Things are about to get weird here over at the Propagation Place blog! Join us as we go through some strange, unique and unusual vegetables to grow in your garden at home! (Cue the “Twilight Zone” music!)
There’s lots of reasons to grow unusual varieties of vegetables at home. Firstly it provides a new challenge and great learning opportunity. Secondly you can show off all your interesting veg to your friends and family! From red carrots to cute cucamelons – you can have a garden that is full the weird and wonderful!
Read on to find out more about some of our favourite varieties.
Di Sicillia Violetta Broccoli
This magical looking variety of broccoli transforms from deep purple to green when cooked!
The heads of di Sicilia will grow to a fairly large size. After you harvest the main head, new side shoots will also form. Meaning more tasty broccoli!
It’s deliciously tasty when cooked, but we recommend you also try it raw.
This unusual vegetable will add real colour to your garden.
Lemon Drop Chilli Pepper
Want a chilli pepper that’s super hot? What about one with a distinct citrusy flavour? How about one that’s BRIGHT YELLOW? If you said yes, the Lemon Drop is for you!
The tall, gangly plants will need some support to stay upright.
Cucamelons
These vegetables are a firm favourite here at Propagation Place. They’re unusual vegetables that are easy to grow at home. Most importantly, you can impress your friends with them!
Learn all about how to grow cucamelons at home in our blog post.
Red Samurai Carrot
Get your sword at the ready, it’s a samurai carrot!
This unusual carrot variety has roots in ancient indigenous varieties of coloured carrots. However, it was developed for the modern market in Japan.
In addition to being bright red, this quirky carrot has a pink inside and is delicious!
Azur Star Kohlrabi
If you’re looking to grow unique vegetables, why not try a kohlrabi? It’s similar to a cross between a turnip and a cabbage. Likewise it is part of the brassica family.
The Azur Star is a fantastic deep purple colour, however kohlrabi are most commonly a white/green. Therefore this variety is definitely the super star of the kohlrabi clan!
Fancy something different? The Gigante Kohlrabi can grow to huge sizes (the record is 62lbs!)
Black Spanish Radish
Having a goth moment and need a vegetable to match? Try the Black Spanish radish!
This is a radish that Robert Smith would be proud of!
Black Spanish is an heirloom radish. The exterior skin is black, however it has a creamy white inside.
This radish has a pleasant, earthy flavour making it fantastic to cook with, for example adding to soups or stews. You can even slice into salads or (our favourite) sautee with a little butter.
Radishes are a quick and fantastically easy to grow, which certainly makes them a rewarding crop for the less experienced gardener.
Turban Winter Squash
With a deep orange skin, green and cream patterning and a distinctive ‘cap’, this brightly coloured squash is as ornamental as it is delicious! A truly unique vegetable addition to your garden.
The flesh is a rich golden orange with a sweet, nutty taste, and is excellent cooked into soups or stews, or stuffed and roasted whole to show off your culinary (and gardening!) skills.
Winter squashes are vigorous and easy to grow therefore they’re perfect for anyone who wants to try their hand at growing an unusual vegetable at home.
Black Cherry Tomato
Another unusual vegetable that’s perfect for the goth gardener!
Black Cherry is a relatively rare variety of tomato, therefore you’ll be sure to impress your friends!
The plants will produce huge clusters of fruits that look like bunches of dusky grapes and are juicy, sweet and full-flavoured.
These unique tomatoes are easy to grow, with good disease resistance and will do well either under cover or outdoors in a sunny, sheltered spot.
Mooli
Mooli is a type of Japanese radish. However, you may know it as ‘daikon radish’.
Mooli produces long, crisp, pure white roots that are a staple of asian cooking.
The crisp, peppery flavour therefore makes mooli a great addition to salads and stir fries, and can be shredded as a garnish or turned into dim-sum.
They make a great crop for planting later on in the season, and can be harvested from August – November. To sum up, they’re an unusual and rewarding addition to any vegetable garden!
To Sum Up – Growing Unusual Vegetables At Home
In conclusion, there are many varieties of unusual vegetables that you can grow in your garden at home! In this blog we’ve shown you just a few! There are fantastic and unique colour variations of more well known vegetables, for example tomatoes and squash. In addition to that there are unusual veggies like cucamelon and mooli. There’s something to spark the imagination of all gardeners!
