In My Seed Box For 2021 - Cabbages & Spring Greens

 

In the past I have tried to find different varieties that had different sow grow and harvest times so that I could try grow and harvest for as long as possible. Plans for 2020 didn't pan out due to shielding my wife against Covid-19 so lets try and make the magic happen in 2021. Cabbage Seeds if kept in ideal conditions last 4 - 7 years. 

Unopened Packs 

Cabbage Ball                          - Mr Fothergill's              - 500 Seeds - £1-65 - Sow By 2018
Winter Jewel F1                      - Thompson & Morgan  -  40 Seeds - £2-99 - Sow By 12/2018
Golden Acre/ Primo (II)          - Mr Fothergill's              - 500 Seeds - £1-65 - Sow By 2018
Spring Greens Greensleeves  - Mr Fothergill's            -   50 Seeds - £3-25 - Sow By 2019
Dutchman F1 Heart                - Mr Fothergill's             -   30 Seeds - £3-25 - Sow By 2019
Savoy King F1                        - Mr Fothergill's             -   50 Seeds  - £3-25 - Sow By 2019
Greyhound                             - Thompson & Morgan  -  200 Seeds - £1-49 - Sow By 12/2019

Opened Zippy Bags

Durham Early                        - Premier Seeds Direct   -   3grms     - Sow By 2020

Tundra F1                              - Marshalls                     - 100 Seeds - Sow By 09/2019
Primo 2                                  - Marshalls                     - 500 Seeds - Sow By 09/2018


To be grown in 2021

Going through my extensive cabbage seed collection and looking for something that looks like it may provide the Spring Greens that SWMBO loves, I finally had a search and found a couple of varieties that are sold as Spring Greens. I purchased a pack of Spring Green Seeds - Greensleeves from Marshalls for £1.99 incl. P&P

SOW OUTDOORS: April-May or July-August. Sow thinly ½in (1cm) deep in a seed bed or clean module trays of firm pre watered compost. Keep soil moist at all times.

PLANT OUT: 6in (15cm) apart, in rows 12in (30cm) apart when plant has 3-4 true leaves.

HARVEST: October-November or April-May

Protect from Cabbage White Butterfly with netting.

Looking at the sowing instructions in particular the spacing and rows, I thought about the planting membrane sheets that I already have and decided to create a new one specifically for the Spring Greens in 2020

So the idea is to give a 300mm exclusion zone around the perimeter so that hopefully it keeps the spring greens away from the netted hoops that will go over the bed. working on the basis of 150mm centres and 300mm between rows, I decided to stagger alternate rows so there is a little more space between plants but they are still dense enough to assist in growing as spring greens.   

I've also bought a pack of Cabbage Durham Early Spring Green Seeds for £1.39 incl. P&P from Premier Seeds Direct for an Autumn sowing.

This variety is a well-known and very reliable compact spring cabbage producing dark green pointed firm heads of medium size, good flavour and texture. Suited for high density growing for spring greens harvesting from Feb onwards and Apr for fully mature heads. Autumn sowing variety.

Cultivation Advice Cabbage Durham Early Spring Greens

• Sow between Mid-July and Sep thinly in trays or directly to seed drills using 2-3 seeds every 12 in.
• Planting depth 1/8 inch. When seedlings are 1 inch tall thin to one plant every 12-18 inches or plant out tray seedlings to growing location.
• Best sown / located in full sun where no cabbage was grown the year before.
• Keep weed free and protect against pests, especially pigeons over-winter.
• Harvest alternative plants from Feb as spring greens and mature heads from early Apr.

The Greensleeves Spring Green seeds are the right candidates for trying again in my AGRALAN Compact Plug Plant Trainer.

