May Garden plants of the Month: vegetable plants

A Vegetable patch with beautiful plants
Pick-your-own plants and kitchen gardens are incredibly popular, and vegetable plants often also look fantastic, so there’s a double benefit. On the one hand it’s a response to the growing interest in healthy, sustainable and vegetarian food, on the other hand it creates a decorative corner with productive green plants with produce which is good to grow and tasty to eat. May is a good month to plant vegetables in containers, pots or beds. 
Range
The vegetable plants in the selection for May all bear fruit. These include cucumber, bell pepper, chilli pepper, tomato, pumpkin and courgette. Most vegetable plants are supplied already bearing some edible fruit. There are climbing plants, bush forms and dwarf plants available, but also special consumer-oriented concepts such as Pluck, Snacker® Funfoods and Pick-&-Joy. Multiple varieties are available of all vegetables: different colours of chilli and bell pepper, tomatoes from Roma to vine, and cucumbers from snack-sized to giant. The pre-cultivated plants produce plenty of fruit over the summer period, and therefore offer the joy of picking and a real ‘ fresh experience’ throughout that time.
Vegetable plants trivia 
  • Are they vegetables or fruit? From a culinary and horticultural perspective the tomato, bell pepper, cucumber and chilli pepper are vegetables, although the odd purist will still maintain firmly that they are fruit.
  • Vegetable plants also do very well on the windowsill: they grow upwards, so they need little space.
  • Bell peppers contain twice as much vitamin C as oranges, and are also rich in vitamins E, B1 and B2.
  • The gherkin is closely related to the cucumber and can be grown in the same way.
Origin 
Bell and chilli peppers are so closely related that they bear the same name: Capsicum annuum. The bell pepper originates from South America, whilst the chilli pepper plant grows in India and South-East Asia.
The tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is a member of a large family which also includes the potato. Tomatoes are native to Central America. The ancestors of the Mayas and the Incas grew them.
The cucumber (Cucumus sativus) originates from India, where it has been cultivated for its fruit for over 3000 years. The plants came to Western Europe via the Mediterranean with the Romans.
What to look for when buying
  • When buying cucumber, bell pepper, tomato and chilli pepper plants particularly look for a fresh appearance and a good balance between plant and pot size.
  • Also important is the number of flowers from which fruit can be produced, and preferably some young fruit already present to make the vegetable plant more appealing for sale.
  • Many vegetable plants are grafted onto a rootstock which gives them a higher quality, more power and growing capacity, and makes them more resistant to disease.
  • The soil must be slightly damp. The leaves should not be drooping, damaged or yellow. The plant must also be free of snails and aphids.
  • Because vegetable plants need a lot of light, water and heat, a rapid turnover at the point of sale is important.
Care tips for consumers 
  • It’s best to plant a vegetable plant in a bed or in a more spacious pot or container after purchase so that it has room to grow and produce fruit optimally.
  • Vegetable plants prefer a sunny, sheltered spot out of the wind.
  • Canes, frames or netting help the vegetable climbers to grow upwards.
  • Regularly removing side shoots (runners) means that the plant invests its energy particularly in itself and its fruit.
  • All vegetable plants need a lot of water: the soil may not dry out, but preferably do not have the roots standing in water.
  • The plants grow rapidly and consume a lot of energy, so that plant food is required once a fortnight to keep their strength up.

Two and a half hours of exercise a week? That’s a step too far for many

  • 1 in 5 Brits don’t think 150 minutes of exercise a week is realistic;
  • Not having enough time, the weather and work are top reasons for not moving more; 
  • A fifth of young people don’t exercise because they don’t want to break a sweat;
  • Left holding the baby: women are more likely to be less active because of childcare commitments;
  • A third of adults in England walk for less than 10 minutes during an entire week. In Scotland, 31 per cent of adults haven’t walked as a means of transport once in the last weekend 30 per cent of adults in Wales haven’t walked as transport for at least five minutes once a week.
  • Living Streets is urging people to #Try20 and walk for 20 minutes a day throughout National Walking Month this May

One in five people in the UK don’t think it’s realistic to do 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week, according to new data released today by charity Living Streets to mark the start of National Walking Month. Continue reading Two and a half hours of exercise a week? That’s a step too far for many

Action Earth: encouraging active and healthy communities

The Action Earth campaign, run by national charity Volunteering Matters, launched its 2018 grant giving scheme at Castlemilk Park in Glasgow last week. The campaign, which is funded by Scottish Natural Heritage, offers easy to access grants of up to £500 for environmental improvements across Scotland. Continue reading Action Earth: encouraging active and healthy communities

£568 million for affordable housing

Increased funding to ensure councils can deliver more homes

More affordable homes will be delivered across Scotland this year following a £35 million increase to council allocations, bringing it to £568 million. The increases will continue over the coming years, rising to £591 million in 2019-20 and £630 million in 2020 -21.  Continue reading £568 million for affordable housing

Heart patients to benefit from £400,000 BHF grant for state-of-the-art scanning

Cardiology patients and researchers will benefit from state-of-the-art MRI scanning facilities in Edinburgh thanks to a £400,000 grant from the British Heart Foundation (BHF). Continue reading Heart patients to benefit from £400,000 BHF grant for state-of-the-art scanning

Scottish Affairs Committee to investigate oil and gas

Westminster’s Scottish Affairs Committee have launched a new inquiry into the future of the oil and gas industry in Scotland. The inquiry will examine the challenges facing the sector, as well as opportunities for future development. It will also examine the role the UK Government can play in supporting the industry. Continue reading Scottish Affairs Committee to investigate oil and gas

David Hay kicks off national Walking Football tournament

The second national league tournament organised by Walking Football Scotland in partnership with North Lanarkshire Leisure and Health & Social Care North Lanarkshire commenced on Wednesday 25 April at the excellent Ravenscraig Regional Sports Facility (writes JOHN HISLOP). Continue reading David Hay kicks off national Walking Football tournament