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9 September 2010
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Vegetables

In the programme

Watch clips from the programme, and find details of which vegetable varieties are featured.


Programme one

Kohl rabiCarol meets the Banfield family who are keen to try their hand at growing their own crops, and takes a trip to RHS Harlow Carr to see just how much veg you can fit into a tiny plot. Back in her own garden, Carol breaks up her soil in her new vegetable patch by planting potatoes and jerusalem artichokes.

View an exclusive clip of Carol setting up her new plot.

Play video clip

Vegetable varieties featured in this show include:

  • Potato 'Red Duke of York'
  • Potato 'Valor'
  • Potato 'Annabelle'
  • Potato 'Sarpo Mira'
  • Potato 'Sarpo Axona'

Find out more about how to grow potatoes.

Programme two

sea kaleCarol plants carrots, parsnips and beetroot, and visits a veg enthusiast whose fifth-floor apartment balcony is laden with a promising harvest. She also takes the Banfield family to their first seed-swap.

In our exclusive clip, Carol plants her first crop of carrots and uses companion planting to avoid the dreaded carrot fly.

Play video clip

Vegetable varieties featured in this show include:

  • Beetroot 'Boltardy'
  • Carrot 'Nandor'
  • Pea 'Waverex'

All you need to start growing crops in pots.

Programme three

chardPeas and beans are added to Carol's burgeoning vegetable patch, whilst the Banfield family get to grips with the gardener's enemy: slugs!

In this exclusive clip, Carol plants early peas for a summer-long tasty crop.

Play video clip

Vegetable varieties featured in this show include:

  • Pea 'Piccolo Provenzale'
  • Pea 'Hurst Greenshaft'
  • Pea 'Ambassador'
  • Pea 'Show Perfection'
  • Pea 'Purple Podded'
  • Onion 'Mammoth'
  • Tomato 'Tumbler'
  • Climbing french bean 'Rob Splash'
  • Squash 'Sweet Dumpling'
  • Leek 'Jolant'
  • Beetroot 'Chioggia'

Grow your own early peas.

Programme four

cauliflowerWhile researching the best varieties of cabbage for her vegetable patch, Carol goes in search of wild brassicas on the Dorset coast, and meets allotment expert Harry Wardle.

Carol gets her cabbage seeds off to a good start by planting them in modules. Watch our exclusive clip to see more.

Play video clip

Vegetable varieties featured in this show include:

  • Cabbage 'Kilaxy'
  • Cabbage 'Greyhound'
  • French bean 'Cupidon'
  • Pea 'Waverex'
  • Broad bean 'Crimson Flowered'
  • Carrot 'Sytan'
  • Pea 'Aviola'
  • Kohl rabi 'Blue Delicacy'

Find more about growing your own french beans.

Programme five

tomatoesNothing tastes finer than salad straight from the garden, so Carol adds some choice varieties to her ever-increasing vegetable patch. She also catches up with the Banfield family to see how they're progressing.

Watch this exclusive clip for Carol's tips on growing tasty cucumbers.

Play video clip

Vegetable varieties featured in this show include:

  • Leek 'Porvite'
  • Tomato 'Gardener's Delight'
  • Tomato 'Golden Sunrise'
  • Tomato 'Beefheart'
  • Tomato 'Black Prince'
  • Cucumber 'Crystal Lemon'
  • Beetroot 'Chioggia'
  • Radish 'Old Gold'
  • Climbing french bean 'Rob Splash'
  • Onion 'Mammoth'
  • Lettuce 'Rosetta'
  • Lettuce 'Fristina'
  • Spinach 'Long Standing'

Fancy growing your own salad? Read our guide to salad crops to get you started.

Programme six

pumpkinPumpkins, squashes and sweetcorn are ideal veggies to see you through from summer to autumn. Carol accompanies two first-time veg growers to the RHS Autumn show to see how their newly-grown pumpkins fare in the competition. She also looks at how to store all the fruits of her labour over winter.

After a long summer of growth, Carol harvests her sweetcorn in our exclusive clip.

Play video clip

Vegetable varieties featured in this show include:

  • Courgette 'Zucchini'
  • Courgette 'Gold Rush'
  • Sweetcorn 'Sundance'
  • Pumpkin 'Hundredweight'
  • French bean 'Blue Lake'
  • Runner bean 'Scarlet Emperor'
  • Marrow 'Long Green Bush'


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In Lifestyle

Expert growing advice
Starting a vegetable plot
Plant finder
Virtual garden

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Garden Organic
RHS Harlow Carr vegetable growing
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