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.

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.

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.

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.