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30 NEWLY RELEASED VEGE VARIETIES - Your guide to what's new on the market this year.

COMPILED BY: JANE WRIGGLESWORTH

1. Cauliflower ‘Snowbowl’

This ivory-hued cauli has uniform curds on compact plants of spiralled, light blue leaves that wrap tightly around the domed heads. The inner leaves provide excellent protection from autumn rains while blanching the heavy, dense crowns. Seeds available from Egmont Seeds.

2. Ready espaliered apples

Save time and buy your apple trees already espaliered. Edible Garden has a range of apples at year two of the espalier process, with, in most cases, two or three tiers already established. Espaliered apples include ‘Ballarat’, ‘Braeburn’, ‘Captain Kidd’, ‘Cox’s Orange’, ‘Discovery’, ‘Freyburg’, ‘Hetlina’, ‘Liberty’, ‘Merton Russet’, ‘Peasgood Nonsuch’ and ‘Royal Gala’. The only catch: the trees are super delicate and must be collected from Edible Garden’s Palmerston North nursery.

3. Climbing bean ‘Kentucky Wonder Wax’

This heirloom variety has almost stringless pods that are straight, flattened and golden-yellow at 15-20cm long. A vigorous climber, the beans can be used as snap beans or later as a shell bean. From Mr Fothergill’s seed range.

4. Leek ‘Giant Elephant’

This mammoth leek has thick stalks up to 10cm in diameter and a delicious mild onion flavour. It is a hardy plant, easy to grow and ideal for cooler regions. From Mr Fothergill’s seed range and available from garden retailers throughout the country.

5. Blackthorn

Missing in action since 2017, the sloe berry or blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) is back in Edible Garden’s catalogue. This large, deciduous shrub with spiny branches and dense habit produces fruits similar to small damson plums, blue at first and shiny black as they mature. The fruit is ideal for preserves, wine and sloe gin. Available from Edible Gardens.

6. Pepper ‘Early Red’

A New Zealand heritage variety, this sweet bell pepper (capsicum) ripens earlier than other varieties and can handle being grown outside throughout most of the country. A prolific producer and disease resistant, it produces well into autumn and winter when grown in glasshouse conditions. From Setha’s Seeds.

7. Lettuce misticanza

A mixture of 14 fine lettuces, including ‘Romaine’, ‘Verona’, ‘Rosso Trento’ and ‘Four Seasons’. The different varieties make for an evenly balanced and delicious fresh salad. Lettuce leaves or heads are ready for picking about 35 days after sowing. Sow successively. Available from Italian Seeds Pronto.

8. Tūtae kōau (native celery)

Also known as shore celery and sea celery, this dwarf form is native to the shores of New Zealand, Australia and South America. It was commonly eaten by Māori and became an important plant for Captain Cook to help reduce the incidence of scurvy among his men. Related to parsley, it produces a good supply of green leaves, which can be used in a similar way. In Australia, the dried leaves are used in native spice mixes. Available from Kahikatea Farm.

9. Broccoli ‘Spigariello’

This fast-growing sprouting broccoli is one of the most sought after, iconic and renowned vegetables of Italy, traditionally used on pizza in Naples with olives and chilli, or with sausage. Once the central flower is picked, the plant begins to produce side shoots known as spigariello that have tiny florets. Many Italians grow this for its immature edible leaves rather than the floret.

10. Eggplant ‘Rabi Long Green’

This Indian-bred eggplant has long, lime green fruit that grow to 25cm. The fruit is tender with a mild flavour, suitable for Asian and European dishes. A prolific cropping variety, it likes fertile, free-draining soil. Seeds are available from Egmont Seeds.

11. Texsel greens

Brassica carinata – also known as garlic kale, Ethiopian cabbage, Abyssinian mustard and Abyssinian cabbage – is thought to be a naturally occurring hybrid of black mustard and cabbage. This variety was developed by the University of Texas to be more commercially viable, and is more suited to temperate regions. The plants have oval, dark green leaves with slightly irregular edges. Harvested young, the leaves can be used raw in salads or stir-fries; left to mature, fewer leaves will be produced, and they can then be used like cabbage. Immature flower stems can be cooked like broccoli, and seeds can be harvested and used as a condiment. Available from Kahikatea Farm.

12. Eggplant ‘Midnight’

This tasty and good looking shiny black Asian eggplant is highly prolific and very uniform, with 25cm long fruit that’s about 6cm wide. The plants, which grow a sturdy 70cm high, bear their first fruit 70 days from transplant and continue cropping over a five- to six-week period. Suitable for growing in most soil types but perform best in a sunny well-drained fertile position during the hot summer months. Seeds available from Kings Seeds.

13. Sweetcorn ‘Popcorn’

This is a superior mushroom-type corn with large kernels that pop into ball- and mushroom-shaped flakes. The plants themselves are sturdy with dark green leaves. Seeds are available from Egmont Seeds.

14. ‘Wairarapa Pink’ grape

This heirloom variety has small oval, pink-skinned fruit with outstanding flavour. It was discovered in an old vineyard when pruning grapes and passed on to Koanga Gardens to preserve the line. An old dessert grape whose quality equals modern wine grapes. From Koanga Gardens.

15. Bean ‘Tarahumara Purple’

This beautiful shiny purple-seeded heirloom came from the high arid village of Mesa de Agostadero, Chihuahua, in Mexico, and is grown by the indigenous Tarahumara people. With both white and purple flowers, it is a high yielding climber best used as a dry bean, with sweet taste and smooth texture when cooked. From Setha’s Seeds.

16. ‘Robertson’s’ peacherine

Robertson’s peacherine has medium-sized fruit with a furry skin, buttery texture and plenty of flavour. It’s a clingstone variety, with sweet-tasting yellow flesh. This is a reliable cropper that ripens late February to early March. Great for bottling.

Available from Koanga Gardens.

17. Basil ‘Thai Towers’

Masses of green leaves with occasional purple specks, and with purple stems. It grows in a tall, columnar-shaped tower to 90cm. Its aromatic leaves have a liquorice flavour, just like Thai basil, and complement many dishes, especially Thai cuisine. Produces well over summer and autumn. Seeds available from Egmont Seeds.

18. Weed Buster Tape Spinach Hybrid No. 7

The new and improved tape uses a thicker layer of blotter to reduce the amount of weeds that can get through early on in germination. It also includes slow-release fertiliser to give your seedlings a healthy start. This spinach is a semi-savoy variety. Sow in spring and autumn. Available from Egmont Seeds.

19-21. Fun summer veges for kids

Yates want to help your junior gardeners fall in love with growing veges. The monster pumpkins can grow up to 200kg. The old-fashioned type of corn grow cute cobs shaped like red strawberries. The scallopini is shaped like a flying saucer! The trick is to ensure you feed with plenty of fertiliser. Seed packets are available at garden retailers nationwide.

22. Papaya ‘Red Maradol Improved’

This is an improved selection of the popular papaya grown extensively in warmer parts of the US and Mexico. Regarded as one of the world’s most nutritious fruits, with the seeds also being edible, it needs lots of warmth to germinate and grow. Plants can set fruit quite low on the plant and ripen within seven months from transplant. Fruit turns yellow-orange when ripe and average 2kg in size. Seeds available from Kings Seeds.

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2021-09-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-09-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

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