New Seeds: Heritage Seed Library 2016

My first ever seed selection from Garden Organic‘s Heritage Seed Library has arrived!

I’m delighted to say that I’ve received five out of my six first-choice varieties, and one of my second-choice (more about the request process in my earlier post on joining the HSL), as well as a lucky dip packet (one that isn’t actually on this year’s seed list, rather mysteriously).

Here’s what I’ve been sent:

• Runner Bean (Phaseolus coccinea) ‘Blackpod’
• Climbing French Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) ‘Major Cook’s Bean’
• Dwarf French Bean (P. vulgaris) ‘Peewit’
• Kale (Brassica oleracea) ‘Georgia Southern Collard’
• Leek (Allium ampeloprasum) ‘Walton Mammoth’
• Squash (Cucurbita maxima) ‘Zapallito de Toscana’
• Turnip (Brassica rapa) ‘Kaskinauris’ (lucky dip)

A bit of research on that turnip variety turns up Garden Organic’s Adopt a Veg site, with the following info:

“The name is thought to be a Finnish compound word, ‘Kaski’ meaning an area managed using ‘slash-and-burn’ cultivation (which ceased more than 100 years ago in Finland), and ‘nauris’, which is the Finnish word for turnip. This variety has a very sweet long root that keeps well even in winter. The flesh is white and firm with a sugary flavour.”

Sounds good, I’ll definitely give it a go and see what happens, although it might be this time next year before I’m harvesting the roots.

In the meantime, I’ll be looking forward to sowing and growing everything else and will providing updates in due course. The leeks will be the first to be sown as they can be started off as early as last February or March, depending on the weather. I’m particularly looking forward to trying the beans and squash. I did well with beans last year but my squash-growing efforts didn’t turn out well at all, largely due to the poor summer we had, and a lack of time to look after the plants properly. Here’s hoping for better conditions this year.