Kevin Markland wrote:
As an
aside are there any must haves that are vastly better when eaten fresh from
the garden? We only have a small plot about 30 feet by 15 feet so it has to
work quite hard.

We've been very successful with courgettes/marrows over the
past couple of years (cheaper and sweeter than in the shops)
and we're going to try a couple of the more unusual squashes
this time. (Anyone know whether the growing season in
Glasgow would be likely to be long enough for Turk's
Turban?) Runner beans, as others have mentioned, are well
worth it, very productive and easy, and (since the shops
tend to go for size rather than tenderness), much tastier
and cheaper. And we've just set a couple of artichokes
going, so soon we should be able to eat those.

Last night we ate a wonderfully sweet parsnip and a cabbage
with our roast. Growing a small variety of cabbage (we used
Minicole F1) close together really works, as you get just
the right amount for one meal on one head (again, the shops
go for size rather than taste, and you end up using the same
cabbage for six meals). And the parsnip... well, there's a
bit of a story behind the parsnip.

It's the only one we had. We actually sowed them *last*
year, along with some carrots. We spent ages preparing the
soil, sifting the (large number of) stones out and adding
sand. Only a few came up, and eventually they all died. I
blame the rain; I think they got waterlogged (we have very
clayey soil, and it was a very wet year). We decided
carrots and parsnips were not the way to go. This year we
were surprised to see a baby parsnip making its way through
the broad beans we'd planted in the same bed (I don't
recommend broads in a small garden, by the way; they didn't
produce that well and all got rust). We decided to leave it
and see what became of it. The leaves got huge. When I
finally dug it up last night (and it took a garden fork to
do it), it was huge (about 3" across the top and about a
foot and a half long) and had three major legs and several
minor ones. And it tasted wonderful.

Rhiannon

snip

And it tasted wonderful.

I hate you.

I can't grow decent parsnips but I know just how fantastic they can be, my
daughter in wet, windy west Wales grows them beautifully.

I hate her too ...

sulk

Mary

Rhiannon

The message
from Rhiannon Macfie Miller contains these words:


We've been very successful with courgettes/marrows over the
past couple of years (cheaper and sweeter than in the shops)
and we're going to try a couple of the more unusual squashes
this time. (Anyone know whether the growing season in
Glasgow would be likely to be long enough for Turk's
Turban?)

Although courgettes/marrows are easy, in 30 years I've never succeeded
with ripening squashes inandaround Glasgow; and I've tried lots, from
ornamental gourds to butternut squash and pumpkins. I suspect it's due
to the relatively low light levels, and lack of sun-baking, as well as
the cool temperature in autumn. If they form fruit at all they are
stunted and don't ripen.

Some years, like this one, you can get away with sweetcorn in west
Scotland (buy a variety bred for northern short-season climates; start
them in pots under cover) which are well worth the effort. Home-grown
cauliflowers are easy and good, the little tennis-ball sized varieties
are particularly tasty.

Janet.

Mary Fisher wrote:
snip

And it tasted wonderful.


I hate you.

I can't grow decent parsnips but I know just how fantastic they can be, my
daughter in wet, windy west Wales grows them beautifully.

I hate her too ...

Let's just get this in a bit of perspective here. I have
not managed to grow decent parsnips. I have managed to grow
*a* decent parsnip. Out of a packet of about 300. The year
after I sowed the seed.

Rhiannon, wondering whether any further parsnips will appear
next year.

Janet Baraclough wrote:

Although courgettes/marrows are easy, in 30 years I've never succeeded
with ripening squashes inandaround Glasgow; and I've tried lots, from
ornamental gourds to butternut squash and pumpkins. I suspect it's due
to the relatively low light levels, and lack of sun-baking, as well as
the cool temperature in autumn. If they form fruit at all they are
stunted and don't ripen.

We managed to get some decent vegetable spaghetti this year.
Small, yes, but very tasty. I don't know about ripening,
we just brought them indoors and left them lying around in
the kitchen for a few days...

Some years, like this one, you can get away with sweetcorn in west
Scotland (buy a variety bred for northern short-season climates; start
them in pots under cover) which are well worth the effort.

Mmm, sweetcorn... I suspect my little patch is a bit small
for that though.

Home-grown
cauliflowers are easy and good, the little tennis-ball sized varieties
are particularly tasty.

Yes, we grew cauliflowers last year, which was a bit of a
surprise as we were expecting them to be cabbages (seedlings
donated by a friend). Or rather, we were expecting them to
be Brussels sprouts, and the Brussels sprouts were supposed
to be cabbages...

Rhiannon

Following up to Mary Fisher

And it tasted wonderful.

I hate you.

I can't grow decent parsnips but I know just how fantastic they can be, my
daughter in wet, windy west Wales grows them beautifully.

I hate her too ...

Such is life, I can grow good parsnips but not carrots on the
allotment. Carrots grow well in the back garden. Don't know why.
--
Mike Reid
"Art is the lie that reveals the truth" P.Picasso
UK walking & photos "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" -- you can email us@ this site
Spain,cuisines and walking "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" -- dontuse@ all, it's a spamtrap

"Rhiannon Macfie Miller" wrote in message
...

Mmm, sweetcorn... I suspect my little patch is a bit small
for that though.

No it isn't!
We have a small patch just behind one of the greenhouses which is just eight
feet by 3 feet. It is protected from the wind but gets oodles of sunlight.
We grew just twelve sweetcorn plants on that patch - stuck 'em in two rows
of six and forgot 'em.
They were Marshall's Supersweet. We had eighteen cobs which were taken
straight from the plants to the steamer whenever we fancied some.
The flavour was divine - and all the better because it was an occasional
treat!

Let's just get this in a bit of perspective here. I have
not managed to grow decent parsnips. I have managed to grow
*a* decent parsnip. Out of a packet of about 300. The year
after I sowed the seed.

That's better than I've done :-(((((

Rhiannon, wondering whether any further parsnips will appear
next year.

If you do, I don't mind taking them off your hands ... go halves perhaps?

I pay a good price ...

Mary

"Sue da Nimm" . wrote in message
...

"Rhiannon Macfie Miller" wrote in message
...

Mmm, sweetcorn... I suspect my little patch is a bit small
for that though.

No it isn't!
We have a small patch just behind one of the greenhouses which is just
eight
feet by 3 feet.

That's a huge patch! Well, compared with my two 3' x 4' ones and a couple of
smaller plots.

Mary