Guides / Fruit and vegetables
Fruit and vegetables
Edible crops for kitchen gardens and allotments.
A
Adzuki Bean
Vigna angularis
How to grow adzuki beans, Vigna angularis. Sowing, spacing, summer warmth, drying the seed and using the red beans for sweet paste.
African Rice
Oryza glaberrima
How to grow African rice, Oryza glaberrima. A second independent domestication in the Niger delta, the red grain that crossed the Atlantic with the people who knew how to grow it.
African Yam Bean
Sphenostylis stenocarpa
How to grow African yam bean, Sphenostylis stenocarpa. A West African climbing legume grown for edible seeds and tubers, with notes on heat, support and long boiling.
Aji Pepper
Capsicum baccatum
How to grow aji peppers, Capsicum baccatum. The Peruvian chilli with a fruity flavour, the tall plant it makes, and the spotted flowers that identify the species.
Almond
Prunus dulcis
How to grow almond, Prunus dulcis. Why it blossoms in February and rarely sets nuts in a cool damp spring, peach leaf curl, and the difference between sweet and bitter kernels.
Ambarella
Spondias dulcis
How to grow ambarella, Spondias dulcis. Warmth, watering, the crisp green fruit, the spiny stone and its common names.
American pawpaw
Asimina triloba
How to grow American pawpaw, Asimina triloba. The largest fruit native to North America, custard-textured and tropical-tasting, from a tree hardy to -25 deg C.
Apple
Malus domestica
How to grow apples, Malus domestica. Rootstocks and what they control, pollination groups explained plainly, winter pruning, and the cyanide in the pips.
Apricot
Prunus armeniaca
How to grow apricot, Prunus armeniaca. The earliest blossom of any fruit tree, protecting it from frost, and choosing a cultivar bred for a cool temperate climate.
Arrowroot
Maranta arundinacea
How to grow arrowroot, Maranta arundinacea. The starch that thickens clear, its family connection to the prayer plant on your windowsill, and the island that still supplies most of it.
Asian pear
Pyrus pyrifolia
How to grow Asian pear, Pyrus pyrifolia. Why you pick it crisp instead of ripening it soft, the pollination partner it needs, and thinning the fruit for size.
Asparagus
Asparagus officinalis
How to grow asparagus, Asparagus officinalis. Waiting three years before the first cut, stopping cutting on midsummer's day, and dealing with asparagus beetle.
Aubergine
Solanum melongena
How to grow aubergines, Solanum melongena. The heat they need and how to supply it in a cool summer, stopping at five fruits, red spider mite under glass, and picking while the skin still shines.
Australian Round Lime
Microcitrus australis
How to grow Australian round lime, Microcitrus australis. The Queensland rainforest citrus that was a bushfood before it was a crop, its place beside the finger lime, and the thorns it comes with.
Autumn olive
Elaeagnus umbellata
How to grow autumn olive, Elaeagnus umbellata. A nitrogen-fixing shrub with silver leaves and speckled red fruit, and why it needs planting with thought.
Avocado
Persea americana
How to grow avocado, Persea americana. Germinating stones, pollination groups, fruiting limits indoors and persin safety for pets.
B
Banana
Musa acuminata
How to grow banana, Musa acuminata. The giant herb that is not a tree, why every Cavendish is the same plant, Panama disease, and which bananas survive a cool winter.
Barley
Hordeum vulgare
How to grow barley, Hordeum vulgare. The cereal behind beer and whisky, two-row against six-row, and how to tell it from wheat at fifty paces.
Beetroot
Beta vulgaris
How to grow beetroot, Beta vulgaris. Why each seed is a cluster, sowing to avoid bolting, eating the leaves, and the harmless red urine that alarms people.
Betel Nut
Areca catechu
How to identify the betel nut palm, Areca catechu. Palm features, areca nut use, health risks and the limits of safe cultivation advice.
Bilberry
Vaccinium myrtillus
How to grow bilberry, Vaccinium myrtillus. The wild blueberry of European moorland, why the fruit stains and the shop blueberry does not, and its slow spread.
Bilimbi
Averrhoa bilimbi
How to grow bilimbi, Averrhoa bilimbi. The sour cousin of the starfruit that grows straight out of the trunk, its place in a Kerala kitchen, and the kidney damage its juice has caused.
Bitter Gourd
Momordica charantia
How to grow bitter gourd, Momordica charantia. The two shapes it comes in, how to take the edge off the bitterness, and why anyone on diabetes medication should read the safety section first.
Black Mulberry
Morus nigra
How to grow black mulberry, Morus nigra. Why it is never sold in shops, pruning only when fully dormant to stop it bleeding, and the long wait for the first crop.
Black Mustard
Brassica nigra
How to grow black mustard, Brassica nigra. The hot seed behind traditional table mustard, why the pods shatter, and how it differs from the brown mustard grown commercially.
Black raspberry
Rubus occidentalis
How to grow black raspberry, Rubus occidentalis. Arching purple canes that root at the tips, intense dark fruit, and the one plant you must keep it away from.
Black Salsify
Scorzonera hispanica
How to grow scorzonera, Scorzonera hispanica. The black-skinned root with an oyster flavour, lifting it without snapping it, and leaving it a second year to fatten.
Black-Eyed Pea
Vigna unguiculata
How to grow black-eyed peas, Vigna unguiculata. The heat-loving bean that fixes nitrogen on poor soil, picking young pods, and drying the seed.
Blackberry
Rubus fruticosus
How to grow blackberries, Rubus fruticosus. Choosing a thornless variety, training the canes so you never cut the wrong ones, and why the fruit turns sour after Michaelmas.
Blackcurrant
Ribes nigrum
How to grow blackcurrants, Ribes nigrum. Planting deep to make a stool, pruning a third out each winter, big bud mite and reversion, and the wartime vitamin C story.
Blueberry
Vaccinium corymbosum
How to grow blueberries, Vaccinium corymbosum. Why they need ericaceous compost and rainwater, planting two for cross-pollination, and the pruning that keeps a bush cropping.
Bottle Gourd
Lagenaria siceraria
How to grow bottle gourd, Lagenaria siceraria. The oldest cultivated plant in the world, how to dry a hard shell, and the bitter-fruit rule that has to be followed every time.
Brazil Cherry
Eugenia brasiliensis
How to grow grumichama, Eugenia brasiliensis. The Brazilian cherry that tastes like a real one, how it differs from its resinous cousin the Surinam cherry, and the slow growth that comes with it.
Brazil Nut
Bertholletia excelsa
How to grow the Brazil nut, Bertholletia excelsa. Its rainforest pollination, agouti seed dispersal, selenium content and limits as a crop.
Bread Wheat
Triticum aestivum
How to grow wheat, Triticum aestivum. The three genomes behind a risen loaf, how to tell an ear of wheat from barley in a field, and why the plant got shorter in the 1960s.
