Discover what grows in the Workhouse Garden

• Basil “Ocimum basilicum”
• Grow in rich, light well-drained to dry soils in sun
• Pinch out growing tips to encourage bushiness and delay flowering, though regular sowings are still needed to a summer-long supply
• Leaves are picked during the growing season and used fresh or dried
• Purple-leaved cultivars have ornamental value

• Bay “Laurus nobilis”
• Well-drained soil in sun or part shade
• Bay also lends itself well to container-growing
• Trim to shape in summer, removing suckers from standards and topiary as they appear
• Leaves can be picked in summer for drying

‘Crapaudine’ or ‘Toad’ is perhaps one of the oldest varieties of beetroot, and it is easily distinguished from all others by the peculiar appearance of its carrot-shaped roots that are covered by a black skin, broken by small cracks and crevices.

Once extolled as ‘the world’s greatest maincrop beet’, it is thought the original selection of this ox-blood red beetroot was made by Mr Reeves of Port Hope, Canada in 1892. Whilst still popular, the ‘detroid 2 crimson globe’ variety is generally considered to be an improvement on the original ‘detroid globe’, boasting higher yields.

Golden yellow throughout, and commonly harvested when small, this beetroot has turnip-shaped roots with the distinct advantage that they do not bleed. Though it appeared in the Burpee Catalogue in the USA in 1940, similar varieties of beets were also documented earlier in the 19th century.

Borage is an easily-grown herb used in informal areas such as cottage gardens, wildlife areas and vegetable patches. The usually sky blue flowers are edible and can  garnish summer drinks and salads. Borage is an annual so will need to be raised from seeds or young plants each year

A ball-headed cabbage of light green colour, producing an early summer crop of tightly wrapped cabbage heads, which will keep until autumn. With its relatively compact size, it is suitable for planting in confined areas. This variety is North American bred, being cultivated by 1889, and is a favourite for making sauerkraut.

A French Savoy variety of cabbage cultivated by 1867 that is sown in spring for cutting in February, and is particularly suited to cold climates. A contemporary source noted, “Extremely cold hardy yet also grows well in the summer months. Dense, green, round to slightly flattened heads, have attractive, purple-tinged outer leaves.” The leaves take a deeper purple tint as the cold intensifies.

In Modern Gardener, 1771, the ‘Red Dutch’ was described as “the most familiar, as well as the most popular of the red varieties. The head is rather large, round, hard and solid; the leaves composing the head are of an intense purplish-red; the outer leaves are numerous, red, but with some intermixture or shades of green.” Its heads begin to mature from late summer, but are harvested at the first frost for peak maturity. It stores and pickles well with a sweet flavour.

• Caraway “Carum carvi”
• Well-drained, fertile soil in full sun, tolerant of heavy soils
• Leaves and roots used fresh as vegetable, seeds, when ripe, used dried

An old seed catalogue describes this carrot thus, “The tops are short and the foliage finely cut. The tops are not brittle and are strong enough to bunch easily. Roots are refined in appearance with small collars, evenly stumped with very small tails. The root surface is smooth and free from large eyes and side rootlets. Exterior colour a rich orange.” This is a fine French variety that was introduced into the USA in 1929.

This hardy esculent-rooted biennial was introduced, in the cultivated form, from Holland during the 16th Century. The now familiar orange carrot is, in fact, not the true and original colour of the carrot. Before the 17th century, carrots were available in purple, white and yellow; the modern deep orange varieties are actually a mutation of the purple form. James Scarlet Intermediate is a reliable old favourite for maincrop and exhibition use. It has broad shoulders for easy lifting which taper to long roots of deep orange which rarely split.

This short almost round carrot is one of the very earliest, making it a favourite amongst market gardeners. It is sweet, tender and excellent for forcing. An old French variety, its has long been popular in Europe and is now gaining favour in America. Due to its small size it is useful for container growing.

As the name suggests, this variety can be sown at any time of year as it succeeds equally well in frames or in the open, but winter sown seen should be sown under glass for reliable germination. The large milky-white heads are protected by very dark green leaves that are slightly curled. Their high quality make them popular for showing.

A reliable old favourite, Cabbage ‘Greyhound’ produces early maturing, pointed hearts in summer and autumn. This flavoursome cabbage has little core and very few wasted outer leaves.

Although cauliflowers were in cultivation in America by the late 17th century it is the pure white varieties, such as ‘Snowball’, that have remained the most popular, than than the purple and green types so often seen in the markets of mainland Europe. It is easy to see why as they are more compact, easier to grow and can be grown at closer spacings. This type should be harvested when the heads are just about at that size, when they fit nicely into your cupped hand.

• Chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium)
• Rich, light, moisture-retentive soil in part shade
• Delicate anise flavour, leaves used fresh in salads or in French cooking; flowers and roots are also edible

• Coriander (Coriandrum sativum)
• Well-drained fertile soil in full sun, although leaves may be more productive in part shade
• Leaves and roots used fresh, especially in Thai cooking
• Seeds used dried in curries and pickles

Cucurbita pepo has been cultivated for centuries, and traces have been found in Mexico dating back to 8750 BCE. It is perhaps their undemanding nature that has helped them survive for so long, as Vilmorin-Andrieux noted, “(They) will grow anywhere if supplied with plenty of manure and moisture at the root.” This variety is not for winter storing but is delicious when enjoyed fresh. It produces creamy white flat fruits with a scalloped edge from a bush habit.

• Dill (Anethum graveolens)
• Well-drained neutral to slightly acid soil in sun
• Leaves are cut in spring and summer for using fresh or dried; seeds harvested in summer for use dried, all widely used in cooking, especially Scandinavian cookery

• French tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus)
• Well-drained, neutral to slightly alkaline soil in sun
• Pick leaves before flowering
• Distinctive, aromatic leaves used to flavour chicken and egg dishes, salad dressing and sauces

‘Nero di Toscana’, ‘Cavolo Nero’, or literally ‘Black Cabbage’.

A hardy, dark colour form of kale that was cultivated in 18th Century Northern Italy. The plant grows to a height of two feet, with blistered leaves often over 30 cm (1 ft) in length and 5–10 cm (2–4 in) wide. Historically Cavolo Nero has been used to fill the ‘hungry gap’ over late winter and early spring, before the spring crops come to harvest.

An excellent and long-standing alternative to spinach, a very old variety that lives up to its name. Noted as being very valuable on dry soil (where true spinach mostly runs to seed), ‘Perpetual Spinach’ will produce a very heavy crop, and it is said that it will produce more ‘greens’ per square foot than any other vegetable.

Grown for its bright colour, as well as its culinar yuses, this is perhaps the ‘Chilean beet’ of Vilmorin-Andriuex. To many growers it is less romantically known as red chard, but it is certainly pretty in the vegetable garden. Unfortunately, the colour is lost during cooking, but used young in salads this is a leaf bestowed with much taste and colour.