A member of the brassica family, along with broccoli and cabbage, cauliflower was first eaten in Europe in the 13th century and was originally from the Middle East. Cauliflower was originally known as coleflower, meaning cabbage flower. With its classic creamy white florets and delicate flavour it is an attractive and popular choice. As well as the familiar white variety, Romanesco cauliflowers are available. These are conical-shaped and pale green in colour.
June
Rhubarb
Rhubarb is an attractive hardy perennial with large leaves and pink, red or greenish leaf stalks that are used as a dessert, often in pies and crumbles. Stems are usually picked in spring, but plants can be covered with pots to produce an early crop of blanched stalks in late winter. The flavour of stems varieties in sweetness depending on the age of the stems.
Rhubarb needs an open, sunny site with moist, but free-draining soil as it hates being waterlogged in winter. Avoid frost pockets as stems are susceptible to frost.
Carrots
Carrots develop normally within a great range of temperatures and are grown throughout the world with the exception of the very warmest areas.
Sweetcorn
Also known as corn on the cob, sweetcorn is composed of rows of tightly packed golden yellow kernels, growing along a tough central core. When ripe, the kernels are sweet and juicy, and are best cooked simply, with a little butter. Like peas, the natural sugars in the kernels turn to starch quite quickly, which makes the kernels tougher and less sweet, so it should be eaten as fresh as possible.
Radish
Turnip
Turnips are a quick crop which matures in 6 weeks from sowing seed to harvest. It is therefore worth having in the vegetable plot to fill in gaps between other crops
An easy to grow vegetable that matures quickly with a delicate flavour.
Parsley
A versatile herb to grow as it has many uses in the kitchen. Parsley is a biennial herb; flowering and developing seeds in its second year.
Curled leaf parsley, which is often used as a garnish, or flat leafed parsley which has a milder taste.
You can grow parsley from plants bought at a garden centre or sow seeds indoors to be planted out or sow seeds direct into a bed. Parsley grows well in containers too, either indoors or outdoors.
Beginning of June Q. Is it too late to plant potatoes?
A. Potatoes can be planted throughout the year, but to extend cropping plant in large containers or compost bags and keep in an area where they can be kept frost-free at the latter end of the season. Plant a succession of early potatoes through the spring, have a break at 'Blight time' and then begin again in mid-August.
Shallots
Allium cepa Aggregatum Group
These are multiplier onions with a distinctive flavour both fresh and pickled. They are easy to row, from seed (sown like ordinary onions to produce a single solid bulb) and also as sets, each of which splits into several new ones.
Pick | June
Pick rhubarb and gooseberries
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