Climbing or Trailing Vegetables

Malabar Spinach – Seeds (Basella alba)

Malabar Spinach is a fast-growing, tropical vine known for its thick, succulent leaves and high nutritional value. Ideal for salads, stir-fries, soups, and garnishes, this heat-tolerant leafy green thrives where traditional spinach struggles.

Its vigorous climbing habit makes it perfect for trellises, fences, or vertical garden spaces. Malabar Spinach is not only delicious but also adds lush greenery and ornamental appeal to any garden.

How to Grow

• Sow indoors: February – April

• Sow outdoors: After last frost, spacing 30–40 cm apart

• Position: Full sun to partial shade

• Soil: Fertile, well-drained soil enriched with compost

• Care: Water regularly; provide support for climbing; pinch tips to encourage bushier growth

Key Features

• Fast-growing, heat-tolerant leafy green

• Thick, succulent leaves perfect for salads, stir-fries, and soups

• Vigorous climbing vine suitable for trellises or fences

• Adds ornamental greenery to gardens

• Easy to grow and high-yielding

Harvest

• Harvesting period: 50–70 days after sowing

• Pick young leaves regularly for the best flavor and tender texture.

Short Tip

Provide a trellis or support for climbing; regular harvesting promotes continuous growth and keeps leaves tender.

Cucumber 'Aloe' F1 – Seeds (Cucumis sativus)

Cucumber 'Aloe' F1 is a high-yielding, hybrid cucumber variety known for its smooth, dark green fruits and crisp, refreshing taste. Ideal for fresh salads, pickling, or snacking, this vigorous plant produces uniform, disease-resistant cucumbers throughout the season.

Compact and productive, it is perfect for garden beds, raised beds, or container growing.

How to Grow

• Sow indoors: February – April

• Sow outdoors: After last frost, spacing 30–40 cm apart

• Position: Full sun

• Soil: Fertile, well-drained soil enriched with compost

• Care: Water consistently; provide support for vines; mulch to retain moisture

Key Features

• High-yielding F1 hybrid cucumber with smooth, dark green fruits

• Crisp and refreshing flavor, perfect for salads and snacking

• Disease-resistant and vigorous growth

• Suitable for garden beds, raised beds, or containers

• Uniform fruits throughout the season

Harvest

• Harvesting period: 50–60 days after sowing

• Pick cucumbers when young and tender for the best flavor and texture.

Short Tip

Provide support for climbing and harvest regularly to encourage continuous fruit production.

Cucumber ‘Everest’ – Seeds

(Cucumis sativus) – Reliable F1 Hybrid

The ‘Everest’ cucumber is a highly productive, disease-resistant hybrid that produces slender, dark green cucumbers with a smooth skin and excellent flavor. Ideal for both greenhouse and outdoor cultivation, this variety is well-regarded for its vigorous growth, heavy yields, and resistance to common cucumber diseases such as powdery mildew. Fruits are crisp, refreshing, and perfect for salads, sandwiches, or fresh eating straight from the vine.

Key Features

• Plant type: Annual, climbing/vining

• Fruit: Slender, smooth-skinned cucumbers

• Length: 18–22 cm

• Color: Dark green

• Flavor: Crisp, refreshing

• Position: Full sun

• Soil: Rich, fertile, well-drained

Ideal For

• Greenhouse or outdoor growing

• Fresh salads and raw eating

• Consistent, high-yield production

• Gardeners seeking disease-resistant cucumbers

Sowing & Growing

• Sow indoors: March–April, 1 cm deep in pots.

• Germination: 7–14 days at 20–25°C.

• Transplant: May, after last frost.

• Spacing: 60 cm apart in rows, 150 cm between rows.

• Harvest: July–September.

Care Tips

• Provide support (trellis or netting) for climbing vines.

• Water consistently; keep soil moist but not soggy.

• Feed with a high-potash fertilizer regularly once flowering starts.

• Pick fruits frequently to encourage further cropping.

