Plant plans for 2013

For the veg garden this year I am sowing a mix of my long-standing favourite varieties from previous years, but also trying out a few new ones (marked with *). I haven't decided on everything yet, but am getting there having just sent off two orders this morning (to The Real Seed Company who I have never heard of before but the fact they are powered by the lovely Good Energy who also supply us makes them alright, and Robinson's Mammoth Onion Seed)

A mix of garden produce from 2011, (from bottom LHS going clockwise: Cosse violetto beans, Peaches, Patty pans and courgettes, cardoons, yellow french beans, Sungold F1 tomatoes)

Aubergine - F1 Galine*
Artichokes (globe) - Violetto di romagno*
Artichokes (Jerusalem)
Beans (broad) - Martoc, Crimson flowered
Beans (dwarf) - Norweigan Dry, Yin Yang
Beans (french climbing) - Pea bean, Cosse Violetto

Cosse Violetto beans (2011)

Beetroot - Touchstone yellow*
Brussels sprouts - Red ball*, Bedford
Carrots - Dragon purple*
Chard - Bright lights
Chilli peppers - Fresno*, Red cherry* Jalapeno*
Courgettes - Black Forest (not a new variety to me, but might this be the year I actually manage to germinate these seeds?), Genovese, Bennings Green*

Courgettes (2011) - Genovese variety is at the bottom of picture and on very right hand side, the others are One Ball variety

Broccoli - Kailaan*, Rapini*
Celeriac - Giant prague*
Cucumbers - (anything I can buy in the garden centre)
Kale - Sunderland kale*

Leaves (varieties for salad and for cooking) - Red veined sorrell (brought from old house), comfrey (brought from old house), Mesclun, Purple orach* (I've previously only grown green varieties), Salsola*
Leeks - Jaune de Poitou*, Bleu de solaise*,
Lettuce -
Marrows -
Onions -
Peas - Calibra, Asparagus peas (not really a pea though...), Purple podded (finally returning to these after struggling last year to find all the peas growing on the plants - purple pods are so much easier to spot!)
Spinach -Spinach beet
Squash  - Mixed varieties (who knows what will be in the packet)
Sweetcorn - Supersweet (by far the best variety I have ever grown, the sweetest and most reliable, I hope to have a decent crop this year without weather or chicken destruction problems)

Supersweet variety of sweetcorn (August 2008)

Sweet peppers - Sweet banana, Corno di torro rosso, Purple beauty
Tomatoes - Sungold F1, San Marzano


One of my aims this year is to supply a local pub, The Royal Oak in Bishopstone, with veg in exchange for bar vouchers. This was an aim last year too but I was scuppered by the horrible weather and a lack of time, but in 2010 I had a free birthday meal there in exchange for Patty Pans!

Patty Pans from the garden (2010)