FAQ

FAQs

Where can I buy a Pick-&-Joy® fruiting vegetable? Do you have any tips on how to look after my fruiting vegetable? Where do Pick-&-Joy® fruiting vegetables come from? There are a few examples of questions that you can find below. If you can’t find an answer to your question here, feel free to get in touch using the contact form!

Sales

• Where can I buy Pick-&-Joy® fruiting vegetables?

  Pick-&-Joy® fruiting vegetables are available from a range of garden centres, DIY stores, and florists. Ask your local retailer whether they stock our plants.

• Can I buy Pick-&-Joy® fruiting vegetables in the shop at any time of the year?

  Our range is available from mid March to the end of July. Not all products are available for all of this period, so ask your local florist or garden centre for details.

• Can I order Pick-&-Joy® fruiting vegetables online?

  Our Pick-&-Joy® fruiting vegetables are not available to order online. We are currently looking into this, so watch this space!

• Can I also buy seeds for Pick-&-Joy® products?

  Unfortunately, it is not possible for consumers to buy Pick-&-Joy® seeds. If you are interested in Pick-&-Joy® products for commercial use, please get in touch with us using the contact form.

The concept

• What can I use Pick-&-Joy® fruiting vegetables for?

  In addition to the experience of looking after your own plant, and picking and eating its fruit, the plant also adds a dash of colour in your home, on the terrace/balcony, or in the garden. And of course, you’ll enjoy the delicious taste of a variety of fruiting vegetables!

• What dishes can I make with Pick-&-Joy® fruiting vegetables?

  The fruiting vegetables are delicious as a snack, part of a salad, or an ingredient in a more substantial dish. If you are looking for some inspiration for your recipes, why not check out our recipes page?

• When is the fruit ripe enough to eat?

  You can eat the fruit as soon as it turns the right colour. This means when chilli peppers are red, tomatoes are red, orange, or yellow, sweet peppers are red, orange, or yellow, and strawberries are a vibrant red. Cucumbers and aubergines are edible once they have grown to their full size. The more colourful the fruit, the more delicious it tastes!

• How long has the Pick-&-Joy® fruiting vegetable concept been around?

  In 2004, we developed the first picking tomato, Cherry Tomato Red. The Pick-&-Joy® concept has since grown to include more than 19 varieties, with many more beautiful and healthy ideas on the horizon. Keep a close eye on us!

Caring for your plant

• What's the best way to look after my Pick-&-Joy® plant?

  The best way to look after your plant depends on the type of plant itself. Follow the instructions which come with pictograms on the plant label or on this website. Search for the plant product page in our range. Then take a look at the addition tips on caring for your plant in the FAQs. If you can’t find an answer to your question, feel free to get in touch using the contact form.

• Why would I need to move a plant to a bigger pot?

  Moving your plant to a bigger pot or planting it in the ground will give the roots enough space to grow.

• How much water do I need to use?

  Pick-&-Joy® fruiting vegetables need a lot of water, so please water the plant several times a week. The exact amount and frequency depends on the weather conditions. If it is sunny or windy, the plant will need to be watered more often. Make sure the root ball never dries out. Allow the plant to drain well so the pot doesn’t sit in water or dry out.

• Will the fruit change after harvesting?

  Yes, the colour and ripeness of the fruit will both change provided you have given the plant enough water and follow the cultivation instructions carefully. These instructions are provided in pictograms on the label and on the product page on the website.

• Why are my plant's leaves turning yellow?

  A plant’s leaves turn yellow when it hasn’t had enough water. While its appearance looks less attractive, it should still be able to continue bearing fruit.

• Are Pick-&-Joy® fruiting vegetables hardy?

  No, practically all Pick-&-Joy® fruiting vegetables last for one season. This means that once all the fruits have been picked by the end of the summer, the plant will not yield any more trusses. However, Pick-&-Joy® Strawberry Delizz strawberry plant does last all year long.

• How do I harvest the fruit from the plant?

  You can harvest the fruit by picking it by hand or using a knife to cut it off, depending on the type of plant. Tomatoes and strawberries can be picked by breaking them off from the plant at the top of the fruit. All cucumbers, bell peppers, chilli peppers, and aubergines are best cut off with a knife to prevent damage to the plant.

• Why does the tomato carry on growing?

  The main shoots of the plant continue to grow so that new trusses can keep on developing.

Food safety in cultivation

• Where do Pick-&-Joy® fruiting vegetables come from?

  Pick-&-Joy® fruiting vegetables are grown in a nursery in the Dutch village of De Lier, an area known as the Garden of the Netherlands. They are cultivated in a contemporary glass greenhouse. Want to find out how they are grown? Click here to watch a short video. Want to find out more about our nursery? Visit www.vreugdenhilyoungplants.nl.

• How are Pick-&-Joy® fruiting vegetables cultivated?

  Pick-&-Joy® fruiting vegetables are grown in greenhouses. The seeds are sown, cultivated, and delivered after around sixteen weeks when they have already yielded colourful and ripe fruit. The flowers on the plant are pollinated by bumblebees within the greenhouse. Fruits will grow out of these pollinated flowers around eight weeks after pollination, when they will change colour and become edible.

• Is it safe to eat the fruits of Pick-&-Joy® fruiting vegetables?

  Fruits from Pick-&-Joy® fruiting vegetables are 100% safe to eat. Pick-&-Joy® growers meet the highest certifications available in order to guarantee quality and food safety, while respecting people, planet, and environment. The plants are grown in an as natural way as possible. This involves organic crop protection with the use natural insects when cultivating Pick-&-Joy® fruiting vegetables. These ‘good’ insects help to ward off harmful pests. For more information, read about how our team grows our plants.

• What is a Brix value?

  The Brix value indicates how much sugar is contained in an aqueous solution. Generally speaking, the higher the Brix value, the sweeter the taste and the longer the shelf life. The Pick-&-Joy® range has a number of types of tomatoes with a high Brix value, including the Candytom. 

• What is the Scoville scale?

  The Scoville scale is used to measure the pungency (hotness) of chilli peppers and spicy sauces. A dish that the average person would class as spicy would contain 500 to 1,000 Scoville units. The spiciest peppers in the Pick-&-Joy® range come from the Pick-&-Joy Hot Chili plant and contain 12,000 to 15,000 units. By comparison, the hottest chilli in the world is measured at 2,200,000 units.