Comments on: My New Veg for 2010

By: John

John — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 09:31:28 +0000

I am very interested in hearing and finding out how the seakale seeds turn out. We have been offering them for a few years now but I dont know of anyone that has reported back on how they are growing. I think you have chosen some wonderful produce to grow in your garden. I cant wait to find out how it all turns out. I hope you keep us updated. I only wish we could try some of it. The begetables you are talking about are hardly available to buy every day in the supermarket. I have tried growing the Borlotti beans last year and they turned out wonderfully. Infact, they were the best things I have ever grown and everyone in the family has commented on them.

By: Scintilla

Scintilla — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 20:35:04 +0000

Italians love the Borlotti beans eaten fresh cooked with a little olive oil, peeled tomates, garlic and pasta. They really are much nicer eaten fresh and I usually throw some in the freezer raw to cook in winter or to add to minestrone vegetable soup. I buy the dried ones as they are very good rather than bother with drying my own as the plant tends to go moldy with the first autumn rain.

Probablynathan- my parents used to grow them in Melbourne. Try Diggers nursery online. they’ll have them

By: probablynathan

probablynathan — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 23:59:49 +0000

Im am planing on planting Borlotti Beans next season but I have not been able to find a Australian supplier. I look forward to seeing how you go with your new crops.

By: Luigi

Luigi — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 09:54:26 +0000

Interesting list of veggies. The other thing to consider when growing in a small space is the use of height. The reason I say this, is because a variety of Borlotto such as the famous “Lamon”, are very tall, so you will get a greater yield than using the dwarf types.

For interesting Italian varities, I recommend looking at “Seeds of Italy” UK based, they supply to the likes of Jamie Oliver, James Martin etc. In case you have not heard of them. You can google them.

By: Tee Riddle

Tee Riddle — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 23:08:49 +0000

That’s a very interesting list of veggies! I have been growing something ever since I could stand, but have never even heard of the items on your list. I am very intrigued to see how well they perform in your garden.

I love the Borlotti Beans. Vegetables that are visually different than the usual norms add a nice touch to the garden. I’m sure you will have a blast trying these new additions to your garden, and thanks for sharing them! I look forward to seeing their progression.

By: Flick

Flick — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 16:57:23 +0000

yes, sure, you can pick them earlier – I did that the first year. I guess it just depends on your choice – I had so many runners (which are nicer eaten fresh than any other beans, IMHO), so I left the borlottis to mature.

By: Anja

Anja — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 19:48:14 +0000

You can of course pick the borlottis earlier than that and just cook them – I’m sure you could freeze them after they’ve cooked. Wouldn’t you get a larger crop if you pick several times?

By: Flick

Flick — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 10:41:22 +0000

I grew borlottis last year and have used the dried beans in a couple of recipes already.
Leave the beans on the plant as long as possible, but once the pods are dry and crispy, it’ll be OK to remove them. If it’s getting a bit late in the autumn, pull the whole plant up and leave them somewhere dry for a week or two. If the pods are too young to crisp up properly, then they’ll be no good, but you should get a good crop overall. I left the picked beans in an open container for a while to let out any remaining moisture, but they’ve been in an airtight one since October and are still fine.
50g of dried beans is a goodly amount for one portion.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 13:15:35 +0000

I too have a tiny plot that I’m going to get started this year, so I’m following this blog avidly to see what to do when as I have no idea and all the information seems so daunting!

The borlotti beans do look pretty though. There is a brilliant recipe for borlotti bean minestrone in Gordon Ramsay’s Healthy Eating book if you want ways to use them up! Yum!

By: mtp

mtp — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 12:48:48 +0000

Hi Mango,

Try Lettuce, Radish, Spring Onions, New Zealand Spinach, Garlic, Shallots – they all take up next to no room at all. If you have a bit more room go for climbing veg like climbing French Beans, Cucumber, even a small pumpkin – they take up less room because they are growing upwards. Another tip is to grow a ‘catch’ crop inbetween the rows of slow growing veg. For example try a row of Radish inbetween your Garlic or Shallots. Or sometimes I plant Lettuce at the base of Cucumber or Beans.