We're moving to Perth, and have just had our offer accepted
on a house that we had set our hearts on. One of the
reasons we liked it so much was that it has a large
south-facing garden with two vegetable plots that together
add up to an area easily three times that of our current
vegetable beds. And it has a greenhouse as well, and even a
set of nursery beds with cloches. So we're happily looking
through seed catalogues trying to decide what to grow.

The trouble is that Perth is north, inland, and uphill of
Glasgow, where we are at the moment. We're a bit worried
that some of the things we currently grow, such as
courgettes (we're particularly fond of One Ball, which we
tried for the first time last year and found to be lovely
and tender), won't be very happy in the colder climate.
We'd also like to grow things like chillis, peppers, and
aubergines in the greenhouse (never having had the chance
before), but again we're a little worried about the cold.

Other things we'd like to try include asparagus and
strawberries. I'm looking for suggestions for varieties of
any of the above plants that would be happy in the cold, and
any warnings of plants that won't grow so well. I'd also
welcome any recommendations for new things to try with all
the space we now have!

Rhiannon

--

http://sciethics.blogspot.com/ -- the rights and wrongs of
science.

On Thu, 20 Jan 2005 20:10:28 +0000, Rhiannon Macfie Miller wrote:

We're moving to Perth,

A lovely city. My parents had a house just south in Bridge of Earn with
a very big vegetable garden. It was about 15 years ago and I'm just
trying to remember what they grew. I have also just moved from Glasgow,
after living in a flat in the West End for 37 years, to live here in
France.

The trouble is that Perth is north, inland, and uphill of Glasgow,
where we are at the moment.

But not much colder and it's not all that much further north, about 40
miles at the most? It's drier! My father had lots of Elsanta straberries
and then of course you can grow the gorgeous and best in the world
Scottish Raspberries (but don't know the type and can't contact him as
he's in Madeira for two weeks). He never grew peppers and the like but I
think it was only because he didn't like them.

Sorry I can't be much more help.

--
Richard 20/01/2005 21:55:42

On Fri, 21 Jan 2005 18:51:30 GMT, Janet Baraclough wrote:

On the plus side, there are far fewer midges :-)

Nah, no midges in Glasgow. Need to go at least up Loch Lomond side
before you get them :-)
--
Richard 21/01/2005 22:43:44

Watch the end of the season and early frosts for french type and runner
beans, courgettes etc. We used to grow french beans in Durham away from the
coast.
I was caught out in Cheshire the first week in September with an early
frost.
Aubergines seemed to need more heat than tomatoes in the greenhouse.
There are now more cool friendly varieties of sweet pepper.
Grow broad beans for the pods rather than seeds. This breaks with tradition
gives you a delicious vegetable with no problems of hardiness.
Watch sprouting brocolli and cover in very cold conditions.
Sprouts, Savoy cabbage etc no problem.
Kerr's Pink was a popular potato variety in Norway-any comment from
Scotalnd?

"rwakeford" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 21 Jan 2005 18:51:30 GMT, Janet Baraclough wrote:

On the plus side, there are far fewer midges :-)

Nah, no midges in Glasgow. Need to go at least up Loch Lomond side
before you get them :-)
--
Richard 21/01/2005 22:43:44

On Fri, 21 Jan 2005 22:36:48 -0000, david taylor wrote:

Kerr's Pink was a popular potato variety in Norway-any comment from
Scotalnd?

That was the variety that my father grew in Perth.
--
Richard 22/01/2005 01:40:29

Nick Maclaren wrote:

But I think that chillis should be OK (as distinct from sweet peppers).
They often need less heat (don't grow habanero or Scotch bonnet),

Does that mean that in general I should try the milder
varieties, or is it just those particular ones that won't
manage it? I'd like to go as hot as possible...


Rhiannon

--

http://sciethics.blogspot.com/ -- the rights and wrongs of
science.

Janet Baraclough wrote:

Perthshire is commercial strawberry (and raspberry) territory, they
are fully hardy. Choose several varieties for taste (not size or
uniformity) and to get a continuation of cropping rather than all
ready at once.That's because you are going to get bumper crops :-)

Excellent!

When we moved into our current place we started our
strawberry bed by buying a pack of six plants (two each of
three different varieties) on special offer from Safeway's.
Two of them promptly died, and of the rest some were
lovely and sweet while the others were a bit dull really. I
have no idea what any of them were called, except that one
of them might have been Cambridge something. Nor have I any
idea which tasted nice and which didn't, because we let them
runner so we'd have more plants.

Can anyone suggest good sweet aromatic varieties?


Rhiannon

--

http://sciethics.blogspot.com/ -- the rights and wrongs of
science.

david taylor wrote:

Watch the end of the season and early frosts for french type and runner
beans, courgettes etc. We used to grow french beans in Durham away from the
coast.
I was caught out in Cheshire the first week in September with an early
frost.
Aubergines seemed to need more heat than tomatoes in the greenhouse.
There are now more cool friendly varieties of sweet pepper.

Oh good. Any names?

Grow broad beans for the pods rather than seeds. This breaks with tradition
gives you a delicious vegetable with no problems of hardiness.

Certainly the only time we tried to grow them here in
Glasgow we got very small, rather disappointing, beans.

Watch sprouting brocolli and cover in very cold conditions.

That's well worth knowing, as that's one of our favourites.
Thanks. (Anyone tried the new annual purple, Spike?)

