Grow Your Own Magazine

Hi

Has anyone planted any unusual veg. My most unusual would be celery and spinach, I am sure you others can do better.
I have only every eaten spinach once, from a tin and it was awful, thought I would give it a try.
Sugar beet, would that be too difficult to get sugar from?

Tiger

Gem squash (Rolet): Small, green, round cricket-size squashes with yellow flesh.

Purple Haze carrots: I never had purple carrots before, so that was quite novel and they were really tasty.

I'm trying Okra this year and mange-tout. I'm also trying different coloured and shaped tomatoes.

I'm growing lemongrass this year from shop bought stalks and some lovely purple tomatillos from seed.

I'm also growing melon pears (pepino) from seed (T&M) in the greenhouse.
Enclosed a pic from the catalogue but they don't look like that yet!!

Mike

Attached Thumbnails

 

Hi

Ive also got some brussel sprouts called red bull, the description says the colour develops better with colder weather.
I might also grow mushrooms when I get time.

Tiger

Hello Mike, the melon pears look interesting. Are they melon flavoured, or is it a cross between melon and pear. Can you tell us any more.
I'm trying cucumber lemon - small round yellow cucumbers for outdoor growing. Interested to see what they're like.

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From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.

As far as i know they are very sweet and taste just like melons. They are grown in a similar way.. I'm growing mine in a greenhouse but they will grow in sunny sheltered borders (according to T&M)
Will let you the definitive answer when I've harvested them!

Mike

I want to try sweet potatoes this year, T&G had slips but a bit pricy so cut of the tops and planted them in sandy compost. They went into the propagator and made beautiful shoots which are now about 6 inches tall. Can I get awat with planting them in the poly now or is still to early????? Pudden

Would say you were too early for planting sweet pots out as they are tender and I lost some of my cuttings to frost last autumn. Won't be planting mine out until late May at the earliest round here.

Have you grown tomatillos before, Berksmike? Are these the things that are used in Mexican cookery? Are they easy to propogate?

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Some of us live in the past, always talking about back then. Some of us live in the future, always planning what we are going to do. And, then there are those, who neither look behind or ahead, but just enjoy the moment of right now.

Which one are you and is it how you want to be?

Tomatillos very easy so far... Its my first irst year growing them but doing very well in the greenhouse, I've just treated them like greenhouse tomatoes ..About 2 1/2 ft tall and covered in lovely yellow flowers.
They are so pretty I'm planning on buying more to sow later for my borders

Have been out in the greenhouse hand-pollinating today as they are not self pollinating.
Believe they are like tart tomatoes and good in salsa but the plants are so attractive I would say they are worth growing anyway regardless of taste.

Will take a picture and post it

Mike

Thanks Mike, I've found a recipe that sounded nice the other day which used them but I didn't know how easy they would be to grow. Won't have room in the garden but may get some seeds to try in the borders and cross my fingers for a good summer! If they look pretty anyway then nothing really lost of I don't get much of a crop.

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Some of us live in the past, always talking about back then. Some of us live in the future, always planning what we are going to do. And, then there are those, who neither look behind or ahead, but just enjoy the moment of right now.

Which one are you and is it how you want to be?

I wouldn't try Sugar Beet! There's a factory near us that processes it, and oh my god, the stink. Worse than my Comfrey Tea...you can smell it ten miles away

I had a Pepino, it died ... apparently they take several years to bear fruit.
Got Tomatillos for this year, cos I love tomato/chilli sauces...fill up the freezer
All the veg I grow is 'unusual' in some way...white/purple carrots, Rainbow Chard, white pumpkin, anything with a great name: 'Cherokee' etc.

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~ What do I think of Western civilisation? I think it would be a very good idea ~ Gandhi

Sugar cane isn't really worth growing in this country. The amount of actual sugar you can get from one plant is negligible, and it needs specialist refining. Chewing sugar cane is a novelty, and having tried it in Africa, it is really nice, but a lot of wastage.

