GardenBanter.co.uk - View Single Post

phorbin · 20-05-2010, 12:32 AM posted to rec.gardens.edible

In article ,
says...

I would say that the choice boils down to the question about how you feel
about surprises. A commercial farmer can't afford any surprises, he is
literally betting the farm every year so he needs to know exactly what
he's going to get from the varieties he plants. On the other hand
surprises are exactly what a hobby gardener is looking for. Planting some
obscure varieties gives you the chance to try something that you might
not be able to experience otherwise. You might stumble on to something
that's great, a nice surprise, or that sucks, a bad surprise, but in
either case it's an experience.

In my book, that's called research...

Last season there were some farmers and projects around here trying the
heritage varieties and giving taste tests at their stalls in the
farmers' markets.