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Follow on Google News | The One No Kitchen Gardener Can MissThe new Fruit and Vegetable Catalogue 2011 from leading mail order supplier D. T. Brown is a publication no kitchen gardener should be without – especially if looking for the newest, best and more unusual varieties to grow in the year ahead.
By: DT Brown Among five new exclusive vegetable seed varieties is the appropriately named Runner Bean Equator, which sets its white flowers and crops reliably even in the hottest and driest of British summers. The long, straight, succulent pods are produced in bunches, while the plants show marked resistance to disease, making this a good choice for those who garden organically or prefer not to use chemicals. Equator also has potential as an exhibition variety, the company’s general manager Tim Jeffries claims. Other vegetable exclusives include outstanding early Leek Megaton F1, Sweet Corn Britpop F1 for home-made popcorn, easy-to-pick Courgette Best of British F1 and large-hearted cos Lettuce Cuore. In addition to Runner Bean Equator, D. T. Brown is also introducing several other beans, including Shelling Beans Flageolet Presto and Spagno Bianco, and Dwarf Bean Lingot-Cannellino. Sweet Corn Britpop F1 is just one of five new sweet corn varieties introduced for 2011 to ensure DTB customers have access to the very latest and best varieties. “We strive to have the most innovative and worthwhile vegetable seed range available to Britain’s gardeners”, says Tim. Many gardeners also buy their seed potatoes from D. T. Brown and this season they have the chance to try a variety which may prove to be the very best all-round variety for decades. Bred on her Perthshire farm by Zella Doig, Sunrise was instantly recognisable to her as a ‘winner’. The name came to her one morning when she awoke and looked out upon a glorious red sunrise above the Lomond Hills to the east. Sunrise gives good yields of large tubers, all with attractive red ‘eyes’, and is a wonderful all-rounder with its creamy taste and floury texture. D. T. Brown claims it is equally good for boiling, mashing, roasting, backing and chipping. “We firmly believe Sunrise will become a classic”, says Tim Jeffries. He is also delighted to be introducing a range of six salad potatoes from France. Amandine is a first early which has very long white- to yellow-skinned tubers with a yellow flesh. Potato Cherie is also very early and has beautiful, rose pink skin. The very long, yellow fleshed tubers of medium size have a wonderful flavour. The trio of first earlies is completed by Anoe, which has very smooth, yellow skin and yellow flesh. Altesse and Roseval are excellent second early varieties. Altesse has yellow skin and yellow flesh and its long, firm-fleshed tubers will keep reasonably well. Roseval has smooth, red skin, while its yellow flesh sometimes displays a pink blush. Maincrop Ratte completes the sextet of salad potatoes. This white-skinned, yellow-fleshed variety has a supremely waxy texture and nutty flavour. Renewed interest in tasty potato varieties from the past is reflected in the introduction of a range of heritage varieties, which not only have a fascinating history, but are still worth growing today. In addition to French and heritage potatoes, there are also several introductions into the main potato section, giving a total of 17 new introductions for the 2011 season. An exciting new onion introduction from D. T. Brown also hails from France. Cevennes Onion Balay, named after its grower Edouard Balay, is a mild onion from the Cevennes in south central France. Deliciously sweet, it is highly prized by French chefs due to its remarkable and delicious mildness eaten raw and its savoury appeal when cooked – “Makes onion tarts to die for!”, in Tim’s words. In France it is grown on terraces cut into the steep hillsides of the Cevennes and tended by hand. The onion’s skin has a satin like appearance, very pale flesh and its delicate flavour makes it an onion highly prized at French markets and by top chefs in the UK. Cevennes Onion Balay is offered as module-raised plants. Garlic has become very popular with D. T. Brown customers. Working in conjunction with the company’s grower on the Isle of Wight, where all DTB garlic is produced, Tim Jeffries has selected out the very largest cloves of its Elephant Garlic and named it Mammoth Garlic. Its bigger cloves yield bigger bulbs. Also new for 2011 is Garlic Sicilian Red, a cracking strain, tested for UK conditions, that gives the warm and spicy flavour of Sicily – spicier than its other Italian types. A red ‘hardneck’ In recent years D. T. Brown has been establishing itself as a pioneer in the world of unusual fruits – and where it leads others have followed. New to the DTB offer for 2011 are Arctic Bramble and Salmonberry. The Arctic Bramble (Rubus arcitcus) is, at its name suggests, native to much harsher climates than our own. It is a low growing, slow spreader – reaching only around 12in high - with attractive deep pink flowers and small, sharp red fruits which appear for most of the summer and make a good addition to fruit salads rather than a large crop in one go. Other new soft fruits featured in the catalogue include Juneberry Smoky, bite-sized Kiwis and Blackberry Black Pearl. Juneberry Smoky has long been grown as a ‘pick-your- Recently introduced self-fertile Kiwi arguta Issai is now joined by females Jumbo and Pupurna Sadowa and the male Weiki, which is required for pollination. Both new females are, like Issai, bite-sized, can be eaten unpeeled and are sweeter and more aromatic than larger kiwi fruits. Jumbo has relatively large, oblong fruits which are borne in profusion from late September onwards. One potted plant of Jumbo costs £12.95. Pupurna Sadowa has red-skinned fruits with a delicate, slightly sharp taste. This ornamental variety crops heavily, and a potted plant costs £12.95. Both Jumbo and Pupurna Sadowa can be supplied with Kiwi Weiki to ensure pollination. Tree fruit (top fruit) is always a major feature of D. T. Brown’s offer and while a fine range is listed in the catalogue, the company boasts an even wider offering on its website www.dtbrownseeds.co.uk Any purchaser of three or more fruit trees may claim a new clone of Apple Jonagold. Called Ruby, it is claimed to crop up to three weeks earlier, absolutely free of charge. http://www.dtbrownseeds.co.uk/ Returning to vegetable seeds, D. T. Brown is offering gardeners the chance to trial a range of seven new vegetable seed varieties before it decides whether to introduce any in future years. “Our customers are always keen to report back with their opinions on any variety we offer for trial, so we thought we would extend the range in our new fruit and vegetable catalogue”, says Tim Jeffries. The trial varieties are Beetroot Bettollo F1, Brukale Petit Posy, Cabbage Sennen F1, Courgette Best of British F1, Climbing Bean Festival, Lettuce Bedford and Watermelon Red Star F1. http://www.dtbrownseeds.co.uk/ To request a free copy of the D. T. Brown Fruit and Vegetables Catalogue 2011, write to D. T. Brown, Bury Road, Newmarket, Suffolk CB8 7PQ, telephone 0845 3710532, fax 0845 3710534 or go online www.dtbrownseeds.co.uk Editor’s notes If you would like to run a reader offer of D. T. Brown’s new varieties, please telephone Tim Jeffries on 01638 751161. # # # D. T. Brown is Britain's leading mail order supplier to gardeners of vegetable seeds and kitchen garden requirements. It offers a wide range of the finest new varieties and firm favourites, with a reputation for introducing many new types of fruit and vegetables. Established more than a century ago, it offers a reliable and friendly service to all gardeners. End
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