Growing
10 Chilli Types Ordered By Their Spiciness (In Scoville Heat Units)
IN THIS GUIDE Spiciness Scoville Heat Units 1) ‘Anaheim’ 2) ‘Ohnivec’ 3) ‘Hungarian Wax’ 4) ‘Jalapeño’ 5) ‘Serrano’ 6) ‘Peperone Picante Calabrese’ 7) ‘Bolivian Rainbow’ 8) ‘Cayenne’ 9) ‘Bird’s Eye’ 10) ‘Habanero’ References All chillies are species of Genus Capsicum.1 This genus – along with potatoes, tomatoes, and many other plants, some of them quite surprising – is a member of the Family Solanaceae, the Nightshade Family of plants. The capsicum genus has five species: C. annuum, C. chinense, C. frutescens, C. pubescens, and C. baccatum. Each of them contains numerous varieties and a great number of hybrids as well. A sizeable majority of the varieties that are used all over the world belong to C. annuum and C. chinense. The first includes most of the well-known ‘normal-hot’ varieties and the second most of the well-known ‘super-hot’ ones. Spiciness The heat or spiciness of a chilli comes from capsaicinoids which are a class of chemical compounds of which capsaicin is the most common.2 Capsaicinoids are found in all chillies in concentrations from trace or negligible to off-the-scale. On the point of spiciness, the heat or pungency of a particular variety of chilli is a quantifiable value, as many readers may know. Scoville Heat Units In 1912 – over a hundred years ago – Wilbur Scoville, an American pharmacist, devised a not-too-precise but ingenious method to measure the heat or spiciness of chillies.3 Very concisely, he had volunteer tasters try out diluted solutions of various chillies. (The inverse of the) the dilution at which a particular chilli’s heat became undetectable was that chilli’s heat rating. This number came to be called ‘Scoville Heat Unit,’ abbreviated as SHU. Chillis (or peppers) that have no heat and are classified as ‘sweet peppers’ have 0 to 100 SHUs. In the kitchen we use chillies as a spice (and bell peppers as a vegetable) and are free to see and treat them as such; however, all Capsicum species, be they whatever kind of chilli, are fruits from a botanical perspective.4 For the purposes of this article, chillies are not props for showing off in chilli-eating competitions but are a food ingredient. Therefore, we do not discuss the ‘Nuclear’ Chillies – let alone ‘Dragon’s Breath’ or ‘Carolina Reaper’. Nor do we list exotica like black chillies. A very nice assortment of sensible choices selected for usability in the kitchen, enjoyability in dishes, and tingle-tastiness on the palate, is presented underneath. We list these in order of increasing heat and spiciness since that is, after all, the primary attribute of chillies. For informative purposes we mention the SHU value for each variety of chilli we list underneath. 1) ‘Anaheim’ As this variety’s name suggests, it is very popular on America’s West Coast. This dark green-to-red variety is the ‘go-to’ chilli for homemade dishes, being very mild and piquantly flavourful. Perfect for all who clamour for spicy foods! Only 500 to 2,500 SHUs. 2) ‘Ohnivec’ This little-known chilli is a fairly ‘adjustable’ variety; more so than most. Pick it young and yellow and it is totally mild; pick it when it’s deep red, and it has a bit of a kick (but only a bit). At 20-25cm these chillies are BIG. Moreover, these plants bear profuse fruit. It is an easy-to-grow variety, is also easy on the palate, and has a ‘juicy’ taste. 1,000 to 2,500 SHUs but specimens may reach 3,500 SHUs. 3) ‘Hungarian Wax’ This mild variety is very easy to grow indoors. It is not only well suited to the British climate, it is also well suited to the British palate! This popular variety starts off yellowish-green and turns red on the plant. It is one of those whose heat is very strongly dependent on its maturity on the vine, as Horticultural Colin Skelly shares: “I can attest to the suitability of ‘Hungarian Wax’ for the British climate. “This is my go-to cultivar for reliability and variability of heat; low when green and pretty hot when red. “It does make for the odd surprise in heat, which can be exhilarating or excruciating depending on your preference!” 5,000 to 10,000 SHUs but specimens may range from a low of 1,000 to a high of 15,000. This variety has also been given the RHS Award Of Garden Merit. 4) ‘Jalapeño’ Though somehow this name usually conjures up images of intense heat, a Jalapeño is actually one of the milder varieties, ranking exactly nowhere on the H-Bomb scale. This biggish and thickish green chilli is one of those flavourful ones, having – besides a pleasant dose of heat – citrusy-tangy taste. In Texas, a pizza is not considered complete without Jalapeños. 2,500 to 8,000 SHUs. 5) ‘Serrano’ One might call this variety a smaller and hotter version of a Jalapeño. Though this chilli starts off green and progresses to orange or red (or yellow), it is usually picked green. Unlike a Jalapeño, the Serrano is not often used as a topping or diced in foodstuffs but is roasted or used to make salsas and sauces. 10,000 to 22,500 SHUs. 6) ‘Peperone Picante Calabrese’ If a chilli can be called ‘flavourful,’ this one is at least a prime contender. A deep, lovely red in colour and with that classic chilli shape, the Calabrian has a nice level of heat but has a wonderfully complex flavour, being tangy, fruity, and a little smoky. This versatile chilli is as suitable for home-cooked foods as it is for high-end cuisine. 25,000 to 40,000 SHUs. 7) ‘Bolivian Rainbow’ Though far from an ‘essential’ variety, you just have to mention this pretty baby – after all, it’s a two-in-one, being a highly ornamental plant but also a bona fide chilli. At any given time during the fruiting season, this plant bears its small, inverted fruit in yellows, oranges, reds, and purples – this plant is Nature’s Pixie Lights! At the same time they are that ‘just right’ hot and spicy, and are even easy to grow. 20,000 to 40,000 SHUs. 8) ‘Cayenne’ If it’s long, thin, and red, it’s a Cayenne Chilli. Cayenne powder and flakes, so commonly found in Tex-Mex style restaurants, is the dried form of the Cayenne Chilli. Also, many or most Spanish or Mexican-style hot sauces have Cayenne as an ingredient. Tried diced or sliced, you will find an appreciable level of heat. It has a very zesty and pungent, slightly smoky, taste. 30,000 to 50,000 SHUs. 9) ‘Bird’s Eye’ Identified with Thailand to the extent that it is even called ‘Thai Chilli,’ this narrow, pointed chilli packs near-bomb-level heat. Unlike most other chillies, this one is borne upright (pointing upwards). Used in most Far-Eastern cuisines, this is the chilli that gives Thai Cuisine its distinctive hot spiciness, a tingling, citrusy, and very tasty heat. It is too hot to eat comfortably except finely chopped, and is wonderful to make sauces, curries, and pastes with. 50,000 to 100,000 SHUs. 10) ‘Habanero’ This is an extremely hot naturally-occuring chilli and this is where the chilli heat-bombs begin. Not merely super-hot, the Habanero is tasty and citrusy. Unlike our other varieties this one’s a type of Capsicum chinense. Though it did not originate in Mexico, it is now claimed by the Mexicans as their own and is a widely-used spice in Mexican cuisine, sauces, and pastes.5 Habanero Chillies are easy to grow and the plants are productive but the fruit can hardly be chopped up, ground, or blended and added to homemade food given its intense heat! SHU 100,000 to 350,000 SHUs but some cultivars go up to 600,000 SHUs. Habanero has also been awarded the RHS AGM. References 1. Capsicum species. (n.d.). Oxford University Plants. Retrieved March 14, 2023, from https://herbaria.plants.ox.ac.uk/bol/plants400/Profiles/cd/Capsicum 2. The Science of a Chilli. (2019, March 2). The Oxford Scientist. Retrieved March 14, 2023, from https://oxsci.org/the-science-of-a-chilli/ 3. The Scoville Scale. (n.d.). The University of Bristol. Retrieved March 14, 2023, from http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/motm/chilli/scoville.htm 4. Is a Pepper a Fruit or a Vegetable and Why? (n.d.). Eufic. Retrieved March 14, 2023, from https://www.eufic.org/en/healthy-living/article/is-a-pepper-a-fruit-or-a-vegetable-and-why 5. Habanero. (n.d.). World Crops. Retrieved March 14, 2023, from https://worldcrops.org/crops/habanero
Learn more
The Signs To Know When Your Plums Are Ready To Harvest (And How To Protect Them)
IN THIS GUIDE 1) Protect Your Incipient Harvest 2) Thin The Crop 3) Test For Readiness 4) Pick The Fruit Plums may well be the sweetest, juiciest, most luscious of fruits to bite into and delight in. Unfortunately, many people would not agree with that assessment – and the reason is that all they’ve ever eaten are mass-produced store-bought plums that have been transported over long distances! But if you have a plum tree or two in your front yard, you may well agree with our opinion. And you’ll agree with it even more if you harvest your plums correctly and methodically. As a plum grower, you know that colour is one indicator of ripeness and harvest-readiness. And you would also know that plum varieties’ colours vary – red, maroon, burgundy, purple, and even green. However, there are other indicators of harvest-readiness as well as a few do’s and don’ts. Difficulty Medium Equipment Required Gardening gloves, mini-secateurs or scissors; a helper may be useful When To Harvest July – September Underneath we take you through the ins and outs of plum harvesting so that you may reap the most ‘fruitful’ harvest: Protect your incipient harvest from frosts and birds Thin out branches for a healthy crop Test your plums for readiness Pick the fruit when it’s ready This process is explained in more depth below – 1) Protect Your Incipient Harvest Plums are susceptible to two threats: early frosts when the blossoms are on show and birds when the fruits are forming. (These are the two most common and major threats to plums but are far from the only ones.) So you need to take care of your harvest right from spring when it is not even formed. If you anticipate a late spring frost you will need to keep buds and flowers snug with fleece or similar protection lest they get zapped. As for birds, mesh netting is difficult to set up and ugly to look at but it is a very effective method to frustrate birds; other methods are also available. Increase the amount of water during the height of summer when the fruit is developing and maturing. Increasing the amount of water is critical during hot, dry spells. Wear gardening gloves when it’s your turn to thin the fruit after Mother Nature has taken her turn. 2) Thin The Crop Plum trees are very generous – indeed, they’re generous to a fault. They crop so heavily that they cannot possibly bring all the fruit to ripeness, and overburdened branches sometimes even break. This fault is partially compensated for by Mother Nature and should be partially compensated by you. Mother Nature does her part through ‘June Drop’ when some number of immature plums fall off the tree. This fruit fall is normal. Actually, this June Drop is a marvellous signal for you to play your part. Immediately after this automatic thinning is over, you should thin the forming fruit, though how much depends on your cultivar and on how much your tree is overloaded. Branches should not be under obvious strain. Simply snip off a conservative number of fruits; use mini-secateurs or even scissors for this purpose. Choose under-developed, mis-shapen, and damaged fruit for thinning. “When thinning plums, I use the RHS guidance for thinning, which is to leave a plum every 5-8cm or a pair of plums every 15cm,” shares Master Horticulturist Colin Skelly. “This works well for me, leaving a crop of good-sized plums that are plentiful but without overloading the branches.” Though plums can be ripened after picking, they taste best when tree-ripened. Therefore, it is important to pick these fruits at just the right stage. 3) Test For Readiness Depending on your cultivar, plums will be ready to be picked sometime between July and September. All plums on a tree will not ripen at the same time. Your harvesting will consist of several go-throughs, at each of which you would pick some fruit – a little or a lot. But when do you know that the fruit is tree-ripened and should be picked? Here’s a checklist:– No matter what the colour of your cultivar’s plums, except for a few marginal plum types like cherry plums, ready-to-pick ripe plums will have a chalky glaze. While unripe plums will be very firm, ripe plums will have a bit of ‘give’ or some softness if gently squeezed between finger and thumb. Ripe plums exude a mild sweetish scent that unripe plums usually don’t. Ready-to-pick plums will come away fairly easily from the branch; all they need is a gentle pull using only finger strength with a bend or twist, with only a touch of support, if any, to the branch. If the branch moves to more than a very small degree when you pull a plum, the plum is not ripe. Pick a plum that you think is ripe, wash it if necessary, and bite into it. You’ll know for sure if other plums like it are ready or not! 4) Pick The Fruit Support the branch – you may have to hold back on a cluster of plums – with one hand while you pick a plum with the other. However, there is an acquired technique to picking fruit like plums with a single hand (and you’ll be glad if you acquire this technique if you haven’t already done so). Hold up or push back the branch (or cluster) with your thumb while plucking with two fingers pressed against the palm, using a quick bend or twist. No matter how you detach a plum, if one or more other plums in that cluster are well-ripened or have a weak stem then the resultant recoil or jarring may result in such fruits falling to the ground! If the ground is muddy, those fruits will get dirty; if it is hard, they’ll get bruised. To guard against this you may want to hold a basket underneath the plum you are picking; even better if you have a helper to hold the basket. Remember you won’t harvest your entire crop in one go; only those plums that are ready. You’ll need to make a few passes during the harvesting season to collect your full harvest.