Asparagus Pea – Seeds (Tetragonolobus purpureus)

Asparagus Pea (Tetragonolobus purpureus) is a vigorous, climbing annual producing clusters of attractive, purple-pink pea-like flowers. Its edible pods have a mild, asparagus-like flavor, making it perfect for both ornamental and culinary use. Blooming from summer to autumn, this versatile plant thrives on trellises, fences, and obelisks, adding vertical interest, color, and delicious harvests to your garden.

Why Grow "Asparagus Pea"

• Vigorous climber with purple-pink flowers

• Edible pods with a mild asparagus-like taste

• Long flowering and harvesting season

• Perfect for vertical gardening on trellises and fences

Key Features

• Type: Annual climber (Tetragonolobus purpureus)

• Height: 150–180 cm

• Flowering: Summer to autumn

• Position: Full sun

• Uses: Trellises, fences, obelisks, edible gardens, cut flowers

Ideal For

• Vertical displays in small or large gardens

• Edible and ornamental gardening

• Container and patio planting

• Gardeners seeking climbers with attractive flowers and tasty pods

Sowing & Growing

• Sow indoors: February–April

• Sow outdoors: After last frost in well-drained soil

• Germination: 10–20 days at 15–20°C

• Space seedlings: 25–30 cm apart

• Provide support for climbing

Pumpkin 'Rouge d'Etampes' – Seeds (Cucurbita pepo)

The Pumpkin 'Rouge d'Etampes', also known as the Cinderella Pumpkin, is a stunning French heirloom variety prized for its large, flattened, deeply ribbed fruits with a vivid red-orange skin. Traditionally grown in the Paris region, it is famous for both its striking ornamental appeal and its delicious, sweet, fine-grained flesh.

Perfect for roasting, soups, pies, and preserves, it’s also a favourite for autumn displays thanks to its dramatic shape and colour.

How to Grow

• Sow indoors: April – May, in pots

• Sow outdoors: Late May – June, after last frost

• Planting distance: 100 cm apart

• Soil: Rich, fertile, well-drained soil with added compost or manure

• Position: Full sun

• Care: Keep well-watered, mulch to retain soil moisture, and provide space for trailing vines

Key Features

• Traditional French heirloom pumpkin

• Beautiful flattened, ribbed, red-orange fruits

• Excellent sweet flavour for roasting, soups, and pies

• Dual purpose – culinary and ornamental

• Large fruits with good yields

Sowing & Harvest

• Sow: April – June

• Harvest: September – October

Pea ‘Onward’ Seeds (Pisum sativum)

Enjoy a reliable and early harvest with Pea ‘Onward’ (Pisum sativum). This hardy climbing variety produces long, tender pods filled with sweet, flavorful peas, perfect for fresh eating, steaming, or freezing. Easy to grow and highly productive, it’s ideal for vegetable gardens, allotments, and homegrown culinary use.

How to Grow

• Sow seeds directly outdoors from early spring as soon as the soil can be worked.

• Use well-drained, fertile soil in full sun to partial shade.

• Sow seeds 3–5 cm deep and 5–7 cm apart in rows 50–60 cm apart.

• Provide stakes, netting, or a trellis for climbing growth.

• Keep soil consistently moist but not waterlogged.

• Harvest pods when fully formed but still tender for best flavor.

Key Features

• Early-maturing climbing variety with long, tender pods

• Hardy and highly productive

• Ideal for fresh eating, steaming, or freezing

• Easy to grow in temperate climates

• Perfect for vegetable gardens and allotments

Ideal For

• Vegetable gardens and allotments

• Fresh harvest for cooking and freezing

• Climbing support with trellises or stakes

• Companion planting with nitrogen-fixing crops

Sowing

• Best time: Early spring outdoors

• Depth: 3–5 cm

• Spacing: 5–7 cm apart, rows 50–60 cm apart

• Prefers full sun to partial shade and fertile, well-drained soil

Quick Tip

• Sow successive batches every 2–3 weeks to enjoy a continuous early-season harvest.