Top varieties for fruit/veg

Looking ahead, I've started picking out a few fruits and veggies I'd like to try growing this year so I'd like some opinions on the varieties to try please. Taste, ease and do they need any specifics eg pollination partners.. I have a small blowaway and another large walk in blowaway which will be up for the end of spring/summer

Blueberries, having read a bit about them last year I'll need 2 to set fruit, right? Any recommendations? "Blue crop" has come up twice for me, also like the look of the "Pink Sapphire".

Raspberries, found a variety called "Valentina" an orange/gold type and "Glen Coe" a purple type, colours are for the kids or should I go for something like Tayberry/Logan berry.. I haven't had the pleasure of tasting of either though.

Rhubarb, No idea what I tried to grow last year but it rotted. A good type for pies and not prone to rot please?

Tomato, I'd like something that's got an intense taste but slightly sweet too.. good for sun-drying? Not too big though I prefer small plum/cherry types

Sweetcorn, "Lark f1" has come up several times. Bear in mind Welsh summers are pretty pants.. should I bother?

Carrot, failed last year. I think I have "Autumn King" and "Nantes" seeds here, should I buy fresh/different? I plan on continuous sowing.

Peas, Grew "early onward" and "kelvedon wonder", amazing! Gutted I didn't continuous sow.. Any other types to try?

Parsnip, Also failed last year.. (down to me though.)

Potatoes, I grew from seed spuds, Maris Peer I think? Loved them gutted I didn't carry on throughout the year. Will be trying Charlotte and King Edwards if I can get my hands on them. Any other top cropping ones? Will be growing in sacks again.

Onions, do I bother? If I do, Seed or sets? Any types.. sturon keeps popping up?

Melons, been reading the cantaloupe type are best for our weather?

Can't think off the top of my head.

Any input is greatly appreciated and add the varieties you are growing yourselves, even if the fruit /veg isn't mentioned in my list

 

Thanks John, your a star

I have slightly acidic soil so don't think that will be a prob with blueberries. Failing my soil I'll shove them in big pots.

Raspberries; I bought few early and mid canes last year but they turned out to be dead as a dodo so bought an autumn fruiting type from tesco, not sure what they are, nice though! Will give Glen Ample another go for sure this year

Will try and get the varieties you mentioned for every thing else and get fresh seed for carrots and parsnips

I think I'll have a go at melons just to try out my luck/ the green house and maybe put 2/3 san marzano in there too

 

Thanks FC! Think I'll get the blue crop and put it in a pot, good advice about the feeds totally forgot I had ericaceous feed here! And get a few of the Glen's, these seem to pop everywhere I'm looking.
Haven't come across Maskotka seeds yet when I've been out so I'll order some online soon.
I did see flyaway earlier but picked up the nantes 2 again
And no probs, any input is fab

 

I must show you these parsnips seeds and their 100%germination rate.

In late summer I cut off a load of parsnip seeds stalks off of one of my parsnips that had run to seed.I think it was self set as I know we didn't sow any near my apple trees.

Anyway I placed the stalks in a tray and put them in the allotment shed to dry off and just checked on them from time to time to make sure they were ok.In November when I checked them I noticed the tray was full of rat pooh because the rats from the chicken people decided there must be something to eat in my shed

Well there was no way was I going to handle the parsnip seeds in case the rats had weed on the seed so after putting on some gardening gloves I emptied the tray on top of my compost bin and forgot all about them.A couple of weeks ago we took our buckets of veg peelings to compost and I noticed big clumps of parsnip seed had germinated

At the end of our time at the allotment I quickly got a container and with a towel scooped some of them up.Back home I have pricked out twenty five of them and as you can see the others have got a bit leggy so will probably get chucked

If we had gone to the garden centre this spring and bought a new packet of parsnip seed and had carefully sown them in March or started them off at home I expect the germination rate would have been quiet poor

 

Ahh awesome!! There's a bloody load!!!! Think the rat poo helped?!

 

I don't know if you can get this variety of tomato, but my favorite is Cherokee Purple. The skin is a darkish purpley red, greenish shoulders on top, deep red insides and the flavor is divine. I dehydrate them and use the dehydrated tomatoes crumbled up on our winter salads. We refuse to eat store bought tomatoes. Cherokee Purple has a place in our garden every year. I have also grown San Marzano tomatoes and they make a great tomato sauce.

 

Went to wilkos earlier in the week and today, picked up a few seeds.. should of checked before hand, turns out I have doublers now from picking up seed last Oct.
In no order these are what I have so far:

Peas - kelvedon wonder, Hurst green shaft, Oregon sugar pod (mangetout) x 2, Ambassador, onward

Rhubarb - picked up a Victoria crown in wilko for £2. Will still look for Timperley.

Parsnip - Javelin f1, White Gem, Student, Tender and true

Carrot - nantes 5 x2, Autumn king 2

Tomato - tumbling tom red x2, minibel, heartbreaker vita f1, 100s and 1000s (these were good last year until I got blight)

Sweetcorn -incredible x 2, swift

Onions - picked up sturon sets £1.50 and bedfordshire champion seed (in a mixed veg seed pack from last yr)

Potatoes - bought rocket and maris peer seed spuds.. more to come


Now for some randoms, I either thought I'll give it a go or were in a mixed pack.. I'm growing cabbage and leeks from plants bought in bnq which are doing alright, started leeks from seed but never got round to planting them. Any thoughts on these?

Spinach - Americana (grew 2 pots of something last year and it went straight to seed :( )

Swede - helenor

Leek - musselburgh, Lyon 2

Cabbage - Golden Acre primo 2

Kale - dwarf green curled

Cauliflower - all year round

Courgette - all green bush

Broccoli - Red arrow

Also have some green and red mixed lettuce, rocket, cumin and thyme

Any thoughts are much appreciated

 

Thanks, I'm sure I tried them (and a few other things) in bog rolls and they were a soggy mess.. so failed big time on a lot of things. Not doing that this year I'm not really a fan of cauli so its a toss up whether I got space or the taste for it!

 

I love parsnips and read they're so much nicer homegrown so really want to try them out! As for the onions I know what your saying, I think I'm just mucking about and trying my hand at it!

 

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