Learn more
Growing Plum Trees: How To Plant Out A Bare Root Tree And Care For It Properly
IN THIS GUIDE Overview Common Types Growing From Pits Planting Bare Root Plums Plum Tree Care Guidelines Propagation Common Problems & Diseases Plum trees are an excellent choice for many UK gardens, providing both visual appeal and an abundant yield. ‘Plum’ is the name given to the fruits of a number of different trees in the genus Prunus. European plums (Prunus domestica) are the type most commonly grown for their edible fruits in UK gardens and will be the focus of this guide. Overview Botanical Name Prunus domestica Common Name(s) Plum Tree Plant Type Tree / Fruit Native Area Europe (Cultivated) Hardiness Rating H5 Foliage Deciduous Flowers Blossom followed by fruits When To Sow / Plant November, December, January, February Flowering Months March, April However, P. cerasifera is one type of ‘ornamental plum tree’ grown in UK gardens which will sometimes also bear edible fruit. And there are also other plums, such as Chinese plums, Japanese plums and a wide range of New World plums too. Within even European plums, there is an almost bewildering range of different types of plum to consider. P. domestica is divided into different subspecies. When we talk about plums, we might be talking about: Common plums Damsons and bullaces Egg plums Gages/greengages Mirabelle plums etc. It can be helpful to understand a little more about the different plums you might grow before you narrow down your choices and decide which one may be right for your garden. Common Types As well as honing in on the subspecies types, you will also need to think about the specific cultivar of plum tree that you would like to grow. Some common and well-loved options are: ‘Avalon’ ‘Blue Tit’ ‘Cambridge Gage’ ‘Czar’ ‘Denniston’s Superb’ ‘Farleigh Damson’ ‘Golden Sphere’ ‘Jubilee’ ‘Marjorie’s Seedling’ ‘Opal’ ‘Shropshire’ ‘Victoria’ However, there are many more interesting options to consider, and many things to bear in mind when choosing your plum tree. You will need to consider: Whether you are looking for cooking or dessert plums (and have any flavour preferences). Whether the tree is self-fertile or needs a pollination partner for best results. When the fruit will be ready to harvest (remember that plum trees are often categorised into early, mid-season and late varieties depending on when the fruits will be ready to harvest). Growing From Pits While you can grow a tree from a plum pit, that tree will not necessarily have fruits which taste like the fruit from which the pit came – it may not even fruit at all. What is more, there are no guarantees that the tree which grows from the pit will be suitable for growing in your garden. One important thing to note is that when you purchase a fruit tree for your garden, it will usually have been grafted. Grafted trees are made up of a rootstock (the bottom-most part of the tree with roots), and a scion (top part of the tree) of the fruit varietal you have chosen. The rootstock determines the health, size and vigour of the tree, and the scion is what determines the fruit that you will get. When choosing a plum tree for your garden, therefore, you need to think not only about choosing a named varietal, but also about choosing one on an appropriate rootstock. In the UK, many plums are grafted on to: ‘Saint Julian‘ – A semi-vigorous rootstock which creates bush-trained trees 4.5-5m tall. ‘Torinel’ – also semi-vigorous, good for containers, 2.4-3m tall ‘Pixy‘ – a semi-dwarfing rootstock used for dwarf bushes, cordons and patio trees, with an ultimate height of 3-4m tall. “Even a small garden can accommodate a plum on a Torinel or Pixy rootstock,” shares Colin Skelly, a Master Horticulturist. “These are also suitable for growing in a (large) container if you have the time to keep up with its demands, particularly in summer. “The birds in my garden have proved adept at judging the ripeness of the fruit on my recently planted plum (on Pixy rootstock). Hopefully, when is has grown a bit more, there’ll be enough to share!” Planting Bare Root Plums Plum trees are typically planted out as bare-root trees over the dormant period, some time between November and February. Bare root trees are cheaper, and will usually establish more successfully than pot-grown trees purchased at other times of the year. Choosing A Planting Site Standard or bush-trained plum trees can make excellent stand-alone trees for smaller gardens. Plums can also be trained in a variety of different ways in order to make the most of small spaces. Be sure to choose the right option for the space available, considering its shape (and how you will prune it) as well as its eventual size. Smaller plum trees can also be grown in large containers, though container-grown trees will always require more care. If you have the space, including a plum tree as part of a forest garden design can be a great idea. Forest Gardens & Companion Planting A forest garden is an eco-friendly and low-maintenance type of garden, which maximises yield while mimicking and working with nature and creating a thriving, biodiverse and resilient ecosystem. Forest gardens do not need to be huge – they may only include 2-3 trees. But creating one does mean thinking not only about productive trees, but also about creating synergistic combinations of layered planting beneath them. Every time you think about planting a plum tree (or any other fruit tree) you should also consider the plants that will aid their growth, help with pollination and pest control, and generally improve the health and resilience of the tree and the system as a whole. Planting fruit tree guilds beneath and around a fruit tree is a type of companion planting. Considering the creation of guilds around a plum tree should definitely be considered when making plans about where to plant your new tree. Preferred Climate Plum trees are typically H5 hardy, meaning that they can survive through the winter across most of the UK, even during severe winters. However, they will fruit best when grown in a sheltered and protected site in full sun – and some varieties will do best when given the warmth and protection of a spot against a stone or brick wall. Some are tougher and hardier than others. Soil Conditions In terms of soil, plum trees will thrive in a loamy or sandy soil, with moderate to high fertility, enriched with plenty of organic matter. They do best where the soil is moist but free draining, though can also cope with more free-draining conditions. And they prefer soils (or growing media) with a neutral or slightly acidic pH. How To Plant As when planting any fruit tree, to plant a plum tree you should dig a generous hole, then add compost of well-rotted manure to the base of it. Place the tree in the hole, making sure that the soil is at the same level as previously, and that the graft point is above the ground. Firm the soil back around the roots, making sure that there are no air pockets. Plum Tree Care Guidelines Plum trees placed in a suitable location will require some care until they become established. Be sure to water well during the first growing season when the weather is dry. Once established, plum trees should be fairly low maintenance and easy to care for. Mulching Restricting grass growth around the base of a new fruit tree, and mulching as well as adding a guild of beneficial companion plants is an excellent idea. Organic mulch will add slow release fertility, improve the surrounding soil, reduce moisture loss and aid in weed suppression. Fertilising The best way to make sure that a plum tree has the nutrients it needs over time is through the use of mulches, and companion planting. Dynamic accumulator plants (comfrey etc..) chopped and dropped around the base of the tree should help in keeping your plum tree happy and healthy. Transplanting Seedlings If you have grown a plum tree from a pit, in spite of the above cautionary note, and would like to give it a go, your young seedlings should usually be kept in a tree nursery or protected location in a container for their first year at least. They should then ideally be moved to their final growing position in early spring. Container Growing Small plum trees can certainly be grown in large containers in small spaces, and you should fill your container with a mix of soil and compost or a suitable soil-based potting mix. Note, however, that when growing in a container, you will have to spend more time on their care. They will continue to need regular watering – more than those grown in the ground – and may benefit from a liquid feed if growth is poor. Propagation Effective propagation of plum trees usually involves more complex horticultural methods like chip budding and grafting, so are not usually undertaken by gardening novices. Common Problems & Diseases Plums placed in the right spot, with a guild of beneficial companion plants, will usually experience far fewer problems. So your first defence against any plum tree issues should be careful and holistic garden design. Pests plum trees can suffer from include aphids, scales, moths, caterpillars and birds. Diseases to remain vigilant for include blossom wilt and brown rot, pocket plum, bacterial canker and silver leaf, for example. Leaves Turning Brown If plum tree leaves turn brown, or there is leaf drop, this can be a sign of drought, or improper watering. It can also be due to a fungal disease or other systemic issues which prevent the tree from taking up water effectively through its roots – or which stops water from reaching a branch and its leaves as it should. Remember, however, that plum trees are deciduous and leaf drop is normal and natural if it occurs when it should in the autumn months.
