Peacocks

[Valkyrie]

French beans - 2 lots of dwarf and one climbing. All Heritage Seed Library, one is Ice Crystal Wax, the other dwarf is Black Valentine. The climbing is Lazy Housewife - my favourite and it's anything but lazy - I have grown this variety for years and saved the seed.

Also peas. Two Heritage varieties Gladstone (lovely and sweet) and Glory of Devon (new to me). Also Kelvedon Wonder. I'm beginning to wonder how I can squeeze all my plants onto my plot! Haven't really got room for spuds, although we did last year and the variety was Cherie - red and very tasty, they did well in containers too. Otherwise I am pricking out and potting on other veg in the greenhouse.

[Lesley]

Completely different choices to my Heritage Seed Library seeds

 

I love getting the booklet and choosing old varieties. I hope they all do well for you.

[Valkyrie]

Hi Lesley, I have been waiting for Gladstone to pop up again, I lost the last of my seeds to pigeons, so there weren't any for me to save. So I am starting that collection again. Every now and then I try different ones. I like the French bean Poletschka last year, saved for the future and Mr Fearn's Purple Flowered too is high yielding and tasty. I liked Cheetham's Potato Leaf tomato, but whinging OH wanted Tigerella this year.

I also love pondering through the new catalogue - nice and glossy pics which helps. I would try the lot if I could! Mainly I go for the oldest varieties, then the name and then sweetness! Oh it is so hard to choose only six!

This year it was late coming and then I I read there were problems with the post, so I called and the order arrived 2 days later. I thought I'd put my wrong membership number on the form, so I went and bought a big pack of peas from the garden centre. This year all my choices were beans and peas! I ordered Lazy Housewife because I thought the beans had crossed because they looked a bit different - but no, they are the same as the new package, so all's well!

[Lesley]

Two years running I sent the form back with the words "Surprise Me" written on it We'd found this farm and I didn't have the time to even look in the booklet. Goodness knows what they think of me - I'm sure they dread my form coming in

 

This year I chose (I hope they've recovered from the shock! )

Beetroot - Bull's Blood

Celeriac - Tellus

Carrot - Egmont Gold

C French Bean - Old Homestead

Leek - Hannibal

Lettuce - Bunyard's Matchless

 

and Lucky Dip was Climbing French Bean - Madeira Maroon

[Lesley]

I've just moved all the HSL chat to this new topic Koojie.

 

Is anyone else a member? - I asked a couple of years ago but we had fewer forum members then.....

[Chicken Licken]

How do I join? I got heritage seeds from Thomas Etty. I have a selection of unusual veg and old flowers. I am particulalry looking forward to Nun's Belly Button and some very stranged shaped courgettes!!

[Valkyrie]

Good idea Lesley. I also have Bull's Blood - can't bear beetroot myself, but OH and my dad love it. It worked very well last time I grew it. I had lettuce as a surprise a few times and this year I have some runner beans - can't remember the name - in the greenhouse ready for the next session.

 

Last year was really bad for most of my plants sown, except for the beans and onions. I had one Sungold and used the offshoots to make more plants. This year I have over compensated and have loads of toms, peppers and Detroit beetroot. I think I might just add the beetroot leaves to my saladinis! I give a lot of extras to my folks who then dot beetroot and chard plants among their flowers.

 

Chicken - my Nun's came from Thomas Etty - they had a stall at Potato Day at Whitchurch (Hampshire), at the Hampshire HDRA.

 

www.thomasetty.co.uk

 

This is another company who had a stall at the same place:

 

http://www.beansandherbs.co.uk/

 

Try the Garden Organic site for the proper heritage seeds:

 

http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/hsl/index.php

 

HDRA changed it's name to Garden Organic so that it sounded more normal to the public. It stands for Henry Doubleday Research Association.

We were already members, so the seed library sort of followed on.

 

 

An allotment site that I like is:

 

http://www.saundersallotment.co.uk/index.html

 

I watch Beryl's planting and add 2 weeks before I do mine - she is a bit warmer down there!

 

Hope these will be of use.

[Lesley]

A great selection of sites there Koojie.

 

I'd been a member of HDRA for many years and also just added the subscription to the HSL a few years ago.

 

Can you have membership of just the HSL? - I'll have to go and look now...........

 

This is the link to the subscription page

http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/about_us/memb_rates.php

 

You have to become a member of Garden Organic - varying rates - and then can add on HSL at a reduced price.

 

Because the seeds are not registered then HSL are not allowed to sell the seed - each December you will be sent a catalogue and can choose 6 varities which you recieve for free. This is separate from the Garden Organic catalogue which operates in the normal way but a discount is available to members of Garden Organic.

 

There are many benefits to gain from joining and the site has plenty of information.

[Valkyrie]

If you are an HDRA member you can also get into the RHS gardens - I can't remember whether if it is free or discount. I know we all (my parents and children too) got into Rosemoor FOC, but that might have been because the lady on the till hadn't come across the membership before.

[fluffymuppet]

You can get free entry into the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, too!

[Valkyrie]

I forgot - I use Chase Organics for most of my veg seeds - discount for HDRA members too. Last year I was disgusted with the puny onion sets and some contained different items such as a silverskin onion set and some peanuts among the Jet Set, so I complained. They sent a replacement bag - they would have sent more if I wanted, but one was quite enough for me. This year the sets are really good.