With a squat bulb and antennae-like shoots, this odd-looking plant is part of the cabbage family. The name translates from German as ‘turnip cabbage’ and the mild, sweet flavour is somewhere between a turnip and a water chestnut, with a crisp, crunchy texture. It can be found in two colours, pale green and this, the less-common purple is later and hardier than its green counterpart. ... Learn More

Superschmelz is a giant variety with white and light green flesh. Slow to bolt, it is capable of reaching a whopping 8kg in weight and 25cm in diameter. With the stem just above ground level, it swells to form the crisp, juicy vegetable with a texture very similar to the Water Chestnut. Its flavour is much like that of a turnip but milder. Requires a very rich soil and plenty of space to reach gigantic proportions. ... Learn More

Giant Winter is an excellent late-season variety. It produces thick, solid stems and dark, blue-green tops beautiful enough for the kitchen or showroom. Dig them up young and tender in late November, or let stand in the ground through March and harvest as you need them. ... Learn More

Tadorna produces a leek of medium length with a white shank and contrasting, very dark blue-green foliage. It has a very upright habit and is extremely winter hardy, cropping from December to March. ... Learn More

Unusual lemon shaped cucumbers. Often used to make interesting looking pickles. Taste is rather mild if eaten raw, but if the fruit are harvested early, when the skin is tender and pale yellow, are well-suited for salads. Good producer. ... Learn More

This famous, long-lived tree opens its clusters of extremely fragrant white flowers, followed by big ovoid fruits which are green when young and later ripen to bright yellow. As well as producing a large crop of fruit, it also makes the ultimate architectural courtyard plant in warmer countries, or is perfect in a container on a patio conservatory or cold greenhouse specimen as it can tolerate temperatures down to -5C. Modern forms of this fruit are selectively bred to produce few or no seeds, hence the difficulty in obtaining viable seeds. ... Learn More

This Tuscany heirloom has long red bottle-shaped bulbs with an excellent mild-sweet flavour, so is particularly suited for use raw in salads. Can either be pulled young as spring onions or allowed to mature for August cropping. ... Learn More

Also known as Green Top Stone, this high yielding, hardy variety produces a heavy crop of large cream-white rounded turnips with a delicate flavour. They are easy to grow, store well in winter and can be planted late and then eaten throughout winter and spring. ... Learn More

A very reliable English heirloom outdoor ridge variety of cucumber with good resistance to cucumber Mosaic Virus and mildew, which also tolerate dry conditions, making them easy to grow. They produce rich, prickly, emerald green cylindrical fruits with a high, continuous yield. ... Learn More

An early outdoor British ridge cucumber. This reliable cultivar produces heavy yields of 8 inch long, plump, dark green-skinned cucumbers. The flesh is crisp and white - perfect when sliced up in summer salads. ... Learn More

Minipop is delicious lightly steamed or stir-fried, and is also lovely raw in dips or salads as pre-dinner dips. It does not need to be sown in blocks and should be harvested when the silk tassels begin to show prior to pollination. ... Learn More

This famous and delicious Scottish 19th century heirloom variety of winter leek has large, very thick stems which have a fantastic sweet yet mild flavour. This variety is winter hardy and is slow to bolt. ... Learn More

With a mild yet tangy flavour and crunchy texture, this superb leaf is perfect for salads, producing deeply serrated leaves in profusion. Very easy and fast to grow, it is ready to eat in just a couple of weeks from sowing! It is a very early productive salad for unheated greenhouses and also outdoor use in spring and autumn, making a rosette of lobed leaves with a tangy spinach flavour. ... Learn More

This very resilient, easy to grow kale is resistant to heat and aphids and is high in fibre, iron and vitamins. The dark, deliciously flavoured, emerald-green loose leaves, which appear an eye-catching black at a distance, are perfect in many cooked dishes, or in salads. ... Learn More

Vitamin-filled New Zealand spinach is milder tasting than its distant relation 'true spinach' and does not bolt in dry soils, making a triangular-leaved bush spreading 60-90 centimetres in all directions. (Discovered by Captain Cook in the 18th century!) ... Learn More