F1 hybrids are actually undesireable. * You get all your stuff at the
same time instead of a spread.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Harry
Your talking a load of Bullsh...
F1 has nothiong to do with cropping all at once. I have yet to see F1
cucumbers, marrows, tomatoes, etc all cropping together.
Peas have been breed to crop all at the same time for mechanical
harvesting, but garden varieties still crop over several weeks

A friend brought me a packet of 'Apple cucumber' seeds a couple of years ago from the Malvern show, it had 10 seeds and cost £1.50. the cucumbers, about the size and shape of a small lemon were delicious and the seeds did 2 years.

On Jun 5, 9:28*am, Dave Hill wrote:
F1 hybrids are actually undesireable. * You get all your stuff at the
same time instead of a spread.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Harry
Your talking a load of Bullsh...
F1 has nothiong to do with cropping all at once. I have yet to see F1
cucumbers, marrows, tomatoes, etc all cropping together.
Peas have been breed to crop all at the same time for mechanical
harvesting, but garden varieties still crop over several weeks

The range of time you get is much less, they all start cropping at the
same time and finish at the same time.
There is no point toF1 hybrid seeds. What are their benefits?
Only to the sellers that charge stupid prices for them.
You can't even save seed.

On Jun 5, 11:35*am, Granity
wrote:
I opened a packet of T & M seeds today, Cucino cucumber which
admittedly
F1 hybrids were still not cheaper than any other of their packets.
There were FOUR seeds inside!
I mean to say *how miserly is that? Let's hope they ALL germinate

Janet

A friend brought me a packet of 'Apple cucumber' seeds a couple of years
ago from the Malvern show, it had 10 seeds and cost 1.50. the
cucumbers, about the size and shape of a small lemon were delicious and
the seeds did 2 years.

--
Granity

What is the point of a lemon shaped cucumber? None that I can think
of.
A standard cucumber is the perfect practical shape.
Pointless paying money for novelty or for F1 hybrid with all the non-
advantages.
They are just out to con.

A standard cucumber is the perfect practical shape.

Depends what you want to do with it, and I'm sure that some people
here could tell you.
The advantage of small egg size cucumbers it that 1 is enough for a
meal so next time you have another fresh one, not still trying to use
up a cue that may be several days old.
Incidentaly most of the "Egg" cucxumbers are not E! and so seed of
them is not expensive.

In article , Sacha
writes
Oh, for goodness sakes, Harry, just stop it. You're the most
depressing person possible and you give such awful 'advice'! If it
isn't everything's rubbish and everyone's out to con us, it's slash,
burn, pull up and eradicate half the plants mentioned on here. Isn't
there a special group for curmudgeonly miseries that you'd enjoy more
than one where people actually like plants, gardens and planting?
--
Sacha


Yes I am trying the crystal apple cucumber as well. I just enjoying
trying new varieties because you never know what you might find.
Sometimes they are worse than those you normally try sometimes they are
infinitely under the conditions YOU have in your own garden. Everyone's
different as is every year's weather and every gardening situation so if
we all just grew the same some might benefit but others would have
serious failures either in taste or growing results!

The crystal apple cucumbers my friend grew were really lovely as she
likes a blander cucumber to me as do her children.

I wasn't implying T & M were out to con just that in that case i thought
the fact that there were only four seeds inside the packet ought to have
been displayed on the packet so i could have opted for a different
variety when i bought in the nursery/GC

Do rather agree with Sacha (above) AND you have to make pretty sure if
you are saving your own seeds that they haven't cross pollinated with
another nearby crop that maybe you wouldn't like!


Each to their own - bio diversity and all that.

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

On Jun 5, 6:11*pm, Sacha wrote:
On 2011-06-05 17:47:28 +0100, harry said:





On Jun 5, 9:28*am, Dave Hill wrote:
F1 hybrids are actually undesireable. * You get all your stuff at the
same time instead of a spread.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Harry
Your talking a load of Bullsh...
F1 has nothiong to do with cropping all at once. I have yet to see F1
cucumbers, marrows, tomatoes, etc all cropping together.
Peas have been breed to crop all at the same time for mechanical
harvesting, but garden varieties still crop over several weeks

The range of time you get is much less, they all start cropping at the
same time and finish at the same time.
There is no point toF1 hybrid seeds. What are their benefits?
Only to the sellers that charge stupid prices for them.
You can't even save seed.

Oh, for goodness sakes, Harry, just stop it. *You're the most
depressing person possible and you give such awful 'advice'! *If it
isn't everything's rubbish and everyone's out to con us, it's slash,
burn, pull up and eradicate half the plants mentioned on here. *Isn't
there a special group for curmudgeonly miseries that you'd enjoy more
than one where people actually like plants, gardens and planting?
--
Sachawww.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I don't get fooled by sales drivel. My advice is sound. Innovation is
only of benefit in the field of vegetable growing if there is an
actual imoprovement or advantage. F1 has none of these. Same with
weird shapes and colours of say gourds.
They just produce this crap sothe can charge you more.

