February

Pepper ‘Picante a Mazzetti’ produces attractive cone shaped, chillies which grow vertically with many fruits per bunch. known as 'Bouquet di Peperoncini', they mature to a festive, deep scarlet red, and have a multitude of ornamental as well as edible uses. Sown May to June they will produce fruits in perfect time for Christmas.

Pimientos de Padrón are amazingly tasty, tiny fresh peppers. The Spanish delicacy often served in Tapas bars, chances are if you have been to Spain you have gobbled up small plates of these in one sitting. Padrón peppers can be harvested as early as mid-May when small and sweet.

The 'Scotch Bonnet' was the first Caribbean Hot Pepper to be known by a specific name in the export market. Most commonly found in hot Caribbean dishes, use sparingly, fresh or dried to recipes. Also great for pickling, garnishes, sauces and jerk rubs, it develops a rich, multi-sided, tropical-fruity flavour.

Serrano peppers are fleshy and meaty with the unique flavour so popular in Mexican cuisine. The abundant candle-flame shaped fruit are green, then red at full maturity and are borne on attractive erect, branching plants. They red chilies are often be threaded on string and dried as a colourful ornament.

Tabasco peppers are an American legend. Originally from Costa Rica they are the most well known type of Capsicum frutescens.These fiery little jewels are the primary ingredient in tabasco sauce. This Greenleaf strain has been bred to be resistant to tobacco etch virus (TEV) and give a lot of firepower!

Unashamedly bright and vibrant, Firecracker is an edible and very ornamental little pepper. They pack some chilli kick but the amazing fruity flavour is never overpowered by the heat. The peppers can be used fresh or dried, they are lovely when made into miniature herb wreaths and kitchen swags, or threaded and hung in miniature garlands.

Californian Wonder is the widely adapted standard variety, a favorite with gardeners and for commercial production. It consistently produces large yields of blocky, four-lobed thick-walled fruit that is mild and sweet, tender and flavourful. Perfect for salads, to stir-fries, grilling or stuffing.

Think of the Cubanelle like a sweeter, more flavourful bell pepper, and you’ll understand why they are so popular. While stuffing is a possibility, fried with a little olive oil, the Cubanelles mild sweet taste really comes to life. It is perhaps best thought of as providing 'taste' rather than 'heat'.

'Golden Californian Wonder' is the widely adapted standard variety, a favorite with gardeners and widely used for commercial production. The plant does well in both cool and warm weather. It consistently produces large yields of blocky, four-lobed thick-walled fruit that is mild and sweet, tender and flavourful.

Incredibly sweet and beautiful, Sweet Pepper 'Golden Marconi’ have a wonderful taste and feature sweet skin, medium thick flesh and a mild and juicy flavour. The vigorous, productive plants produce long and slender fruits that are tapered to a blunt end. The fruits look elegantly beautiful on the plant.

Sweet Pepper ‘Marconi Red’ is an Italian bred variety. Maturing a little later than regular bell peppers, they produce much sweeter and tastier fruits. This variety is often used for roasting and frying but also tastes wonderful when eaten fresh. It grows very well in unheated greenhouses or in pots on a sunny patio.

Shiso ‘Aoshiso’ leaves make for exquisite decoration. It is finely sliced with ginger and added to salads, sautéed vegetables, sashimi, tempura and sushi. Available either red or green, the red having more of an anise flavour and slightly less spicy than the green variety, which tastes more like cinnamon.

The Cape Gooseberry is a useful small crop for the home garden. The fruit is expensive to purchase as it is labour intensive in commercial plantings. Very easy to grow from seed, it can overwinter outdoors in mild areas or when grown in favoured positions such as the foot of a sunny wall.

Imagine, You’re reading the paper and suddenly your eye is drawn to a picture of this giant orange thing about the size of a truck with a guy half its size standing next to it grinning like a lunatic. “I’d like to grow one of those,” you think.

Looking exactly like fairy tale pumpkins in children’s storybooks, Musquée de Provence is a gorgeous French pumpkin that is one of the only pumpkins that is eaten raw. Sweet with a light crunch and typical nutty taste, the very fine-grained flesh is considered by many to be superior to any other.

The Black Spanish radish is a unique variety with a inky black, thick skin that resembles that of a rhinoceros. But that craggy, tough exterior is what protects the tender, spicy, crisp, pure-white flesh. They are reliable, last forever in the garden and in storage, and are one of the easiest things you will ever grow.

The globe shaped roots of Radish ‘Cherry Belle’ have appealing bright red skins, smooth white flesh and a crisp, crunchy texture. This fast maturing variety is reliable and versatile, producing early crops of sweet and succulent, mildly flavoured radish.