Breadfruit
Artocarpus altilis
How to grow breadfruit, Artocarpus altilis. The starch that caused a mutiny on the Bounty, why it must be cooked, and the seedless cultivars that have to be propagated by root cutting.
Broad Bean
Vicia faba
How to grow broad beans, Vicia faba. Autumn against spring sowing, pinching out for blackfly, and the inherited condition that makes this bean dangerous for some people.
Broccoli
Brassica oleracea var. italica
How to grow broccoli, Brassica oleracea var. italica. Calabrese and purple sprouting are different crops, cutting for side shoots, and getting a spring harvest.
Brussels sprouts
Brassica oleracea var. gemmifera
How to grow Brussels sprouts, Brassica oleracea var. gemmifera. Firm ground and staking, picking from the bottom up, and why blown sprouts happen.
Buckwheat
Fagopyrum esculentum
How to grow buckwheat, Fagopyrum esculentum. Sowing, fast growth, bee forage, harvesting seed and using it as a green manure.
Butter Bean
Phaseolus lunatus
How to grow butter beans, Phaseolus lunatus. The heat they need in a cool summer, climbing and bush forms, and why they must always be boiled hard.
Butternut Squash
Cucurbita moschata
How to grow butternut squash, Cucurbita moschata. The heat it needs to ripen in a cool summer, choosing a short-season cultivar, and curing the fruit so it stores until spring.
C
Cabbage
Brassica oleracea var. capitata
How to grow cabbage, Brassica oleracea var. capitata. Firming the soil properly, beating cabbage white caterpillars with mesh, and what to do about club root.
Camu Camu
Myrciaria dubia
How to grow camu camu, Myrciaria dubia. The Amazon shrub that spends half the year underwater, one of the richest sources of vitamin C on earth, and a fruit too sour to eat.
Canistel
Pouteria campechiana
How to grow canistel, Pouteria campechiana. The egg fruit whose flesh has the texture of a hard-boiled yolk, why it divides people so sharply, and how to eat one properly.
Cape Gooseberry
Physalis peruviana
How to grow cape gooseberries, Physalis peruviana. The long season it needs, overwintering the plant under glass, and waiting for the husk to go papery.
Caraway
Carum carvi
How to grow caraway, Carum carvi. The biennial that seeds in its second summer, cutting it before the seed shatters, and the root eaten as a vegetable.
Cardoon
Cynara cardunculus
How to grow cardoons, Cynara cardunculus. Blanching the leaf stalks in autumn, the difference from a globe artichoke, and the seed heads that curdle cheese.
Carrot
Daucus carota subsp. sativus
How to grow carrots, Daucus carota subsp. sativus. Stone-free soil, why you must not thin them in daylight, beating carrot fly, and sowing for a Christmas crop.
Casabanana
Sicana odorifera
How to grow casabanana, Sicana odorifera. Heat, glasshouse growing, scented fruit, deep red skin and pollination for fruiting.
Cashew
Anacardium occidentale
How to grow cashew, Anacardium occidentale. Warmth, the cashew apple, shell oil hazards and why raw cashews need processing.
Cattley Guava
Psidium cattleianum
How to grow Cattley guava, Psidium cattleianum. The hardiest guava, small enough to fruit on a windowsill, red and yellow forms, and the reason Hawaii would like it gone.
Cauliflower
Brassica oleracea var. botrytis
How to grow cauliflower, Brassica oleracea var. botrytis. The hardest brassica, why buttoning and blindness happen, and blanching the curd white.
Celeriac
Apium graveolens var. rapaceum
How to grow celeriac, Apium graveolens var. rapaceum. The six-month season it needs, removing side shoots and lower leaves, and lifting through the frost.
Celery
Apium graveolens
How to grow celery, Apium graveolens. Self-blanching against trench types, the water it demands, stopping it bolting, and why the sap burns in sunlight.
Chayote
Sechium edule
How to grow chayote, Sechium edule. Planting the whole sprouting fruit, why a short season ends before it flowers, and the parts of the plant nobody sells you.
Chempedak
Artocarpus integer
How to grow chempedak, Artocarpus integer. The smaller, softer, stronger-smelling relative of the jackfruit, the battered fritters it is famous for, and the hairy twigs that tell the two apart.
Cherimoya
Annona cherimola
How to grow cherimoya, Annona cherimola. Warm days, cool winter rest, hand pollination, fruit ripening and seed safety.
Chervil
Anthriscus cerefolium
How to grow chervil, Anthriscus cerefolium. Sowing it in autumn for a winter crop, why it bolts in a hot bed, and how to tell it from the cow parsley it is related to.
Chickpea
Cicer arietinum
How to grow chickpeas, Cicer arietinum. A plant that sweats acid onto its own leaves, the difference between desi and kabuli, and the water you should stop pouring away.
Chicory
Cichorium intybus
How to grow chicory, Cichorium intybus. Forcing Witloof chicons in the dark, growing radicchio for winter colour, and taming the bitterness.
Chilli Pepper
Capsicum frutescens
How to grow bird's eye chillies, Capsicum frutescens. The upright fruit that gives tabasco its name, growing it as a perennial, and picking the small hot pods.
Chilli Pepper
Capsicum annuum
How to grow chilli peppers, Capsicum annuum. Sowing early enough, where the heat sits in the fruit, overwintering a plant, and what to do about capsaicin on your hands.
Chinese Artichoke
Stachys affinis
How to grow Chinese artichokes, Stachys affinis. The little spiral tubers, keeping them contained, lifting every one, and why they shrivel within a day.
Chinese Broccoli
Brassica oleracea var. alboglabra
How to grow Chinese broccoli, Brassica oleracea var. alboglabra. Cutting kai lan at the right moment, why the flower buds are the crop, and getting a second harvest from side shoots.
Chinese Cabbage
Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis
How to grow Chinese cabbage, Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis. The July sowing that stops it bolting, keeping slugs out of the heart, and growing it for kimchi.
Chinese chestnut
Castanea mollissima
How to grow Chinese chestnut, Castanea mollissima. A blight-resistant chestnut with sweet nuts, needing a partner tree and acid soil.
Chinese Spinach
Amaranthus tricolor
How to grow Chinese spinach, Amaranthus tricolor. The heat-loving amaranth leaf, sowing into warm soil, cutting for repeat crops, and the red pigment that colours the pan.
Chinese wolfberry
Lycium chinense
How to grow Chinese wolfberry, Lycium chinense. The leafier of the two goji species, grown across southern China as a vegetable as much as for its fruit.
Citron
Citrus medica
How to grow citron, Citrus medica. An ancestral citrus that is mostly rind and pith, grown for candied peel, ritual use and the fingered Buddha's hand form.
