Summer essentials
Consider these delicate and tasty ‘must have’ veg varieties for your summer plot
SUMMER BROCCOLI Often sold under trade names such as ‘Tenderstem’, summer broccoli produces abundant succulent stems for weeks if watered and fed. Good cultivars include ‘Apollo’ and ‘Inspiration’.
FRENCH BEANS Tender and delicately flavoured, French beans grow quickly and crop heavily in late summer, usually maturing before the runner beans. Some gardeners prefer French beans to runners and grow climbing cultivars such as ‘Limka’, ‘Cobra’ and ‘Sultana’. For dwarf varieties, try
‘Stanley’ and ‘Safari’.
SWEETHEART CABBAGE
Growing quickly from seed, sweet summer pointed-head cabbages make excellent salads and cooked greens, with any surplus suitable for use in sauerkraut. ’Hispi’ and ‘Dutchman’ are good cultivars.