While you may find it surprising, vegetable gardening is an ever-evolving activity, and you can learn something new every year. Dame Mary Berry herself has proven that with her newest vegetable-growing discovery.
Whether you're starting vegetable gardening for beginners or have been a proud owner of a veggie patch for years, there's no denying it's a practice that keeps you on your toes. From new hybrid species to grow to the changing garden trends, you'll find it hard to get bored when gardening over the years.
Even the icon Dame Mary Berry, who's been gardening for the better part of her life, has started experimenting with growing new vegetables. Sharing her discovery with Jo Whiley on the RHS Roots podcast, Mary explains that she's been trialling a new veggie in her patch.
Between sorting your garden out and remembering which veggies you need to plant in April, it can be all too easy to forget to try something new in your garden. Especially if you've been growing the same crops for years now, but there's so much to be discovered and inspiration to be found everywhere.
Mary Berry found hers in the supermarket. When asked by Jo if there was anything she'd done differently in her garden this year, Mary had, in fact, tried something for the first time.
"Well, I noticed in good supermarkets you could buy something called kalette. I am not a fan of kale. I don’t mind it crispy, that’s been in a restaurant, but I’m not very fond of kale," she starts.
Kalette, however, is a tasty hybrid plant that's a mix between Brussels sprouts and kale. It can be eaten raw in salads or cooked in heartier meals.
"So, Kalette, they are like little sprouts, and they grow on a long stalk. And then on the stalk, you get developing these little gatherings of kalette. At the end of summer, there they were, just when I hadn’t had any other vegetables. And you picked them off, and they were absolutely delicious," explains Mary.
They can be one of the vegetables you plant in February; however, their peak sowing timeframe goes on until the beginning of May, so there's plenty of time to add them to your plot.
"They do take up a lot of room, and I had to net them with fine netting from the white butterflies, but otherwise quite successful," she adds.
So, whilst this might not be an ideal plant if you're looking for small garden tips, for those with larger veggie patches, it's a worthy addition, especially if you want to prolong your vegetable harvest this year.
Has Mary piqued your interest with her new kalette discovery? You can grow your own with these seeds, they need to be sown before the beginning of May so now is the perfect time to try it out.
This popular mix from Miracle-Gro can be used to plant flowers and seedlings in containers. It includes coir, which is great for absorbing water and keeping plants hydrated.
Streamline your seed sowing with these peat-free Jiffy pellet trays. Each tray has 45 large pellets that fit the 50mm diameter holes. All you need to do is soak the pellets and wait for them to expand in front of your eyes.
If you are looking to reignite your passion with vegetable gardening, then get your essential gardening tools at the ready and try something new. Who knows, you might master it just like Dame Mary.
"Good personal trial. I felt as though I was very much RHS and Wisley you know, doing my own trials. But I haven’t really got room for much," finishes Mary.
This new book gives Mary's gardening tips and personal account of all things she's learnt from her many years of tending to her plot.
Looking to try something else new in your veggie patch? Succession planting is a fantastic method for ensuring you've got fresh veggies in your garden to harvest all summer long.