Learn more
Harvesting Courgettes: 'Pick Regularly' Advise Gardeners, It'll Encourage New Fruits To Form
IN THIS GUIDE When To Harvest Courgettes How To Harvest Courgettes Storing & Using Courgettes References Courgettes can be a wonderful crop to grow at home in your garden. They are relatively easy to grow and, as you will soon find out if you grow them where you live, they can provide a bountiful harvest. Here is the basic information that you need to know about harvesting courgettes from your garden: Harvest courgettes between June and October. Pick regularly to encourage further fruits to form. Pick courgettes when they are smaller (around 10-12.5cm long) for the best flavour. Simply cut through the stem to separate the fruit from the plant. Don’t forget about secondary yields – courgette flowers and leaves are also edible. Homegrown courgettes can be delicious, but there is one note of caution to beware of. On rare occasions, seeds can be produced from cross-pollination with nearby plants from the same family of Cucurbits such as squashes or pumpkins and fruits grown from this seed can be toxic.1 So only ever harvest and eat courgettes if you have grown them from certified seeds, or your own seed if you are certain that cross-pollination has not occurred. If courgettes have any note of bitterness at all – don’t eat them. Difficulty Easy Equipment Required Secateurs or gardening knife When To Harvest June – October When To Harvest Courgettes Courgettes can be ready to harvest from as early as late June, and can continue to produce fruits until the autumn, often right up until the first frosts. Typically, you will be able to harvest the first fruits around 6-8 weeks after planting. Courgette fruits form on female flowers, after these are pollinated and pollen transferred from the male flowers. Male flowers typically form first and you may well see several male flowers before the first female flowers appear. The first harvest that you might obtain from a courgette plant will not necessarily be an actual courgette. Once the female flowers have begun to form fruit, you might decide to harvest excess male flowers, since these are a secondary edible yield from the plant. These are often stuffed and eaten, although it is best to remove the stamens carrying the pollen from inside the flower first. You will typically harvest the first fruit when these grow to around 10-12cm long. While the fruits will continue to grow after this, the taste of these younger, smaller fruit is typically much better, and the courgettes will seem watery and often lack flavour when they get too much larger. “It’s incredibly easy to miss courgettes when harvesting and allow them to become oversized as they grow so quickly,” says Roy Nicol, a Horticultural Consultant. “These are known as marrows but they can still be used to make bread or muffins, so it’s never too late to cut them off.” You should try to keep on top of the harvesting, and make sure you pick fruits when they reach around this size, because doing so will help make sure that the plant keeps going, and further fruits are produced. Another thing to note is that throughout the growing season, it can be beneficial to remove the odd leaf here or there to open up the plant and let sunlight into the fruits to help them mature. Removing the odd leaf can also help ensure good airflow around the plants and reduce the chances of a problem like powdery mildew taking hold. The good news is that these leaves are another additional harvest. While leaves can get too tough and a bit too bitter when they are more mature, smaller and more tender courgette leaves can be useful as a cooked green vegetable. Take the odd male flower and the odd leaf here and there, and keep picking the fruit while they are quite young, and your courgette plant should keep producing for several months. How To Harvest Courgettes To harvest courgettes, simply reach down into the plant, pull the leaves gently aside so you can see what you are doing and find the fruit. Then just cut these through the stem to sever them from the plant with a clean, sharp pair of secateurs or a gardening knife. If you can, it is best to harvest early in the day when the water content is highest and the fruits are at their juiciest. Though courgettes won’t keep very long, so try to make sure that you will be ready to use or process them as soon as possible after you have harvested. Courgette flowers will certainly need to be used on the day you harvest them. Storing & Using Courgettes Courgettes that are young, tender and tasty won’t last long once harvested. You should keep them for up to an absolute maximum of 1 week at 10°C. and a high humidity of 90-95%. However you should usually aim to use them on the same day, or within a few days at most. It is best not to keep courgettes in the fridge as they are sensitive to cold and can go mushy. Instead, if you cannot use your courgettes right away, it is best to freeze them – either raw or cooked. Another option is to dry courgettes, though this can be tricky if you don’t have an electric dehydrator. You can also pickle your courgettes, or use them in a wide range of other preserves which can be canned for storage. When canned using a trusted recipe, courgettes can be kept for much longer periods – months and even a year or so. Even if working out what to do with a glut of courgettes can sometimes be a challenge, by looking into preserving, you can make sure that none of your harvest goes to waste. References 1. Dowling, T. (2021, July 24). Tim Dowling: which courgette is the evil poisoner, yellow or green? The Guardian. Retrieved March 14, 2023, from https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/jul/24/tim-dowling-which-courgette-is-the-evil-poisoner-yellow-or-green
Learn more
This Is How To Identify And Fix 7 Common Apple Tree Problems & Diseases
IN THIS GUIDE Environmental Issues When Should An Apple Tree Begin Bearing Fruit? Common Apple Tree Diseases 1) Apple Scab 2) Blossom Wilt 3) Brown Rot 4) Honey Fungus 5) Phytophthora Root Rot 6) Apple Canker 7) Coral Spot Resolving Apple Tree Problems References Do you have a problem with your apple tree? This article may reveal the cause of the issue. Apple trees are generally relatively easy and straightforward to grow, and can deliver a high yield of delicious fruits once established. However, apple trees can be affected by a range of common problems and diseases. “Reading through the list of problems that can occur with apples can be offputting, as it seems as if there are legions of pests and diseases just waiting for you to plant an apple,” says Colin Skelly, a horticulture expert who has been awarded the Master of Horticulture status by the RHS. “Rest assured that very few problems are catastrophic and most will be due to environmental conditions that you can do something about. “I have a friend with an apple tree that has canker, is unpruned and leaning at a tower of Pisa-like angle, but fruits in abundance every year. “The soil is a rich loam – the right location is key. “Also, the old saying ‘spend a pound on the plant and a pound on the hole’ is a good one – add plenty of organic matter when planting and regularly mulch.” Here, we will introduce you to some of the most common issues that you may encounter: Environmental Issues If your apple tree is not fruiting as expected, then it is not necessarily the case that your apple tree has a disease. Sometimes, environmental issues may be to blame. Unproductive apple trees may have experienced: Poor growing conditions such as drought, excessive shade, or a lack of nutrients. Lack of a partner for pollination (you may need to plant another apple tree close by). Frost damage to apple blossoms earlier in the year. Poor weather conditions early in the year, which restricted pollinator activity. Blossoms being eaten by birds (such as bullfinches) before fruits could form. However, it is also important to note that an apple tree may not be fruiting simply because it is still young. When Should An Apple Tree Begin Bearing Fruit? It is common for apple trees to take a few years to begin producing well. How long it will take depends on a range of factors, including the cultivar and the rootstock that has been used. It may also be the case that the apple tree is biennial bearing.1 With certain apple tree varieties, you may find that the fruiting pattern is one year of excellent yield, followed by a year with sparser fruit formation. This is more common with certain apple varieties than it is with others. This pattern may be initiated by one of the issues mentioned above, and can be addressed by removing some of the blossoms or fruiting buds to encourage a more moderate yield in a bumper year. Poor growing conditions may sometimes be out of your hands, but can also be due to your own mistakes. Rule out issues such as over or under-watering, and make sure you have positioned your apple tree in a suitable spot before looking for other causes of any issues. Pruning wrongly can also cause issues, so this is something else to consider when troubleshooting apple tree problems. Common Apple Tree Diseases Unfortunately, apple trees can also be affected by a number of diseases. Here are some of the most common ones to look out for: 1) Apple Scab Apple Scab Apple scab is caused by a fungus, Venturia inaequalis. This is spread by airborne spores and overwinters in leaf litter.2 If your tree is infected with apple scab, signs can be observed between mid-spring and leaf-fall in autumn. You may see olive-green spots or blotches on the leaves, which are velvety as they release spores, and then darken over time. Leaves may also drop prematurely. Blistering and cracking may be seen on twigs and brown or black scabby blotches may also emerge on the fruits. Fortunately, mild attacks should only blemish the skin and you can still eat the apples. However, damaged fruits will not store as well. While difficult to eradicate entirely, apple scab reoccurrence can be reduced by disposing of infected twigs and leaves promptly to reduce the amount of fungus around to begin infections. Yields will not usually be significantly reduced provided infected materials are removed promptly. If this is a recurrent problem, more resistant cultivars are available.3 2) Blossom Wilt Blossom Wilt Blossom wilt is another fungal infection which can cause rotting of the blossom and fruiting spurs. On apple trees, the fungus which is usually responsible for this is M. laxa f. sp. mali. Though other M. laxa and the indistinguishable to the naked eye M. fructigena can also be to blame. At flowering time, in the spring, you may see brown and shrivelled blossoms and leaves on the fruiting spurs. Small, buff-coloured fungal pustules can sometimes be seen in wet conditions on the dead plant tissues.4 Again, make sure you remove all affected material promptly to reduce its spread. Also, again, some cultivars are more resistant to this issue than others. 3) Brown Rot Brown Rot Brown rot, as the name suggests, is characterised by brown rotting on the fruit. This is actually caused by the same fungi as blossom wilt – M. laxa or M. fructigena.5 You will see brown rot on the fruits, typically spreading out from wounds which may have been caused by apple scab infection, or been made by birds or other wildlife. Infection will spread between fruits in clusters, and the fruit which has been infected may fall, or it may cling to the tree – hanging on in a mummified state. Do not allow rotted fruit to remain on the tree and remove and dispose of all the infected apples as soon as possible, to reduce the spread of this fungal problem. 4) Honey Fungus Honey fungus is a fungal infection (caused by a number of species of Armillaria fungus) which attacks and kills the roots of many trees, shrubs and perennial plants. Apple trees are, unfortunately, one of the species which can be susceptible. Sadly, this is a serious problem and root damage can kill the tree. The branches may die off in sections over several years, or die back suddenly all at once – often during a hot dry period. You may see cracking of the bark at the base of the trunk, and if you peel back the bark you will see white mycelium. In wet conditions, fruiting fungal bodies (honey-coloured mushrooms) may appear around the base of the tree. Preventing the spread of this dangerous plant pathogen is notoriously difficult. Often, in areas with an infection, getting rid of all infected plants and choosing new plants which are resistant to honey fungus is usually the best option. 5) Phytophthora Root Rot Another serious fungal infection that can attack the roots of an apple tree is phytophthora root rot. After honey fungus, this is the most common cause of root and trunk base decay in apple trees. There are a number of different fungus-like organisms which can be responsible.6 These organisms can survive in the soil for many years, and are especially associated with disease in heavy and/or waterlogged soils. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that you will spot this issue until serious root damage and die-back has already occurred. It can be very difficult to distinguish between this issue, honey fungus, and waterlogging alone. Making sure the soil has good drainage will significantly reduce the chances of this disease taking hold. Sadly, infected trees cannot be saved. As with honey fungus, you will have to get rid of the tree (and any other impacted plants), remove as much topsoil as possible, and replant with less impacted, more resistant species. 6) Apple Canker Apple Canker Apple canker is another fungal problem. It is caused by the fungus Neonectria ditissima. It attacks the bark of apple trees, causing a sunken area where the bark has died back and, eventually, the death of the infected branch. New cankers can form from the middle of spring and then will be present throughout the year. The canker will often start at a bud, or a wound on the tree. Wounds caused by apple scab, frosts or winter damage, or even damage caused by pests like aphids can all be routes for infection. Cankers are typically more serious on wet and heavy, and/or acidic soils, so making sure that drainage is good and reducing pH with liming if necessary can help reduce the likelihood of this issue taking hold. If you spot apple canker, you need to act quickly to cut out infected areas.7 Make sure that you cut back to fresh, green wood. 7) Coral Spot Another fungal infection which can affect apple trees is coral spot. This disease, caused by Nectria cinnebarina, causes dieback of branches. However, this is only a weak pathogen in its own right, so the presence of this fungal infection usually indicates that there are other underlying issues. This fungal infection is easily identifiable by small coral-pink pustules which can be seen on infected branches. Prune out infections promptly, cutting back to healthy wood in dry weather conditions. If the plant has repeated attacks, look for other things that may be weakening your apple tree. Resolving Apple Tree Problems These are of course just some of the common issues which can pose problems for an apple tree. There are other problems and diseases to consider – however, ruling out all of the above will certainly help you move closer to working out what is wrong, even if you have not found the exact issue. References 1. Finding the triggers of biennial bearing in apples. (2019, September 3). APAL. Retrieved March 9, 2023, from https://apal.org.au/finding-the-triggers-of-biennial-bearing-in-apples/ 2. Apple scab of apples and crabapples. (n.d.). UMN Extension. Retrieved March 9, 2023, from https://extension.umn.edu/plant-diseases/apple-scab 3. Apple Scab. (n.d.). Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved March 9, 2023, from https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/pests-and-problems/diseases/scabs/apple-scab 4. Apple Best Practice Guide. (n.d.). AHDB. Retrieved March 9, 2023, from https://horticulture.ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library/apple-best-practice-guide 5. Marsden, C. (n.d.). Brown Rot. Wisconsin Horticulture. Retrieved March 9, 2023, from https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/brown-rot/ 6. Apple Disease Control. (n.d.). New Mexico State University. Retrieved March 9, 2023, from https://pubs.nmsu.edu/_h/H317/ 7. Orchard fruit tree diseases. (2016, November 4). People’s Trust for Endangered Species. Retrieved March 9, 2023, from https://ptes.org/campaigns/traditional-orchard-project/orchard-practical-guides/fruit-tree-health/orchard-fruit-tree-diseases/
Learn more
Here's An A-Z List Of Many Fruit Varieties - How Many Have You Tried?
