Blueberries (Vaccinium corybosum) have become a really popular choice for gardeners all over the UK these days and there are huge numbers of different varieties around to purchase. Blueberries are really well suited to our climate as long as they are given the appropriate spot to grow. Seeing as they are a forest dwelling plant they like an ericaceous soil to grow in, so if you don’t have acid soil in the garden they are best grown in pots. If you can plant a couple next to each other to improve cross pollination, they will produce fruits alone but they will be bigger and more abundant if planted together. They also prefer to be watered using rain water; tap water contains lime which will neutralise the acid.


My dad is dead keen on growing lots of ‘Chinese leaves’ on his allotment and has great success with mizuna, pak choi, mustard greens etc. All of these a pretty easy to grow and are well worth it!

Pak choi likes its roots to be kept pretty moist and grows pretty quickly, my dad grows it in grow bags in rows so he can monitor them easily and maintain the moisture levels more easily. They are an absolute magnet to slugs who love any plant with juicy tender foliage so keep a watch-full eye on them! I would also suggest staggering planting so that you get successive crops throughout the growing season.

Mizuna and other mustard greens have to be to be one of the easiest edibles to grow and are great in salads and stir fries! It will pretty much grow anywhere and can even be grown in a pot in the window sill if you are short of space. Seeds can be sown pretty much all year round if you can keep them warm enough to germinate but are best sown in June, July and August ( I have planted mine from mid spring onwards and they are fine!). You can get a crop as quickly as 6 weeks after sowing and they will tolerate pretty much any soil type as long as they get some sun.

Another interesting vegetable/fruit to try is okra; this again can be grown in this country as long as the frost does not get the young growing tips. It is best sown from March – April under glass at a constant temp of around 20C once germinated it can be potted on into 9cm pots and kept above 15C until ready to be planted out. If you live in a milder part of the UK they will be fine in a pot or even the border if you harden them off for a good 10-15 days. Once the flowers appear give them a good dose of potash every other week which will help fruit production and cut off the fruits when they are still young and tender. The plants are covered in tiny hairs that can be quite irritating to the skin so I would wear gloves when harvesting. If you live in a cooler area of the country I would keep them under glass or you may get away with them in a pot on a warm patio.

Admittedly I live in the south where we can grow a wide variety of unusual and exotic fruit and veg, but with a bit of experimentation and risk taking you can grow plants that will raise a few eyebrows, and raise the bar amongst your gardening chums! Go for the exotic - if you don’t try you will never know!