My January seed order

I've decided that less is more as far as buying seeds is concerned. Sifted through the ones I had left from last year - today's careful order avoids wastage and fills in the gaps. After 'chitting' the seed potatoes I'll plant them directly in mid Spring and the rest of the seeds I'll use to raise plug plants destined for those NINE raised beds I mentioned in my last post. So here it is:

1 x seed potatoes LADY CHRISTL 3 kg
2 x potato GOLDEN WONDER 1.5kg
1 x CARROT Chanteney
1 x PARSNIP Cobham Improved Marrow
1 x LETTUCE Little Gem
1 x CUCUMBER Long White Paris
1 x LEEK Monstruso de Carentan
1 x MELON Sweetheart F1
1 x Rocket Wild

£25.22 with a ten per cent 'Garden Organic' membership discount delivered to my door from the ORGANIC GARDENING CATALOGUE: http://www.organicgardeningcatalogue.co.uk/ (postage free for orders over £25)

Three of the vegetables in my order I've grown before. LADY CHRISTL potatoes were delicious, early and a really good yield. Leeks grow well on my heavy clay soil and I like large ones so MONSTRUSO DE CARENTAN fits the job description nicely. LITTLE GEM LETTUCES are sweet and delightful at lunch or any other time!

The rest of the seeds are a bit of an adventure.

I chose GOLDEN WONDER as a main crop potato as I'm hoping the dry, tasty flouriness is good for the homemade shepherd's pies I stuff the freezer with.

COBHAM IMPROVED MARROW parsnips have a built in canker resistance - so I'll let you know if that solves last year's problem.

Early CHANTENEY carrots are short, extremely tasty and because they grow quickly (or so I've heard) are more resistant to carrot fly and more suitable for growing in pots too.

I'm trying out the perennial WILD ROCKET, to see what it tastes like and if it will save me some work as I don't need to re-sow it every two weeks.

I've never grown LONG WHITE PARIS cucumber or SWEETHEART melons before. Now that I have some cloches for outside, I'm hoping this particular experiment will succeed as the cucumbers are just the right size for lunchboxes and melons are such a treat.

The picture shows my plot in April 2008 with some snap-together raised beds. The shed is a former railway workers hut, I think - painted orange for some italian ambience...the couch-grass-path needs a hair cut again...