In My Seed Box For 2021 - Index

Six Inch Layer Of Topsoil

 

In My Seed Box For 2021 - Broccoli

 

Broccoli belongs to the cruciferous vegetable family, which includes kale, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, cabbage, collard greens, rutabaga, and turnips. ... If you are trying to eat healthier, cruciferous vegetables like broccoli should be at the very top of your grocery 

That being said I've had a somewhat chequered history growing Broccoli as it you take your eye off it for a moment and it's a dry warm summer it bolts. For that reason and the lack of space I have favoured other vegetables over the last few years so what I have in my Seed Box is little and old. The average life of Broccoli seed is 5-8 years if kept in favourable conditions  

Zippy Bags (Opened Packs)

Autumn Calabrese - Unwins - Best before 2015 in a Zippy bag 
Stromboli F1          - Suttons - Best before 06/2016 in an unopened packet 

Unopened Packs 

Autumn Calabrese - Seeds 100 - £         - Grow Your Own Magazine -  Sow By 2021

New! Purple Rain   - Seeds   40 - £ 2.99 - Mr Fothergill's - Sow By 12/2024  

New! Broccoli (Sprouting) Purple Rain F1 - Normally I grow the more traditional varieties of Broccoli and we love to have it with a Sunday or any other day roast dinner. I don't normally have problems growing broccoli, I do however sometimes have trouble catching it at the right time to harvest, especially being a carer and not being able to get down the the allotment as frequently as I would like. 

According to the web site this variety is "extremely productive, it will continue to produce fresh young, deeply coloured spears for weeks on end which taste tender. Plants have good heat tolerance and are slow to bolt", which if 2021 is anything like the last couple of years will be useful. 

Sowing/Planting and Flowering/Harvesting Guide

JAN	FEB	MAR	APR	MAY	JUN	JUL	AUG	SEP	OCT	NOV	DEC

---

Key       Sow Indoors       Sow/Plant Outside       Flowers/Harvest

Sow indoors: January-March, 1.5cm(1/2") deep in pots or trays of seed compost. Keep moist and warm. Transplant to final position when approx. 10cm(4") tall. Gradually accustom young plants to outside conditions (avoid frosts) before planting out 60cm(24") apart.

Harvest: July-November. Pick the young shoots regularly to be sure of getting the best flavour and to encourage further cropping.

Growing in 2021 

  
As I have additional space on Plot 1 I will be growing Broccoli again this year.  I will see what germination rate I get from the two packs dates 2015 & 2016 first and if not good I will use the two unopened packs of seeds.  I may even grow all four varieties.  

Autumn Calabrese 

Sow Indoors          - March - June 
Sow Outdoors       - April - June 
Harvest                 - July October

• Outstanding Summer/Autumn variety
• Smooth, domed, heads with medium beads 
• Plenty of sideshoot production once central head is cut

Germination: 5 - 10 Days 
Plant Height: 450mm
Prefered Position: Full Sun

Sowing Instructions

Sow thinly in a well-prepared seed bed from April to June at a depth of 13mm in rows 300mm apart. Alternatively sow in pots or a seed tray of good seed compost and cover with 6mm of compost or vermiculite at a minimum of 15C until germination that takes around 7 days. 

Growing Instructions 

Thin seeds to 100mm apart when large enough to handle. Transplant to their final positions around 5 weeks later when the seedlings have four or five leaves at a distance of 500mm apart, and cover with a protective netting or fleece. For indoor sowings, at first leaf stage , prick out into individual cell trays or 75mm pots.

UPDATE Dec 2020

New Broccoli Purple Rain - Dobies - 20 Seeds - Cost £2.99

New Broccoli Gemini F1 - Dobies - 25 Seeds - Cost £2.99

In My Seed Box For 2021 - Index

Stuff That Gets In The Way!

Kelly moved back into the house yesterday after house sitting for her sister, so that meant I could be up early and on the plot as I have a lot too do. Yes It's stuff that gets in the way of me getting the infrastructure moved forward but it's necessary.

The "stuff" in question is cleaning and sorting out the shed. I took it upon myself to repaint the right side of the shed and return around the corners as one of the objectives was to get the extension fixed back on the side of the shed. 

