In My Seed Box For 2024 - Radish

   

I see these as not really needing a bed of their own but as squatters/ row markers at the end of other vegetables like Parsnips and carrots that take a time to germinate and show where they have been planted. I have two square foot gardening beds there feature surrounding the solitary items at the back that are vertical growers see posting here re square foot garden beds layouts.

With good storage conditions Radish seeds can last between 5 - 8 years and with most companies only allowing 2 - 3 years between the packing date and the sow by date, I have seeds for quite a few years to come. 

Prices are at the time of purchase and not current. 

    

Review Of Seed Stocks in Packets Sow 2022

Vienna F1                - 2g of Seeds -    40p - Lidl - Sow by 12/2022

Review Of Seed Stocks in Packets Sow 2023

Radish Mixed - 475 Seeds -    £1.99 - Organic Gardening Seeds - Packed year Ending 2021

Review Of Seed Stocks in Packets Sow 2024

De dix huit jours      –     2g Seeds -    20p – Lidl - Sow by 12/2024

French Breakfast 3 –   450 Seeds - £1.55 - Suttons - Sow By 07/2024 Packed year ending 2021

Saxa 2                    –     2g Seeds -    20p – Lidl - Sow by 12/2024

Vienna F1                - 2g of Seeds -    40p - Lidl - Sow by 12/2024

Felicia - Dobies       - 300 Seeds - £ 1.99 or 900 Seeds - £3.00

Cherry Belle            -    75 Seeds    - 29p - Seeds To Suit Sow by 2024

Crimson Giant         -    50 Seeds    - 39p - Seeds To Suit Sow by 2024

Rainbow Mix           -    75 Seeds    - 39p - Seeds To Suit Sow by 2024

10% Discount on Seeds To Suit using code MANVSLUG10 at checkout

Review Of Seed Stocks in Packets Sow 2025

Sparkler 3               –   460 Seeds -    50p^ – Wilko - Sow By 2025              

Sparkler 3               –   460 Seeds -    50p^ – Wilko - Sow By 2025

Whitella F1             –   300 Seeds -    50p^ – Mr Fothergill's - Packed year ending Jun 2023

Winter Watermelon Red Meat -  50 Seeds - 49p - Seeds To Suit - Sow By 2025 

^ Bought in wilko 50% Seed Sale for 25p         

Review Of Seed Stocks in Packets Sow 2026

New to Suttons for 2024

Royal Purple          –   200 Seeds -    £2.49 – Suttons - Sow By 2026    

Alphabetical Listing of varieties previously grown 

                                            Sowing            Harvest

Breakfast Mix                     Jan – Oct         Mar - Nov 
Bright and Spicy Mix          Mar – Sept       April -  Oct

Cherry Belle                       Mar – July        May - Oct
De dix huit Jours                Mar – Nov        May - Oct

Eiszapfen                           Mar – Sept       April -  Oct

Felicia                                Mar – Sept       April -  Oct     

Flamboyant 3                     May – July         July – Sept

French Breakfast 3            Mar – Sept       April -  Oct - Unwins

French Breakfast 3            Feb – Sept       April – Oct - Mr Fothergill

Icicle (Long White)            Feb – Sept       April – Oct

Royal Purple                      Mar – Sept       May -  Oct

Saxa                                   Mar – May        May - Oct

Scarlet Globe                     May – July         July – Sept

Sparkler 3                          Feb – Sept        April – Oct

Vienna                                Apr – Aug         May - Oct

Typical Notes about Radish 
   
Suitable for indoor and outdoor growing

Sow at 4 Week intervals

Prefers a moist well drained soil in full sun

Sowing Instructions

Sow thinly, 10mm (1/2” deep) deep in drills 300mm (12inch) apart in soil which has been raked to a fine tilth. Water the ground regularly especially during dry periods.

Growing Instructions

When large enough to handle, thin out seedlings to 25mm or 1 inch apart. Keep plants cool and moist to prevent running to seed.

In My Seed Box For 2024 - Index

In My Seed Box For 2024 - Water Melon

In 2019 two plot holders on our allotment site Wally and John grew water melons out on the allotment and not under glass. Looking at the RHS Web site re Melons it states that there are three groups of sweet melons. Canteloupe melons, with their orange flesh are the best ones for us to grow in the UK. You can also grow honeydew types, which have firm yellow flesh, and musk melons, which must be grown in a greenhouse.

For best results in our cooler climate grow your melons in a greenhouse or coldframe, or against a sunny sheltered wall with a cloche covering them.

Now I’m not sure how a wall can be sunny and sheltered at the same time.

