Growing in 2021

[Odsox]

Lucky you, I grew Mayan Gold a few years ago and they are very nice.
I have no idea why I didn't grow them again, but now I want to ... just when all seed potatoes are in short supply here.

[ina]

And I couldn't even send you some - exports of seed potatoes aren't allowed! Argh!!!

[Green Aura]

I remember, many, many moons ago, working with a nurse who was going home to Ireland to see her family. She was planning on taking her sister some condoms (illegal in Ireland at the time) and we had a long chat about how many she thought she could sneak through in her luggage.

Who'd have thought, 40-odd years later we might have to have a similar discussion about spuds!

[Odsox]

I am totally confused about what can and can't be sent to Ireland from the UK.
Seed potatoes and plants with soil attached have been mentioned several times in the media. But ... I ordered some strawberry plants from Dobies back in November which stated dispatch in 7-10 days. They were dispatched on 31st of December and arrived here on Tuesday, in remarkably good condition considering being stuck in transit for nearly 2 weeks.
There were no customs problems and indeed Dobies terms and conditions still maintain that delivery of seed potatoes and plants to Ireland is OK, but not to most of Scotland or Cornwall.

On another point, I ordered a small item from that Amazing company and it was UK VAT free, making it 20% cheaper, and Irish customs have stated that will not start charging Irish VAT for items under a certain amount until May.

[Flo]

Fink that the rules changed on 1st January. It's the phytosanitary certificate that is causing the trouble. It all used to work under the general EU rules which applied to everyone. Now the UK has to do its own thing and showing that seed potatoes and plants meet the required regulations - well sh!t has happened. Of course there's been plenty of time to have a look at such things whilst everyone was drinking coffee and negotiating but such details seem to be beyond the remit of the UK government.

[ina]

There were no customs problems and indeed Dobies terms and conditions still maintain that delivery of seed potatoes and plants to Ireland is OK, but not to most of Scotland or Cornwall.

But who would want to import seed potatoes to Scotland? It's us that grow and export them!

I knew there was something on the BBC about that - had to go all the way back to Christmas to find it:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland- ... s-55436204

Have fish quotas had their chips?

[Odsox]

There were no customs problems and indeed Dobies terms and conditions still maintain that delivery of seed potatoes and plants to Ireland is OK, but not to most of Scotland or Cornwall.

But who would want to import seed potatoes to Scotland? It's us that grow and export them!

Maybe gardeners who want to grow varieties that Scotland doesn't grow, like the Sarpo varieties which come from Hungary and Romania

[ina]

Possible. But see my edit on the post above.

[Odsox]

Yes, this has been on the Irish news a few times. The sooner Scotland is back in the EU the better

However, the point I was trying (and failing) to make was, Dobies will not put live plants on a lorry and deliver them to (say) Truro*, but is willing to put them on a lorry and take them to the far west of Wales, put them on a ferry, drive them across the whole width of Ireland to deliver them to me, 250 Km further west.

* bear in mind Dobies are in Paignton, Devon to start with.

[Flo]

I have macaroni long peppers showing through in cells on the window ledge. The rosemary seeds never came through (didn't expect as they were given from badly stored shed but always worth a try) so have replaced with yellow tomatoes. Went for a walk round the plot a couple of times last week on me crutches to exercise the replaced knee. See that there are some spaces where not all the onion sets took so am warming some soil up indoors at the moment and will set some of the ones from the net I have discovered off in greenhouse. Nothing tried, nothing gained.

The dwarf kale and the purple sprouting broccoli are still producing on the plot to the delight of the minions who help out there. The garlic also looks good and might well be a good crop this year.

I moved some black currant bushes from the plot I'm giving up into very large tubs at the back end; buds showing. Also the moved dwarf cherry looks to have taken after the move as well. Some of the herbs in tubs need a prune but am leaving them along till the weather gets well into March. The new strawberry bed looks not the best with the wet and cold we have had but will probably perk up with dry and sun and a bit more warm. Think the garlic chives clump may have given up but have more seeds to replace anyway. Soon as the window ledge propagators arrive.

[Green Aura]

We have the usual tomatoes, chillies and sweet peppers, which have grown beautifully thus far. Potted on into 4" pots.

The sweet peppers might be interesting. We got a free packet, called Elf, with last years chilli seed purchases. There was no information with them but they produced tons of small yellow peppers, which were very tasty. We saved seed and they've struck beautifully again but we have no idea if they'll come true - they may have been F1s. No info online either.

It's too cold up here to get the raised beds cleared yet but we've started some salad greens. We can always grow those in pots if it stays too cold.

[Flo]

Wonder if these are the geezers Green Aura? Lots of answers to Little Elf but no information as to whether they are F1 or not. I have no doubt you will tell us later in the season.

[Green Aura]

No, Flo, we saw those too. They're definitely sweet peppers, a bit bigger than those mini peppers you see in the supermarkets - about 3cmx2cm, and much thicker flesh. Delicious and just big enough to put in a recipe for two - I'd usually only use half a big pepper, so that might give you a better idea. They produced lots of peppers per plant, in stages, right through til November (I think!).

I'll see how they grow this year - if they come true then I'll save loads of seeds and pass them round for next year.

I just can't work out why they haven't been more successful seeds to sell. They really are lovely.

[Flo]

Lots of seeds in trays on the window ledge - long red peppers well on; tomatoes showing; orange scented thyme just showing; garlic chives just showing; early caulis showing; not a sign of the cape gooseberries yet.

Cleared the last of a not very successful crop of horse radish - something to consider again for another year but not this and so have a patch on plot now free for something when the weather gets its act together.

[Viper254]

Haven't started a thing yet - just got the seed trays out of the garage at the weekend so going to get going shortly :)

Need to relocate the polytunnel.