The back of the shed had never actually been painted and as it was always under the canopy of trees and ivy it has not weathered so now exposed it will need a couple of coats of paint. 

I then got into emptying the contents of the shed and sorting through them to see what could be thrown and what needed to be sorted out. I came to the conclusion that rather than have two shed filled with a similar mix of items that I would organise a little better. I also needed to clear the plot 1 shed, racking so that I had somewhere to store the Winter Squash. 

So now all the weed killer and slug pellets etc. all live in the plot 1A shed and my racking system was free for Winter Squash. I took a number of each variety home to try, and for my daughter Emma. 

What's on the rack in the photo is what's left. I have no idea where I will put the Butternut Squash when I harvest them, which will need to be soon as the temperatures are dropping and we have talk of first frost and perhaps even snow coming soon. 

I did quite well on the Thompson & Morgan Winter Squash front, I thought the baked potato variety were a little light but then I found three more hiding under the foliage after I took this photo. In total I harvested 16 Baked and 18 mashed from four plants. so that works out at 4 to 5 per plant, which is what it says on the pack. There were a few very small additional ones but something had already been in there and started eating them, as if they knew they were too small to survive or be useful the to human that looks after the plots. 

I'm really looking forward to finding out how these taste, I have half the pack of seeds of each left for the 2021 season. I love the fact that the bush up and stay more or less where you plant them and unlike the Waltham Butternut Squash, they don't want to invade the surrounding beds, paths and even try and escape onto the boundary path and into my neighbours plot!

Did They Or Didn't They?

Manage to get the fencing up on Friday and clear the debris in the drop-off and pick-up area? We are not allowed to call it a "car park" says the Liberal council otherwise all allotment sites will want one. 

It started to rain as I drove to the allotment, I went around the block of flats and saw that the fence in all its glory was up. A couple of photos and back in the car to the drop-off and pick-up area. The grab lorry ad been and it was left in a tidy condition. 

There is some debris in the comfrey bed to deal with but all in all it does not look like too bad a job, and at least now I know the wall isn't going to flatten the shed I can sort it out and finally re roof it, but that's a job for another day. 

In My Seed Box For 2021 - Beetroots

 

Note to self - In 2018 I made a note to myself not to buy anymore Beetroot seeds in the Wyevale sale for the next two years, you don't need them, or at least if you do then don't buy so many packs, be selective just go for the Boltardy unless you happen upon different coloured say yellow beetroots! and make sure they have a Sow by date of at least 2021.

in 2018 at 10p a pack from Poundland I could not resist and bought 2 packs of Globe 2 (100 seeds per pack). I also could not resist a couple of cheap packs from Wilko at 25p a pack and then when they dropped to 10p a pack, well it would be rude not to buy a few more now wouldn't it?

In 2019 there was no Wyevale 50p Sale as they have been bought out by another company and I didn't get anything from Wilko which means no more packs of seeds?  Due to my leg injury in 2019 I had help sowing 105 directly into a bed, the variety was in date but very few germinated and even less actually grew, and those that did I let get too large and woody and they ended up as compost fodder.

In 2020 the allotment didn't happen and I spent 5 months shielding my wife against Covid-19, come the 2nd wave I will be getting exercise and some much needed mental therapy on the plot as being on the plot is no different than being in the back garden as long as you sanitise your hands once you have touched the padlock and gate or the taps.   

In 2021 back to starting them off in modules or plug plants and successive sowings so that I can pickle in small batches.   

Review Of Seed Stocks in Zippy Bags

No seeds at the start of 2020

Pre 2020 Seeds 

As I have far too many packs of beetroot seeds and a good number only a year past their best sow by date I'm going to offer my 2018 - 2019 Seeds to the new plot holders on the allotment. 

The reality is that there is only a 2-3 year life expectancy on the backs of the packs, as the germination rates will gradually decline with age, but the reality is that Beetroot seeds kept in good storage can last anything from 6 -10 years.   

