I like to grow something a bit unusual every year, this year is not different. I have got my usual unusuals – Tromboncino courgettes and Blauhilde purple – podded climbing beans but I was looking for something else.

My friend gives me the gardening pages from her Saturday’s Telegraph newspaper; I read it and pass it to my other friend. This time, a couple of weeks ago, there was just a little item that caught my eye. It was about popular Tudor vegetables. Of course, I read on and was hooked.

It mentions seeds that I haven’t heard about – Carlin peas, Black Spanish radish and Skirret. The result is that I ordered the three packets of seeds, these came yesterday and today two have been used. I have to wait with the radish, that will be sown in July because it can overwinter. I love veg that doesn’t have to be all harvested at once, I can come and get it as I want and need it.  This radish is one of them. I like it already!

I didn’t sow either the peas or the skirret in the open ground, the pigeons might like them too much when they germinate. Instead I put them in one of my brassica cages where I will grow ‘other’ in the rotation scheme (tomatoes, peppers tomatilloes and anything else that is not a brassica plant)

The person in the seed company of Thomas Etty was very helpful, promised to send me their catalogue and added me to their mailing list. There’s a chance I might be able to get other heritage seeds in the future. My allotment will undergo some changes!