IN THIS GUIDE An A-Z of fruit Apple Apricot Avocado Aubergine Banana Berries Blue Bean Fruit Butternut squash Cherries Chupa-chupa Crab apple Clementine Cucumber Courgette Custard apple Damsons Durian Dates Dragon fruit Eggfruit Entawak Fig Finger lime Grapefruit Grapes Guava Imbe Jackfruit Java apple Jambolan Jeruk limo Kiwi Kaffir lime Kumquat Lemon Lime Lychee Loquat Mango Mandarin Mangosteen Melon Nectarine Nyssa ogeche Nashi pear Olive Orange Papaya Persimmon Prickly pear Peach Pomegranate Pineapple Passion fruit Pluot Pear Pepper Pumpkin Pomelo Quince Rambutan Raisins Rose hips Star fruit Tomato Tangerine Tamarind Tamarillo Ugli fruit Voavanga Ximenia caffra fruit Yangmei Zig zag vine fruit That’s one heck of a fruit salad! References How many types of fruit can you think of? Fifteen? Twenty? At a push, we bet you’d struggle to think of more than forty. And does your list include different types of berry, or are you counting berries as one fruit? Then there are the fruits that most people would identify as vegetables – tomatoes being the prime example, but just one of a handful of sneaky fruits who fit this criterion. “In my garden, I grow strawberries, raspberries and gooseberries,” shares Journalist & Broadcaster Alan Titchmarsh. “I have grown a range of unusual fruits that are not regularly found in the supermarket,” says Master Horticulturist Peter Lickorish. “One I grew, Billardiera longiflora, has small, shiny purple fruits, which looked appealing, but had a dense, mealy flesh that was literally hard to swallow. I have had some strong successes with honeyberry, Lonicera caerulea, which has the flavour and appearance of blueberry but doesn’t need acidic soil. “A fruit is the ovary of a plant, existing to contain seeds. Sometimes other parts, besides the ovary, are included in the “fruit” – as with pineapples – and we call these accessory fruits. “The main categories of fruits are pomes, berries, drupes and hesperidia. Pomes, including apples, often have denser flesh as they are also accessory fruits – they’re not just formed from the soft ovary. “Berries usually contain multiple seeds from a single ovary. Drupes have a hard stone, so a single seed, like a cherry. As for hesperidia, they’re segmented fruits, usually of citrus plants.” An A-Z of fruit Below you’ll find 73 different fruits with a little information about each. Apple Commonplace spherical fruits, usually green or red or some combination of the two. These will be familiar to pretty much every Brit, whether picked from a tree or a supermarket shelf. Apricot Small, yellow-orange fruit usually with succulent sweet flesh, although sometimes dry and sour. Includes an inedible stone.1 Avocado A supposed favourite of the hipsters, this savoury fruit is technically a large berry with a single seed inside. Thought to hail from the Americas. Delicious in many formats Aubergine The first fruit in this list that masquerades as a vegetable, and it definitely tastes best cooked. Technically it’s a big berry!2 Banana Most bananas are genetically identical members of a specific genus, although other varieties exist including blue and even pink ones! Pink bananas! Berries Lumping together the common berries is a contentious decision, and we only made it because we’ve also written a comprehensive A-Z of berries. Berry interesting Blue Bean Fruit The long blue pods of Decaisnea fargesii split open to reveal a pale, melon-like flesh and a row of sparkling black seeds. It can be eaten raw or the high pectin content makes it good for jams and jellies. Butternut squash This pumpkin variant boasts a sweet nuttiness that lends itself best to savoury dishes, hence why butternuts live in the vegetable aisle. Cherries Prunus avium and P. cerasus are the two varieties you’ve probably tried, but there are tons of types of cherry. Small, red, and delicious. Chupa-chupa Quararibea cordata aka chupa-chupa is a yellow-orange seeded fruit with soft, sweet, juicy flesh. Looks a little like a fig. Not to be mistaken with Chupa-chups, the lollipop Crab apple A small variety of apple commonly seen in the UK, less familiar in food but still edible. Avoid the seeds and for best results cook first.3 They make fantastic jelly. Clementine This citrus fruit, technically a tangor, is a hybrid between an orange and a mandarin variety, named after the man who discovered it.4 Cucumber Long and green, and another resident of the veggie aisle that’s actually a fruit. Hails originally from South Asia but now loved worldwide. Hopefully people skimming don’t get too confused by all the ‘veggies’ Courgette This cucurbit is related to the cucumber, as you probably guessed, but also squashes and melons! Mature courgettes can be called marrows but technically they’re separate fruits. Custard apple Annona squamosa fruit AKA custard apple, sugar-apple or sweet-sop is a sweet and creamy tropical fruit with lots of segments. Worth a try Damsons Damsons are a variant of plum widely loved by foragers in the UK: they’re often too sour to eat raw but go a treat in jams, jellies and other home creations. Durian A tropical fruit notorious for its pungent aroma, to the degree that it’s banned from many hotels in Asia. Spiky, smelly, but also tasty. Dates Popular in Northern Africa and the Middle East, these dried fruits have a strong sweetness. Dragon fruit This vibrant-looking fruit is pink and fire-shaped with green tips – very exciting. Its subtle flesh with plenty of seeds goes great in a fruit salad. Stunning Eggfruit Pouteria campechiana is a South American tree whose fruit looks nothing like an egg.5 They’re sweet with a flavour echoing mango, sweet potato and various other fruits. Entawak Artocarpus anisophyllus is a very spiky, orangey red fruit. Inside you’ll find loads of seeds which are edible, and very tasty if roasted and tossed with salt. Fig This tree and its fruit are related to mulberries, and has been popular since ancient times (hence old sculptures using fig leaves to cover themselves in cartoons).6 Sweet and delicious. Finger lime Also known as the caviar lime because of the myriad small segments you’ll find inside, this citrus fruit is long, thin, and very unusual. “These segments squash in the mouth to give bursts of sharp flavour,” adds Peter. Fingers and caviar, what a treat Grapefruit The marmite of the fruit world, grapefruit is a big, bitter citrus that some people love enough to eat every day, while others spurn it for life. Grapes Green and black clusters of grapes are a common sight in UK supermarkets but this fruit comes in a spectrum of colours. Hugely popular worldwide in fruit form or, more so, in wine form. Guava This tropical fruit has a slightly floral flavour that makes it a popular treat in the regions it grows. You can find it in the UK but it’s less common than some other tropical fruits. Imbe Garcinia livingstonei is a fruit hailing from the southern regions of the African continent. The small orange fruits have peachy coloured flesh renowned for being very sour. Jackfruit This fruit is related to mulberries and figs but looks nothing like them. Instead, it’s a giant knobbly fruit filled with juicy, sweet flesh. Unusual but worth a look Java apple Syzygium samarangense, aka java apple, hails from Asia. The small red pear-shaped fruit with its white flesh can be sweet or sour, and is a little watery. Not very common here in the UK! Jambolan Syzygium cumini aka Java plum or jambolan is a tree which has small, purple fruits. Reputed to have a tart and sour flavour profile. Jeruk limo This small citrus resembles a common lime thanks to its inner segments, and is a popular way to bring aroma to dishes. Knobbly and seedy lime Kiwi The furry skin puts a lot of people off, but kiwis’ tangy sweetness rewards the effort. And guess what? You can eat the whole fruit with no ill effects, if you’re brave enough.7 Kaffir lime Citrus hystrix is often confused with jeruk limo, although it’s a different fruit. The fruit and leaves are great for bringing citrus aroma to dishes. Kumquat These small citrus fruits are interesting in that you can eat the skin as well as the fruit for a very intense, punchy citrus burst.8 Punchy and delicious Lemon Probably one of the most common citrus fruit thanks to its captivating and versatile flavour. Lemon works well in pretty much any style of cooking, from savoury to sweet, and even garnishing drinks. Lime A common citrus fruit you’ll find here in the UK: smaller and greener than lemons, and with their own subtle flavour. Lychee Small and covered in a thick red-pink skin, lychees are the quintessential exotic fruit. The white flesh is sweet and floral, making it delicious raw or incorporated into deserts. The seed and skin are inedible. AKA alligator strawberry Loquat This Chinese fruit is often grown ornamentally, but historically its leaves were sought after for tea.9 Fruits are small yellow pomes. Pomes are the same category of fruit as apples and pears. Mango Rich orange flesh wrapped in green-red skin, a ripe mango truly has a flavour to savour. Perhaps the most recognisable ‘tropical’ fruit. Mandarin This small citrus is considered a distinct species from the regular orange. Usually they’re smaller, sweeter, and far less acidic than their larger citrus cousins. Mangosteen Thick purple skin surrounds white, segmented flesh. This plant is hard to grow making the fruit fairly expensive, and not very commonplace as a result.10 Known as the queen of fruits Melon There are many types of melon, all of which are, technically speaking, a type of berry called “pepos”. You’re probably more familiar with names like honeydew, cantaloupe, watermelon and others though. Nectarine These smooth-skinned fruits have flesh that’s either rock hard, or delightfully soft and juicy depending on the ripeness. The stone inside is inedible, so don’t try!11 Nyssa ogeche Another exotic tree also known as the white tupelo, river lime, or sour gum. The small, purple coloured fruit makes a good substitute for lime. Nashi pear Pyrus pyrifolia, aka Asian pear, Japanese pear, Chinese pear, or various other names depending on (presumably) the country where you found it. They have the crispness and shape of an apple, but are very much pears. A relative of the pear that looks more like an apple Olive Although they’re firm savoury favourites, olives are fruits most closely related to cherries, peaches, and other stone fruits in the drupe family. Do you prefer green or black though – that’s the question. Orange Oranges are the mother of all citrus fruits, and for good reason. They’re big, they’re juicy, and they’re delicious. Peeling off all the pith also keeps your hands busy for a while. Papaya Also known as the pawpaw, favourite of Baloo the bear from Jungle Book, this fruit is sweet and vibrant, and much loved around the world. Pick a pair of the big pawpaw, like Baloo told you Persimmon Disospyros kaki, or Oriental persimmon, is a vibrant orange fruit with shiny skin and a tuft of foliage at the top. Flavour-wise you can expect a sweetness akin to honey, in a fruit the size and shape of a salad tomato. Would probably do quite well in a tomato lookalike contest Prickly pear This cactus species is unusual in that humans eat the sweet fruit which looks, perhaps unsurprisingly, a little like a prickly pear might (if it were pink). Baloo also advises not to pick the prickly pear by paw Peach Like a slightly furrier nectarine, peaches are a mainstay of British fruit aisles thanks to their sweet and slightly tangy flesh. Lovely when perfectly ripened. Pomegranate If you like working hard to enjoy your fruit, here’s