Seed audit and planning

The first step in planning what seeds to buy was to find my seed pot. It was on the floor just there for ages, but then I tidied up... I found it eventually, and there are quite a lot of seeds in it.

Seeds, various. Very various.

A lot of these are old, but I think I'll take a chance on them and only buy what I haven't already got. I have:-

• Field beans, some old, some saved, possibly mouldy
• Dutch brown beans, saved
• Borlotto beans, old
• Peas, old-ish, Exzellenz, not enough
• Brocolli, some old, some masses of saved
• Red cabbage, old but masses of them
• Spring onions, two varieties, at least one of which is fresh
• Hokkaido squash, just four seeds
• Carrots, old
• Root parsley
• Parsnips, saved
• Leeks, saved (hopefully)
• Chard, two varieties
• Fennel, old but lots
• Purslane
• Basil
• Beetroot
• Borage
• Nasturtiums
• Sweet peas

To add to these, I now have anise hyssop and primroses - thank you Sara! This is a pretty good selection, before I've even bought anything. I've decided against growing tomatoes this year, as they need a lot of attention and I've yet to get a decent crop. Carrots would be off the list if I didn't already have seeds - I'm not sure whether to bother sowing them or not. Peas do well, so I'll get more of those. Similarly potatoes - I tried one of the blight resistant Sarpo varieties last year, and I'd like to grow those again. I'll also add courgettes and sweetcorn to the list.

The only other veg I'm wondering about is asparagus. My seed-grown plants have mostly failed, and I do like asparagus a lot. I wonder whether plants grown from crowns might be strong enough to withstand some slug-chewing? Or if not, whether I might be able to defend a few plants successfully? Given the otherwise short shopping list, it might be worth a go.