Review Of Seed Stocks in Packets Sow By 2020

Boltardy                   - 275  Seeds - £1.50 -  Johnsons                   - Sow By 10/2020

Detroit 2                  -  300  Seeds - £2.29 - Thompson & Morgan - Sow By 2020

Globe 2                    - 200  Seeds - £0-20 - Carters                       - Sow By 2020

Globe 2                    - 200  Seeds - £0-20 - Carters                       - Sow By 2020

Moneta                    - 150  Seeds - £2.99 - Thompson & Morgan - Sow By 2020

Red Ace F1             - 150  Seeds - £2.69 - Thompson & Morgan - Sow By 12/2020

Review Of Seed Stocks in Packets Sow By 2021

Cylindra                  -  150  Seeds - £0.25 - Wilko  - Sow By 2021

Cylindra                  -  150  Seeds - £0.25 - Wilko  - Sow By 2021 

Cylindra                  -  150  Seeds - £0.25 - Wilko  - Sow By 2021

Cylindra                  -  150  Seeds - £0.25 - Wilko  - Sow By 2021

Cylindra                  -  150  Seeds - £0.25 - Wilko  - Sow By 2021

Cylindra                  -  150  Seeds - £0.25 - Wilko  - Sow By 2021

Moneta                   -    15  Seeds - GYO mag - T&M National Trust - Sow by 09/2021

A couple of packs bought at 25p and 4 more picked up when 10p pack in the sale 

Review Of Seed Stocks in Packets Sow By 2022

Boltardy                   - Not stated - Price B - B&Q Verve - Sow By 2022

Boltardy                   - Not stated - Price B - B&Q Verve - Sow By 2022

Boltardy                   -  275 Seeds - £1.30 - Kings Seeds - Sow By 2022 - Kitchen Garden Mag

Sugar Salad Mix      -  170 Seeds - £2.99 - Marshalls - Sow By 2022

Sugar Salad Mix      -  170 Seeds - £2.99 - Marshalls - Sow By 2022

Review Of Seed Stocks in Packets Sow By 2023

Kornett                    - 150 Seeds - £2.15 - Mr Fothergill's - Sow By 2023                  

Alphabetical Listing of all the varieties that I have grown in the last few years. 

                                       Sowing            Harvest

Action F1                       Mar - Jul            Jun - Oct

Alto F1                           Mar - Jul            Jun - Oct

Bettollo F1                      Mar - Jul            Jun - Oct

Boltardy                          Mar - Jul            Jun - Oct

Cardeal F1                     Mar - Jul            Jun - Oct

Cylindra                          Apr - Jul             Jul - Oct

Detroit 2                         Apr - Jul             Jun - Oct         

Detroit 6 Rubidus           Mar - Jul            Jun - Oct

Globe 2                          Apr - Jul             Jul - Oct

Kestrel                            Mar - Jul            Jun - Oct     

Kornet                             Apr - Jul             Jul - Oct

Moneta                           Mar - Jul            Jul - Oct

Pablo F1                         Apr - Jul            Jun - Onwards        

Perfect 3                         Apr - Jul            Jun - Oct

Red Ace F1                    Mar - Jul            Jun - Oct                   

Solo                                Mar - Jul            Jun - Oct

Wodan F1                       Apr - Jul            Jun - Onwards     

Boltardy is one of the best beetroots and a gardeners favourite. Good quality, globe shaped , dark-red, well flavoured roots up to 100mm (4") across, and the variety that I normally go for however the Wyevale 50p seed sale is responsible not only for the amount of packs I have in the seed box but also the various varieties. 

Altro is a Hybrid cylindrical beetroot that produces straight roots that stand proud above the soil, but can be earthed up keeping in good condition for longer periods, and will produce more consistent diameter slices for pickling and that is what attracted me to pack when I bought it.  This was also why I bought six packs of Cylindra from Wilko as they are only 25p a pack and were dropped to 10p a pack in the end of season sale. 