one for you. Pomegranates contain hundreds of tiny segments, each bursting with juice but each requiring manual excavation with a spoon or, if you’re feeling messy, a finger. Pineapple Tangy and delicious, and famous for the fact that pineapple digests you while you eat it (thanks to the enzyme bromelain it contains).12 We bet you didn’t know that pineapple grows in the ground, not on trees? Remember this at your next pub quiz Passion fruit Perhaps one of the prettiest fruits, this purple shell with its white pith and orange centre has a unique and completely delicious tropical flavour. A beautiful fruit. Pluot Mix plums and apricots and what do you get? Pluots. There are over 20 varieties, each with their own subtly different colour and flavour. Pear A British favourite, pears are delicious eaten raw (if sometimes a little powdery..?), but also goes a treat in crumbles, jams, chutneys, and if you’re feeling exotic, the alcoholic drink known as perry.13 Pepper Peppers and chillies are fruits as well, who’d have known? Both most commonly come in green, yellow, and red, but you can also find orange, purple, and even black varieties! Such a colourful family Pumpkin A member of the squash family that has become most famous for being hacked apart by children and adults alike each year at Halloween It’s quite a strange fate for a fruit, when you think about it. Pomelo This enormous citrus fruit sits above the grapefruit in the citrus evolutionary tree, and tastes fairly similar too.14 Most people are surprised at just how big pomelos are! Comfortably eclipses a grapefruit Quince This bright gold fruit looks like a pear, but is far more sour. To the point that not many people advocate eating it raw, preferring instead to use it in jams and similar.15 Rambutan These intriguing little fruits are covered in spiky pink tendrils, and have been described as having a taste something similar to grapes, perhaps with a more sour floral flavour in the mix. Similar to lychees Raisins Dry a grape for long enough and you’re left with a raisin. While it’s not technically its own fruit, raisins are popular all over the world so we thought it’d be rude to leave them out. Rose hips Rose hips can be eaten raw, but you need to avoid the hairs inside the fruit if so. Most people agree they’re better off in jams, syrups, or even tea.16 Star fruit Nature is an incredible thing, and the starfruit is a beautiful demonstration of the wonder it’s capable of. Slices of the fruit have a beautiful star shape. In terms of taste, the mild sour flavour isn’t that distinctive, but is still well regarded. Isn’t it beautiful? Tomato Tomatoes are the classic “aha!” vegetable, in that people delight in telling you they’re actually fruits. Next time you encounter someone like this, you can recount all the other various ‘vegetables’ that are actually fruits, and send them packing. Tangerine Tangerine is a type of orange that is sometimes treated as its own species, so depending on which side of that debate you align with, you may not consider it worthy of its own addition in this list. Tamarind This pungent, aromatic fruit is widely used for food flavourings. It is similar in structure to a bean pod. If you get a chance you can also try it dried: a delicious if incredibly sour snack. Sour tamarind candies: an eye-opening (and eye-watering) experience Tamarillo The small, egg-shaped fruits of the tamarillo plants are primarily tangy with occasional sweetness depending how ripe they are. The flavour is known for being very bold. They’re similar in shape, structure and genetics to a tomato. Ugli fruit This unflatteringly named plant is a big citrus fruit that arose as a natural hybrid of oranges and grapefruits. It’s also known, perhaps more fairly, as a tangelo. U G L I, you ain’t got no alibi, you ugli Voavanga Vangueria madagascariensis has many names, but voavanga is perhaps the most common. This fruit is orange, ovular and tastes a little like an apple. It’s not achieved as much global renown as some other exotic fruits, however. Ximenia caffra fruit AKA the sourplum, the fruit of this tree is small and orange or red in colour. It’s very sour, hence the name. Yangmei Myrica rubra is another fruit with several names, many of which allude to its flavour: something similar to raspberry or strawberry, with a slightly more herbal undercurrent. It has a raspberry like shape, colour and size. The flavour varies depending on the level of ripeness. Looks delicious, no? Zig zag vine fruit The final fruit in our list is a small orange contender that hails from Malesia and parts of Australia.17 Its sherbety flavour makes it a popular treat, and it’s also used to create tangy sauces. It has cylindrical, eye-catching orange fruits. That’s one heck of a fruit salad! There you have it: 72 of Earth’s numerous fruits. While there are undoubtedly more fruits than those in our list, the selection above is an expansive cross-section of the most popular in various regions around the world. References 1. Apricot kernels and apple and pear seeds are unsafe to eat. (2021, August 11). Ministry for Primary Industries. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://www.mpi.govt.nz/food-safety-home/safe-eat/apricot-and-peach-kernels-and-apple-and-pear-seeds-are-unsafe-to-eat/ 2. Abadi, M. (2018, June 24). 14 vegetables that are actually fruits. Business Insider. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://www.businessinsider.com/fruits-and-vegetables-difference-2018-6?r=US&IR=T#eggplant-7 3. WebMD Editorial Contributors. (2021, May 10). Can You Eat Crab Apples? WebMD. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://www.webmd.com/diet/can-you-eat-crab-apples#1 4. Gilad, E. (2013, November 21). Klementina: The fruit named for a French missionary in Algeria. Haaretz.com. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://www.haaretz.com/2013-11-21/ty-article/.premium/word-of-the-day-klementina/0000017f-da73-d432-a77f-df7b191c0000 5. Baehni, K. (n.d.). Pouteria campechiana. Plants for a Future. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Pouteria+campechiana 6. Gotthardt, A. (2018, April 5). Why Fig Leaves Cover the Private Parts of Classical Sculptures. Artsy. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-fig-leaf-story-sin-censorship-catholic-church 7. Julson, E. (2018, April 11). Can You Eat Kiwi Skin? Healthline. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/eating-kiwi-skin 8. McCulloch, M. (2018, July 2). What Are Kumquats Good for and How Do You Eat Them? Healthline. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/kumquat 9. Liu, Y., Zhang, W., Xu, C., & Li, X. (2016). Biological Activities of Extracts from Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.): A Review. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 17(12), 1983. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms17121983 10. Peng, J. (2022, September 29). The Real Reason Mangosteen Is So Expensive. Tasting Table. Retrieved June 5, 2023, from https://www.tastingtable.com/1032433/the-real-reason-mangosteen-is-so-expensive/ 11. Fruit Pits. (2022, January 24). Missouri Poison Center. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://missouripoisoncenter.org/is-this-a-poison/fruit-pits/ 12. Science Meets Food. (2019, November 26). Bromelain in Pineapple or Why Pineapples Sting Our Tongue. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://sciencemeetsfood.org/bromelain-in-pineapple/ 13. Beckett, F. (2020, November 6). ’Tis the season to drink perry. The Guardian. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://www.theguardian.com/food/2020/nov/06/perry-pear-cider-round-up-fiona-beckett-drinks 14. Wu, G. A., Terol, J., Ibanez, V., López-García, A., Pérez-Román, E., Borredá, C., Domingo, C., Tadeo, F. R., Carbonell-Caballero, J., Alonso, R., Curk, F., Du, D., Ollitrault, P., Roose, M. L., Dopazo, J., Gmitter, F. G., Rokhsar, D. S., & Talon, M. (2018). Genomics of the origin and evolution of Citrus. Nature, 554(7692), 311–316. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature25447 15. McCandlish, L. (2009, November 11). Demystifying The Quince. NPR. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://www.npr.org/2009/11/11/120288799/demystifying-the-quince?t=1639934900188 16. Harford, R. (2022, August 17). Everything You Need to Know About Rosehips. Eat Weeds. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://www.eatweeds.co.uk/rosehip-faq 17. Melodorum leichhardtii. (n.d.). Useful Tropical Plants. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Melodorum+leichhardtii
Learn more
A Comprehensive A-Z List Of Berry Types From Acai To Tayberry
IN THIS GUIDE Acai Berry Barberry Bilberry Blackberry Blackcurrant Blueberry Boysenberry Chokeberry Cloudberry Cranberry Elderberry Gooseberry Huckleberry Juneberry Kiwi Berry Lingonberry Loganberry Mulberry Raspberry Redcurrant Salmonberry Sea Buckthorn Berry Strawberry Tayberry Berry Good! References If you look around while walking through the British countryside it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll come across a berry of some sort. Many of these are recognisable: blackberries, elderberries, raspberries and the like. Others, less so – would you be able to tell a mulberry from a tayberry, for example? “Berries are probably one of the easiest crops to grow in your garden, requiring only an annual prune and perhaps a mulch with compost,” says Master Horticulturist Colin Skelly. “There’s also a berry for every size of garden, from a strawberry in a pot to sea buckthorn growing in a large shrub.” Here we’ve pulled together 24 berry types, some of which you may be familiar with, others waiting to be discovered. All in the list are edible, with the notable exception of elderberries which must be cooked first!1 We’ve bunched different varieties of the same berry together (raspberries and black raspberries, for example, or strawberries and pine berries) for ease of navigation. Acai Berry If you believe in superfoods… Acai berries have been around for a long while but it’s only in recent years that they started to take the western world by storm. These humble berries are said to carry all sorts of benefits.2 We’ll reserve judgement on those things, but we do know this: acai berries go great in a smoothie or sprinkled over a bowl of porridge. Barberry Be wary of unrecognised berries! Technically called Berberis, these berries are bright red and very eye-catching. Hailing from such a wide region, barberries have found their way into many cuisines around the world. While they’ve mainly disappeared from European dishes in recent years, they’re still a mainstay in the Middle East. Sugar is often used to reduce the sour hit these berries carry, and their extract is used as a flavouring in a wide range of food items. Bilberry These look quite familiar, no? These round blueberries, also called European blueberries, for this reason, hail from Europe.3 These berries are commonly used in jams, pies, juices and other traditional berry-based fares. They’re also the base for a liqueur in France, Italy, and Romania (called afinata, after the Romanian name for the fruit). Blackberry Unripe red blackberries and ripe black blackberries We’ve finally arrived at the first of the main berries in this list, and by that we mean the ones the average Brit is likely to be able to reliably identify in the wild. Blackberries are delicious, and because of that, you’ll see them everywhere. It’s one of the main squash flavours; countless jams contain it, and so on. The observant amongst you may have noticed that when you