Cloudberry
Rubus chamaemorus
How to grow cloudberry, Rubus chamaemorus. An arctic bog plant with amber fruit, separate male and female plants, and a real reluctance to crop outside the far north.
Cluster Bean
Cyamopsis tetragonoloba
How to grow guar, Cyamopsis tetragonoloba. A Rajasthani vegetable whose seed thickens ice cream, and the crop whose price quadrupled because of American shale gas.
Coconut
Cocos nucifera
How to grow coconut, Cocos nucifera. Sprouting one on a windowsill, the three eyes, coconut water, coconut milk and the limits of an indoor palm.
Common Sorrel
Rumex acetosa
How to grow sorrel, Rumex acetosa. The sharp lemony leaf that comes back every spring, keeping it cutting all season, and the oxalic acid to respect.
Corn Salad
Valerianella locusta
How to grow corn salad, Valerianella locusta. The hardiest winter salad there is, sowing in September, and picking whole rosettes through the frost.
Cos Lettuce
Lactuca sativa var. longifolia
How to grow cos lettuce, Lactuca sativa var. longifolia. The upright heart that stands heat better than a butterhead, tying up for a tight head, and beating tipburn.
Costa Rican Guava
Psidium friedrichsthalianum
How to grow Costa Rican guava, Psidium friedrichsthalianum. The sour guava that makes the drink rather than the dessert, how it differs from the common guava, and why Central America grows it as a hedge.
Cotton
Gossypium hirsutum
How to grow upland cotton, Gossypium hirsutum. The seed hair that clothes the world, the boll that has to open before frost, and the poison in the seed.
Courgette
Cucurbita pepo
How to grow courgettes, Cucurbita pepo. Why two plants are plenty, hand pollination, powdery mildew, and the bitterness that can make a home-saved fruit dangerous.
Cranberry
Vaccinium macrocarpon
How to grow cranberry, Vaccinium macrocarpon. Why you do not need a bog, the acid soil it does need, and picking in October after the first frost.
Cucumber
Cucumis sativus
How to grow cucumbers, Cucumis sativus. Greenhouse and ridge types, training up strings, why fruit turns bitter, and the male flower rule that only applies to some varieties.
Cultivated Tobacco
Nicotiana tabacum
How to identify cultivated tobacco, Nicotiana tabacum. Leaf and flower features, differences from ornamental Nicotiana and the limits of safe identification advice.
Cumin
Cuminum cyminum
How to grow cumin, Cuminum cyminum. Why it needs a greenhouse in a cool climate, sowing it under glass in April, and telling it from caraway.
D
Date Palm
Phoenix dactylifera
How to grow date palm, Phoenix dactylifera. Sprouting a stone from a packet of dates, the male and female trees that have been hand-pollinated for five thousand years, and the desert heat a temperate summer cannot supply.
Durian
Durio zibethinus
How to grow durian, Durio zibethinus. The smell that gets it banned from hotels, why a falling one can kill, the alcohol interaction that is real, and what it tastes like once you get past the door.
Durum Wheat
Triticum durum
How to grow durum wheat, Triticum durum. The hardest grain in the field, why it makes pasta rather than bread, and the hot dry ripening it will not crop without.
E
Einkorn
Triticum monococcum
How to grow einkorn, Triticum monococcum. The oldest wheat, one grain to a spikelet, and the crop found in the stomach of a five-thousand-year-old man.
Emmer Wheat
Triticum dicoccum
How to grow emmer, Triticum dicoccum. One of the eight founder crops, the wheat that fed Egypt and Rome, and the ancestor standing behind every plate of pasta.
Endive
Cichorium endivia
How to grow endive, Cichorium endivia. Blanching the heart to sweeten it, curly frisee against broad escarole, and keeping the plants dry while they blanch.
Ethiopian Eggplant
Solanum aethiopicum
How to grow the Ethiopian eggplant, Solanum aethiopicum. A scarlet aubergine that looks like a tomato, the leaves eaten as a green, and the bitterness that is the point rather than a fault.
Ethiopian Mustard
Brassica carinata
How to grow Ethiopian mustard, Brassica carinata. A second natural brassica hybrid, the leaf vegetable behind gomen, and the oilseed being turned into aviation fuel.
F
Fig
Ficus carica
How to grow figs, Ficus carica. Restricting the roots to force fruiting, which embryo figs to keep over winter, and the sap that burns skin in sunlight.
Fig-Leaf Gourd
Cucurbita ficifolia
How to grow fig-leaf gourd, Cucurbita ficifolia. The cold-tolerant squash used as a cucumber rootstock, the black seeds, and the fruit that keeps for years.
Filbert
Corylus maxima
How to grow filbert, Corylus maxima. The long-husked hazel behind Kentish Cob, why you need two of them, and the squirrels that will take the crop first.
Finger lime
Microcitrus australasica
How to grow finger lime, Microcitrus australasica. An Australian rainforest citrus whose fruit is filled with juice vesicles that burst like caviar.
Finger Millet
Eleusine coracana
How to grow finger millet, Eleusine coracana. The clenched fist of seed heads, more calcium than any other cereal, and a grain that keeps for a decade.
Flax
Linum usitatissimum
How to grow flax, Linum usitatissimum. One plant that gives linen and linseed oil, a field of blue that lasts one morning, and a founder crop still grown across Europe and North America.
Fox grape
Vitis labrusca
How to grow fox grape, Vitis labrusca. The American slip-skin grape behind Concord juice, hardier and more disease-resistant than a European vine.
Foxtail Millet
Setaria italica
How to grow foxtail millet, Setaria italica. The bristly head that gives it its name, a domestication as old as rice, and the weed it was made from.
French bean
Phaseolus vulgaris
How to grow French beans, Phaseolus vulgaris. Dwarf against climbing, why they must not be sown cold, picking to keep them coming, and drying the pods for haricots.
G
Garden Cress
Lepidium sativum
How to grow garden cress, Lepidium sativum. Ready in a fortnight on a windowsill, growing it in the ground for a bigger crop, and the mustard-and-cress timing trick.
Garden Pea
Pisum sativum
How to grow garden peas, Pisum sativum. Sowing dates, supports, why mice take the seed, and how a crop that feeds itself with nitrogen should be treated at the end of the season.
Garlic
Allium sativum
How to grow garlic, Allium sativum. Why it must go in before Christmas, hardneck against softneck, scapes, rust, and why garlic is dangerous to dogs and cats.
Garlic Chives
Allium tuberosum
How to grow garlic chives, Allium tuberosum. Flat leaves with a garlic flavour, the white flowers worth eating, and stopping it seeding itself across the garden.
Ginger
Zingiber officinale
How to grow ginger, Zingiber officinale. Starting a supermarket rhizome, the warmth and humidity it needs indoors, and harvesting after eight months.
Globe Artichoke
Cynara scolymus
How to grow globe artichokes, Cynara scolymus. Growing from offsets rather than seed, cutting the king head first, and protecting the crown through a wet winter.
