Coloured Veg

[kernowyon]

I grew rainbow carrots - only got one carrot to maturity - it was orange!!!

the rainbow carrots i grew this year were a real success, the kids loved them, which was the main aim of growing them, picked early they tasted nice and sweet. although the ones left to mature did lose the sweetness.

[wellie]

I can 'ditto' most of the above recommendations, having grown them (apart from the multi-carrots) and would seriously, seriously recommend any vegetable grower to grow BORLOTTI beans. Wow! Funky to look at, Gorgeous to eat (fresh, out of the pods) and then dried for what you can't manage for later.....
Bulls Blood Beetroot is WELL worth space as it looks and tastes stunning.
Get a copy of Sarah Raven's Garden Seed Catalogue online. Even if you don't buy seeds from it (too pricey, and let's not start!!) but it gives you great ideas if you want a decorative as well as tasty plot, which I do, every time when it's on your doorstep.
Very good luck with your choices, and I look forward to keeping up with this thread as to others' recommendations....

[Hazel at the Hill]

I would very, very much like to try crimson flowered broad beans, which are just the prettiest things, but having seen the seeds on sale at FIFTY PENCE EACH!!!!! at the Malvern Show in the Spring I didn't buy any.

Daft really - but I was very new to all this then, which is a poor excuse, I know, as I'd have 3 or 4 like a shot now - which is only the cost of a packet of seed - and grow them for seed and I'd also have some to 'trade'...

They are something that I will definitely be scouring the seed catalogues for this year.

[HeyWayne]

When I looked around my plot earlier this year (when it was in "full" swing), I though everything looked a bit, well, green. So like you I set about selecting a few crops to add a bit of colour to the plot for next year. I have bought Falstaff Brussels (kind of purple colour), Blauhilde Beans (dark purply colour), and some Bright Yellow Chard.

I've also bought some meadow flowers seeds, and a load of poppy seeds (my favourite) to try and introduce some colour.

Oh, and purple and white sprouting broccoli.

Looks like purple's next years colour for me....

[Flummery]

I've just joined the HDRA Seed Library Hazel. This gives you the opportunity to choose 6 different packs of seed each year - all heritage and otherwise unobtainable (unless you have friends who'll swap of course!) The cost per year is �20 so you could look upon the seeds as �3+ per pack but I prefer to look upon it as the opportunity to help to fund the people who are growing on and bulking up these stocks to preserve them - and then I get 6 packets of free seeds for being good! It's the glass half full thingie.
Anyway, if you want something really unusual (which you can collect again at seed time and keep it going) the Seed Library is well worth a punt.

[SueA]

Haven't tried any of the coloured caulis or beans but have grown rainbow chard which is very pretty & fancy trying the coloured carrots. Bit worried about them now as some of you didn't have very good results with them.

[Hazel at the Hill]

Thanks Flum - you've given me more info than the web site and the leaflet at Ryton put together. Lesson in communication there - the web site quite happy to tell me it's �20 to join, but less keen to tell me what joining does for me!

I see this being put on the Christmas 'wish' list!

[shirlthegirl43]

Haven't tried any of the coloured caulis or beans but have grown rainbow chard which is very pretty & fancy trying the coloured carrots. Bit worried about them now as some of you didn't have very good results with them.

I intend trying the carrots again but this time using slug pellets!!

[simonytfc]

A good type to try is purple sprouting broccolli which i grew last year and worked really well!!

[Flummery]

Thanks Flum - you've given me more info than the web site and the leaflet at Ryton put together. Lesson in communication there - the web site quite happy to tell me it's �20 to join, but less keen to tell me what joining does for me!

I see this being put on the Christmas 'wish' list!

Get in there early Hazel. They send the list out for you to choose seeds fairly soon. You have to make your choice early - I suspect if you join after Christmas you might miss the boat for this year. Post Early as they used to say!

[Seahorse]

Thanks Wellie for the Sarah Raven tip - I didn't even know she did seeds but have just had a look through her site (lovely eye candy) and ordered a catalogue for inspiration.

And thanks to Flum, I have just joined the Heritage Seed Library! I've tried to join online a couple of times but always got an 'error' message. Realising they might run out of the good stuff gave me the nudge to pick up the phone and do it!

Claire

[Flummery]

If we get ourselves organised, Seahorse, we can order different stuff and do a swap - maybe this time next year when we've got enough saved seeds.

[momol]

Hi Newbietogardening,

I would like to add Zlata radish to the colour veg list as they are yellow and taste mild, golden yellow mangetout (climbing type) with it's sweet yellow podded pod, golden beet with an orange yellow colour that don't bleed like the normal one but still taste very sweet, and desiree shelling peas (bush type) which has deep purple pod with purple flower.

Momol

[Hazel at the Hill]

Get in there early Hazel. They send the list out for you to choose seeds fairly soon. You have to make your choice early - I suspect if you join after Christmas you might miss the boat for this year. Post Early as they used to say!

Ok - that's sold me - I've joined! Mind you, I still say it's a bloody difficult site to get any info out of!

[Seahorse]

Flum (and anyone else interested!) I'd most definitely be up for a heritage seed swap. Do you have any idea how many of each they offer you (I guess it varies from type to type anyway). If it's a fair few, I wouldn't even mind swapping this year (before growing I mean). Definitely interested in saving and swapping in future though

Claire