pick a blackberry the centre stays inside the fruit, as opposed to when you pick a raspberry and it stays on the plant. The presence or absence of this hollow is the best way to distinguish berries, raspberries, and their close relatives. Blackcurrant It’s worth taking the time to try these in their natural form When you experience a flavour so often in supermarket-bought products, your appreciation can drift gradually away from the pure version of the fruit. Blackcurrants, in their unprocessed form, are completely delicious. These berries make fantastic additions to a huge number of sweet and savoury dishes. Blueberry Versatile and delicious Here’s another instantly recognisable berry, and one that has more than its fair share of fans. Blueberries are the perfect mix of sweet and tart, and as a result lend themselves perfectly to all sorts of dishes, from porridge to salad. There are multiple types of blueberry, with their names indicating the types of shrub they grow on. Boysenberry This berry is an interesting glimpse into the creation of new species by combining existing ones. After receiving a dewberry-loganberry parent from a farmer he knew, a grower called Rudolph Boysen performed experiments with berry breeding that ended up in the creation of this hybrid.4 Each boysenberry is a cross of raspberry, blackberry, dewberry, and loganberry. “I love growing my own food, particularly at the moment, as we are harvesting lots of boysenberries,” shares Dave Goulson. “They are huge sweet berries and I am eating them every day at the moment.” Chokeberry Perhaps we’ll refer to them by their other name instead: aronia. Aronia berries are sour to the point that they’re usually processed before use rather than being eaten raw, as with some others in this list. The main reasons listed for its cultivation are decorative and ornamental, rather than culinary. Plenty of food and drink products do derive from chokeberry, but these are fewer and less common than many other berries. Cloudberry Today’s forecast: high cloudberry cover At first the name of this berry sounds a little too poetic, then you see them growing – yearning upward from the foliage beneath, brightly coloured in the same orangey pinky-red of a shepherd’s night sky – and the cloud allusion suddenly makes a lot more sense. You may also hear this called bakeapple if you live in Newfoundland, Knotberry if you’re English, Aqpik if you’re Alaskan, and even Averin in Scotland. With so many names it’s maybe surprising that these aren’t better known, but those people in the know enjoy the tart flavour, the almost yogurty texture when ripe, and their ability to pair with all sorts of food. Cranberry Perhaps the most common cranberry format With their perfect balance of tartness and sweetness, cranberries play an important role in our juice shelves. A grownup drink that’s neither alcoholic nor overpoweringly sweet, but which can be mixed with a selection of spirits to improve them greatly. The perfect drink! Then, of course, you have cranberry sauce: the world’s favourite turkey accompaniment, enormously popular at Christmas and Thanksgiving. Elderberry A bowl of elderberries still on the shared bunch Any winemakers amongst you will most likely be very familiar with elderberries. These small, rich purple berries contain an enormous amount of juice for their diminutive size, a fact that combines well with their distinct and subtle flavour to make an excellent homebrew. The fact that they share a plant with elderflowers, also delicious and also great for brewing, make them a very popular choice for British foragers. Gooseberry Gooseberries If there were a list of “berries named after things that aren’t berries”, gooseberries would be at the top. Name aside though, gooseberry is a catch-all term to describe several species of Ribes, the fruits of which all share a common appearance (if varying in size and colour). “My personal favourite berry is the gooseberry for its flavour and large harvest relative to area and labour,” shares Colin. Gooseberry fool is the most famous interpretation of this berry, making best use of its tart, sour, and sweet flavour profile. You’ll also find it in myriad other dishes though, including a particularly good flavour pairing with mackerel!5 Huckleberry The famous American folk hero..? We didn’t realise Huckleberry Finn was named after a fruit, but there you go. The name of this berry – sometimes called hurtleberry or whortleberry in England – is something of a catch-all term to describe berries of a certain size and shape, all belonging to the Gaylussacia or Vaccinium families. Juneberry Looks a little like a red blueberry Juneberry, full name Amelanchier, AKA Chuckley Pear, Sugarplum, Saskatoon Berry, and various others. In short, another berry that goes by a myriad of aliases! These berries are delicious raw, renowned for the almost almond flavour of their seeds. They’re also popular in jams, wine, pies, and all the usual berry formats we’ve seen so far. Kiwi Berry You have to try these I was delighted to find a punnet of these in one of our fortnightly veg boxes. I’d not heard of them before, but was immediately converted to their excellence. Kiwi berries are also called Siberian Kiwi, Hardy Kiwi and – perhaps most appropriately – Baby Kiwi, and they’re exactly that: tiny versions of the popular fruit that you can eat whole. That’s right: no faffing about with a knife and teaspoon. No dodging the gristle at the top or the weird white bit in the middle. Just pure, unadulterated kiwi flavour. Highly, highly recommended. Lingonberry Head to any Ikea and you’ll be greeted with the familiar counter serving meatballs, hotdogs, fries and, if you look carefully, Lingonberry soda.6 This is the first exposure many British folk will get to this berry, but it’s incredibly popular in Scandinavian cuisine. There, you’ll find Lingonberry in jams, juices, syrups, smoothies, and more. The raw fruit is also used as an ingredient or garnish on myriad dishes, from elk steak through to meatballs. If you get a chance to try this berry outside the corporate confines of Ikea, we highly recommend it. The distinctive flavour, versatility, and presence in a range of unfamiliar dishes make it a very inviting prospect. Loganberry No one calls this the Wolverineberry… yet Not to be confused with lingonberry, loganberries are hybrids of blackberries and raspberries. As a result they look like a slightly elongated, redder blackberry, and taste just how you’d expect from a combination of the two. This berry mix was created by accident by a man called James Harvey Logan, when his raspberry and blackberry crops – growing quite close to each other – joined forces.7 A newspaper report from the time explains that the vines grow more like dewberries than either of the parent berries: obviously quite the exciting feature for any berry enthusiasts amongst us. Mulberry Here we go round the mulberry bush You can find mulberries growing here in the UK, although they’re far from the most common type of berry we have here. There are three main varieties: red, white, and black, with each having a fairly distinctive flavour profile. Reds have a deep sweet juiciness, while their black brethren have more tartness. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of white mulberries is that their leaves are favoured by silkworms, giving them a crucial role in the silk industry.8 Raspberry The perfect berry Go to any market stand or the fruit aisle in any supermarket and you’re guaranteed to see punnets of raspberries. These plump, red, juicy berries are widely known and loved around the world thanks to their perfectly balanced, sweetly delicious flavour. Dig deeper though and you’ll discover that there are also black and even yellow raspberry varieties waiting for you to try. Each lends a different flavour profile to the famous berry, further demonstrating its excellence. Redcurrant They look a bit risky to the untrained eye Relatives of other Ribes – like gooseberries who we met earlier – redcurrants pack an incredibly bitter punch making it something more of an acquired taste than some other berries in the list. In jam form, though, it’s definitely a taste that us Brits have acquired! A slather of redcurrant jam on a joint of lamb – or, if you’re feeling rustic, a piece of game – brings a whole new layer of depth to their flavour.9 Salmonberry Like a raspberry in its punk phase Thankfully this isn’t another of Heston Blumenthal’s mad fish crossovers (sardine sorbet, anyone?), but rather a colloquial name of Rubus spectabilis, a member of the bramble family. While not too well known nowadays, the berry is still tasty, and if you find it while hiking in regions where it grows we recommend trying a handful! Also keep your eyes peeled for jams and other products containing salmonberry, or for gardens where the plant is grown ornamentally. Sea Buckthorn Berry If you like sour, you’ll love this Head to the coast and you might see bushes bursting with bright orange berries. And if, like us, you didn’t think the seaside was good foraging country, here’s an opportunity to update your opinion. Sea buckthorn is an incredibly hardy plant that’s able to survive the very wet and windy coastal conditions, and its berry is very, very bitter. The bitterness is underpinned by a huge sour hit as well, meaning this is not a berry for the faint-hearted! Keep an eye on craft beer labels for this berry: it’s started appearing very occasionally in sours, gauzes, and similar styles. Strawberry You can eat the green bits! Who hasn’t heard of strawberries? Along with raspberries and blackberries these are probably the most popular berry in the UK, if not the world. Their distinctive shape, their deep red hue and, most importantly, their scrumptious flavour guarantees strawberries will remain firm favourites for generations to come. Just make sure you try an actual, properly ripe strawberry if you never have. Sadly most of the ones in supermarkets are a mere echo of what the berry should be. Easy to grow in containers or from new runners outside, these fruits are plump, juicy, deep red and completely delicious: a handpicked strawberry at perfect ripeness is an experience unto itself. Also keep your eyes peeled for pineberries: a cultivar with intriguing colour reversal – a white berry with red pips! Tayberry Another hybrid If you liked the sound of the loganberry then hold onto your hats, because here we have another hybrid between the blackberry and the raspberry. This time arrived at deliberately rather than accidentally by a man called Derek L Jennings, five years after he patented the idea (who knew you could patent fruit!).10 Unlike boysenberries and loganberries who were named after their creators, tayberries are named after the River Tay which flows through Dundee.11 A more modest moniker, for sure, and one which is honoured by plaques and statues in the region: proof if you ever need it of the regard in which we hold fruit, and berries in particular, here in the UK. Berry Good! There you have it: a comprehensive list of the edible berry varieties available. Whether you like sweet or tart, big or small, native or foreign, there’s something for you to enjoy here! Hopefully this list demonstrates how versatile berries are both in terms of flavour and application. They find their way into juices, jams, chutneys, pies, and pretty much any other type of food product you can imagine. So next time you’re walking through the woods and spot a berry, take a second to find out whether it’s an edible one. And if it is, grab a handful and enjoy! References 1. Wilson, C. (2021, April 1). How to pick and cook elderberries. BBC Good Food. