If you're a trendy vegetable gardener, you'll be growing celeriac, fennel and swede this year.
Well, maybe not swede, although no doubt at some point in the future even that southern delicacy will have its day in the sun.
But if you want to be ahead of the game, add cape gooseberry
to your list. It was terribly stylish about 10 years ago so it's due for another season as the plant of choice.
Unfortunately it's not a particularly attractive plant - it makes a straggly bush about a metre tall and its gorgeous yellow fruit come hidden in the equivalent of a plain brown wrapper.
But on the plus side you can plant it through November and December, and it will be ready to harvest in about 100 days - a nice round figure that's easy to remember.
It's a herbaceous perennial that's relatively easy to grow. Sow seed directly into the garden at a depth of about three times the diameter of the seed. Space your plants about 60cm apart. If you don't want to limit it to the orchard or vegetable garden, you can use it as a decorative plant in a garden bed or border, or grow it in a tub. It likes the sun, appreciates protection from the wind, will tolerate a bit of frost and even salt-laden air. It will grow in a wide range of soils as long as they are free-draining, and will even tolerate drought.
You probably won't need to fertilise it - if you do, you'll risk lots of foliage and not much fruit. Eat the berries fresh or make them into jam. They're also great stewed with apples, and can be made into a crisp sauce to eat with seafood.