Sugar Salad Mix - Marshalls (Red, White and Orange) will be grown in the Square Foot Gardening Beds in 2021   

New! Beetroot Kornett - Mr Fothergill's but the web site says "A previous favourite which is now back!" Very productive, this dependable ‘Detroit’ type is easy to grow and versatile. Roots are sweet and firm and can be lifted as baby beets when young or left to mature. An excellent source of folate and good source of potassium. I'm going to grow these in the square foot garden beds this year. 

With no beetroots grown or pickled in 2020 due to Covid-19 and shielding my wife I'm looking at sequential sowing a third of a bed at a time with Cylindra in March, April, May, June & July so that I get smaller amounts in batches to pickle and bottle. The shape of the variety makes it ideal for pickling I just hope the taste is as good as Boltardy.

Something I have not done before but will be doing this year is harvesting the leaves for salads.     

When To Plant 

Beets are fairly frost hardy and can be planted in the garden 30 days before the frost-free date for your area. Although beets grow well during warm weather, the seedlings are established more easily under cool, moist conditions. Start successive plantings at 3 to 4 week intervals until midsummer for a continuous supply of fresh, tender, young beets. Irrigation assures germination and establishment of the later plantings.

Dates based on guidance from Garden Focused based on the last frost date for Sutton Surrey of the last week in April, suggests Beetroots are sown in the 4th week of March. BUT that is assuming sowing directly in the ground, and as I will be starting off the beetroots in the Space Saver garden or allotment greenhouse I intend to sow a couple of trays earlier in 2021 in say the 1st or 2nd week of March. I may even try some early in the ground under a cloche, it's not as if I don't have enough seeds!

Care

Frequent shallow cultivation is important because beets compete poorly with weeds, especially when small. Because beets have extremely shallow roots, hand weeding and early, frequent and shallow cultivation are the most effective methods of controlling weeds in the rows. Deep cultivation after the weeds are large damages the beet roots. Like most root crops, beets need a fertile soil (especially high in potassium) for vigorous growth. Keep your beet plants uniformly supplied with moisture for best performance.

Harvesting

Beets can be harvested whenever they grow to the desired size. About 60 days are required for beets to reach 1 1/2 inches in diameter, the size often used for cooking, pickling or canning as whole beets. Beets enlarge rapidly to 3 inches with adequate moisture and space. With most varieties, beets larger than 3 inches may become tough and fibrous. Beets may be stored in a polyethylene bag in a refrigerator for several weeks. Beets also may be stored in outdoor pits if the beets are dug before the ground freezes in the fall. Cut off the tops of the beets one inch above the roots. Beets store best at 32°F and 95 percent humidity. Do not allow them to freeze

In My Seed Box For 2021 - Index

Working On The Wall

Finally they started demolishing the wall on Wednesday this week, I did a flying visit Thursday afternoon via the flats to see if the shed had survived the deconstruction of the wall, and this is what I found;

I then went around to the Drop Off and Pick Up Area

No skip looks like they will be using a grab lorry, hopefully this will be gone before the weekend when this area gets busy. 

Views of the wall behind the shed

So they have cast the post into pockets into the retaining wall, I will give them 5-10 years before they rot and the wind takes the fence panels down again and it will become a regular maintenance item whereas if they had rebuilt in masonry it would have lasted a lot longer.

Hopefully the actual fencing will go up Friday the 9th as at the moment access into the allotment is easy as they haven't bothered to fix the temporary fencing to the masonry wall and kids could squeeze in without moving the panel.

