March

Pennyroyal is a cottage garden plant of old. This highly aromatic herb has a strong peppermint scent to its dark green leaves, even more so than other mints. With attractive whorls of lilac-blue flowers, it can be used to carpet a shady corner or make a 'lawn' smelling deliciously of peppermint.

One of the most well known of the New Mexico peppers, the Anaheim is a slightly sweet pepper with just a little pop, they are great for people who typically don’t like spicy foods. Versatile, family friendly and big enough to be stuffed, if you are bored of the bell pepper, try moving up this small notch.

Arguably the most under-rated pepper in the pepper family. Known as Poblano when green and Ancho when ripened to red and dried, they are one of the most popular peppers grown in Mexico. With a mild taste they are perfect for adding a zing to sauces, sandwiches and steaks, and excellent when stuffed. Very easy to grow and even easier to harvest.

Bhut Jolokia, the Ghost Pepper has a reputation. It was officially the worlds hottest Chilli in the Guinness Book of Records from 2007 until 2011. At over 1 millium SHU's it is still one of the hottest pepper in the world. Each chilli ripens from lime green to orange to red. The flavour tends to have a smoky, earthy taste with a somewhat fruity aftertaste.

With a great fruity tang, and not too hot, this rare little beauty produces bright red peppers that have a crisp texture, a sweet pleasant flavour with only a mild pungency. Named for its distinct three-sided shape, 'Bishops Crown' is great to eat raw as an edible decoration. Cut the chillies in half, remove the core and add to salads or garnish hors d'oeuvre.

Long Slim Red Cayenne is one of the best known hot chili peppers, it is a good long hot chilli that always performs well and dries nicely. Producing an abundance of very wrinkled fruits which have thin flesh, they are used fresh in hot sauces or dried and ground for cayenne pepper.

Pepperoncini peppers originally hail from Europe, specifically Italy and Greece, often served in salads and on antipasti platters. They barely nudge the pepper scale and have a slightly sweet 'tang’ especially when pickled. Mild, tasty and crunchy, they bring many foods to life.

If you love the taste of Jalapenos but can’t take the heat, 'Jalapeño Tam' is the one for you. Developed by Texas A&M to have the Jalapeno flavour without the heat, and at only 1,000-1,500 SHUs, this is much milder than the typical Jalapeno so you and all the family can enjoy all the flavour and not worry about it burning your tongue.

Jalapeño peppers are among the most popular and commonly available hot chilli pepper seeds in the world. They are very versatile: hot enough for a good kick, but still mild enough to use as a vegetable. The smooth, dark green fruits which ripen to red have thick walls with a rounded tip.

The 'Jamaican Hot Yellow' aren't the hottest chillies in the world, but clocking up to 100,000 to 200,000 SHU's these are probably as hot as one really needs to go. Behind the heat will be found a gorgeous fruity, citrusy flavour. Use in salsas, chutneys soups and sauces, they mix especially well in salsas with fruit.

Pepper 'Little Wonder' has a compact growth habit and produces festive, deep scarlet, conical shaped peppers. Edible and ornamental, it seems a shame to confine them to just the veggie patch when they can be grown all year long in containers. Sown May to June they will produce fruits in perfect time for Christmas.

Pepper ‘Picante a Mazzetti’ produces attractive cone shaped, chillies which grow vertically with many fruits per bunch. known as 'Bouquet di Peperoncini', they mature to a festive, deep scarlet red, and have a multitude of ornamental as well as edible uses. Sown May to June they will produce fruits in perfect time for Christmas.

Pimientos de Padrón are amazingly tasty, tiny fresh peppers. The Spanish delicacy often served in Tapas bars, chances are if you have been to Spain you have gobbled up small plates of these in one sitting. Padrón peppers can be harvested as early as mid-May when small and sweet.