Goji berry
Lycium barbarum
How to grow goji berry, Lycium barbarum. A hardy sprawling shrub that fruits in its third year, needs no coddling, and takes some training to keep tidy.
Gold kiwi
Actinidia chinensis
How to grow gold kiwi, Actinidia chinensis. Smooth-skinned and yellow-fleshed, earlier than the furry kind, and a degree or two more tender.
Golden currant
Ribes aureum
How to grow golden currant, Ribes aureum. Yellow spring flowers that smell of cloves, black fruit in July, and a shrub that tolerates drought better than any other currant.
Gooseberry
Ribes uva-crispa
How to grow gooseberries, Ribes uva-crispa. Growing on a leg, thinning for dessert fruit, American gooseberry mildew, and the sawfly that strips a bush in days.
Governor's Plum
Flacourtia indica
How to grow governor's plum, Flacourtia indica. The spiny African shrub with small dark fruit, the thorns on its trunk, and why it is planted as a hedge across two continents.
Grape vine
Vitis vinifera
How to grow grapes, Vitis vinifera. Choosing outdoor or greenhouse varieties, the rod and spur system, thinning the bunches, and why powdery mildew decides the crop.
Grapefruit
Citrus paradisi
How to grow grapefruit, Citrus paradisi. The citrus that needs the most heat and the longest season, and the one with a genuine medical caution attached.
Great Millet
Sorghum bicolor
How to grow sorghum, Sorghum bicolor. Heat, drought tolerance, grain heads, harvest timing and cyanide risk in stressed plants.
Greater Yam
Dioscorea alata
How to grow greater yam, Dioscorea alata. The winged stem that twines one way and only one way, the purple flesh sold as ube, and why nobody eats it raw.
Groundnut
Arachis hypogaea
How to grow peanuts, Arachis hypogaea. The flower that buries its own fruit, why a peanut is not a nut, and the mould that makes storage the risky part.
Guava
Psidium guajava
How to grow guava, Psidium guajava. The smell that fills a room, pink flesh against white, the seeds you can and cannot chew, and why it is a weed across half the tropics.
H
Habanero
Capsicum chinense
How to grow habaneros, Capsicum chinense. The long season and heat they need, why the species is not Chinese, ripening under glass, and handling capsaicin safely.
Hardy kiwi
Actinidia arguta
How to grow hardy kiwi, Actinidia arguta. Grape-sized fruit eaten skin and all, hardy to -25 deg C, and far easier in a cool climate than the furry kind.
Hemp
Cannabis sativa
How to identify hemp, Cannabis sativa. The leaf people think they know, the difference between fibre hemp and the drug crop, and why this page does not tell you how to grow it.
Horned Melon
Cucumis metuliferus
How to grow the horned melon, Cucumis metuliferus. The orange spiked fruit with lime-green jelly inside, how to tell when it is ripe, and how to eat something that resists being eaten.
Horse Gram
Macrotyloma uniflorum
How to grow horse gram, Macrotyloma uniflorum. The pulse that survives when the rain does not come, an Indian staple named for the animals it fed, and one of the oldest crops in south Asia.
Horseradish
Armoracia rusticana
How to grow horseradish, Armoracia rusticana. Why it must be contained, growing it in a bin or a tube, lifting in autumn, and the heat that only appears when you grate it.
Hyacinth Bean
Lablab purpureus
How to grow hyacinth beans, Lablab purpureus. Purple pods on a garden climber, an African staple, and a bean that has to be boiled twice before anyone eats it.
J
Jabuticaba
Plinia cauliflora
How to grow jabuticaba, Plinia cauliflora. The Brazilian tree that fruits all over its trunk, the grape-like berries that last three days, and the fifteen-year wait from seed.
Jack Bean
Canavalia ensiformis
How to grow jack beans, Canavalia ensiformis. A cover crop with a sword-shaped pod, the bean that gave chemistry its first crystallised enzyme, and seed that needs hours of boiling.
Jackfruit
Artocarpus heterophyllus
How to grow jackfruit, Artocarpus heterophyllus. The largest fruit that grows on a tree, the latex that glues your hands together, and why green jackfruit ended up in vegan burgers.
Japanese Millet
Echinochloa esculenta
How to grow Japanese millet, Echinochloa esculenta. A crop made from barnyard grass, ready in forty-five days, and the fastest cereal there is to sow.
Japanese Plum
Prunus salicina
How to grow Japanese plum, Prunus salicina. Why it flowers three weeks before a European plum, the frost problem that follows, and thinning for size.
Japanese wineberry
Rubus phoenicolasius
How to grow Japanese wineberry, Rubus phoenicolasius. Red bristled canes that glow in winter, and fruit that arrives in the gap between raspberries and blackberries.
Java Apple
Syzygium samarangense
How to grow Java apple, Syzygium samarangense. Warmth, watering, the bell-shaped fruit, flowering control and why the fruit bruises easily.
Java Plum
Syzygium cumini
How to grow jamun, Syzygium cumini. The purple-black fruit that dyes your tongue, its place in Indian summer, the diabetes claim attached to the seed, and why Florida wishes it had never been planted.
Jerusalem Artichoke
Helianthus tuberosus
How to grow Jerusalem artichokes, Helianthus tuberosus. Why they take over a plot, using them as a windbreak, lifting every tuber, and the inulin problem.
Jute
Corchorus olitorius
How to grow jute mallow, Corchorus olitorius. The leaf that becomes molokhia, why the soup is slippery, and the same plant's second life as a fibre crop.
K
Kale
Brassica oleracea var. acephala
How to grow kale, Brassica oleracea var. acephala. The easiest brassica, picking leaves all winter, and why frost improves the flavour.
Ketupa
Baccaurea dulcis
How to grow ketupa, Baccaurea dulcis. The sweetest fruit in a genus of a hundred species, why its seed cannot be posted anywhere, and how to tell a tampoi from the half-dozen other things sold under that name.
Key lime
Citrus aurantiifolia
How to grow key lime, Citrus aurantiifolia. The most tender citrus of the group, thorny and small-fruited, and one that needs real winter warmth.
Kiwi fruit
Actinidia deliciosa
How to grow kiwi fruit, Actinidia deliciosa. A vine that needs a male and a female, serious support, and the warmest wall you can offer it.
Kohlrabi
Brassica oleracea var. gongylodes
How to grow kohlrabi, Brassica oleracea var. gongylodes. The swollen stem that is not a root, sowing for succession, harvesting before it goes woody, and eating it raw.
Kumquat
Citrus japonica
How to grow kumquat, Citrus japonica. A small citrus eaten whole, skin and all, and among the most cold-tolerant of the group.
L
Leek
Allium porrum
How to grow leeks, Allium porrum. Dropping seedlings into dibbed holes for a long white shank, earthing up, and dealing with leek moth and allium rust.
