Edible / Productive

• Okra · Abelmoschus esculentus A heat-loving relative of hibiscus with pretty yellow flowers and tender, ridged pods. Pick the pods young and often, before they turn woody.
• Feijoa · Acca sellowiana Striking red-and-white edible flowers, then aromatic autumn fruit tasting of pineapple and mint. Tough, salt-tolerant and quick to clip into a productive evergreen hedge.
• Triumph Feijoa · Acca sellowiana 'Triumph' A firm-fruited feijoa with rich, aromatic, sweet-tart flesh, on a hardy grey-leafed evergreen shrub good for hedging. Crops best with a second variety such as Unique and bears showy edible red-and-white flowers in spring.
• Unique Feijoa · Acca sellowiana 'Unique' A self-fertile feijoa that crops young and heavily with sweet, soft, aromatic fruit, on a hardy grey-leafed evergreen shrub. Tolerant and easy to grow, it suits hedging and home orchards and bears edible spring flowers.
• Kiwifruit · Actinidia deliciosa 'Hayward' The standard green kiwifruit, a vigorous deciduous vine bearing fuzzy brown fruit with sweet-tart emerald flesh. Female and needs a male vine such as Tomuri nearby for pollination, plus a strong pergola or trellis.
• Leek · Allium ampeloprasum Sweet, mild stems that stand tough through winter and are blanched white by mounding soil around them. Slow but undemanding and beautifully hardy.
• Leek 'Welsh' · Allium ampeloprasum 'Welsh' A hardy winter leek with thick, tender white shanks and a mild, sweet onion flavour. Blanch by mounding soil up the stems for a long, pale, edible barrel.
• Onion · Allium cepa A kitchen staple worth growing for the choice of varieties and the satisfaction of a homegrown harvest. Day-length sensitive, so match the variety to your sowing season.
• Onion 'Brown' · Allium cepa 'Brown' A long-keeping main-crop onion with firm, brown-skinned bulbs and full, pungent flavour. Day-length sensitive, so sow at the right season for your latitude.
• Garlic · Allium sativum Plant a single clove and harvest a full bulb months later — one of the most satisfying crops to grow. Traditionally planted on the shortest day and pulled on the longest.
• Chives · Allium schoenoprasum Grassy, hollow leaves with a mild onion flavour and pretty pink pompom flowers the bees adore. A clumping perennial that's snip-and-come-again all season.
• Dill · Anethum graveolens Feathery blue-green foliage and flat heads of yellow flowers — both leaf and seed flavour fish, pickles and potatoes. Best direct-sown, as it dislikes root disturbance.
• Custard Apple · Annona cherimola Knobbly green fruit with sweet, fragrant, custard-like flesh on a briefly deciduous subtropical tree. Hand-pollination greatly improves the crop in cooler districts.
• Celery · Apium graveolens Crisp, aromatic stems that demand rich soil and constant moisture but reward the effort. A long-season crop best raised in trays and kept thirsty.
• French Tarragon · Artemisia dracunculus The true French tarragon — aniseed-scented and essential to béarnaise — rarely sets viable seed, so it's grown from divisions or cuttings. Dies back in winter and reshoots in spring.
• Asparagus · Asparagus officinalis A patience-testing perennial — wait two or three years for the first real cut, then enjoy tender spring spears for decades. Plant crowns in a permanent, weed-free bed.
• Beetroot · Beta vulgaris · from $3.50 A cool-season root vegetable yielding sweet, earthy red roots and edible nutritious leaves. Reliable and easy from seed, with each knobbly cluster producing several seedlings.
• Beetroot 'Detroit' · Beta vulgaris 'Detroit' The benchmark beetroot, with smooth, round, deep-red roots of sweet, tender flesh. Dependable and adaptable, equally good roasted, pickled or grated raw.
• Beetroot 'Golden' · Beta vulgaris 'Golden' A sweet, mild beetroot with glowing golden-orange flesh that does not bleed when cut. Gentle in flavour and beautiful roasted, with edible golden-veined leaves.
• Silverbeet 'Rainbow' · Beta vulgaris 'Rainbow' A vividly coloured silverbeet with stems of red, pink, orange, yellow and white beneath glossy leaves. Hardy and long-cropping, as ornamental as it is edible.
• Swede · Brassica napus A hardy winter root with sweet, golden flesh — slower than a turnip but richer and better keeping. Loves cool weather and a long, steady growing season.
