A million gardeners everyday pick up a spade and thank the beans.

Every list of top ten vegetables to grow your own would probably differ, mine would vary based on season, current successes and even personal hunger. Most of this top selection of ten varieties are part of the RHS vegetable collection available from Thompson & Morgan amongst other seed merchants.

Broad Bean Bunyards Exhibition
One of my all time favourites, Bunyards Exhibition has a very good flavour and is excellent for freezing. They prefer a well-drained, moist, rich soil. A reliable performing heavy cropper with of long pods it will grow in most soils.  Pick regularly once pods are full to promote further pod production. Support the plants as they grow by placing a cane or stout stick at each corner and tying in with string. Keep well watered particularly when flowers are setting. Pinch out growing tip when first flowers set pods to deter blackfly.

Dwarf French Bean Delinel
An outstanding variety for both crop size and flavour. The 6in long, pencil shaped  pods are stringless and produce outstanding crops over a long season. Sow seeds early May to July outdoors. Pick regularly whilst young to give highest yields and extend the season.

Calabrese Ironman F1 Brassica oleracea
A vigorous variety of Broccoli that yields dome shaped, blue-green heads with fine tight buds. Ironman produces  hollow stems in dry conditions so keep watered. Cropping high quality heads from September through to November lasting well in the garden. This Calabrese is tolerant of disease and downy mildew.

Tomato Sungold F1

The sweetest Tomato after Suncherry Premium these orange yellow fruit are bite sized morsels of great flavour. Numerous fruit on each vine ensures a good crop from this AGM tomato.

Runner Bean Wisley Magic
Voted ‘The Best on Trial’ 10 years ago  it still produces the heaviest yield of quality beans over a long picking season. This Runner Bean has attractive bright red flowers that produce long smooth, 14in slender pods.  Although not stringless it has a low fibre content and that ‘old fashioned’ runner bean taste. Hoe regularly, keep well watered and mulch during dry periods. Pick beans regularly when young.

Onion Kelsae
An exhibition sized onion that produces a hardy crop. Originally from Kelso in Scotland so it knows a thing or two about harsh weather conditions. A reliable cropperwith good shaped, storing onions for the garden.

Courgette Summer Ball F1
Summer Ball is ideal for growing in containers. This unique dual-purpose variety can be grown as a courgette or as a pumpkin! Compact bushy plants produce bright-yellow, round fruits which can be cut early as courgettes or left to mature to larger 1kg (2lbs) summer pumpkins. Keep well watered.

Lettuce Tin Tin
Part of the RHS Vegetable Collection this Lettuce is a  larger Little Gem type, which is similar in flavour but has more ‘bubbled’ leaves giving it a more distinctive appearance. The crop is ready to harvest approximately 11 weeks from sowing and has delicious crisp, ‘romaine’ hearts that stand well during hot summer weather. Sow in succession to extend cropping.

Pea Sugar Snap Cascadia
Sugar snaps are eaten ‘pod and all’. Cascadia are crisp, sweet, rounded ‘sugar snap’ pods that remain succulent and tender over a longer period than many other varieties. Enjoy bumper crops over a long picking season from this easy to manage Pea. I don’t bother to stake these short plants. Prefers well drained, moist, rich conditions.

Radish Rudolf from Duchy Originals
A quick growing Radish that crops from March under glass and until October outdoors. Rudolf has red (I bet you never guessed) coloured roots and crisp white flesh. Thin seedlings and keep well watered to minimise running to seed. I haven’t tried this variety but wanted a Radish on the top ten list.

Vegetables seeds at Thompson & Morgan