Sprouts, Savoy cabbage etc no problem.

Good...

Kerr's Pink was a popular potato variety in Norway-any comment from
Scotalnd?

So I'm not likely to get anywhere with my Salad Blue then?
I got some as microplants last year and grew them up in a
potato barrel, but by the end of the season there were only
five small ones, so I kept them over for next year...

Rhiannon

--

http://sciethics.blogspot.com/ -- the rights and wrongs of
science.

In article ,
Rhiannon Macfie Miller wrote:
Nick Maclaren wrote:

But I think that chillis should be OK (as distinct from sweet peppers).
They often need less heat (don't grow habanero or Scotch bonnet),

Does that mean that in general I should try the milder
varieties, or is it just those particular ones that won't
manage it? I'd like to go as hot as possible...

Those particular ones. I favour Thai dragon - it crops well, is very
decorative, has a good flavour and is pretty hot.

I don't like the flavour of habanero much, anyway, and it seems to
need conditions closer tp those needed by sweet peppers.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article ,
Janet Baraclough wrote:
david taylor wrote:

Grow broad beans for the pods rather than seeds. This breaks with
tradition
gives you a delicious vegetable with no problems of hardiness.

I've never encountered any hardiness problems at all in Scotland with
broad beans sown direct in the garden from March onwards. No need to
wait till frost is over. Easy, prolific crop. We eat the beans (seeds)
not the pods.

You weren't planting them in 1963, then :-)

I find it surprising that an originally warm-climate plant has been
bred to become not just cold-tolerate but cold-dependent, but it is
so. The broad beans we grow (unlike "el ful" varieties) are among
the half-dozen most cold-adapted vegetables. If you can't grow them,
you are probably limited to kale or nothing.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Nick Maclaren wrote:
[...]
I find it surprising that an originally warm-climate plant has been
bred to become not just cold-tolerate but cold-dependent, but it is
so. The broad beans we grow (unlike "el ful" varieties) are among
the half-dozen most cold-adapted vegetables. If you can't grow
them,
you are probably limited to kale or nothing.

Interestingly, being partial to Egyptian-style ful medames, I had
some to give a friend in Reading several years ago. He sowed them in
the autumn, and it worked. I can't remember what that winter was
like, and I never tried it myself; but perhaps even the "ful" strains
are hardier than one might expect. I wonder if the species actually
originated in mountainous areas? (Google, like other URLs, won't come
up for me at the moment.)

Mike.

In article ,
Mike Lyle wrote:
Nick Maclaren wrote:
[...]
I find it surprising that an originally warm-climate plant has been
bred to become not just cold-tolerate but cold-dependent, but it is
so. The broad beans we grow (unlike "el ful" varieties) are among
the half-dozen most cold-adapted vegetables. If you can't grow
them,
you are probably limited to kale or nothing.

Interestingly, being partial to Egyptian-style ful medames, I had
some to give a friend in Reading several years ago. He sowed them in
the autumn, and it worked. I can't remember what that winter was
like, and I never tried it myself; but perhaps even the "ful" strains
are hardier than one might expect. I wonder if the species actually
originated in mountainous areas? (Google, like other URLs, won't come
up for me at the moment.)

Now, that IS interesting! I like them, too, and happily lived largely
on them for a week when in Egypt.

Does any urgler grow them at present?


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article ,
(Mike Lyle) wrote:

Interestingly, being partial to Egyptian-style ful medames, I had
some to give a friend in Reading several years ago. He sowed them in
the autumn, and it worked.

I've seen them in tins but Idon't suppose they'd grow. Did you use dried
beans from an Asian grocer? Do they differ in taste from standard broad
beans?

Steve Harris - Cheltenham - Real address steve AT netservs DOT com
A useful bit of gardening software at http://www.netservs.com/garden/

In article ,
Steve Harris wrote:
In article ,
(Mike Lyle) wrote:

Interestingly, being partial to Egyptian-style ful medames, I had
some to give a friend in Reading several years ago. He sowed them in
the autumn, and it worked.

I've seen them in tins but Idon't suppose they'd grow. Did you use dried
beans from an Asian grocer? Do they differ in taste from standard broad
beans?

Yes. They are eaten ripe, and have more tannin in the skins. My guess
is that they are close to field beans, but I have not compared them.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article ,
Steve Harris wrote:
In article ,
(Mike Lyle) wrote:

Interestingly, being partial to Egyptian-style ful medames, I had
some to give a friend in Reading several years ago. He sowed them
in
the autumn, and it worked.

I've seen them in tins but Idon't suppose they'd grow. Did you use
dried beans from an Asian grocer? Do they differ in taste from
standard broad beans?

Yes. They are eaten ripe, and have more tannin in the skins. My
guess is that they are close to field beans, but I have not
compared
them.

Yes: field beans have a tougher skin, and maybe a less refined taste.
Some UK suppliers don't know the difference, so it's best to get them
from a real Asian source: there's a cracking good shop in the High St
in Chelt, Steve. Soak overnight, boil up, serve partly mashed with
salt, pepper, olive oil, lemon juice and very crusty bread (favourite
bread must be that wonderful thin disc Arabs bake stuck to the side
of a clay oven).

Frustratingly, my mother can't remember what her Sicilian father used
to do to make a pasta sauce with ripe broad beans -- I'd be very
grateful for any pointers, as Elizabeth David doesn't mention it.

Mike.