[Eric44]

Hi everyone. Just Joined

[Eric44]

Hi everyone.  I have an allotment and a small area of my garden that is used for vegetables. This year, on the allotment I grew two varieties of main crop spuds,- Sarpo Blue Danube and Golden Wonder. Disappointed with both but the Cassablanca that I grew at home in buckets were superb. The onions on the allotment were sets of Japanese Senshyu Yellow, planted the previous autumn and shallots, Red Sun. I grew onion Exibition at home, in pots, moving them from a seed tray into three inch pots, then into 1 ltr pots, then up to 2 ltr and finishing them in 3 ltr pots. Grew some in the polytunnel and some out doors but it didn't seem to make any difference to the eventual size. Grew Sweetcorn, garlic beetroot and runner beans from saved seed. Also had a go at pumpkin and squash.
2020 potatoes are already ordered, Wilja and Rooster

[Yorkie]

Welcome to the site 

Look forward to hearing your advice on growing onions later in the year - I just stick mine in the ground late and without any TLC, and am then none too surprised when they don't do much for me!!

[Eric44]

Thank you Yorkie, I don't know about advice but I'll let you know what I'm doing and when. Both the plot and the garden are far too wet to do anything with at the moment (heavy clay down here) so I'm just planning what I'm going to grow, and where.

[mrs bouquet]

Hallo and welcome.  You will hopefully enjoy other gardeners experiences as we will yours,  Have a look at chatting on the plot, that's where we talk about everything else.    (except politics and religion !)  Mrs Bouquet

[John]

Croeso Eric - you sound like you're experienced, how long have you been growing your own?
What didn't you like about Blue Danube? They do well for me here but we're on a light soil rather than clay.

[Eric44]

Croeso John, been growing my own, on and off, since the '70s. The allotment I have now had been derelict for a few years when I took it over but I've got it into some sort of shape now - still battling  with bindweed though.
The Sarpo Blue Danube just didn't produce anywhere near as good a crop as I'd hoped for and in the same bed were three rows of Golden Wonder. These also under performed. I'm hoping that it was just because the ground wasn't manured previously. Neither would boil correctly, they just blew apart no matter how gently the water was heated but they roasted, fried and baked ok. My normal main crop spud is Sarpo Mira, a cracking cropper.

[John]

Nothing crops like Mira! Blue Danube isn't as good a cropper but it wasn't bad for me. It's a great roaster and chipper rather than a boiling spud - much like Golden Wonder which was the standard for making crisps.
Most likely it's the soil being depleted - you'll get it into good heart soon enough, no doubt