Sudeley Victorian Kitchen Garden

Have you ever grown your own vegetables only to discover they taste no better than those from the supermarket? Unfortunately, in the UK, vegetable varieties have been whittled down to the few that suit busy farmers and finicky shoppers. Uniform color, shape, size and harvest time are in. Flavor, some gardeners would say, is out.

Well, they want it back and Victorian kitchen gardens like the one at Sudeley Castle show how to get it and save the planet too. The garden has been planted with seeds supplied by the Heritage Seed Library. The Library was created by Garden Organic, Europe’s largest organic charity, to save and distribute rare varieties of vegetables. Commercial pressures have already killed off more than 200 vegetable varieties in the last 20 years, according to the charity. For example, of the 150 varieties of tall pea once grown, only one remains.

Rare vegetables planted at Sudeley include Leek Walton Mammoth (Allium porrum ‘Walton Mammoth’), which has long white stems and matures quickly, and Radish Wood’s Frame (Raphanus sativus ‘Wood’s Frame’), which reportedly has a ‘fresh clean flavor – not too hot.’ Leek Walton Mammoth is also resistant to rust and this highlights at least one reason for saving it – and other threatened vegetables too.

Diversity is protection against disease and pests, says Garden Organic. Without it, one disease could wipe out an entire crop. In fact, this has already happened at least once. The Irish Potato Famine was caused by that country’s dependence on just one variety of potato – the Lumper.

When the stakes are so high, it’s no surprise that powerful pesticides are used. Organic pesticide-free methods are difficult without diversity, but with it, much easier. Sudeley Castle’s vegetable garden is completely organic and like any good Victorian kitchen garden, it looks as great as it tastes. Along with the Radishes, Leeks and Peas, typical Victorian ornamentals, such as Cardoons (Cynara cardunculus), are grown as well as ornamental herbs such as Rosemary. All are thriving.

Perhaps organic vegetable gardening suits Victorian and heritage vegetables so well partly because some organic practices, such as crop rotation and using predators to control pests, are actually Victorian in origin. Of course, not all Victorian practices were green. Using cyanide and strychnine to control pests, for example, is probably best not copied.

Visit Garden Organic’s website to find out more about organic gardening and heritage seeds. You can even adopt a vegetable.