Three specialist exhibitors – Pennard Plants, Sea Spring Seeds and South Devon Chilli Farm – are showing their wares and selling everything from seeds to salsas, chutneys, dressings and sauces. Each nursery specialises in different crops and the growers have a pretty much encyclopaedic knowledge of how to best take care of these tasty crops. Here they share a little practical know-how to help you grow them at home, from everyday garlic to unusual tubers cultivated in the Andes.
Chillis are a brilliant beginner crop – low effort and high yield. “Chilli plants need light and warmth to thrive, so choose a Gardeners often use the word variety when referring to a specific plant, but the correct botanical term is 'cultivar'. Whichever word you use, it means a distinctive plant or plants, given a specific cultivar name and usually bred to enhance certain characteristics, such as flower or fruit size, colour, flavour or fragrance, plant size, hardiness, disease resistance, etc. Additionally, it is worth knowing that, botanically, variety has another meaning - it refers to a naturally-occurring distinct plant that only has slight differences in its looks. For example, Malva alcea var. fastigiata differs from typical plants by having an upright habit.
Pennard Plants
Yacon or earth apple (Smallanthus sonchifolius) is one of the crops grown by Pennard Plants. This South American Tubers are swollen, usually underground, parts of a stem or root used by a plant to store food. They allow plants to survive through dormancy or tough conditions, such as winter or drought. Examples include potatoes, dahlias and cyclamen.
Sea Spring Seeds
Tomatoes can be fussy, but they don’t all need constant maintenance to thrive. As Joy Michaud of Sea Spring Seeds explains: “If you’re a busy person, try a bush type. Unlike A plant that is restricted by pruning to usually one main stem, either upright or at a 45 degree angle, with short fruiting side-shoots (spurs). Apples, pears, gooseberries, tomatoes, redcurrants and whitecurrants are often grown as cordons, especially where space is limited. Sweet peas can be grown as cordons to produce large flowers for exhibition.
