A few weeks ago I popped along to the Edible Garden Show. In just its second year it's already become one of the must-attend shows of the year. It's great to see so many people out and about and clearly excited about the new growing season – I even got to meet a few of you!
One of the speakers in the Experts Theatre was James Wong, a popular charac ter whose enthusiasm for his subject is infectious. James talked up the benefits of growing exotic crops that will save you a small fortune on shopbought produce. I say 'exotic', but they're really only exotic to us. Never mind potatoes and carrots, which can be bought in big bags for a couple of pounds or less, try growing those plants that cost a lot in the supermarkets. Many of these crops you may never have heard of yet
It's reassuring to know that there are literally hundreds of other plants out there just waiting to be discovered
they will happily grow on our plots. Look out
for sweet-tasting miracle berries (Synsepalum
dulcificum ), for example; the Tasmanian pepper
bush (Tasmannia lanceolata), which has not
one but two uses – peppery-fruity berries and
spicy leaves; or why not try growing your own
saffron from the stamens of saf fron crocus
(Crocus sativus)?
It's great to shake things up every now and then and I thoroughly agree with James' conviction that we should reappraise exactly what we're growing and why from time to time. While the majority of us grow only about 30 or so types of fruit and vegetable, it's reassuring to know that there are literally hundreds of other plants out there just waiting to be discovered. I think we will be learning a lot more about some of these new-to-us plant s over the coming years. In the meantime you can read up on the Edible Garden Show on page 64.
Of course, many of those crops already familiar to us are familiar to us for a very good reason – because they are so prolific! May's a great month for starting of f or planting out t wo of these summer time staples: courget tes and beans. When people ask me what vegetables give the biggest pow for their pound these two are top of the list. They're quick to reach fruiting/podding stage and will carry on producing so long as you carry on picking. Not a bad deal!
On page 74 Lucy Halliday goes back to basics and shares her secrets to achieving a heavy yield of courgettes. You can put your free cover seeds to good use and, if you haven't already seen for yourself, discover just why this prolific plant is king of the summer plot. Ann Somerset Miles gives us a roundup of all the options for growing a few wigwams or rows of beans from page 40, while Liz Dobbs follows on page 44 with a clever idea for making a stunning feature out of your climbing beans.
No matter what you're into this season – heavy yields, tast y heirloom veg or something very different indeed – make sure you enjoy it all. Savour the fl avour of your homegrown goodies and celebrate the wonder of grow-it-yourself!
Benedict Vanheems,
Editor
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