Lemon
Citrus limon
How to grow Citrus limon outside the subtropics. The cold bright winter it needs instead of a warm room, why the leaves drop in October, the two different feeds, and which variety to buy.
Lentil
Lens culinaris
How to grow lentils, Lens culinaris. One of the eight founder crops, the shape that named the optical lens, and a pulse that grows in a cool climate better than most people think.
Lettuce
Lactuca sativa
How to grow lettuce, Lactuca sativa. The four types, sowing little and often, why lettuce bolts in hot weather, and the milky sap that gives it its name.
Lingonberry
Vaccinium vitis-idaea
How to grow lingonberry, Vaccinium vitis-idaea. An evergreen dwarf shrub that crops twice a year, spreads by runners, and needs acid soil and nothing else.
Longan
Dimocarpus longan
How to grow longan, Dimocarpus longan. The dragon's eye fruit that needs less winter chill than a lychee, how it differs from its famous cousin, and why it keeps better.
Loofah
Luffa aegyptiaca
How to grow loofah, Luffa aegyptiaca. Eating the young fruit, growing the bathroom sponge, and why a short season is only just long enough for one of the two.
Loquat
Eriobotrya japonica
How to grow loquat, Eriobotrya japonica. An evergreen that flowers in winter and fruits in spring, which is exactly the wrong way round for a cool temperate garden.
Love-Lies-Bleeding
Amaranthus caudatus
How to grow love-lies-bleeding, Amaranthus caudatus. Crimson ropes hanging to the ground, a Victorian border favourite, and an Andean grain crop under another name.
Lowbush blueberry
Vaccinium angustifolium
How to grow lowbush blueberry, Vaccinium angustifolium. The wild blueberry of Maine and Quebec, low and spreading, with better flavour than the tall kind.
Lychee
Litchi chinensis
How to grow lychee, Litchi chinensis. The cool dry winter it needs before it will flower, telling a fresh one from a canned one, and the real story about unripe lychees and sick children.
M
Macadamia Nut
Macadamia integrifolia
How to grow macadamia, Macadamia integrifolia. The hardest shell in the nut trade, the only Australian native grown as a world food crop, and why it must never reach a dog.
Malabar Spinach
Basella alba
How to grow Malabar spinach, Basella alba. The tropical climbing spinach for a greenhouse, the heat it needs, and the mucilage that thickens a soup.
Malabar Tamarind
Garcinia gummi-gutta
How to grow Malabar tamarind, Garcinia gummi-gutta. The smoked rind that sours a Kerala fish curry, and the hard truth about the weight-loss supplement sold under the name Garcinia cambogia.
Malay Apple
Syzygium malaccense
How to grow Malay apple, Syzygium malaccense. The deep crimson fruit Polynesian voyagers carried across the Pacific, how it differs from the Java apple, and the flowers that carpet the ground.
Mamey Sapote
Pouteria sapota
How to grow mamey sapote, Pouteria sapota. The salmon-pink flesh behind a Cuban batido, the single huge glossy seed, and the scratch test that tells you whether one is ready.
Mandarin
Citrus reticulata
How to grow mandarin, Citrus reticulata. The loose-skinned citrus, one of the three ancestral species, and the hardiest group worth growing in a cool climate.
Mango
Mangifera indica
How to grow mango, Mangifera indica. Telling a ripe one by smell rather than colour, cutting the hedgehog, why the skin can raise a rash, and what a stone on a windowsill will and will not do.
Mangosteen
Garcinia mangostana
How to grow mangosteen, Garcinia mangostana. The queen of fruits, a tree with no known wild ancestor and no males at all, the fifteen-year wait, and what the rind supplements are doing.
Maprang
Bouea macrophylla
How to grow maprang, Bouea macrophylla. The plum mango of Thailand and Java, a small orange fruit that tastes of mango and behaves like a plum, and the family it shares with mango and cashew.
Mashua
Tropaeolum tuberosum
How to grow mashua, Tropaeolum tuberosum. The Andean nasturtium that crops where nothing else will, the daylength trigger, and taming the peppery flavour.
Medlar
Mespilus germanica
How to grow medlar, Mespilus germanica. What bletting is and how to do it, why the fruit is picked hard in November, and the tree's very short pest list.
Melon
Cucumis melo
How to grow melons, Cucumis melo. Cantaloupe under glass in a cool summer, training and stopping the vine, supporting the fruit, and knowing when it is ripe.
Millet
Panicum miliaceum
How to grow proso millet, Panicum miliaceum. The fastest cereal there is, ready in sixty days, and the grain that fed northern China before rice arrived.
Miracle Fruit
Synsepalum dulcificum
How to grow miracle fruit, Synsepalum dulcificum. The West African berry that makes a lemon taste like lemonade for half an hour, how the effect works, and the acid compost it insists on.
Mizuna
Brassica rapa var. nipposinica
How to grow mizuna, Brassica rapa var. nipposinica. Cut-and-come-again sowing, why it beats lettuce for winter salad, and keeping flea beetle off the leaves.
Mooli
Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus
How to grow mooli, Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus. The August sowing that stops it bolting, getting a straight metre-long root, and using it as a soil-breaking green manure.
Morello cherry
Prunus cerasus
How to grow morello cherry, Prunus cerasus. The one fruit tree for a north wall, why it needs different pruning from a sweet cherry, and netting against birds.
Mung Bean
Vigna radiata
How to grow mung beans, Vigna radiata. The bean behind every punnet of beansprouts, a crop that finishes in ninety days, and the dal that fed India before rice.
Muscadine
Vitis rotundifolia
How to grow muscadine, Vitis rotundifolia. The thick-skinned grape of the American South, which needs more summer heat than a cool climate can offer outdoors.
Mustard Greens
Brassica juncea
How to grow mustard greens, Brassica juncea. Sowing for heat that mellows with frost, cutting young for salad, and using it as a green manure and biofumigant.
N
Naranjilla
Solanum quitoense
How to grow naranjilla, Solanum quitoense. The Andean lulo with orange skin and green pulp, the hairs that rub off the fruit, and the cool highland conditions it insists on.
Nectarine
Prunus persica var. nucipersica
How to grow nectarine, Prunus persica var. nucipersica. The fuzzless peach, why it is harder to grow than a peach, and keeping rain off it from January.
New Zealand Spinach
Tetragonia tetragonioides
How to grow New Zealand spinach, Tetragonia tetragonioides. The heat-proof spinach substitute, chipping and soaking the seed, and blanching it before eating.
Niger Seed
Guizotia abyssinica
How to grow niger seed, Guizotia abyssinica. The Ethiopian oilseed in every goldfinch feeder, a daisy that flowers into October, and the reason your birdseed never sprouts.