• Broccoli · Brassica oleracea var. italica · from $3.95 A cool-season brassica producing dense green flower heads followed by tender side shoots after the main head is cut. A rewarding winter crop in fertile, well-limed soil.
• Kale 'Red Russian' · Brassica oleracea 'Red Russian' A tender, flat-leaved kale with grey-green, purple-veined foliage and a mild, sweet flavour. Hardy and ornamental, excellent for cut-and-come-again picking.
• Kale 'Tuscan' · Brassica oleracea 'Tuscan' An Italian heirloom kale with long, blistered, near-black leaves of deep, savoury flavour. Hardy and productive, it sweetens after frost and crops for months.
• Turnip · Brassica rapa Quick, mild roots and tender, edible tops from an easy cool-season crop. Sow direct and pull young for the sweetest, most delicate flavour.
• Broad Bean · Vicia faba · from $4.50 A hardy cool-season legume that fixes nitrogen as it grows — sow direct in autumn for a heavy crop of buttery beans through late winter and spring.
• Calendula · Calendula officinalis Edible golden and orange daisies that flower through the cool months and self-seed cheerfully. The petals brighten salads and have a long herbal tradition.
• Tea Camellia · Camellia sinensis The plant from which black, green and white tea are made, with glossy evergreen leaves and small, nodding single white flowers in autumn. Clip and harvest the young leaf tips for home-grown tea.
• Capsicum · Capsicum annuum · from $3.95 A warm-season vegetable bearing crisp sweet capsicums or fiery chillies that ripen from green to red, yellow or orange. Compact and productive in garden beds or containers in full sun.
• Capsicum 'Banana' · Capsicum annuum 'Banana Capsicum' A sweet, mild pepper with long, tapering yellow fruit that ripen to red or orange. Crisp and prolific, lovely raw, grilled or pickled.
• Capsicum 'California Wonder' · Capsicum annuum 'California Wonder' A classic blocky sweet pepper with thick, crisp walls, ripening from green to brilliant red. The benchmark capsicum for stuffing, roasting and salads.
• Capsicum 'Sweet Bullhorn' · Capsicum annuum 'Sweet Bullhorn' A long, horn-shaped sweet pepper with thick, sugary flesh, superb roasted or grilled. Fruit ripen from green through to deep red on a sturdy bush.
• Chilli 'Cayenne' · Capsicum annuum 'Cayenne' Long, slender, fiery-red chillies that dry beautifully for flakes and powder. A heavy-yielding, dependable hot variety for pots or the open garden.
• Chilli 'Hungarian Hot Wax' · Capsicum annuum 'Hungarian Hot Wax' A medium-hot wax chilli with smooth, waxy yellow fruit that ripen orange-red. Early and reliable even in cooler areas, good fresh or pickled.
• Chilli 'Jalapeno' · Capsicum annuum 'Jalapeno' A plump, medium-hot Mexican chilli picked green or ripened red, perfect for nachos and pickling. Compact and free-fruiting in a hot, sunny position.
• Chilli 'Serrano' · Capsicum annuum 'Serrano' A crisp, bright Mexican chilli with clean, sharp heat, eaten fresh in salsas. Slim green fruit ripen to red on a tidy, productive bush.
• Chilli 'Habanero' · Capsicum chinense 'Habanero' A searingly hot, lantern-shaped chilli with intense fruity aroma, ripening orange or red. Needs a long, hot season and is well suited to a sunny pot.
• Chilli 'Birdseye' · Capsicum frutescens 'Birdseye' Tiny, upward-pointing chillies that pack a fierce, sharp heat, much loved in Thai cooking. An ornamental, prolific bush ideal for a warm courtyard pot.
• Pigface · Carpobrotus glaucescens A hardy coastal succulent forming a fleshy mat that sprawls over dunes and rocks, bright with magenta-pink flowers and edible salty-sweet fruit. Superb for sandy, salt-blasted sites.
• Carrot · Daucus carota · from $3.50 Crisp, sweet homegrown carrots — sow direct into deep, stone-free soil and thin well for straight roots. A near year-round crop in mild climates.
• Watermelon · Citrullus lanatus Long, hot summers reward you with heavy, sweet, thirst-quenching fruit on a sprawling vine. Needs warmth, room and a free-draining sandy bed to ripen well.
