What varieties for first time grower ?

We've had a couple of threads asking for "best" varieties. It's impossible, as everyone's situation, conditions, soil, weather and personal preferences are all different.

Just buy a few, try them.

If you don't like, try something else the year after.
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Just looked at your photos - great shed!! I love the downtown Soweto look - it's so much nicer than brand new shiny sheds. Tend to agree with Two Sheds re the varieties - but do write down what you have planted and where - don't rely on memory!! Have learned my lesson on that and now have a blog where I list what I planted and when.

The first time you grow stuff you are often best going for some of the tried and tested varieties. Often it can be good going for ones which say that they are quick to mature so as you get an earlier result which is nice for the first time. Personally I am trying to buy more open pollinated varieties so that I can collect more of my own seed rather than F1 types but I do have some exceptions to this which I have learnt from experimentation. It may also be worth speaking to your neighbours to see what works well for them as they will be dealing with the same weather and soil as you.

As said above, we all have our preferences, whether that be due to taste, use, appearance or growing habit. For example, I don't grow dwarf beans or short peas as I find it a real fag to bend down to pick them so prefer the 6' varieties but if your site is very windy this might not be a good plan.

Think about if you want to store your veg or eat it fresh and I've found it handy to do a plan showing what will need doing at any time to try and make it so as I'm not having to sow everything and / or harvest it at the same time. I know my limitations with regards time and, for example, although I like summer cabbages, I don't find I need them as there are so many other nice things being harvested such as beans, courgettes etc at the same time. Therefore I'm only growing spring and winter cabbage. Just depends on what you want and when. Not really answered your question but hopefully of some help.

I'd totally agree with Alison. The one thing I would suggest is to get an Autumn fruiting variety of raspberry as they're so much less hassle than the Summer ones. Other than that order loads of seed catalogues, decide what you want from each veg (taste, productivity, hardiness or whatever), read the descriptions - bearing in mind that no catalogue is going to say that something is flavourless, but will bang on about its looks or earliness instead, so a fair bit of reading between the lines is called for - then try a variety that sounds right for you. Sometimes you're lucky and find exactly what you want first time, in my case I'm still growing the same variety of maincrop potato that we grew the first year, and other times it takes a bit of experimentation, after more years than I care to remember this is the first season that I've grown a Brussels sprout that I really like. Oh, and make a note of the varieties you try, I'm still trying to track down a rather lovely savoy cabbage that I grew one year, but left the seed packet in the greenhouse where it faded to illegibility.

I'm going to grow some things for 1st time(like tatties)and some things that I grew before.Last week I had a look at the seeds and strangely enough,I have only 1 F1 hybrid.
When it came to choosing the seeds i did it exactly the way Alison suggested-what I'm going to eat,when and being nosy towards my neighbours polytunnel

Everyone's growing environment is different and will affect how what you choose grows, but I'll not let that stop me suggestin few varieties...

French Dwaf Beans - grew several different varities this year, all pretty good.
Beetroot - dunno, but some reckon single seed is best.
Garlic - Albigensian Wight
Swede - Marion (a standard, tasty & easy)
Onions - sturon globe (not sturon), Pigletwillies roscoff onions
Red Onion - Long red florence
Shallotes - 'chicken leg' ones
Leeks - musselborough - stand well
Romanesco - Romanesco
Cauliflower - Idol - small 'individual-sized' heads
Mangetout - Sugar snap
Peas -
Broad Beans - Bunyards Exhibition
Rocket - ??
Spinich - ??
Carrots - Purple Haze F1 & Chantenay Royal
Parsnip - Tender & True
Raspberries - Joan J autumn rasps
Strawberries -??
Radish - ??

Wot! No squash or tomatoes?