It is that time of year when thoughts turn to the crops that are to be grown next year. Already in the allotment we have planted some broad beans and some winter onions and garlic for next year, and indoors there's a planter with salad leaves and some radishes which hopefully will grow in the warm house and provide some salad during winter.
We get the bulk of our seeds from D. T. Brown as they are decent value for money although there's a few from Thompson and Morgan and from Nicky's Nursery (the mini sweetcorn from the latter were especially good this year!)
We are going to try Cylindra Beetroot rather than Boltardy next year as the crops over the past couple of years (of Boltardy) haven't been very big, and we found a few years ago that the stripy varieties (Chioggia) don't grow at all to be honest. The Spinach Beet was especially productive this year. We forgot to order turnips last year and they generally grow well although you have to be quick before they go to seed, especially in dry weather.
Potatoes, more onions and peas will be bought in the new year when stocks become available. One wonders whether there will be a glut of seed potatoes on the UK market early next year due to the problems with exporting them after the cliff edge of the end of the Brexit transition period. I pity the growers who have, over many years, built up good exports only to find that political bluster, misinformation and incompetance have ruined successful businesses for little gain and much harm. Seed and plant imports in general may well be affected due to the new barriers in accreditation and certification that are springing up at the end of the year as well as increased costs which will be passed onto the consumer.
So, apart from leek seeds, which I forgot to order and will easily be obtained locally, we've almost sorted the seeds for next year!
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