• Lime · Citrus aurantiifolia Glossy evergreen leaves, fragrant white blossom and a heavy crop of tangy green fruit. The most cold-sensitive of the common citrus — give it the warmest, sunniest corner.
• Finger Lime · Citrus australasica 'Australian Finger Lime' An Australian rainforest native bush-food prized for its finger-shaped fruit packed with tangy caviar-like vesicles. A thorny, slow understorey shrub that fruits in autumn and suits dappled light or a sheltered pot.
• Grapefruit · Citrus x paradisi A large, vigorous citrus carrying big crops of tangy-sweet fruit that hang well on the tree. Needs warmth and a long season to develop its full flavour and sweetness.
• Makrut Lime · Citrus hystrix 'Makrut' Grown chiefly for its intensely aromatic double leaves used in Thai and Southeast Asian cooking, with knobbly fruit yielding fragrant zest. Compact and ideal for pots, it needs a warm, frost-free position.
• Cumquat · Citrus japonica A neat, ornamental citrus smothered in small oval fruit eaten whole, sweet rind and all — superb for marmalade and candying. Tough, cold-hardy and made for a decorative pot.
• Nagami Cumquat · Citrus japonica 'Nagami' A compact ornamental citrus bearing masses of small oval orange fruit with sweet edible skin and tart flesh, ideal for marmalade and pots. The hardiest of the common citrus, it tolerates light frost and clips well as a tub specimen.
• Eureka Lemon · Citrus limon 'Eureka' The standard nearly thornless backyard lemon, cropping almost year-round with tangy, juicy, true-lemon fruit. Evergreen and fragrant, it needs a warm frost-free position and free-draining soil.
• Lemon · Citrus × limon The most useful tree in the backyard — fragrant blossom, glossy evergreen leaves and a heavy crop of fruit. Happy in the ground or a large pot on a sunny patio.
• Lisbon Lemon · Citrus limon 'Lisbon' A vigorous, thorny lemon that crops heavily in winter with tart, juicy fruit and tolerates heat and cold better than Eureka. Its dense canopy makes it a tougher, more productive choice for open gardens.
• Afourer Mandarin · Citrus reticulata 'Afourer' A late-season mandarin with deep orange, richly sweet, easy-peel fruit that is seedless when grown away from other citrus. Productive and high quality, it extends the mandarin season into late winter and spring.
• Emperor Mandarin · Citrus reticulata 'Emperor' A large early mandarin with thin, loose skin and sweet, juicy, easy-peel flesh, ripening through autumn. A heavy and dependable cropper for warm-temperate and subtropical gardens.
• Imperial Mandarin · Citrus reticulata 'Imperial' An early-season Australian mandarin with loose, easy-peeling skin and sweet, lightly seeded segments. A reliable, well-loved backyard tree that crops from autumn into early winter.
• Mandarin · Citrus reticulata Easy-peel, sweet and almost seedless — the kids' favourite citrus on a compact, container-friendly tree. Generous winter crops follow a flush of fragrant spring flowers.
• Blood Orange · Citrus sinensis 'Arnold Blood' A blood orange with red-streaked flesh and a sweet berry-tinged flavour, the colour deepening where nights turn cold in winter. Fragrant and ornamental, it rewards a warm-temperate or Mediterranean garden.
• Orange · Citrus sinensis The backyard classic — heavily scented blossom in spring and sweet, juicy fruit through winter. A handsome evergreen that's just as happy as a large feature in a pot.
• Valencia Orange · Citrus sinensis 'Valencia' The premier summer juicing orange, with thin-skinned, very juicy, sweet-tart fruit that holds well on the tree. Ripening late, it overlaps the navel season and gives fresh juice through the warmer months.
• Washington Navel Orange · Citrus sinensis 'Washington Navel' The classic seedless winter eating orange, with sweet, easy-peeling fruit marked by a small navel at the base. Fragrant white blossom and glossy evergreen foliage make it a handsome and productive backyard tree.
• Tahitian Lime · Citrus x latifolia 'Tahitian' The common seedless market lime, bearing juicy green-to-yellow fruit through the warmer months on a near-thornless tree. Frost-sensitive but otherwise easy, thriving in a warm, sheltered, sunny spot.
• Meyer Lemon · Citrus x meyeri 'Meyer' A naturally compact lemon-mandarin hybrid with sweeter, thin-skinned, deep-yellow fruit and a heavy, near-continuous crop. The hardiest and most container-friendly lemon, ideal for pots and small gardens.

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