Showing posts with label celery seeds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label celery seeds. Show all posts

Monday, 26 January 2009

Suttons Seeds

Having a good look round all the seed companies websites and tonight it's Sutton's Seeds -
Suttons Seeds and Plants

They've got loads of seeds and plants - I've just seen aubergine. I think I might try that another year rather than this first year.

I know I want to grow some peas or beans. We all love peas but I'm the one who likes beans. So I guess more peas than beans ... I never liked runner beans when I was a kid and my gran grew tons of them - huge tall lines of green leafy beans and bright red flowers. But one day I tried them lightly cooked with pasta and pesto and it was the best meal I'd had for years. They were so lovely! They were picked from the garden of the house I was staying at - so very fresh and lovely. I've never had any that good since!

Oh and broad beans. I grew some when I was a kid. Just a couple of plants at the side of the garden path, white flowers with a black splodge and lovely fat beans. I do like broad beans with bacon! Mmm. You can tell why I've wanted an allotment can't you!

They've got about 18 pages of veggie seeds - and plenty of plants available too as well as flowers, fruit bushes and trees.
I've probably got enough fruit to start me off on my allotment so I'll avoid looking at currants now (need a good ID guide for id'ing fruit bushes as I've got currants of some sort..)

So def veg.
The things we eat are celery, onion, carrots, lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, peppers, peas, - then smaller amounts of beans, and of course various fruits apples, pears, grapes, melons etc.

So the basics of the veg look easy. Onions - sets or seeds? Ooo pickled onions - shallots, spring onions. Yes we eat a lot of these.

As well as the basic info they give planting advice too:

Onion Ailsa Craig Seed

Traditional favourite!

Large bulbs often used for exhibition. To ensure colour, shape and finish sow in January under glass at 18-21°C (65-70°F). Can also be sown outdoors in March and April. Not recommended for long storage. Bulb onion variety.

Price: £1.30 Code: 172866

Units: Average Packet Content 250 seeds


Culture: Sow maincrop onions March-April outdoors, and thin early. For very large onions sow December-early January and transplant seedlings in spring. To store - lift and allow to dry in full sun, and hang in ropes in cool airy conditions. (24 weeks maturity.)

Sowing Time: January or March and April


So I can see that I either buy them this week or wait til Feb to worry about buying seeds.


Not good storers - something to consider. A big onion crop that won't store will means you'll lose onions to rot or mould.


I'm getting a clearer idea each time I read something else I want to grow though! and it's nice to see extra bits of info on seed sites too.

Sunday, 25 January 2009

Growing Celery


The previous allotmenter had celery on his patch. I know because it was all rotten from being sat out all winter. It's good news though because it looked like it had grown well.

I use celery a lot in cooking, so it's going to be a must have!
i've just had a look at T&M

Celery : Galaxy (Lathom Self Blanching) (Seeds)
Sow from late winter to spring on the surface of a moist peat based compost,
  • 500 seeds Price: £1.69

Celery : Tango F1 (Seeds)
Sow mid March to April under glass for transplanting outdoors
  • 150 seeds Price: £1.99

Celery : Victoria F1 (Seeds)Sow from late winter to spring
  • 300 seeds Price: £1.99


Celery : Victoria F1 (Plants and Bulbs) 15 plants
UK MAINLAND ONLY
Despatch: During May 2009
Price: £4.29


Celery needs plenty of water when it's growing so it's something to keep an eye on every visit by the looks of it. You plant them about 9" apart each way in blocks not rows - this helps blanch them supposedly - and in rich well drained soil to which plenty of well rotted compost has been added. Compost helps the soil maintain the water levels better so itll hopefully give a better crop.

I quite like the idea of buying the plants ready to put in the ground - it sounds like a bit of a cheat though so I'll have to make my mind up soon!
This is the celery bed I was weeding yesterday. It took some digging out even though the plants were really rotten!

Cost wise celery was about 50p a bunch in the shops during last summer rising to about 80p last week. So even buying them as plants they work about 28p - so that way is definately dearer. You might be able to make a pack of seed last 3 years it it keeps well (Something else to consider - some seeds are only really viable the first year you open the packet, others last for years and some are best used within 3 years of opening!)