O
Oat
Avena sativa
How to grow oats, Avena sativa. The weed that became a crop, the panicle that sets it apart from every other cereal, and where oats stand on gluten.
Oca
Oxalis tuberosa
How to grow oca, Oxalis tuberosa. The daylength trigger that decides the crop, why you must not lift before December, and protecting the haulm from the first frost.
Oil Palm
Elaeis guineensis
How to grow the oil palm, Elaeis guineensis. The two different oils one fruit produces, the reason it yields more per hectare than any other oil crop, and why that is the argument in both directions.
Okra
Abelmoschus esculentus
How to grow okra, Abelmoschus esculentus. Getting the seed to germinate, picking before the pod turns to string, and what to do about the slime if you would rather not have it.
Olive
Olea europaea
How to grow olive, Olea europaea. The winter chill it needs to flower and the summer heat it needs to ripen, growing it in a container outside its zone, and why wet roots kill more olives than frost.
Onion
Allium cepa
How to grow onions, Allium cepa. Sets against seed, why bolting happens, ripening and curing for storage, and why onions are toxic to cats and dogs.
Orach
Atriplex hortensis
How to grow orach, Atriplex hortensis. The spinach that stands summer heat, growing the red form for colour, and cutting it before it seeds itself everywhere.
P
Pak Choi
Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis
How to grow pak choi, Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis. Why it bolts and how sowing after midsummer stops it, beating flea beetle and slugs, and cutting it young.
Papaya
Carica papaya
How to grow papaya, Carica papaya. The fastest fruit tree there is, why most seedlings turn out male, green papaya salad, and the latex that tenderises meat.
Passion fruit
Passiflora edulis
How to grow passion fruit, Passiflora edulis. A tender vine for a greenhouse or conservatory, and why the hardy blue passionflower is not a substitute.
Peach
Prunus persica
How to grow peach, Prunus persica. Keeping peach leaf curl off with a rain shelter, hand pollinating in February, and thinning the fruit for size.
Pear
Pyrus communis
How to grow pears, Pyrus communis. Quince rootstocks, why pears flower earlier than apples and lose more to frost, picking before they are ripe, and pear rust.
Pearl Millet
Cenchrus americanus
How to grow pearl millet, Cenchrus americanus. The crop that grows where sorghum gives up, a candle-shaped head on a two-metre stem, and the grain that made the Sahel farmable.
Pepino
Solanum muricatum
How to grow pepino, Solanum muricatum. The melon pear for a cool-climate greenhouse, growing it from cuttings, and the long ripening the fruit needs.
Perennial Flax
Linum perenne
How to grow perennial flax, Linum perenne. Sky blue flowers that open at dawn and fall by lunchtime, a wiry plant for dry chalk, and a rare British native at one edge of its range.
Perennial Pepperweed
Lepidium latifolium
How to grow perennial pepperweed, Lepidium latifolium. A British salt-marsh native that seasoned food before pepper was affordable, and a listed noxious weed across the western United States.
Persimmon
Diospyros kaki
How to grow persimmon, Diospyros kaki. Astringent and non-astringent types, why one must be jelly-soft before you eat it, and orange fruit hanging on bare branches.
Pigeon Pea
Cajanus cajan
How to grow pigeon peas, Cajanus cajan. A shrub that behaves like a bean, roots that go down two metres, and the dal that feeds a fifth of the world.
Pineapple
Ananas comosus
How to grow pineapple, Ananas comosus. Rooting a supermarket crown, the two years it takes, why it stings your mouth, and the fact that one plant gives one fruit.
Pistachio
Pistacia vera
How to grow pistachio, Pistacia vera. Why you need two trees, the split shell that means the nut is ready, and the summer heat a cool climate cannot supply.
Plantain
Musa paradisiaca
How to grow plantain, Musa paradisiaca. The cooking banana that is starchy rather than sweet, how to tell it from a dessert banana, and why the lawn weed of the same name is a different plant entirely.
Plum
Prunus domestica
How to grow plums, Prunus domestica. Why you must never prune in winter, thinning to stop branches snapping, silver leaf and bacterial canker, and the cyanide in the stones.
Pomegranate
Punica granatum
How to grow pomegranate, Punica granatum. Brilliant orange-red flowers, a long hot summer needed for fruit, and a plant most cool temperate gardens grow for looks.
Pomelo
Citrus maxima
How to grow pomelo, Citrus maxima. The largest citrus and one of the three ancestral species, needing more heat than a temperate summer gives without glass.
Potato
Solanum tuberosum
How to grow potatoes, Solanum tuberosum. Chitting, earthing up, first and second earlies against maincrop, blight, and why a green potato should go in the bin.
Purslane
Portulaca oleracea
How to grow purslane, Portulaca oleracea. The succulent salad that thrives in heat and poor soil, cutting it for repeat crops, and why it is a weed in half the world.
Q
Quince
Cydonia oblonga
How to grow quince, Cydonia oblonga. Why the fruit will not ripen enough to eat raw in a cool summer, leaving it on the tree until November, and quince leaf blight.
Quinoa
Chenopodium quinoa
How to grow quinoa, Chenopodium quinoa. A fat hen relative from the Andes, the soap coating you have to wash off, and a crop that grows better in a cool summer than a hot one.
R
Radish
Raphanus sativus
How to grow radish, Raphanus sativus. The fastest crop in the garden, why they go woody or all leaf, and sowing winter radishes for storage.
Rambai
Baccaurea motleyana
How to grow rambai, Baccaurea motleyana. The Bornean fruit that hangs in metre-long ropes off the trunk, the naturalist it was named for, and why a crop needs two trees and eight years.
Rambutan
Nephelium lappaceum
How to grow rambutan, Nephelium lappaceum. The hairy fruit that is not a lychee, how to open one without a knife, and why almost every tree in an orchard is female.
Rapeseed
Brassica napus
How to grow rapeseed, Brassica napus. The yellow fields that take over the landscape every spring, a hybrid of turnip and cabbage, and the two compounds that had to be bred out before anyone could eat it.
Raspberry
Rubus idaeus
How to grow raspberries, Rubus idaeus. Summer against autumn fruiting and why the pruning differs completely, building the support, and raspberry beetle.
Red Amaranth
Amaranthus cruentus
How to grow amaranth, Amaranthus cruentus. A grain the Spanish tried to ban, seeds that pop like tiny popcorn, and leaves that cook like spinach.
Red Mombin
Spondias purpurea
How to grow red mombin, Spondias purpurea. The jocote sold on every Central American street corner, the living fences it is grown as, and how a branch stuck in the ground becomes a tree.
Redcurrant
Ribes rubrum
How to grow redcurrants, Ribes rubrum. Why they are pruned on a spur system rather than as a stool, growing them as cordons on a shaded wall, and netting against bullfinches.
