baby sweetcorn or mange tout

These are veggies we never eat at home, and I don't think my kids have ever tasted them. And it's because I won't buy veg that's been air frieghted - my hippy-dippy conscience just won't let me.

But is it at all possible to grow these in Britain? And if it is, how tricky is it?

 

I haven't grown baby sweetcorn, but I have grown mange tout. They are quite easy to grow, and crop quite well. I haven't grown them as far north as Manchester, though (just in Hereford and in soiless High Wycombe!) As I remember, they grew quite easily - well, in the first location anyway. Everything was a challenge on chalk-and-flint. You just need decentish soil, some pea-sticks (any bits of branch, about 1 metre long) for the peas to grow up, and a little bit of patience...

Now there's a thought - have I room for some this year?

 

Mini-corn is a waste of time. I've grown it (as well as "Grown Up Corn") for several years. It took me that long to realise that, although the kids like Mini Corn, they are just as happy (probably more so) to eat Full Size Cobs, and they taste much better, and crop earlier with less massive plants.

You have to pick Mini Corn at exactly the right time, otherwise it grows into Big Corn (but isn't tasty in that format), and its very hard to gauge whether the mini-corn is ready or not. And its tasteless (seemingly not to a child, but it is to me!)

You might want to grow Sugar Snap Peas instead of Mange Tout. They can be picked at the "eat the pods" stage, but if you miss that you can let them grow on and shell/eat them the same as Peas

 

Thanks Kristen - try as I might, I couldn't remember the name of the "fat" mange tout peas!