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We use a lot of plants from the Allium group to flavour our meals, the most popular members of this group include onions, garlic, leeks, spring onions, shallots and chives.  Of these the easiest to grow would have to be chives, shallots and spring onions, but there is often some confusion as to which is which.

Most of us would have seen tins of Water Chestnuts in the Asian Supermarkets of the Asian food section of our local supermarket.  Those ones are fine but they taste even better when they are fresh.

The modern sweetpea, Lathyrus odoratus, is descended from the wild sweetpea of Sicily.

Well it could be either. Both attack our brassica's.

Well it could be either. Both attack our brassica.

Sweet corn tastes best when it is freshly picked just before cooking.

How can you use the Cape Gooseberry if you decide to grow It? They taste great either raw as fruit, in salads, great with cheese trays or cooked in deserts, stewed, tarts, pies, delicious jams, chutneys, dipped In chocolate and can even be dried, probably a very under used fruit to date.

When talking about growing legumes the first plants which come to mind are beautiful pods of peas (Snow, Sugarsnap, Green) and beans (Broad, Bush, Climbing) however, the term legume applies to a much larger group of plants which all belong to the Fabaceae family. Most of the members oft his family store nitrogen in the nodules on their roots. They also produce their fruit or seed in a pod.

The first question that comes to mind "Is this perennial a vegetable, fruit or herb?". I tend to call it a vegetable, as that is what it looks like (e. g. Iike celery), but it is also a herb and can probably classed as a fruit it is up to you.

The ideal fruit that we can all grow a home, a fruit that can be grown in any type of home - in a small pot, large pot, a hanging pot, a polystyrene box, a garden bed or even in a bag of potting mix.

Sweet corn tastes best when it is freshly picked just before cooking.

The plant species Apium graveolens includes 2 vegetables which are not grown by many gardeners. These are celery and celeriac.

I really look forward to the hot weather so I can plant some sweet corn. Nothing tastes better than that first cob of the season. Now is the best time to grow sweet corn, during summer months when it is delicious to eat with our summer meals.

Cucumbers are members of the Cucurbit family which includes other family favourites such as pumpkins, chokos, zucchinis and gourds.

Nutritionally, Broccoli is one of the most nutritious of all vegetables, containing complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamin C, vitamin A, potassium, folic acid, calcium, iron, and fibre.

The plant species Apium graveolens includes 2 vegetables which are not grown by many gardeners. These are celery and celeriac.

This is a plant that you can grow anywhere in your garden, the ornamental garden or even in a pot and add to this that it can feed us as well, now is the time to add a couple to your garden.

Buckwheat, Fagopyrum esculentum, is not wheat or a relation of wheat, it is not even a grain, it is the fruit/seed of a plant actually related to rhubarb and sorrel.

By Penny OssowskiBuckwheat is another great food I thank my polish friend for introducing me to. A tasty, textured alternative to rice or pasta and just as easy to cook.I started to research growing buckwheat after reading how it attracts beneficial insects. I have decided to grow some in my garden and experiment with it. Some reasons to grow buckwheat include useful as cover crop as it grows so fast it smothers weeds will grow in poor soils not susceptible to any major disease or pest problems a fast easy to grow green manure crop suppresses weeds, and adds bulk to the compost able to take up soil phosphorus and return it in a more plant-friendly form growing buckwheat nearby can deter pests of potato, broccoli, green beans, and other vegetable crops a nectar source for bees attracts beneficial insects such as hoverflies, lacewings, pollinators and parasitic wasps to your garden its fibrous root system prevents erosion from rain and wind easy to grow, harvest, and process Buckwheat, Fagopyrum esculentum, is not wheat or a relation of wheat, it is not even a grain, it is the fruit/seed of a plant actually related to rhubarb and sorrel. It is so high in protein that it is sometimes called 'meat of the fields'. Buckwheat was first cultivated in southeast Asia around 6000BCE, their traders transported it to the Middle East and Europe and it was first grown in Australia in the 1980's, as a result of demand from European migrants.According to Green Harvest in our area we should grow it from Autumn to Winter but I am planting some now as research I've done indicates it can be grown at any time when there is no frost but in extremely hot weather it will not produce as many flowers or fruit/seeds. To grow some buckwheat soil needs very little if any preparation but digging in a fertiliser similar to Organic Xtra before planting will produce a better crop but don't use a high in nitrogen fertiliser. Buckwheat will growin all soil types and a wide range of pH levels but does best with a PH 6-7. Select a site that gets sun for most of the day and is well drained. Plant seed about1-2 cm deep either by broadcasting then raking over or plant in shallow furrows then fill in over seed. Give a light watering either before or after planting and keep soil damp until germination, Buckwheat will not tolerate cold or water logging, Seed will germinate in less than a week.In ideal conditions buckwheat can be blooming in less than a month. From an article by Barbara Pleasant 'Throughout the summer, I sow buckwheat inany spot bigger than a dinner plate that won't be planted for a few weeks'. If growing as a green manure crop, a week after the first flower appears slide a sharpspade under it and turn it over, leave for a few weeks before digging in and planting your next crop. Poor soil can be greatly improved with a green crop of buckwheat. If you are growing as an insect attractor let it go to flower and seed. If you are growing for saving/harvesting the seed it will probably take about 12 weeks. When most of the seeds become dark brown cut the stems near the ground. Thresh the buckwheat by laying them on a clean sheet and beating them with a broom. When as many seeds as possible have been removed, the husks can be removed by putting them in front of a fan a couple of times. Your buckwheat is then ready to grind seeds, the easiest way is probably in a food processor. Buckwheat is not only good to eat but good to grow and if allowed to set seed it will often self-sow readily next season.Uses for buckwheat include: seeds can be used to make sprouts for salad high protein leaves can be used like spinach buckwheat tea hulls can be used as filling for a variety of upholstered goods, pillows and zafu buckwheat has been used as a substitute for other grains in gluten-free beer buckwheat-only whisky as 'groats'to make porridge buckwheat honey, apparently it has a symbiotic relationship with bees use as feed for livestock Buckwheat is a source of high quality protein, amino acids and vitamins. It aids in the control of high blood pressure and cholesterol.If you have a little or larger space in your garden plant some buckwheat, it will be of great benefit to your garden.  Product listDouble-click for properties List type:all List style:R-Product-List-Seeds-BLOG Sorting:productcode Maximum length:no limit  

Scabiosa is a member of the Capriloliaceae (honeysuckle) family, they are more commonly known as pincushion flowers. The stamens in the centre of the flower looks like pins in a cushion. Some Scabiosas are annuals and some perennials, the flowers are most commonly shades of mauve/purple but also can be shades of pink, white and even yellow. The flowers comprise of many small florets. They are native to Africa, the Mediterranean, Europe and Asia.