Some unusual South American vegetables

Many of the vegetables we commonly grow in England originate from South America ~ potatoes, tomatoes, courgettes, squashes, french beans, runner beans & sweetcorn for example. But there are many further species historically cultivated in the Andes & other temperate parts of South America that also grow well here in UK.

But first of all we needed to clear some space, so here's Cherry chopping down the phacelia & field beans:

Phacelia tanacetifolia and field beans are grown as green manure for incorporating into the soil to improve  soil texture & nutrient levels

In the place of the phacelia & field beans, we've put in some more wigwams made of hazel rods & at their bases we've planted mashua (Tropaeolum tuberosum 'Ken Aslet') ~ this is a nasturtium relative, grow in the Andes for their edible tubers. But, like many nasturtiums, it's also very ornamental with red and orange flowers.

Tropaeolum tuberosum 'Ken Aslet'

We've also planted the sunflower relative, yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius). This is grown for its tubers, which are produced in the autumn. They are very sweet, but diabetics can eat them because the sweetness is not derived from sucrose or fructose.

Yacon, Smallanthus sonchifolius

The plants have been in my greenhouse up to now as they're not frost hardy.

The third unusual plant we put in was variegated corn, Zea mays 'Quadricolor'.

Zea mays 'Quadricolor', a variegated maize. The variegation doesn't appear in seedlings until they're a few weeks old. I'm hoping these plants come true, as they're from seed saved from plants growing in my garden ~ the chances of cross pollination should be low, as my garden is in the middle of town, the nearest sweetcorn plants on allotments a quarter of a mile distant.