Here at Tengu we always try to write about what we know rather than what we’ve heard. Perhaps you read about growing your own beetroot in the Spring Tengu Times? Here are our plants, grown from seeds from Tanenomori. They can be eaten raw or are easy to cook and have a wonderful flavour, either by themselves or pickled in vinegar. They have very shallow roots and the leaves are not too big so do fine growing in a container. If you didn’t manage to grow your own this year make a note in your diaries for next year!

And for those of you following the upside down tomatoes, they are doing very well. The leaves seem to be suffering from lack of sunlight as the bucket is hanging in a shaded corner but there is no shortage of fruit! I have also realized that the hanging bag needs watering by hand as, unlike the bucket, the top is closed and the rain can’t get in. Compared to the plants grown right way up both plants are less bushy but they have around the same quantity of fruit per plant. As far as general care and maintenance the upside down plants are far simpler – less weeding for a start!