliable varieties of common crops grown from seed:
Broad bean - 'Aquadulce Claudia'
Peas - 'Early Onward' or 'Kelvedon Wonder'
Low beans - 'Tender and True'
Runner beans - 'Desiree' or 'Scarlet Emperor'
Carrots - 'Early Nantes' or for later crops 'Autumn King'
Parsnips - 'Improved Hollow Crown'
Beetroot - 'Boltardy'
Lettuce - 'Saladin' for early and late crops 'Webbs Wonderful' for the height of summer and 'Little Gem' for something different.
All of the above will give you good results. Similar F1 varieties could give better results, but they could also fail if you don't get it exactly right. I hope this is helpful!
One other thing, totally unrelated, but something I have noticed recently. Gardeners are being tempted by 'special offers' for flowering cherries and eucalyptus trees. What isn't made clear is you need a huge garden for either of these 'bargains'.
It is not the tops which will cause the problem in the future – that's nothing a saw won't cure. It is the roots. The roots of both can do real and serious damage to paths and walls up to 20-30 meters away. There is a ridge, like a speed bump, across the road where I live which is caused by a very modest cherry tree opposite which has broken concrete six inches thick on this side pavement.
I can also remember one job I did 'oop north' in Wakefield. A 25 metre high eucalyptus in a 25 foot garden! The tree was eighteen years old, the same as the house, and it had lifted the bay window on the opposite side of the house and broken the wall. There was a one inch wide crack and the whole thing was lifted by half a brick! It's an expensive mistake, so don't do it.
If you want trees in a small garden, get small trees. Good examples are the dwarf silver birch [youngii], malus [ornamental flowering plum], mountain ash [sorbus] or dwarf conifers.
Happy browsing.
All the best, Old Geezer
Old Geezer (Paul Rix) is the author of 'Beyond the Potting Shed' a comprehensive guide to growing your own. Available from all good book shops or Amazon.
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