Last year I grew these three Amarillo Oro from one plant under a glass panel up against the boundary wall. This year I'm going to have a bash at growing all 5 again up against the wall and in one of the greenhouses. I saved the seeds from these melons and will be using them this year and sharing the love by donating seeds to my fellow plot holders.   

Sow By 2021

Sugar Baby - 40 Seeds - 99p - Happy Green Shop

Sow By 2022

Amarillo Oro - I have a few seed left from the pack I bought some time ago, however they are longer available from the original supplier. A google search found 25 Seeds for £5.51 from bonanza, but I saved my own seeds from the melons I grew last year, so I'm good to go for 2024. 

Sow By 2024

Little Darling F1 - 7 Seeds - RRP £2.99 On Sale 89p - Dobies - Packed for year end 2023 - Sow by 12/2024
Mangomel F1 - 4 Seeds - £3.99 - Suttons - Packed for year end 2022 - Sow by 7/2024

Sow By 2026

Mangomel F1 - 10 Seeds - £3.75 - Mr Fothergill's - Packed for year end Jul 2023 - Sow by 12/2026
Magia Negra F1 - 10 Seeds - £4.15 - Mr Fothergill's - Packed for year end 2023 - Sow by 12/2026

MANGOMEL F1

Melon 'Mangomel' is a new type of melon that has undertones of mango when ripe! Large, creamy-yellow fruit is bursting with flavour and juice, plus they are delightfully aromatic. This is a ‘Western Shipper type’ x Early Charentais. And guess what? The fruit colour visibly changes from grey/green to a creamy yellow to tell you it's ripe and ready to enjoy! It tastes delicious eaten fresh or is an exotic addition with natural yoghurt.

Developed in the UK specifically for home gardeners, this is perhaps the first melon ever to be bred for this market. It will reliably produce 5 fruits per plant in an unheated greenhouse, 2-3 fruits in a sunny spot outdoors. If planted outdoors, the spread will be about 1.5 metres so will appreciate some trimming to encourage it. Fruit weight average 1kg.

Sow in a propagator on a windowsill or in pots or trays using a good quality, moist compost in a greenhouse at approximately 15°C (60°F). Cover seed with 1cm (½") compost. 

Germination 7-14 days. 

Transfer to 7.5cm (3") pots, grow on and plant on into grow bags or large pots. Train up strings and support fruits with nets. Water and feed regularly. If growing outside it is best to cover the soil with black membrane to keep the soil warm and use a cloche to cover the plant. Pollinate by inserting a male flower into female flower which has tiny fruit at the base.

WATER MELON  AMARILLO ORO

Melon Amarillo Oro produces a yellow skinned cantaloupe melon with superb sweet juicy refreshing flesh. Each of these delicious fruits weighs up to 5- 6 Ib (2 - 3 kg). Open pollinated. A pre-1870 heirloom variety from Spain.

Melons require high temperatures and humidity. In all but the very warmest areas cultivation is most successful in a greenhouse, or under cover of a cold frame.

SOWING

Direct sow: February - April

Harvest: 100 days

Sun: Full sun

Water: Medium

Temperature: 23 - 30 C

Depth: 1 inch (2.5 cm)

Plant spacing: 36 inches (90cm)

 WATER MELON SUGAR BABY

Sweet tasting and smaller fruited "Ice Box" type watermelon. Early and very productive with sweet, juicy, fine-textured, medium-red flesh and thin hard rind.

The round, 8 to 12 lb, dark green skinned melons grow 8 inches across. Ideal variety if space is limited, as this can be trailed on trellises and faster to ripen in short summers.

Drought Resistant

Ready to harvest about 75 days after seeding in favourable conditions. Can be grown outside in a warm, sheltered and sunny location, but for the most reliable crops under glass is best.

Days to Germination: 5-7

Days To Harvest: 75 in warm conditions

Planting Depth:12 – 25mm 1/2 to 1 inch

Spacing: 600mm 2 feet

Light: Sunny, Warm, Sheltered Location

Prepare soil by digging and incorporating liberal amounts of well-rotted compost or farmyard manure over-winter. Watermelons thrive in a sunny, warm location

Sow April to May 1cm (½in) deep, in 7cm (3.5in) pots of free-draining seed sowing mix. Place in a (propagator, airing cupboard) and keep at a temperature of around 20-25C (68-77F) until after germination, usually 5-7 days.

When first true leaves develop, transplant into 13cm (5in) pots for a few weeks.

Plant out 24 inches apart after carefully hardening off after all risk of frost in a warm sheltered position in full sun or for a more reliable crop under glass.