Rice
Oryza sativa
How to grow rice, Oryza sativa. Why the fields are flooded when the plant does not need it, the difference between indica and japonica, and the arsenic question.
Rocket
Eruca vesicaria
How to grow rocket, Eruca vesicaria. Cut-and-come-again sowing, why summer rocket turns fierce, beating flea beetle, and telling salad rocket from wild rocket.
Rocoto
Capsicum pubescens
How to grow rocoto, Capsicum pubescens. The only chilli that takes a frost outdoors, its hairy leaves and black seeds, and the years it needs to fruit well.
Rukam
Flacourtia rukam
How to grow rukam, Flacourtia rukam. The Indian prune with a fiercely spined trunk, and the trick of rolling the fruit between your palms before you eat it.
Runner Bean
Phaseolus coccineus
How to grow runner beans, Phaseolus coccineus. Building the support, why the flowers drop without setting, picking to keep them coming, and why you must never eat them raw.
Rye
Secale cereale
How to grow rye, Secale cereale. Sowing, poor soils, ergot risk, harvesting grain and using rye as a green manure.
S
Safflower
Carthamus tinctorius
How to grow safflower, Carthamus tinctorius. A spiny thistle that dyed Egyptian cloth, the fake saffron in a spice jar, and a taproot that goes down three metres.
Salak
Salacca zalacca
How to grow salak, Salacca zalacca. The snake fruit with a reptile skin and an apple crunch, the spines that make harvesting a dangerous job, and the male and female plants you need for a crop.
Salsify
Tragopogon porrifolius
How to grow salsify, Tragopogon porrifolius. The oyster plant explained, sowing fresh seed, lifting the brittle root, and eating the spring shoots.
Santol
Sandoricum koetjape
How to grow santol, Sandoricum koetjape. The cotton fruit with a rind you eat and a pulp you suck, the two colour forms, and the seeds that have put people in hospital.
Sapodilla
Manilkara zapota
How to grow sapodilla, Manilkara zapota. The fruit that tastes of brown sugar and malt, the latex that made chewing gum, and why an unripe one turns your mouth to felt.
Sea buckthorn
Hippophae rhamnoides
How to grow sea buckthorn, Hippophae rhamnoides. Male and female plants, ferociously acidic orange berries, and the thorns that make picking a considered job.
Sea Island Cotton
Gossypium barbadense
How to grow Sea Island cotton, Gossypium barbadense. The long staple behind Egyptian and Pima cloth, the yellow flower that separates it from upland cotton, and the reason it is grown so little.
Sea Kale
Crambe maritima
How to grow sea kale, Crambe maritima. Forcing the shoots under a pot in February, growing it from thongs, and the shingle beach habitat that explains its needs.
Sesame
Sesamum indicum
How to grow sesame, Sesamum indicum. Why the pods split and scatter the seed, growing it under glass in Britain, and the phrase that comes from that habit.
Seville orange
Citrus aurantium
How to grow Seville orange, Citrus aurantium. The bitter orange behind marmalade, hardier than a sweet orange, and the source of neroli oil.
Shallot
Allium cepa var. aggregatum
How to grow shallots, Allium cepa var. aggregatum. Planting sets in autumn or spring, why one bulb becomes a dozen, and drying them properly for storage.
Shiso
Perilla frutescens
How to grow shiso, Perilla frutescens. The green and red forms, the Korean sesame leaf, sowing it in warmth, and why it is poisonous to grazing cattle.
Siberian Kale
Brassica napus var. pabularia
How to grow Siberian kale, Brassica napus var. pabularia. Why it beats curly kale for cold and clubroot, cutting through winter, and telling it from Russian kale.
Sisal
Agave sisalana
How to grow sisal, Agave sisalana. The leaf fibre that made the world's rope, the pole that appears once and kills the plant, and the spine at eye height.
Snake Gourd
Trichosanthes cucumerina
How to grow snake gourd, Trichosanthes cucumerina. The metre-long fruit that needs weighting straight, the night-opening lace flower, and the wild form nobody eats.
Soursop
Annona muricata
How to grow soursop, Annona muricata. The spiny green fruit behind guanabana juice, and the reason French health authorities warned against the leaf tea sold as a cancer cure.
Soya Bean
Glycine max
How to grow soya beans, Glycine max. The most valuable legume in agriculture, why most of it is eaten by animals, and the day length that stops it cropping at high latitude.
Spelt
Triticum spelta
How to grow spelt, Triticum spelta. The hulled wheat that keeps its jacket on, why it needs a mill before it needs an oven, and the health claim that is not true.
Spinach
Spinacia oleracea
How to grow spinach, Spinacia oleracea. Stopping it bolting in summer, sowing for autumn and spring crops, and the perpetual spinach that does not bolt.
Star Apple
Chrysophyllum cainito
How to grow star apple, Chrysophyllum cainito. The purple fruit that shows a star when cut across, the golden leaf undersides that name the genus, and the rind you must not eat.
Starfruit
Averrhoa carambola
How to grow starfruit, Averrhoa carambola. The fruit that slices into stars, sweet and sour cultivars, and the reason anyone with kidney disease must never eat one.
Strawberry
Fragaria x ananassa
How to grow strawberries, Fragaria x ananassa. Planting depth, runners, straw under the fruit, and why plants need replacing every three years.
Stuffing Cucumber
Cyclanthera pedata
How to grow caigua, Cyclanthera pedata. The hollow fruit that comes ready to stuff, the gourd that will crop outdoors in a cool summer, and the seeds shaped like tiny turtles.
Sugar Apple
Annona squamosa
How to grow sugar apple, Annona squamosa. The fruit that breaks into segments in your hands, the quickest Annona to crop, and why the seed powder must be kept away from eyes.
Sugar Cane
Saccharum officinarum
How to grow sugar cane, Saccharum officinarum. The giant grass that carried the slave trade, how a cane is planted lying down, and what a heated greenhouse can do with it.
Sunn Hemp
Crotalaria juncea
How to grow sunn hemp, Crotalaria juncea. A fast nitrogen-fixing green manure with a fibre history, the rattling pods that name the genus, and why it is never grazed.
Surinam Cherry
Eugenia uniflora
How to grow Surinam cherry, Eugenia uniflora. The ribbed red fruit with a resinous edge that people either love or spit out, the hedge it makes, and the invasion it has caused.
Swede
Brassica napus var. napobrassica
How to grow swedes, Brassica napus var. napobrassica. The long season they need, telling them from turnips, beating powdery mildew and clubroot, and why neeps are not turnips.
Sweet Granadilla
Passiflora ligularis
How to grow sweet granadilla, Passiflora ligularis. The Andean passion fruit with an orange shell and grey pulp, sweeter than the purple kind, and the tapping test that tells you it is ready.
Sweet orange
Citrus sinensis
How to grow a sweet orange, Citrus sinensis. Container culture outside the subtropics, the watering that kills more trees than frost, and fruit that takes a year to ripen.
