GARDEN GOSSIP - ADVENTURE INTO GARDENING

January is traditionally the month when keen gardeners spend a happy evening poring over seed catalogues and planning their gardening activities for the coming season. Everyone has their favourite varieties of both flowers and vagetables but why not make 1983 a year of adventure in the vegetable plot.

Purple podded peas need no special cultivation but their mauve flowers are attractive and the green peas shelled from purple pods are as sweet as any grown. This variety crops well and the purple pods are easily seen. For the thrifty, mange-tout or sugar peas can be picked young and cooked in the pod, but left to mature and shelled in the usual way they are equally flavoursome.

As a change from regular marrows, try the denser fleshed vegetable Spaghetti. These grow like any trailing marrow, fruiting on side shoots, but when cooked and forked up the flesh resembles spaghetti strands and is very tasty when served with any of the usual pasta sauces.

Okra, although an African vagetable, grew outside last season making a 2' high bush which produced several finger length fluted seed heads. These grow vertically and are good in soups and sauces, or simply as a vegetable provided they are not overcooked.

Florence Fennel swells into a creamy bulb with several feathery antennae and needs some earthing up as it matures. This aniseed flavoured vegetable is very good when chopped up in a salad or tender boiled and served with butter. Salad lovers could also try American Cress which tastes like watercress and grows prolifically. Older leaves add a peppery taste to soups. As a substitute for lettuce, sow Celtuce. It grows like spinach and, when cooked, the midribs have a celery flavour.

Firm and fleshy Roma tomatoes cook and freeze well whilst the grapefruit-sized Marmande variety are delicious either sliced or stuffed. You could even add interest to your flower garden with bead or plum sized, blood red or yellow Ornamental tomatoes which are all edible.

Then there are peppers, aubergines, creamy skinned beans or red onions. The choice is endless so be adventurous and happy gardening!

Priscilla Shears