White strawberries and purple potatoes trends for next year's gardeners

They are the traditional taste of an English summer, but next year you could enjoy your strawberries with a hint of the tropics. Pineberries, or white strawberries, have a flavour reminiscent of pineapple and are predicted to be the hit of the summer. More than 3,000 plants have been sent to garden centres. The white fruit which has a very pale pink tinge, appears early and can be ready in May. Purple Majesty potatoes are also expected to prove popular after 100 tons of seed potatoes were sent to stores. Experts say the potatoes are high in anthocyanin, an antioxidant which is linked to potential health benefits in treating diabetes, inflammation and age-related disease.

They are also versatile and can be roasted, mashed or made into chips. Growers report that they are a versatile spud which is ideal for mashing, baking and roasting, and particularly good as chips and crisps. Both purple potatoes and white strawberries have been supplied before but only in relatively small volumes. Next year is predicted to be the year when they become fashionable among gardeners along with other trends including “turbo” melons and tomatoes, in which standard examples are grafted onto highly vigorous roots, giving larger plants, heavier crops and greater resistance to pests like whitefly. A spokeswoman for Suttons Seeds, which supply the products, said: “We’re preparing for these plants to be big hits with growers next year.”

Source: telegraph.co.uk