Gardening.ie

Hi

Can you suggest ornamental vegetables I can grow among flowers in my borders that won't leave gaps after harvesting?

A prime performer for colour, habit and ability to stand until you are ready to harvest is chard. It grows to about 45cm (18in) tall with large green or reddish leaves and stalks in a variety of colours. Swiss chard is pure white, ruby or rhubarb chard is bright scarlet. But, for the most colour, I'd recommend the mixture 'Bright Lights', which is pink, yellow and orange and has red and white stems. Pick leaves regularly to cook as spinach. Steam or saute the stalks separately and you get two vegetables from one plant.

Kale is another contender for borders. Look for the blue-grey 'Black Tuscany' or the curly-leaved 'Redbor'. Leave them over winter, picking individual leaves as required for winter greens. When the plants start to grow in spring, you'll be rewarded with a flush of tender leafy shoots. The young flowering ones taste as good as sprouting broccoli. Sow both crops in pots during May and keep them ticking over until needed to fill any gaps in the border.

You could also try leeks, as the blue-green leaves are an attractive sight in the winter. They are resistant to frost and can be added to winter meals, too. Lettuce is another option, but when I've tried this as an edging, I find I get too much of a glut as it crops at once.

Thanks to Liz for the advice