Tell me of the advantage if you know it.

On Jun 5, 6:32*pm, Janet wrote:
In article 29be0133-e1a4-4f88-84fd-
, says...







On Jun 5, 9:28*am, Dave Hill wrote:
F1 hybrids are actually undesireable. * You get all your stuff at the
same time instead of a spread.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Harry
Your talking a load of Bullsh...
F1 has nothiong to do with cropping all at once. I have yet to see F1
cucumbers, marrows, tomatoes, etc all cropping together.
Peas have been breed to crop all at the same time for mechanical
harvesting, but garden varieties still crop over several weeks

The range of time you get is much less, they all start cropping at the
same time and finish at the same time.

* No more than any annual seeds which are all sown at the same time.
That's why gardeners plant annual crops in succession, to harvest in
succession.

* Janet.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

More fiction. The later planted stuff usually catches up with the
early stuff unless it's very fast growing stuff such as lettuce. Or
you get special varieties eg potatos.
But freezer rules OK!

My experience with T & M trumps that. One windy day I was standing outside to plant my F1 Brussel Sprouts, and I know they are mean with the seeds, so determined not to loose any I carefully raised the packet to empty into my hand, then raised it a bit more, and a bit more - guess what - there were NONE inside AT ALL :-) I would have complained as I think even then they were over a couple of pounds, but somehow I just couldn't be bothered to waste the time

On Jun 7, 10:01*am, Sacha wrote:
On 2011-06-06 12:38:13 +0100, Janet Tweedy said:





In article , Sacha writes
Oh, for goodness sakes, Harry, just stop it. *You're the most
depressing person possible and you give such awful 'advice'! *If it
isn't everything's rubbish and everyone's out to con us, it's slash,
burn, pull up and eradicate half the plants mentioned on here. *Isn't
there a special group for curmudgeonly miseries that you'd enjoy more
than one where people actually like plants, gardens and planting?
--
Sacha

Yes I am trying the crystal apple cucumber as well. I just enjoying
trying new varieties because you never know what you might find.
Sometimes they are worse than those you normally try sometimes they are
infinitely under the conditions YOU have in your own garden. Everyone's
different as is every year's weather and every gardening situation so
if we all just grew the same some might benefit but others would have
serious failures either in taste or growing results!

The crystal apple cucumbers my friend grew were really lovely as she
likes a blander cucumber to me as do her children.

I wasn't implying T & M were out to con just that in that case i
thought the fact that there were only four seeds inside the packet
ought to have been displayed on the packet so i could have opted for a
different variety when i bought in the nursery/GC

Do rather agree with Sacha (above) AND you have to make pretty sure if
you are saving your own seeds that they haven't cross pollinated with
another nearby crop that maybe you wouldn't like!

Each to their own - bio diversity and all that.

Janet

Well, it's a good job we haven't followed the Carol Klein route with
regard to lawns! Some of our ferns are looking really frizzled at the
edges. *There was a lovely letter in the DT yesterday about the
monoculture thing, saying that the writer's lawn was a great mix of
daisies, clover, plantain and buttercups, plus other things he couldn't
name!
--
Sachawww.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I cut our lawns/ hayfield for the first time over the weekend. A good
blend of Lady's smock, Buttercup up to 2.5ft, Sorrel up to 3ft, mouse
eared chickweed, a few plantain, a few Ragwort as well as a few other
odds and sods that go to make up a good blend.
It was a mass of Lady's Smoch a few weeks ago so wasn't allowed to cut
it.

On Tue, 7 Jun 2011 04:21:12 -0700 (PDT), Dave Hill
wrote:

On Jun 7, 10:01*am, Sacha wrote:
On 2011-06-06 12:38:13 +0100, Janet Tweedy said:





In article , Sacha writes
Oh, for goodness sakes, Harry, just stop it. *You're the most
depressing person possible and you give such awful 'advice'! *If it
isn't everything's rubbish and everyone's out to con us, it's slash,
burn, pull up and eradicate half the plants mentioned on here. *Isn't
there a special group for curmudgeonly miseries that you'd enjoy more
than one where people actually like plants, gardens and planting?
--
Sacha

Yes I am trying the crystal apple cucumber as well. I just enjoying
trying new varieties because you never know what you might find.
Sometimes they are worse than those you normally try sometimes they are
infinitely under the conditions YOU have in your own garden. Everyone's
different as is every year's weather and every gardening situation so
if we all just grew the same some might benefit but others would have
serious failures either in taste or growing results!

