>These "unpopular for a reason" veg : how come they are sold on every seed rack in every garden centre in the land, rather than being specialist-purchase only?
Because they sell!
Repressed veg-man walks up and down with his trolley on the shortest day of the year and sees a new Eiffel tower shaped veg with a Taj Mahal on the top that promises frost resistent 'gourmet' tubers, spinach-flavoured thinnings that can be eaten both cooked and raw, and fruits that have a savoury curry flavour when unripe and a fizzy-sherbert-strawberries-and-cream flavour when ripe.
Actually repressed veg-man doesn't even get a look in, 'cos frustrated lizzie-lotte gets their first.
The reality, of course, is that to stand any chance of germination the seeds need to be kept at minus 20 for a month, then heated in a thermal spring for a fortnight, before being planted in pure bat guano from Timbuktoo. The seedlings then need to be brought on in a tropical greenhouse of 38 Celcius, 95% humidity, with a constant 16 hours of sunlight for eighteen months.
But veg-man doesn't give up! Oh no! He'll buy the astronomically priced seeds for at least three years before latching on to the next 'big thing' (apparantly a non-invasive artichoke that doesnt make you f*art, but does turn you pee all the colours of the rainbow).
SS