Planning growing round veg box scheme

[Green Aura]

Following on from Odsox thread on experimenting I realised I have a slight dilemma this year.

We've just started receiving a new veg box scheme run by a local-ish charity. I think it's important to support this and keep it going for several reasons, not least because we have such a short growing season we can't keep ourselves in veg all year round. Plus it's saving me a small fortune in fuel - now I don't have to traipse huge quantities of veg back from T*sc* in Inverness, I reckon I only need to go every couple of months. And I have to say the quality of the veg has been fab thus far, if the range is a little limited, presumably due to the time of year (although we did get courgettes this week ).

Which brings me to my current dilemma. I need to plan my planting around what's likely to come in the veg box. I can choose to some extent what I receive so obviously I'll ask them not to send tomatoes through the summer period but I was thinking I'd like to try and concentrate on growing veg that are less likely to turn up in a veg box.

Any ideas anyone?

Oh, and I should have the upgraded polytunnel in the next couple of weeks - the wooden frame is all on and we just need to keep this current calm spell to fit the polycarbonate sheets.

[Odsox]

Also following on from Odsox post.

One vegetable you might like to try for short season is one particular variety of French Bean.
Fasholt will do well in your tunnel, it's a climbing bean so no problem with rotting (that I get with dwarf beans) and it flowers and produces beans when it's hardly out of the ground. Mine take on average 8 weeks from sowing at the beginning of March to first picking and they will just go on and on and on.
The only drawback with it is the bean seeds are black, so not so useful for haricots.

Good luck with your spanky new tunnel, I'll be expecting photos.

[Green Aura]

Never heard of those Tony, I'll have a look. We grow Cherokee Trail of Tears which produce small black beans - excellent for stews and salads.

I presume you can eat Fasholt as both runner and dried beans?

As for photos, what do you think my new avatar pic will be?

[Odsox]

I presume you can eat Fasholt as both runner and dried bean

Oh yes, in my humble opinion it's the best flavoured green bean of the lot.
T&M used to sell the seed but I see that they don't have it this year.

Edit .. Spelt the name wrong .. Fasold http://www.nickys-nursery.co.uk/seeds/p ... m#Climbing French Bean

[Green Aura]

Not at the moment, it's £13 for a medium veg/fruit box - spuds,onions,carrots, neeps (of course) every week then either cauli, cabbage, broccoli, sprouts and a few other bits. Nothing fancy but it may be because of the season.

I'm not sure what they'll offer later, I think they may be open to suggestions as they're new to this too.

[Susie]

We tend to get the more unglamorous (but still nice) end of the veg spectrum in ours - so depending on season: stuff like roots, courgettes, peppers, salady things, more courgettes ;-), more beetroot than you would believe possible, potatoes, squash, cabbage, carrots, that kind of thing. We don't get more expensive veg, so we don't get stuff like asparagus, globe artichokes, salsify, so I get that stuff as an extra from the market. (Not salsify I don't because I wouldn't have the first idea what to do with it. I get asparagus etc).

Also we never get fresh peas. Why not? I love fresh peas!

[Green Aura]

Thanks Susie, that's very useful. I rather gathered it would would be the staples, which is fine - especially as I don't have a fantastic track record growing spuds

So I'll concentrate on slightly more exotic - we' were planning an asparagus bed and we'll have salsify and similar in the forest garden.

Never occurred to me there'd be no peas though - unless the pickers eat them all. I do!

[Thomzo]

Hi
That's my plan as well. Grow the more exotic things like purple carrots or shallots as the basics come in the box. I also grow a lot of fruit as I never get enough in my box, especially currants and berries.

Zoe

[cideristhefuture]

Things i've tried,

rocket, diffrent lettuce such as red little gem, pickling onions, radish - grow on for the pods, mint and peas.

Also not veg but, mellon....cantaloupe type, 12" pot and i usually get a good 4/5 grapefruit size fruits and cape gooseberry (12" pot again).

but what ever you grow it will taste better than 'crapso'.

[oldjerry]

I'd agree with all the above,and I 've only seen a few veg boxes(strangely loads of Spinach beet).
I would look to grow 'young' veg that only works when it's from the ground to your plate in minutes: maybe salad leaves,baby carrots,sugar snaps..etc.
Plus defo,Globe Artichoke(seeds of Italy),San Marzano toms(ditto),Aubergine,some interesting peppers.
Oh,and shallots. BW

[Mal]

We tend to get the more unglamorous (but still nice) end of the veg spectrum in ours - so depending on season: stuff like roots, courgettes, peppers, salady things, more courgettes ;-), more beetroot than you would believe possible, potatoes, squash, cabbage, carrots, that kind of thing. We don't get more expensive veg, so we don't get stuff like asparagus, globe artichokes, salsify, so I get that stuff as an extra from the market. (Not salsify I don't because I wouldn't have the first idea what to do with it. I get asparagus etc).

Also we never get fresh peas. Why not? I love fresh peas!

Hang on, why on earth did I never think of it in these terms? We have a veg box and I grow similar stuff to what we get in it and in similar seasons, so what do we end up with? A glut, virtually all the time. What an idiot I am.

Good job I haven't bought any seeds yet this year - this requires a major rethink. I need to grow the stuff that we don't get enough of - Peppers, Aubergines, Squash, Asparagus, Artichokes, Fresh beans and peas, and as much summer fruit as you can shake a stick at. I'm not down at the 'lottie often enough, nor is it big enough to be self sufficient and cancel the veg box, so I should plan around it!

The clouds part! Inspiration hits! What a shame I have to work this afternoon or I could spend it with with a map of my plot and the real seeds catalogue!

Thanks everyone.