The crystal apple cucumbers my friend grew were really lovely as she
likes a blander cucumber to me as do her children.

I wasn't implying T & M were out to con just that in that case i
thought the fact that there were only four seeds inside the packet
ought to have been displayed on the packet so i could have opted for a
different variety when i bought in the nursery/GC

Do rather agree with Sacha (above) AND you have to make pretty sure if
you are saving your own seeds that they haven't cross pollinated with
another nearby crop that maybe you wouldn't like!

Each to their own - bio diversity and all that.

Janet

Well, it's a good job we haven't followed the Carol Klein route with
regard to lawns! Some of our ferns are looking really frizzled at the
edges. *There was a lovely letter in the DT yesterday about the
monoculture thing, saying that the writer's lawn was a great mix of
daisies, clover, plantain and buttercups, plus other things he couldn't
name!
--
Sachawww.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I cut our lawns/ hayfield for the first time over the weekend. A good
blend of Lady's smock, Buttercup up to 2.5ft, Sorrel up to 3ft, mouse
eared chickweed, a few plantain, a few Ragwort as well as a few other
odds and sods that go to make up a good blend.
It was a mass of Lady's Smoch a few weeks ago so wasn't allowed to cut
it.

I like Lady's smock (if we can't have cuckoos any more, at least we
can keep the cuckoo flower); but ragwort? I don't think we should
encourage that. It's unlikely to remain "a few" for long. I used to
exhaust myself pulling it up by the roots when I had a little land,
but the effort was a civic duty.

--
Mike.

On Tue, 7 Jun 2011 11:03:43 -0700 (PDT), Dave Hill
wrote:

On Jun 7, 6:20*pm, Mike Lyle wrote:
On Tue, 7 Jun 2011 04:21:12 -0700 (PDT), Dave Hill





wrote:
[...]

I cut our lawns/ hayfield for the first time over the weekend. A good
blend of Lady's smock, Buttercup up to 2.5ft, Sorrel up to 3ft, mouse
eared chickweed, a few plantain, a few Ragwort as well as a few other
odds and sods that go to make up a good blend.
It was a mass of Lady's Smoch a few weeks ago so wasn't allowed to cut
it.

I like Lady's smock (if we can't have cuckoos any more, at least we
can keep the cuckoo flower); but ragwort? I don't think we should
encourage that. It's unlikely to remain "a few" for long. I used to
exhaust myself pulling it up by the roots when I had a little land,
but the effort was a civic duty.

--
Mike.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

You do need a few ragwort if you want to provide for the Cinnabar moth
and it's offspring.http://www.bugsandweeds.co.uk/moths%20p2.html (You
have to scroll down to find the Cinnabar moth)
I've seen then strip a ragwort to bare stems ib less than 2 days.

Now you mention it, I've been told that befo twenty years back,
walking through another hobby smallholder's fields, I said something
like "Oops! Ragwort!" He pleaded moth with great confidence, and as I
like moths, I declared him not guilty.

--
Mike.

Granity wrote:
I opened a packet of T & M seeds today, Cucino cucumber which
admittedly
F1 hybrids were still not cheaper than any other of their packets.
There were FOUR seeds inside!
I mean to say *how miserly is that? Let's hope they ALL germinate

A friend brought me a packet of 'Apple cucumber' seeds a couple of years
ago from the Malvern show, it had 10 seeds and cost ?1.50. the
cucumbers, about the size and shape of a small lemon were delicious and
the seeds did 2 years.

I bought a packet of 'white' cucumbers last year, which actually came free
with my plants (unsure why, must have been a special offer I didn't notice)
- think there were 8 seeds, but it didn't matter, the fruit were horrible.
:-(

On Fri, 3 Jun 2011 12:19:02 +0100, Janet Tweedy
wrote:

I opened a packet of T & M seeds today, Cucino cucumber which admittedly
F1 hybrids were still not cheaper than any other of their packets.
There were FOUR seeds inside!
I mean to say how miserly is that? Let's hope they ALL germinate

Janet


Having seen your post - I thought I would try them as I have some spare room in
my greenhouse.


I got 5 seeds - so I guess some must get 3 to keep the average at 4 !!

On Wed, 8 Jun 2011 08:14:08 -0700 (PDT), "
wrote:

snip


Surely there is also a civic duty to preserve the environment too.
Ragwort is not the rogue it is made out to be.
It is one of the most valuable plants ecologically

So ,much so that Buglife, a major conservation organisation, has a
page on it here
http://www.buglife.org.uk/conservati...Action/Ragwort


They claim that:
"At least 30 insect species (and 14 fungi species) are entirely reliant on
Ragwort, and about a third of the insects are scarce or rare."


Unfortunately they don't list them so impossible for me to check easily the
veracity of that claim. Perhaps that was the intent.