Water regularly and feed with liquid fertilizer every 14 days.

Pinch out growing point at the 4 leaf stage and train the laterals (side-shoots) along the row. Hand pollinate if required.

At harvest time, tap the watermelon with your knuckles, and if it sounds hollow, it's ripe.

MAGIA NEGRA F1

Magia Negra F1 - Mr Fothergills - 10 Seeds - £3.45 

Outstanding in Mr Fothergills UK polytunnel trials, this 'Sugar Baby' type watermelon is quick to mature, producing 7-9kg fruit with deliciously juicy, deep red flesh.

LITTLE DARLING F1

Little Darling F1 - Dobies - 6 Seeds - £2.99 Item Code 411045

A strong performer in the UK, Watermelon 'Little Darling' is a compact variety that matures and ripens quickly to yield delicious small oval fruits with irresistibly sweet and juicy flesh. 

This space-saving variety is best grown in a greenhouse or polytunnel, producing up to 4 fruits per plant. Once you've tasted fresh homegrown watermelons, you'll never look back! Height: 45cm (18in). Spread: 120cm (4ft).

Sowing Time - February to April Indoors. Plant outside June

Sowing Instructions. Sow seed 20mm (3/4"( deep in 75mm (3in) pots of good seed compost at 21-25C (70-77F) PLace in a propagator or seal container in a polythene bag until after germination (7-10 days). After germination maintain temperature 15C (60F) and keep the compost moist but not wet. 

Aftercare Instructions. When melon plants are well grown. transplant them at a spacing of 2 plants per growbag or 1m (3ft) apart under frost free glass. 

harvest August to October   

NEW Addition added 11th February 2024

Budgie F1

D.T.Brown sent me a pack of Budgie F1 melon seeds that have been added to their catalogue for 2024. Currently being sold at 10 seeds for £3.59

Packed year ending July/23 and Sow By date recommend on the pack of Dec/26 Melon seeds actually last between 5 - 8 years if stored correctly. 

Again another very short description for these seeds on the D.T.Browns web site that says:- 

"An unusual Asian variety with a fresh tangy-sweet flavour. The bushy plants show good resistance to downy and powdery mildew."

If you click on the Growing Tips field you get this information 

"SOW INDOORS January-April, singly into pots, 0.5cm/quarter inch deep. Keep at 20-25C/68-75F. Harden off late May. Plant out at 4-5 leaf stage to growing bags in the greenhouse, or a warm, sheltered area in the garden, spaced 45cm/18in. apart. 

Train main stems up vertical wires and remove the growing points at approx. 7th leaf stage."

Information missing from the web page but on the pack below:-

"Feed regularly when fruit sets. 

Harvest July - October. Outdoor crops from late August."

This year it appears that web authors for seed companies are being very lazy on not putting all the information on the pack on the web site pages. 

Suttons and Dobies, web pages for their new vegetables have also been lacking with them also getting the graphics incorrect for sowing transplanting and harvesting. I do give feedback to all companies when I find errors and short comings on their web pages.  

I'm really looking forward to trying these in the greenhouse and outside against my wall under a glass panel this year. 

In My Seed Box For 2024 - Index

Parsnip Trial

I thought I had the parsnip covered for 2024. My daughters and I decided we would increase from one 2.4m x 1.2m bed using 105 hole planting membrane to 2 beds of 105 planting membrane, in fact Kelly said we should try and do another bed and we eat a lot of parsnips during the year. 

I have been sent Organic Parsnip Guernsey 1 by Organic Gardening which is a heritage French parsnip dating from 1826, that they have added to their catalogue for 2024. 

Currently being sold at £2.99 for 340 seeds

The web site states "This ‘Half Long’ variety has broad shoulders and shorter roots that are a good choice for shallow or stony soils. Good yields of smooth white roots with a sweet flavour. Excellent for roasting. Height: 45cm (18in). Spread: 30cm (12in)."

Dobies have also sent me a new parsnip to trial this year from their 2024 catalogue called Sabre F1 which is from the same breeder as the popular ‘Gladiator’, which is the parsnip I had the best results with last year and that I have already purchased in two forms 

Parsnip ‘Sabre’ is destined to be a show bench winner. Long, very white, smooth-skinned roots with a great flavour. Good resistance to canker. Height: 45cm (18in). Spread: 30cm (12in).

The current RRP is £2.49 for 200 seeds but it's currently on offer for 89p 

So my cunning plan is to germinate all three varieties and do a bit of a comparison between them in terms of germination rates and final quality of the parsnips grown.

