I will/I won't grow that again
Dovefromabove
Posts: 88,113
I've grown some old favourites and some new varieties this year - some have been successful, and some less so.
Runner Beans - I grew Wisley Magic for the second year running - last year they did well in an atrocious season. This year, after a slow start they're cropping amazingly well - prolific trusses of long straight flat beans - really show quality, virtually stringless and with a fantastic proper runner bean flavour. I will be growing these again next year.
Courgettes - Last year I grew Parador yellow courgettes and had a really good crop, again in an awful summer. I couldn't get the seeds this year so have grown Soleil, but have been disappointed. Lovely looking plants, no mildew to speak of, but a poor crop really. I shall be searching out Parador for next year.
Broad Beans - I planted Aquadulce Claudia direct into the veg patch last October - they grew well and stood up to about 2 ft of snow for over 2 months. We had a really good crop of tasty beans in early June. I've ordered some more seeds.
Swiss Chard - This summer I've been growing Lucullus - fantastic! Much bigger and better plants and more tender and tastier than the ruby chard I've grown in the past. I've sown some more for autumn/spring picking and have ordered more seed for next year.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
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Won't bother with Ailsa Craig tomatoes (tasteless and mushy) - but will do Marmande again
Cheers Verd
I've grown three Chilli Apache plants bought as tinies from GC - growing outside in pots on the terrace they're producing like mad and what a well-flavoured chilli - really impressed. Never grown any chillis successfuly before.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Mixed bag this year. Marmande toms always deliver and will grow a few next season mainly outside. Tried Harbinger under glass this year but unimpressed with taste, also Yellow Brandywine which ARE tastey but have never produced a decent crop for me. Love 'black' varieties and grew Carbon again and continue to be impressed. Good few mediocre croppings in containers, esp Numex chilli, which I blame on cheap compost error (I will splash out next time). Outside, a dwarf variety of Borlotti beans my biggest waste of time/effort, and don't really know why. Annoying!
I as talking about this with the much beloveds dad, Spud went mad this year, Maris piper, and they where tasty! peas did really well, Bingo, Sunflowers where huge, we had 5 or 6 bees sleeping on them overnight while they were in flower, marigolds and nastusiums also did really well.
We where disappointed with the corn but better than last year! and I have one lonely little butternut squash which I will savour when it's ripe. The garlic was really small but I suspect that was more down to operator error than natural influence
Will grow Sungold tomatoes next year, love the sweet flavour and they cracked less than Gardener's Delight. Will grow mangetout peas again, they were great. Beetroot, Detroit, were a total failure. Don't grow brassicas any more, from this year, they never work. Think my topsoil is too thin, limestone rock underneath. The pink flowered Toscana strawberries were very pretty but the flavour wasn't a patch on the white flowered ones and they were sharp.
Will grow Cosmos next year as Verdun explained what to do to make them bushy. Will grow more annuals from seed and buy fewer plug plants, especially as OH has given me a new cold frame which is just outside the kitchen, near a power point.
Won't ever grow chillis, don't like them, neither the flavour, nor the heat. Can't see what the fuss is about. Apparently there are chilli festivals in the UK, can't see that happening in France.
My tomatoes are finally doing very well indeed. Bumper crop but they're taking forever to ripen (although its now 50/50 ripe/unripe). Most varieties i'm very happy with (names escaping me just now though) but one I won't be bothering with again are Roma's. Very disappointing, watery and tasteless. They offer a lot of promise when they're all read and shiny but in reality a thumbs down from me.
Grew sweet peppers for the first time and they were great, so definately on for next year. Also grew cerinthe and they were lovely too - adored by bees. My chocolate cosmos eventually became a stunning plant so I hope I can keep it over winter under a blanket of straw!
Have already stopped growing Jerusalem artichokes for reasons of wind.
Was sent some free seed potatoes from Fothergills called Blue Belle and I've never know a spud be so prolific. From about 20 seed tubers I ended up with three wheelbarrows full of the most beautiful large shiny clean spuds. It's a maincrop and I don't normally bother with maincrop in order to avoid blight but as they were free I gave then a go and with it being so dry and sunny this year the maincrop spuds have been great. I'll be ordering some more for next year and will hope for a similar summer. Second earlies were good too (Vivaldi) great taste and will be re-ordering for next year, can't understand why they are not more well known.
Always have success with celery (Tango) so will be sowing them again next year. Other than that I like to try new things so I'll be experimenting again next year, part of the fun innit?