Sweet Potato
Ipomoea batatas
How to grow sweet potatoes, Ipomoea batatas. Starting slips, the warmth they need in a cool summer, growing under fleece or in a tunnel, and curing the roots to sweeten them.
Sweetcorn
Zea mays
How to grow sweetcorn, Zea mays. Planting in a block for wind pollination, testing the cobs for ripeness, and why supersweet types must be grown alone.
Swiss Chard
Beta vulgaris var. cicla
How to grow Swiss chard, Beta vulgaris var. cicla. The spinach that does not bolt, cutting it for eighteen months, and cooking stalk and leaf separately.
T
Tamarind
Tamarindus indica
How to grow tamarind, Tamarindus indica. The African tree with an Indian name, the sour pod behind Worcestershire sauce and pad thai, and why it makes a better bonsai than an orchard tree outside the tropics.
Tartary Buckwheat
Fagopyrum tataricum
How to grow Tartary buckwheat, Fagopyrum tataricum. The bitter buckwheat of the Himalaya, self-fertile where its cousin is not, and the highest rutin content of any crop.
Tatsoi
Brassica rapa var. narinosa
How to grow tatsoi, Brassica rapa var. narinosa. The flat winter rosette that stands hard frost, sowing for a February harvest, and keeping the leaves off wet soil.
Tea plant
Camellia sinensis
How to grow tea, Camellia sinensis. A hardy evergreen camellia for acid soil, picked as two leaves and a bud, and processed at home into green or black tea.
Tomatillo
Physalis philadelphica
How to grow tomatillos, Physalis philadelphica. Why you must grow two plants, picking when the husk splits, and the sprawling habit that needs staking.
Tomato
Solanum lycopersicum
How to grow tomatoes, Solanum lycopersicum. Cordon and bush types, side-shooting, blossom end rot, blight, and which parts of the plant you must not eat.
Triticale
x Triticosecale rimpaui
How to grow triticale, x Triticosecale rimpaui. Sowing, harvesting, its wheat-rye parentage and the history of the modern cereal.
Tuberous Pea
Lathyrus tuberosus
How to grow the tuberous pea, Lathyrus tuberosus. A hardy European perennial with chestnut-flavoured tubers, scented crimson flowers, and a habit of running where it is not wanted.
Turkish hazel
Corylus colurna
How to grow Turkish hazel, Corylus colurna. A single-trunked hazel that makes a proper tree, never suckers, and tolerates drought and city air.
Turmeric
Curcuma longa
How to grow turmeric, Curcuma longa. Starting it from a supermarket rhizome, growing it in a pot under glass, and harvesting and curing your own.
Turnip
Brassica rapa subsp. rapa
How to grow turnips, Brassica rapa subsp. rapa. Sowing for baby roots and for winter, beating flea beetle, why they go woody, and eating the tops.
W
Walnut
Juglans regia
How to grow walnut, Juglans regia. Picking green for pickling in June, the juglone that kills what grows beneath it, and buying a grafted tree.
Water Apple
Syzygium aqueum
How to grow water apple, Syzygium aqueum. The smallest and palest of the Syzygium fruits, the one that is almost entirely water, and how to tell it from its two larger relatives.
Watercress
Nasturtium officinale
How to grow watercress, Nasturtium officinale. Growing it safely in a bucket or a pot, why picking it from the wild risks liver fluke, and the deadly plant that shares its ditches.
Watermelon
Citrullus lanatus
How to grow watermelons, Citrullus lanatus. Why they need a greenhouse in a cool summer, choosing a small icebox cultivar, hand pollination, and the ripeness tests that work.
Wax Gourd
Benincasa hispida
How to grow wax gourd, Benincasa hispida. The white bloom that lets it keep for a year, why it has almost no flavour of its own, and the fuzzy melon sold as the same plant.
Welsh Onion
Allium fistulosum
How to grow Welsh onions, Allium fistulosum. The perennial spring onion that never makes a bulb, dividing the clump, and cutting it through the winter.
West Indian Gherkin
Cucumis anguria
How to grow the West Indian gherkin, Cucumis anguria. Sowing, heat, picking small spiny fruits and growing it when cucumbers struggle.
White Lupin
Lupinus albus
How to grow white lupin, Lupinus albus. The bar snack that takes a week to make safe, a named allergen in Britain, and roots that mine phosphate out of dead soil.
White Mulberry
Morus alba
How to grow white mulberry, Morus alba. The silkworm tree, why the fruit disappoints after black mulberry, and the fastest movement in the plant kingdom.
White Mustard
Sinapis alba
How to grow white mustard, Sinapis alba. The mild seed behind English and American table mustard, growing it as mustard cress, and its use as a green manure.
White Yam
Dioscorea rotundata
How to grow white yam, Dioscorea rotundata. The staple of the West African yam belt, why pounded yam behaves the way it does, and the two-harvest trick growers use on one plant.
Wild cranberry
Vaccinium oxycoccos
How to grow wild cranberry, Vaccinium oxycoccos. The bog cranberry of the northern hemisphere, smaller in every part than the American one, and needing conditions few gardens have.
Wild Leek
Allium tricoccum
How to grow ramps, Allium tricoccum. The North American wild leek, why it takes seven years from seed, and harvesting one leaf instead of the bulb.
Wild Tobacco
Nicotiana rustica
How to identify wild tobacco, Nicotiana rustica. The shorter, coarser, far stronger tobacco of the Americas, its ceremonial history, and why the page stops at identification.
Winged Bean
Psophocarpus tetragonolobus
How to grow winged beans, Psophocarpus tetragonolobus. Heat, humidity, day length and edible pods, leaves, flowers, roots and seeds.
Winter squash
Cucurbita maxima
How to grow winter squash and pumpkins, Cucurbita maxima. Feeding a hungry plant, restricting the fruit for size, and the curing that decides whether they store.
Wonderberry
Solanum retroflexum
How to grow wonderberry, Solanum retroflexum. Telling ripe berries from unripe, the Burbank controversy of 1909, and why only fully black fruit is worth picking.
Y
Yacon
Smallanthus sonchifolius
How to grow yacon, Smallanthus sonchifolius. Telling storage tubers from propagation rhizomes, curing them sweet in the sun, and the inulin they store instead of starch.
Yam Bean
Pachyrhizus erosus
How to grow jicama, Pachyrhizus erosus. A crisp sweet root on a plant whose pods and seeds are an insecticide, and why the flowers have to come off.
Yellow Mombin
Spondias mombin
How to grow yellow mombin, Spondias mombin. The caja behind Brazilian juices, the hog plum of the Caribbean, and the tree that fruits within four years from a stuck branch.
Nothing here matches.
Clear a filter, or search every guide from the hub. The plant you are after may be filed under another category.
Search all plant guides