In article ], Chris ] writes:
| There have recently been press articles saying that the range of
| available seeds is very restricted.
|
| I am interested in growing food, not growing for exhibition.
|
| Where is the best place to get good vegetable seeds for the garden?

I grew two fancy carrots this year, in addition to a fairly standard
'fly-resistant' Nantes type.

Spanish Black bolted faster than a CD-ROM of personal data from a
government department. We got one meal's worth from three sowings.

Kinbi (supposed to be well flavoured) tasted of almost nothing, and
didn't root up at all well.

Both did seem to be a bit more fly-resistant than the 'fly-resistant'
one, but there wasn't enough of either to be certain.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Nick Maclaren"wrote
I grew two fancy carrots this year, in addition to a fairly standard
'fly-resistant' Nantes type.

Spanish Black bolted faster than a CD-ROM of personal data from a
government department. We got one meal's worth from three sowings.

Kinbi (supposed to be well flavoured) tasted of almost nothing, and
didn't root up at all well.

Both did seem to be a bit more fly-resistant than the 'fly-resistant'
one, but there wasn't enough of either to be certain.

Give the old "Chertsey" or "Long Red Surrey Carrot" a try Nick, grows well
for us and we have been keeping our own seed for years. Mind you, we are
near Chertsey which is why we tried it in the first place. :-)
Not fly resistant though so a 2ft tall barrier around the crop is essential.
--
Regards
Bob Hobden
17mls W. of London.UK

In article ,
"Bob Hobden" writes:
|
| Give the old "Chertsey" or "Long Red Surrey Carrot" a try Nick, grows well
| for us and we have been keeping our own seed for years. Mind you, we are
| near Chertsey which is why we tried it in the first place. :-)
| Not fly resistant though so a 2ft tall barrier around the crop is essential.

Thanks. Normally, I find that the ones I grow are fine, but it was a
BAD year.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Nick Maclaren" wrote
"Bob Hobden" writes:
|
| Give the old "Chertsey" or "Long Red Surrey Carrot" a try Nick, grows
well
| for us and we have been keeping our own seed for years. Mind you, we
are
| near Chertsey which is why we tried it in the first place. :-)
| Not fly resistant though so a 2ft tall barrier around the crop is
essential.

Thanks. Normally, I find that the ones I grow are fine, but it was a
BAD year.

Not for us it wasn't, same as usual, almost 100% germination and a good
crop.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
17mls W. of London.UK

In article , Nick Maclaren
writes


Spanish Black bolted faster than a CD-ROM of personal data from a
government department. We got one meal's worth from three sowings.

Kinbi (supposed to be well flavoured) tasted of almost nothing, and
didn't root up at all well.

Both did seem to be a bit more fly-resistant than the 'fly-resistant'
one, but there wasn't enough of either to be certain.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.


I tried "broad yellow ripple currant" tomatoes one year from Garden
organic or whatever they were calling themselves. They were lawful.
really titchy and tasted unripe. Difficult to grow as they were spindly
as well. Also "vale of tears" beans supposedly taken by the Indians when
they were marched off their lands to those awful reservations. I can see
why they didn't want to go if they only had those beans for company.
Grew to about 6 inches, fell over and withered.................


Janet
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

In article ,
Janet Tweedy writes:
|
| I tried "broad yellow ripple currant" tomatoes one year from Garden
| organic or whatever they were calling themselves. They were lawful.

Which laws do your normal tomatoes break? :-)


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article , Nick Maclaren
writes

In article ,
Janet Tweedy writes:
|
| I tried "broad yellow ripple currant" tomatoes one year from Garden
| organic or whatever they were calling themselves. They were lawful.

Which laws do your normal tomatoes break? :-)


Several natural ones by calling themselves tomatoes for one thing!

--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

In theory, you can now only commercial sales of seed varieties, if they have tested the safeness of the food they produce. Only large quantities of commercial species were tested. It is feared this will lead to rapid loss of about 99% of the genetic diversity of food plants. Speciality vegetable seed bank is being established to maintain this diversity.

Janet Tweedy wrote:

Also "vale of tears" beans supposedly taken by the Indians when
they were marched off their lands to those awful reservations. I can see
why they didn't want to go if they only had those beans for company.

Curiously, I have "Cherokee Trail of Tears," which is a quite nice pole
bean. Did well in my usual scheme of six poles in a teepee. I have a nice
stand of maple saplings out in back; call it my bean pole farm.


Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at home.earthlink.net/~garygarlic
Zone 5/6 in upstate New York, 1420' elevation. NY WO G

In article , Gary Woods
writes
Janet Tweedy wrote:

Also "vale of tears" beans supposedly taken by the Indians when
they were marched off their lands to those awful reservations. I can see
why they didn't want to go if they only had those beans for company.

Curiously, I have "Cherokee Trail of Tears," which is a quite nice pole
bean. Did well in my usual scheme of six poles in a teepee. I have a nice
stand of maple saplings out in back; call it my bean pole farm.



What were the beans like eventually Gary? I never found out what they
tasted like etc.
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

Janet Tweedy wrote:

What were the beans like eventually Gary? I never found out what they
tasted like etc.

Quite nice; a bit shorter and stouter than some I grow, though not so much
so as the Romano types. They turn a sort of bronze color as they mature
past the snap bean stage; I've got quite a lot to plant for next year!
They easily climbed past the top of the 8-foot poles I make the teepees
with.... since they're slanted, I can just reach the tops to pick the
beans.


Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at home.earthlink.net/~garygarlic
Zone 5/6 in upstate New York, 1420' elevation. NY WO G

In article , Gary Woods
writes
Janet Tweedy wrote:

What were the beans like eventually Gary? I never found out what they
tasted like etc.

Quite nice; a bit shorter and stouter than some I grow, though not so much
so as the Romano types. They turn a sort of bronze color as they mature
past the snap bean stage; I've got quite a lot to plant for next year!
They easily climbed past the top of the 8-foot poles I make the teepees
with.... since they're slanted, I can just reach the tops to pick the
beans.



My blue French beans were like that. I wondered if I ought to have
pinched the topes out as they got to the top because they did get sort
of tangled once they had nowhere to go!
One set I undid as per sweet peas and wound them round the base of the
wigwam more before letting them climb again.

--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk