unusual veg

[Tigerella]

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

[ysb33r]

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.

[mazel-bee]

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

[berksmike]

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

[Tigerella]

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

[Alice]

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.

[berksmike]

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

[craft collector]

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

[Alison]

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?

[berksmike]

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

[Alison]

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.

[Two_Sheds]

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.

[rustylady]

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.

[muckdiva]

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)

[madderbat]

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

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.