Despite being a source of insults - swede basher, cabbage head, couch potato - the kitchen garden is as full of life, excitement and anecdote as the flower garden. Vegetables have relieved, and caused, famines. They have played a part in protest movements and been used to wage and win wars. Vegetables have shaped the world we know - while the American population thrived on 'king corn' (maize) and green beans, Europeans were hot-housed on a diet of...