Alan Titchmarsh has shared his expert advice on selecting the best vegetable varieties for UK gardens. With countless options available in seed catalogues and garden centres, he warns against choosing solely based on price. Instead, he recommends considering factors such as disease resistance, flavour, and novelty.
For those looking to avoid chemicals, Titchmarsh highlights pest- and disease-resistant varieties. These include carrot fly-resistant carrots, eelworm-resistant potatoes, rust-resistant leeks, mildew-resistant lettuces, and blight-resistant tomatoes and potatoes. He notes that seed firms have expanded these options following damp summers.
Flavour is a key motivator for home growers, and Titchmarsh suggests seeking out 'gourmet' or heritage varieties. He points to heritage tomatoes as a popular choice among enthusiasts. For reliable all-rounders, he recommends varieties with the Award of Garden Merit (AGM), which have been tested in RHS trials.
Other considerations include baby vegetables, which are bred for early picking, and organically grown seeds for committed organic gardeners. Exhibition varieties, often dismissed as tasteless giants, can actually offer excellent eating quality and higher yields from limited space. Titchmarsh cites runner bean 'Enorma' as a top exhibition variety.
To make informed choices, Titchmarsh advises studying multiple seed catalogues and websites early, rather than waiting until the last minute. He concludes that a little homework will benefit the harvest.