In My Seed Box For 2021 - Beans

 

Since 2013 I have grown a number of types & varieties of Beans, but this is what I have in my seed box for 2021

Self Saved & Seed Circle - Bean Seeds last 5-8 years with good storage 

Blue Beans
Cara La Virgen de la Baneza Leon (Climbing French Bean)
Cherokee Trail of Tears (Climbing French Bean)
Crimson Flowered (Broad Bean)
Kew Blue
Major Cook's (Climbing French Bean)
Nun's Belly Button (Bush Bean)
Ryder's Blue CoCo (Climbing French Bean)
Scarlet Emperor (Runner Bean)
Vermont Cranberry (Bush Bean)

Review Of Seed Stocks in Packets

Elena (Soya Bean) - Glycine Max - 50 Seeds - Free with GYO Mag - Mr Fothergill's
Pickwick (Bush Bean)                   - 12 Seeds - £2.09 - Thompson & Morgan - Sow By Dec 2016
Scarlet (Runner Bean)                 - 50 Seeds - Free with GYO Mag - Mr Fothergill's
Stardust (Runner Bean)               - 45 Seeds - Free Trial - Marshalls - Sow By 9/2020

Update - Found 2nd Nov 2018 in a random box

White Lady - Quantity unknown but came as part of a Sarah Raven's Bumper Cropping Collection - Use by 2017 but I shall give them a go.

Growing Selection for 2021

My annual runner is normally Scarlet Emperor as they normally provide a good yield and a single panel in the wall at Mill Green Allotment provides me with ample runners for my needs but also for passing on to my sister, eldest daughter and our neighbour.

In 2018 I trialled Marshalls new Runner bean Stardust. Due to my leg injury in 2019 I never actually started off any Runner beans, however nature being nature and the fact that I didn't get around to clearing the bean bed beans self seeded and I ended up with a small crop anyway

If I can get enough beds in on Plot 1 then I will try some of the French climbing beans as well as Nun's Belly Button,  Vermont Cranberry & Pickwick on the French or Bush Bean front.

New!  French Bean (Climbing) Lazy Housewife - An exciting and well named introduction to the range! Originally introduced in 1885 Lazy Housewife is a delicious heritage climbing bean variety that has outstanding flavour. Introduced as the first bean that didn’t require destringing, this variety was quick to be given the name ‘Lazy Housewife’. The young stringless pods can be cooked whole, requiring little or no effort in preparation, or delicious shelled beans can be dried and stored when mature. Young pods have a delicious buttery taste whilst the dried beans have a creamier and heavier flavour.

In My Seed Box For 2021 - Index

The Ocean

Nature is life: Every breath you take, every drop you drink, every bite you eat — it all comes from nature. 

In My Seed Box for 2021 - Aubergine

In July I posted this on the Mind Your Peas and Cues Facebook Group 

I’ve never grown Aubergines before but I want to grow them next year for a friend who makes Chutney and sells it for charity. I’m in the South East of England and I’m looking for varieties that I can grow outside in a 2.4m x 1.2m bed and NOT in a greenhouse.

I’m looking for variety recommendations that will work well outside in the open.

There are many varieties out there being sold by UK seed companies and so far from my limited research on prices we are looking at prices ranges like 8 seeds for £4.99 to 300 seeds for 99p.

The other thing I have not seen on any web site yet is what spacing and row spacing you would put these in when planting in the ground or a bed and not in a greenhouse or polytunnel.

Click Here to read the replies and information I got from the post above 

I did manage to find a useful UK based YouTube video about them, below. 

Based on information I got from that posting and other Facebook Groups and from the video above plus the RHS Advice Page for Aubergine and some desk study, I decided to go for Black Beauty and to grow them in a Superdome Tunnel on Plot 1 and also trial some out in the open, perhaps in the square foot gardening beds that I have planned for 2021.  

Black Beauty from Seed Parade average 200 seeds for 99p plus P&P 

In addition to Black Beauty, I got a free pack of Kings Seeds Aubergine Long Purple with a copy of Kitchen Garden

I would have ordered Clara and I can see now why the Americans call them egg plants 

I had to order the New! variety Aubergine Green Knight F1 - from Mr Fothergill's as it slender, smooth and is a "jade green" variety that just looked so interesting and I'm hoping will surprise my friend Arif who is going to show me how to cook with them. 

In My Seed Box For 2021 - Index