French Bean called 'Sunshine'

I found this New climbing French Bean called 'Sunshine' for 2024 in the Organic Gardening catalogue which produces long golden pods that reach up to 180mm (7"). The slender pods are stringless and stand out nicely against the bright green foliage. Cost at time of post 50 Seeds - £2.99

With regular picking, the web site states one can expect heavy yields of tasty beans from July right through to October. and that it's "a most attractive variety from the same breeder as the ever-popular Climbing Bean ‘Cobra’." which is one I have not heard of before but I'm going to look into.

Now that I have the Climbing Frame Greenhouse on the plot I want to exploit the structure to the max in 2024, and as my eldest daughter loves French Beans rather than Runner Beans and it's stringless, and is a new variety it ticks my checklist. 

The Organic Gardening web site states "This eye-catching French Bean makes a decorative addition to the vegetable plot and is even pretty enough to grow in the flower border. Height: 180cm (70in). Spread: 30cm (12in)." That's another good reason to grow it in the Climbing Frame Greenhouse.

In My Seed Box For 2024 - Courgette

  

It's very rare that I harvest these when they are the size they should be, and I don't really need more than a couple of plants, last Year I grew "Summer Holiday" as it looks like a beach ball, and I liked the idea of stuffing it.  

For 2024 it's back to the more traditional green courgettes and seeds still in my Seed Box.

Blackstar F1 - Mr Fothergill's - 10 Seeds - £2.15 - Packaged 2022 Sow By 2025 Price as of this posting £2.59

Shows exceptional disease resistance. You can expect reliable crops of beautiful, dark and glossy fruits. Vigorous, plants have an open habit which promotes early cropping.

British Summertime F1 - Dobies - 10 Seeds - £ 2.99 (2022) - Packaged Year ending 2022  Cost RRP £3.49 (2024) om offer in sale at 89p todays date.

British Summertime is the British bred courgette that will yield an abundance of fruit even in cold weather conditions. British bred and perfect to grow in a British Summer (dull and wet!) One of the earliest fruiting courgettes. The plant habit is an exceptionally open bush which improves air circulation, reducing the incidence of disease and fruit rot, allowing for the rapid picking of top-quality dark green fruit. Spine-free, so no scratched hands when you harvest. 

Sow           April - June

Sow seeds singly (April - June) 25mm (1") deep into a 75mm (3") pots indoors or in a greenhouse at 18 - 25C (64-77F) Grow on and plant out in the garden after hardening off, when the risk of frost has passed leaving 600mm (24") each way between plants, alternatively plant in 450mm (18") containers. Can also be sown directly outdoors into warm well-reained, moist soil after the risk of frost has passed , sowing 2-3 seeds at 600mm (24") intervals and thinning out to the strongest seedling. 

 

Plant Out   June - Aug 

Harvest     July - Oct.

Height       610-700mm (2' - 2'7")

More Information 

Water courgettes regularly - do not allow the soil to dry out as this will impair their development. Hoe between plants regularly to prevent weeds from establishing. Courgettes appreciate an application of a high potash fertiliser every two weeks during the growing season. 

Hand pollinating courgettes is not usually required when they are grown outdoors. However, for indoor cultivation the female flowers can be fertilised by pressing a male flower against them. 

Begin harvesting courgettes from midsummer onwards when they are 10cm (4") long. Regular harvesting will encourage more courgettes to be produced. Culinary note: Courgette flowers are edible and can be eaten cooked or added raw to salads.

Courgette Seeds - F1 Defender

Packet Contents 20 seeds

Suttons Code 16 13 28

Cost per pack £2.99 when bought in 2021

Cost at todays date £3.49

Packed 2021 - Sow By 7/2027

An RHS Award of Garden Merit Winner.

• Easy to grow & ideal to grow in small spaces.

• A great courgette variety for gardening beginners. 

• Resistant to Cucumber Mosaic Virus.

In My Seed Box For 2024 - Index

In My Seed Box for 2024 - Aubergine

  

The plan for 2023 was to get the area for the Superdome dug over and weed free, that did not happen instead I got an offer of a potting shed and thus the area for the Superdome became the location for the potting shed.     

I did manage to find a useful UK based YouTube video about growing Aubergine's in the UK, see below. 

In 2023 I managed to get one Aubergine, they are my nemesis, but I will try again this year and perhaps some in the greenhouse.  

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

Kings Seeds Aubergine Long Purple with a copy of Kitchen Garden.

Aubergine White Knight F1 - Mr Fothergill's - 10 Seeds £ 2.89  - Saved 2022 Sow by Dec 2026

In My Seed Box For 2024 - Index