Summer 2020 seems like a lifetime away, but it\u2019s not \u2014 we promise! And now could very well be the time to start investing in new garden equipment and thinking about what you want to grow in your garden in 2020. There are many reasons why you should grow your own vegetables and produce: helping the environment, keeping yourself active, saving money and becoming more nutritious to name a few.<\/p>\n
But, aside from the staple products such as cabbage, carrots, tomatoes and peas, what could make it onto your list of homegrown produce for this year? Here, we look at some of the quirkiest items you can grow at home or in an allotment: <\/p>\n
The tomato is considered a staple in any gardener\u2019s repertoire, but what about a tomatillo? Cousin to the better-known tomato, a tomatillo produces a totally unique lime flavour. Plant this product in compost-enriched soil in the spring once the frosty weather has passed and watch them thrive. To mellow their flavour, try blanching them. Or, why not dry roast them to produce an earthy, nutty flavour. <\/p>\n This particular vegetable produces edible and vibrant red berries from its spinach-like leaves, which are also suitable for eating. It can be sown directly from March and benefits from moist soil with plenty of sunshine. If you leave a few of the fruits on the plant as they come to the end of the season, they\u2019ll also self-seed for next year! <\/p>\n Considered a favourite among seasoned growers but the crown prince wouldn\u2019t necessarily be well-known to the majority of us. This product, with its steel blue skin and bright orange flesh has a nutty, honey-like depth and smooth, pudding-like flesh. It\u2019s perfect to add to any roast. Plant it in May and have it ready to harvest in August\/September time!<\/p>\n If you love a curry, this is a great addition to your home-grown produce. This long, twisted green fruit tastes like squash and is recommended to add in chunk form into a curry alongside chillies and spices. The shoots can also be added to stir fries once they\u2019ve been steamed. Simply sow in pots in May and plant outside from mid-June and watch this Asian delight grow. <\/p>\n Try adding a bit of colour to your garden with these beans, also referred to as Hyacinth beans. This violet plant can grow up to two metres in height and spouts purple pods which are flat, blunt, and slightly curved. While many may just use this as an ornamental climbing plant, it\u2019s a different species to the French bean and can be eaten whole \u2014 just be sure to cook them to get rid of their toxins!<\/p>\n When looking at herbs, your mind is likely to go straight to the likes of basil and coriander. Well, switch it up in 2020 and choose borage. Perfect for adding to summer drinks, freeze this edible flower into an ice cube and drop it in your favourite cocktail. Also known as \u2018bee bread\u2019 or \u2018starflower\u2019, this bright blue flower is also suited to a salad thanks to its salty flavour and cucumber-like odour. <\/p>\n As most of us enjoy a bit of broccoli on our roast dinners, why not add a bit of Cantonese cuisine to your plate by the way of wok broc? All parts of this quick-growing Asian delight are edible and are perfectly suited to a salad \u2013 they have a similar taste to broccoli but carry a hint of kale. Better still, why not start growing them in the winter in your greenhouse? From planting to plate in eight to 10 weeks!<\/p>\n Also referred to as \u2018mouse melons\u2019 this easy-to-grow item can vine up anything vertical up to eight feet high. Getting its name from looking like a small watermelon, this fruit has a crunchy texture. It\u2019s important to plant it in a sunny spot shielded from wind. Also, be sure not to leave it on the vine too long as this can make the skin become tough. It\u2019s also worth noting their health benefits. Cucamelons are rich in the heart-improving antioxidant lycopene as well as vitamin K, E and C!<\/p>\n Around Christmas time, brussel sprouts become adored for a short time. Why not bring something slightly different to the table with red rubines? These sprouts pack a deep reddish-purple colour, making them a very ornamental figure in the veg garden. Ideally, you\u2019d grow these in beds and borders with access to plenty sunshine.<\/p>\n These are just some of many possible produce additions to your space. Hopefully they\u2019ve provided some food for thought and will allow you to spruce up your greenhouse, allotment, or garden space in the new year. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Summer 2020 seems like a lifetime away, but it\u2019s not \u2014 we promise! And now could very well be the time to start investing in new garden equipment and thinking about what you want to grow in your garden in 2020. There are many reasons why you should grow your own vegetables and produce: helping the environment, keeping yourself active, saving money and becoming more nutritious to name a few. But, aside from the staple products such as cabbage, carrots, tomatoes and peas, what could make it onto your list of homegrown produce for this year? Here, we look at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2756,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2755","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthy-recipes","post--single"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2755","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2755"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2755\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2881,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2755\/revisions\/2881"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2756"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2755"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2755"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2755"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Strawberry Spinach<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Crown Prince Squash<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Snake Gourd<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Lablab Beans<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Borage<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Wok Broc<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Cucamelons<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Red Rubine<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n