Quinoa and Salsola from www.realseeds.co.uk
and
Peppadew peppers from Pigletwillie (potted these on today and they are looking very healthy and strong)

Hi Tigrella,
Not sure about unusual veg, but we grew perpetual spinach for the first time last year and I made loads of Sag bhajee with it.
Put a knob of butter in a pan, chop an onion fine, add some garlic and a tsp of turnmeric. Sautee gently while you wash and 'de-bone' the spinach (take out the middle stems if big). Chop spinach and throw into pan. Put lid on and leave for as long as you like, stirring occasionally. Absolutely wonderful.

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Regards, Jane
What sane person could live in this world and not be crazy? The creative adult is the child who has survived.
Ursula LeGuin
http://www.etribes.com/madderbat

For this year the unusual veg I am attempting to grow are Cardoons, Jerusalem Artichokes, Maca (Peruvian Ginseng), Salsify,Sea kale, Ham Onions & Red Ham onions. Trying Loganberry and Apricots in the fruit line and Anise and Bergamot in the herb line!

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My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

Melons inside and out and another attempt at a pineapple.

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Kindest regards, David.

http://pigletsplots.blogspot.com/
updated - Sunday 19th at 2100hrs

Not so unusual but try landcress, it's been a stalwart, growing thoughout the winter providing a good crop of salad leaves, very similar in taste to watercress, easy to grow and best of all, it appears to be too strong a taste for slugs, as they've hardly touched it.
I like trying unusual things just to see how they grow, last year it was peanuts, absolutely fascinating to see the flower heads dip and grow down into the soil to make the nuts, got five! This year I have got sugar cane on the go - or a near relative of sugar cane that can be grown in our climate.
And on the advice of other grapes am growing couve tronchudo, an old type of loose cabbage apparently and pumpkin nuts for the huskless seeds.
I've got Hungarian Bread Seed poppies on the go and horehound as I've got a recipe for cough sweets that uses horehound and wanted to try it out.
Am also trying Anchocha from Real Seeds, seems like a vine with cucumber like fruits that can be cooked.
If you like growing unusual things try Chiltern Seeds, a good winter read and a source of some amazing seeds.
Sue

Wow ! Good luck with all that Sue. I'll certainly have a look at Chiltern seeds.

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From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.

Ha! Thank you for giving landcress a mention, Sue - partner-in-grime Jane has been banging on about trying to get some seeds for this for ages (has got some now) as landcress was a stalwart of her dad's growing when we were both nippers!

I assume you can plant it on a spare bit of ground and it's cut-and-come-again?

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Hazel
www.hazelandjanesallotment.blogspot.com
update Sat 20/12/2008......End of year report - plot d (legumes)!.....

Once you plant land cress, you have it for life!!!!! We tried water cress in the pond and that has gone berserk too, good job we like watercress soup. Chiltern seeds are a great company and there catalogue is more like a mini encyclopedia. I am going to reisk the sweet pots in the tunnel but will cover them over night with fleece. Will keep you all posted on that one. Pudden

I've never tried salsola but quinoa was one of the disappointments of my life! Food of the Incas etc. It was like cardboard. Truly horrid. Isn't taste a VERY personal thing?

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If a man is in the garden and speaks, and there is no woman to hear him, is he still wrong?

www.vegheaven.blogspot.com

Updated January 3rd - Birdwatching.

LOL that conjures up some images!

I love nasturtiums...not that unusual, but a lotta people don't realise you can eat the whole thing, flowers and all. Related to watercress, really peppery, yum

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~ What do I think of Western civilisation? I think it would be a very good idea ~ Gandhi

Hazel
Yes, I love cress and it's been wonderful to have it through the winter, got Greek Cress as well to have a go with when it gets warmer and I see that I will have it for life - oh dear, but perhaps it will keep bouncing back after cut and coming again.
Alice - You can tell I'm new at gardening can't wait to try everything out, it's all so exciting seeing how things grow.
Sue