[Bert]

Is anyone growing anything this year, they have never grown before ?
 I'm having a go at my first ever pumpkins 

[Fleecewife]

Hi Bert.  I'm going in the opposite direction, growing only those things I know will succeed this year.  I am trying some different tomatoes this time - Ferline, Losetto and something else (?) as well as my favourite Sakura - in an effort to beat the blight.  I am covering some of my veg area for the summer and leaving it empty til I'm a bit more recovered (still convalescing from an illness last summer so not enough strength to cultivate the whole thing)
In previous years I have tried new things such as aubergines - I felt great that I managed to grow them here but we didn't eat many 
A couple of years ago I tried mizuna and found it to be great - hardy and tasty so that has become a fixture.
I grow squashes and pumpkins in my polytunnel - this year Uchiki Kuri and a butternut.  Which variety will you grow?

[MAK]

Spinach - I have a few plants from seed but will sow more. Last year my neighbours gave me lots for my ducks - BUT -  I discovered how to use it in curry and make Salmon in pastry with spinach. Fingers crossed.

[little blue]

same here Bert - first try at pumpkins here (though I've grown them at work)

Had some pak choi seed as a gift, so that's a first try too

[Bert]

Fleecewife the pumpkin I'm trying is mammoth  Hope it's not true to it's name.  I'm also having a go at the same squashes as you. some of your tomato types sound great I've never heard of half of them.
 MAK I think you need to share the recipe for your salmon in pastry  with spinach
little blue good luck with your pak choi , let us know how it goes, not got round to trying to grow that yet.
 If any one is after something a bit different have a look at this sitewww.realseeds.co.uk I grow Fat Baby for the first time last year. it was great, if for no other reason than to say you are growing fat baby's in your green house . It was that good I'm growing it again this year.  obversely you find fat baby under the cucumber section

[Mammyshaz]

We usually grow 'burpless but tasty' cucumber but trying 'vega' this year.
Good luck with the pumpkins, our two boys planted mammoth pumpkins last year and managed huge ones they carved for Halloween. They saved some seeds from them and planted them up last weekend. Hope the seeds germinate or there will be tears 
Tried aubergines last year but still waiting for a greenhouse/polytunnel, they did not like being outdoors and flopped.

[MAK]

Pumpkins - big ones ?

We took a few into town last year ( joking) - but have a look at these puppies.

[Bert]

I'm starting to change my mind  I think I do want my pumpkins to live up to there name of Mammoth. It would be very cool to drag one of those bad boys into the kitchen for the chef . I'm going to grow Monty  (Yes, as in python) on my compost heap.

[MAK]

We grow them for the pigs although we did roast some butternut squash ( 55 of them went into the cellar though).
I plant mine in pockets of soil I have filled with rotted manure and along the edge of a stream in full sun ( easy to water). Good luck.

[Mel]

I grew the Atlantic Giant two years ago,one grew to 76KG! What a nightmare trying to cut that up.Not many takers of pieces,lots of pumpkin this and that and finally my piggies really enjoyed the rest

[Mel]

Oh,my mind is failing me! This year I am having a go at Pak Choi,Mushrooms,Aubergine and Cilantro.

Re the Mushrooms,I have the newspaper on top of my mulch and the spores are growing like webs across my mulch underneath though I have forgotten what to do next,cover with rotten mulch/muck or?!

[Bert]

Sorry leghorn really can't help  . I tried mushrooms last year and didn't even manage to get to the web growing stage.

[holz306]

I'm also trying pumpkins - my best friend is getting married in October and wants pumpkins as her center piece's on the tables.....so the pressure is very mcuh on!! 

I'm also trying ruby red cabbage this year, that i've not grown before.  Everything in the greenhouse in the way of veg is germinating nicely.....none of my flowers are though!

[Plantoid]

I'm trying to grow some French everlasting kale which is a very hardy long croppable plant .

A friend sent me three rooted cuttings but they got held up in th easter post aand did not arrive till nine days after easter Monday ..
The plants looked dead but ever being an optimist I snipped off the rotting bits and some of the yellow smelly leaves , washed them in clean rain water then put them in one of my raised beds. to see if there was any life hiden awy in the corpses .

Today I noticed  11 micro sized new slightly green shoots peeking out the old stems ..it looks like all three cutings will survive long enough for me to get some healthy cuttings off them and into the mist propagation bed to restart the project.