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/berry-bonanza 2. Benefits of Acai & How to Prepare Them. (2023, March 9). Holland & Barrett. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://www.hollandandbarrett.com/the-health-hub/food-drink/nutrition/benefits-of-acai/ 3. Bilberry. (n.d.). National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/bilberry#:~:text=The%20bilberry%20bush%20is%20native,purposes%20since%20the%20Middle%20Ages. 4. Boysenberry. (1998, July 20). Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://www.britannica.com/plant/boysenberry 5. Mackerel with gooseberry sauce. (n.d.). Waitrose. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://www.waitrose.com/home/recipes/recipe_directory/m/mackerel-with-gooseberrysauce.html 6. Sparkling apple & lingonberry drink. (n.d.). IKEA. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/dryck-bubbel-aepple-lingon-sparkling-apple-lingonberry-drink-20226767/ 7. Loganberry – The Accidental Berry. (2021, July 2). Trevallan Lifestyle Centre. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://www.trevallan.com/trevallan/loganberry#:~:text=The%20loganberry%20originated%20due%20to,first%20created%20it%2C%20James%20Logan. 8. Mulberry Silkworm. (n.d.). Infonet Biovision. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://infonet-biovision.org/AnimalHealth/Mulberry-Silkworm 9. Roast leg of lamb with redcurrant glaze. (2021, March 6). Tesco Real Food. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://realfood.tesco.com/recipes/roast-leg-of-lamb-with-redcurrant-glaze.html 10. Patents by Inventor Derek L. Jennings. (n.d.). Justia Patents. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://patents.justia.com/inventor/derek-l-jennings 11. The Origin of the Tayberry. (n.d.). Fruit Forum. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from http://www.fruitforum.net/articles/the-origin-of-the-tayberry
Learn more
Grow Spicy Cayenne Peppers With These Little Known Care Tips From Peter Lickorish
IN THIS GUIDE Overview Why Grow Cayenne Peppers? Cayenne Varieties How To Grow Cayenne Peppers Cayenne Pepper Care Harvesting Cayenne Peppers References If you like heat in cooking, Cayenne peppers could be a good crop to grow. Cayenne peppers are a type of chilli pepper, Capsicum annuum. It is related to other types of peppers including jalapenos, pimientos and bell peppers. As part of the Capsicum genus, these peppers are all within the Solanaceae or nightshade family – which means that they are also more distantly related to tomatoes, potatoes, aubergines and more.1 Overview Botanical Name Capsicum annuum Plant Type Fruit / Vegetable Native Area American subtropics and tropics Hardiness Rating H1C Foliage Annual crop Flowers Small white flowers from which fruits form When To Sow (Indoors) January, February, March, April, May, June Harvesting Months July, August, September They are a short-lived perennial in their native subtropical and tropical climes, but in temperate climate zones like the UK, are usually grown as an annual crop. The fruits of these plants are mostly skinny and red, with a curved tip, though there are also some yellow and purple fruited cultivars. Interestingly, these fruits hang from the stems of the plant, rather than growing upright like some other chilli pepper varieties. Spiciness & Flavour There are a number of different named cultivars of Cayenne peppers, which are prized for their spiciness and flavour. Scoville heat units are used to describe the heat of chilli peppers and most varieties of Cayenne pepper fall within the range of 30,000-50,000 Scoville heat units.2 This puts them more or less in the middle of the range when it comes to pungency. While most Cayenne peppers are moderately hot, there are some milder variants. The fruits are often dried and powdered to create cayenne powder, which is used in pest control, and in many spicy dishes. Why Grow Cayenne Peppers? Growing spicy chilli peppers is a must for those who like heat in their cooking. Cayenne peppers may also repel certain insect pests while in active growth – and the powder is sometimes sprinkled as a deterrent to rodents around winter or early spring crops. Cayenne Varieties C. annuum ‘Cayenne Red’ C. annuum var. annuum ‘Ring of Fire’ C. annuum var. annuum (Longum Group) C. annuum var. annuum ‘Golden Cayenne’ C. annuum ‘Cayenne Sweet’ And a few more interesting types that may be of interest to grow: C. chinense ‘Carolina Reaper’ C. annuum var. annuum ‘Chocolate Bell’ C. annuum ‘Las Cruces Cayenne’ How To Grow Cayenne Peppers Cayenne peppers are typically grown in climates much warmer than our own. Temperature To grow them successfully here in the UK, you will usually have to grow them indoors or undercover in a greenhouse or polytunnel. Though this species sometimes tolerates a little light frost, they will not normally do well outside in a typical British summer. Occasionally, however, in warmer, southern parts of the country, it may be possible to grow outdoors in a very warm, protected and sheltered spot. Soil Requirements Cayenne peppers, like other peppers, grow best in a moist yet free-draining sandy or loamy soil, which is slightly acidic. They can also be grown in pots as long as these are filled with a moist yet free-draining, relatively fertile growing medium. Companion Planting In terms of companion planting, some good plants to grow with cayenne are said to include aubergines, okra and basil – in fact, any aromatic herb would make for ideal bedfellows – as well as working in harmony in the kitchen. Peppers can be planted alongside tomatoes, but as joint members of the Nightshade family, a well-adhered crop rotation plan is necessary, to prevent issues with diseases that these two plants share in common. You should include as many different companion plants as possible when growing tomatoes and peppers together in the same planting scheme. Sowing Cayenne Seeds Like other peppers, Cayenne peppers are best sown indoors in the UK early in the year to ensure a worthwhile crop by the end of our relatively short growing season. The challenge with this is that you will have to make sure that you provide enough heat for seeds to germinate. You will also need to ensure that the indoors grown seedlings get enough heat, water and light before the weather warms and you can move them to their final growing position (perhaps in a greenhouse or polytunnel). As a rough rule of thumb, pepper seeds, along with tomato seeds, are usually sown around 6-8 weeks before the last frost date in your area. Remember, a greenhouse or polytunnel may be reliably frost-free a few weeks before the rest of your garden, so you may be able to sow a little earlier if you will be growing undercover. It is important to make sure that you provide high enough temperatures for germination to take place. All pepper seeds will typically need consistent temperatures of between 18-25°C for the best germination rates, and will not usually germinate at all if temperatures fall below 16°C. It can be a good idea to use a heated propagator, or to provide some gentle bottom heat to ensure that you get the best results when sowing seeds. After sowing your seeds in a suitable seed-starting potting mix, the seeds should germinate within around 2-3 weeks. Legginess Seedlings can become leggy in low light conditions, so it may be beneficial to use grow lights when sowing early indoors. Prick out the pepper seedlings once they become large enough to handle, then place them into their own individual pots. Water your Cayenne pepper seedlings consistently but do not overwater – keep them in as bright a spot as possible until you can harden off your young plants and, if not continuing to grow indoors, plant them out into your greenhouse or polytunnel. Planting Cayenne Peppers Hold off placing your Cayenne pepper plants into an unheated greenhouse or polytunnel until you are certain that all risk of frost has passed (at least within the structures). If a late frost or cold temperatures are suddenly forecast, you can consider protecting the plants with additional cloches or row covers. If growing in the ground or a raised bed, peppers should be planted around 40-60cm apart in a row, or 1 per square foot in a denser polyculture planting scheme – though these spacing suggestions are just guidelines and spacing can differ depending on your specific approach. Be sure to consider companion planting and crop rotation when deciding where to place your peppers – and protect the soil around the plants by mulching around your planted peppers with an organic mulch. A mulch of balanced homemade compost, for example, will get your Cayenne peppers off to a good start. Cayenne Pepper Care Cayenne peppers must be cared for carefully and like other peppers, can be rather fussy plants. One key thing to always remember is that the temperatures in the growing area must remain consistently above around 16-18°C for optimal results. You need to aim to provide as much sun and warmth as possible to reap a good harvest. Inconsistent temperatures can easily cause checks in growth and a range of other issues. Watering Another very important thing when it comes to caring for Cayenne peppers is water. The soil or growing medium must be kept consistently moist, but overwatering is not the solution as this can also cause issues. I find that issues with watering are often the cause of most problems when it comes to a pepper crop – so it is important to get into a good routine with watering, whilst not being too overbearing. Use your finger to check the moisture levels in the soil before watering; I have had a lot of success preventing waterlogging of the roots by bottom-watering with the use of trays. Feeding Like other peppers and tomatoes, Cayenne peppers will benefit from the slow-release fertiliser (and moisture control) of an organic mulch. As well as adding a mulch of compost or similar on planting, you should also consider adding a potassium-rich mulch of comfrey or other potassium-rich plant matter once the flowers and fruits begin to form. Feeding with a comfrey tea or other potassium-rich liquid feed during flowering and fruiting can also be beneficial – especially when growing Cayenne peppers in containers. Pruning A branched pepper plant is usually one that crops well,” says Peter Lickorish, Master Horticulturist. “To achieve branching, when young plants reach around 20-30cm high, cut or pinch out the top pair of leaves and growing tip. This will make the plant fork. “Producing flowers too early can also suppress growth longer term, so pinch off any flowers below 20-30cm high, as the plant establishes. “Gently tie in growing plants to canes, using a figure-of-eight loop of soft string, to help them carry a heavy crop of fruit.” Common Problems Aphids and scale can be common problems with pepper plants, especially those grown indoors or undercover. If growing indoors, it will be challenging to get rid of these through natural predation, though in a greenhouse or polytunnel, make sure the doors are open and you are attracting ladybirds and other beneficial insects to the space. With an extreme problem, you might consider using biological controls. These are natural predators or species which will harm the pests, and targeted types can be bought online. Fungal diseases like grey mould can also affect cayenne plants. Make sure you are watering correctly, and reduce high humidity by avoiding overcrowding and improving ventilation. Remain vigilant and remove any damaged plant parts before healthy tissue can become infected. Harvesting Cayenne Peppers Cayenne peppers will usually be ready to harvest from around 70-80 days after sowing, though of course this can vary depending on the precise conditions. Generally, you may begin harvesting ripe fruits around midsummer and can often continue to do so well into autumn. With Cayenne peppers, unlike with some other chilli peppers, you will not usually harvest the fruits at an immature stage but will wait until they are fully red (or reach their final colour for other varieties). You can then dry your Cayenne peppers in a dehydrator or in your oven – and grind the dried fruits into a powder that can be used in a wide range of different recipes. References 1. Capsicum annuum. (n.d.). PFAF Plant Database. Retrieved March 14, 2023, from https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Capsicum+annuum 2. cayenne chile pepper database. (n.d.). The Chileman. Retrieved March 14, 2023, from https://www.thechileman.org/results.php?chile=1&find=cayenne&heat=Any&origin=Any&genus=Any&subscribe=Search;
Learn more
Tired Of Typical Red Toms? Grow Yellow And Orange Tomatoes With These Varieties
IN THIS GUIDE 1) ‘Galina’ 2) ‘Gold Nugget’ 3) ‘Golden Cherry’ 4) ‘Golden Crown’ 5) ‘Golden Sunrise’ 6) ‘Honeycomb’ 7) ‘Ildi’ 8) ‘Jen’s Tangerine’ 9) ‘Lemon Grape’ 10) ‘Orange Paruche’ 11) ‘Pear Drop’ 12) ‘Sun Baby’ 13) ‘Sungold’ 14) ‘Tumbling Tom Yellow’ 15) ‘Golden Queen’ 16) ‘White Cherry’ 17) ‘Yellow Submarine’ Colourful Toms References There are plenty of interesting tomato varieties out there to choose from and with all these great yellow and orange varieties, you don’t just have to stick to typical red toms – you can grow a rainbow in your garden. Though there are far too many yellow and orange tomato varieties to include them all in just one article, below you will find a selection of seventeen interesting options to consider. Orange and yellow tomatoes often have a great flavour, but will also enrich your garden with their glowing, summery hues. These bright yellow and orange types will look great on the plant, and also add colour and taste to summer salads and other recipes. 1) ‘Galina’ SOW: MARCH – APRIL PLANT: LATE MAY HARVEST: JULY – NOVEMBER This is a high-yielding yellow cherry tomato that can also be a good choice for UK growers. A heritage variety, ‘Galina’ is an indeterminate type, well suited to growing further north, It comes from Siberia and so is a great choice for those with a cold climate and a short growing season. One of the great things about these is that they start producing early, and also continue to crop until late in the year. Since this is a heritage variety, you can save your own seeds to plant the following year. 2) ‘Gold Nugget’ Image Credit: Mr Fothergills1 AWARD OF GARDEN MERIT SOW: MARCH – MAY PLANT: JUNE – JULY HARVEST: AUGUST – NOVEMBER Tender-skinned and tangy, ‘Gold Nugget’ could also be a good choice. These slightly oval-shaped cherry tomatoes are a brilliant yellow hue. This is a determinate variety with a compact and bushy growth habit. It crops reliably especially undercover here in the UK, and has been awarded an RHS Award of Garden Merit. This heirloom was bred in Oregon in the US specifically for colder climates. “I only grow heirloom tomatoes,” shares Gardener Deisgner Lucy Hutchings. “I don’t grow any hybrids at all, as I don’t think there’s any point and there’s not enough reward if you’re growing for yourself and not farming them.” 3) ‘Golden Cherry’ SOW: FEBRUARY – MARCH PLANT: MAY – JUNE HARVEST: JULY – SEPTEMBER ‘Golden Cherry’ has beautiful orange cherry tomatoes, as the name suggests. This is a cultivar from Japan which is highly rated for its outstanding flavour, resistance to splitting, and performance. This is another F1 variety, which is best cordoned and which can outcompete even the famous Sungold (see below) on flavour. 4) ‘Golden Crown’ SOW: JANUARY – APRIL PLANT: APRIL – JUNE HARVEST: JULY – OCTOBER ‘Golden Crown’, also known as Goldkrone, is another excellent yellow cherry tomato variety to try. They do very well under glass but can also grow well outdoors. People prize this variety too for its excellent flavour, thin skins and reliably good cropping. Choosing this tomato cultivar is another way to bring a splash of sunshine to your garden. 5) ‘Golden Sunrise’ AWARD OF GARDEN MERIT SOW: JANUARY – APRIL PLANT: APRIL – JUNE HARVEST: JULY – OCTOBER This is another golden tomato variety to consider growing in your garden. Another cordon type, ‘Golden Sunrise’ produces attractive, medium-sized orange fruit which has a distinctive taste and balanced flavour – making them useful for colourful summer salads. 6) ‘Honeycomb’ SOW: FEBRUARY – MAY PLANT: MAY – JUNE HARVEST: JULY – NOVEMBER This golden coloured cherry tomato variety is another great option to consider. These fruits have a higher Brix rating (sugar content) than the famous ‘Sungold’. They are extremely sweet when fully ripe, and are said to have a honey-like aftertaste. They yield best in a greenhouse or polytunnel, cordoned, and are very reliable (though perhaps not as high yielding as Sungold and other varieties). The fruit splits less frequently than ‘Sungold’. As an F1 hybrid, they also have a small amount of blight resistance. 7) ‘Ildi’ SOW: FEBRUARY – MARCH PLANT: APRIL – JUNE HARVEST: JULY – OCTOBER A small elongated, pear-shaped, yellow cherry tomato, ‘Ildi’ is a great choice to consider growing in hanging baskets or containers. The fruits are sweet and are fantastic for eating raw and for using in salads. They can be perfect for growing on a sunny patio, even if you do not have a very big garden. 8) ‘Jen’s Tangerine’ Image Credit: The Nettle Patch2 SOW: FEBRUARY – APRIL PLANT: MAY – JUNE HARVEST: JULY – OCTOBER This orange-coloured heritage tomato originated from the breeding program of mountain market gardener Jen Bonyck. Many UK gardeners have had great success with this cultivar. The fruits are large for a cherry type – around 3.5-4cm across. They have a balanced flavour and are produced prolifically over a relatively long growing season – starting to produce early and continuing on well into the autumn in the right conditions. 9) ‘Lemon Grape’ SOW: MARCH – APRIL PLANT: APRIL – JUNE HARVEST: JULY – OCTOBER The Lemon grape tomato (Cytrynek Groniasty) is a Polish variety that produces lovely mini-plum tomatoes in abundance on cordons. The fruits last well without splitting, and they have a great flavour too. This could be another more unusual tomato cultivar to consider growing in your greenhouse, polytunnel, or elsewhere in your garden. 10) ‘Orange Paruche’ Image Credit: Bucket Hydroponics3 SOW: FEBRUARY – MARCH PLANT: APRIL – JUNE HARVEST: JULY – OCTOBER Another F1 variety of tomato, ‘Orange Paruche’ has, as the name implies, deep orange tomatoes. These are very flavoursome and fruits appear very early in the year, which is great for those with a short growing season. Some say that these are now one of the tastiest orange cherry tomatoes around. 11) ‘Pear Drop’ SOW: MARCH – JUNE PLANT: MAY – JUNE HARVEST: JULY – NOVEMBER If you are short on space and are looking for a trailing, compact, bushy tomato variety for hanging baskets or containers, then ‘Pear Drop’ could be a good option to consider. The yellow-orange fruits produced on this cultivar are tasty and produced in abundance. 12) ‘Sun Baby’ SOW: FEBRUARY – MARCH PLANT: APRIL – JUNE HARVEST: JULY – OCTOBER ‘Sun Baby’ is a top cherry tomato variety. Though it is not the heaviest of croppers, the yellow fruits have excellent flavour and thin skins. They can be grown indoors in a greenhouse or polytunnel, but can also crop pretty well outside here in the UK. 13) ‘Sungold’ AWARD OF GARDEN MERIT SOW: FEBRUARY – MAY PLANT: MAY – JUNE HARVEST: JULY – NOVEMBER ‘Sungold’ has long been by far one of the most popular tomato varieties grown in the UK. This orange cherry has been extremely popular since being introduced to UK gardeners in the early 1990s. Its high Brix (sweetness rating) and great flavour have no doubt been the main reason for its popularity. As you can see above, there are plenty of other options said to rival this variety. But as a tried and tested favourite with an RHS AGM, this is certainly one option to consider. 14) ‘Tumbling Tom Yellow’ SOW: MARCH – JUNE PLANT: MAY – JULY HARVEST: JUNE – OCTOBER Tumbling Tom tomatoes come in both yellow and red versions. Tumbling Toms are known to be one of the best tomatoes for a hanging basket or another hanging container. These plants produce cherry tomatoes which cascade down around the edges of your basket or container. They are sweet and delicious – the yellow version is somewhat slower growing than the red one, but brings a welcome sunny glow to your garden. 15) ‘Golden Queen’ Image Credit: Bosavern Community Farm4 SOW: JANUARY – MARCH PLANT: MAY – JUNE HARVEST: JULY – OCTOBER 16) ‘White Cherry’ Image Credit: Bosavern Community Farm5 SOW: JANUARY – MARCH PLANT: MAY – JUNE HARVEST: AUGUST – OCTOBER 17) ‘Yellow Submarine’ Image Credit: Bosavern Community Farm6 SOW: JANUARY – MARCH PLANT: MAY – JUNE HARVEST: JUNE – OCTOBER Colourful Toms These are just some of the many yellow and orange tomato varieties that it is definitely worthwhile considering growing in your garden. And once you have explored these options, you might also like to consider fruits with other colours and interesting patinations. When choosing a tomato variety, remember that there is more to consider than just colour, as Gardener Hannah Reid shares: “My favourite varieties are ‘San Marzano’, ‘Rosella Jumbo’ and ‘Firecracker’. ‘Rosella Jumbo’ is the most amazing rose colour (it almost shimmers), whilst ‘Firecracker’ are also lovely colourful tomatoes that are amazing for producing a high yield – last year I was harvesting up to 60 fruits off one plant! “‘San Marzano’ are great-sized tomatoes that make delicious sauces.” “In addition to the amazing range of cherry tomatoes, yellow and orange varieties of heirloom beef tomatoes such as ‘Brandywine Yellow’ and ‘Valencia’ are also worth a try for their delicious taste in salads or tomato sauces,” adds Master Horticulturist Roy Nicol. But by exploring tomato varieties of different hues, you can learn more about all the interesting hybrid and heritage options available, and branch out to try new varieties to grow at home. Just be sure to choose varieties suitable for growing in the climate, microclimate and other conditions in your particular garden. References 1. Tomato (Cherry) Gold Nugget Vegetable Seeds. (n.d.). Mr Fothergill’s. Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://www.mr-fothergills.co.uk/RHS-Tomato-Gold-Nugget 2. Freezing Tomatoes. (2013, October 16). The Nettle Patch. Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://greengreengoddess.wordpress.com/2013/10/16/freezing-tomatoes/ 3. Tomato – Orange Paruche. (2016, February 19). Bucket Hydroponics. Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://buckethydroponics.wordpress.com/2016/02/19/tomato-orange-paruche/ 4. Tomatoes. (2015, September 27). Bosavern Community Farm. Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://bosaverncommunityfarm.blogspot.com/2015/09/tomatoes-2015.html 5. Tomatoes. (2015, September 27). Bosavern Community Farm. Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://bosaverncommunityfarm.blogspot.com/2015/09/tomatoes-2015.html 6. Tomatoes. (2015, September 27). Bosavern Community Farm. Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://bosaverncommunityfarm.blogspot.com/2015/09/tomatoes-2015.html
Learn more
