{"product_id":"caper-bush","title":"Caper Bush","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eCaper Bush is a tough, drought-tolerant Mediterranean shrub grown for one very good reason: its flower buds are capers, the small, intensely flavoured pickle used in kitchens around the world. Harvested just before they open and cured in brine or salt, the buds develop that sharp, tangy, slightly salty bite that lifts a pasta puttanesca, a smoked salmon bagel or a simple caper butter sauce.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eThis is a genuinely old plant. Capparis spinosa has been cultivated for thousands of years across the Mediterranean and Middle East, and it still grows wild there today, often wedged into cracks in stone walls and rocky hillsides where almost nothing else survives. That toughness is exactly what makes it such a rewarding plant to grow at home. It wants poor, rocky, free-draining soil and as much sun as you can give it, conditions that would leave most vegetables struggling.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eNew to the Kings Seeds range, Caper Bush suits a warm, sheltered, sunny spot, ideally against a north-facing wall or bank where the soil drains sharply and heat reflects back onto the plant. It is not a fast crop. Germination is slow and can take some patience, and the shrub needs a couple of seasons in the ground before it is established enough to start producing a meaningful harvest of buds. Once it gets going, though, it is a long-lived perennial that will keep producing for years with very little fuss, needing far less water and attention than most edible plants once its roots are down.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eIf you enjoy growing something a little unusual, or you simply love capers and want to know exactly where yours came from, Caper Bush is worth the wait. Pick the flower buds while they are still tightly closed, sort them by size if you like (smaller buds are prized for their finer texture), and preserve them in brine or salt following your preferred recipe\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"text-text-100 mt-2 -mb-1 text-base font-bold\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003eSowing Caper Bush\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eSow from September through to November. Caper seed germinates slowly and can be erratic, so soil temperature and patience both matter, aim for 25-30°C and expect germination to take anywhere from 28 to 84 days. Once seedlings are established and hardened off, plant out into a sunny, free-draining position, spacing plants 100cm apart within the row and 150cm between rows to give the sprawling shrub room to spread. Allow 2-3 years for plants to mature to full production.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Kings Seeds NZ","offers":[{"title":"50 seeds","offer_id":49207677092148,"sku":"F1486.pkt","price":5.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0729\/0555\/6276\/files\/F1486-W.png?v=1784780914","url":"https:\/\/www.kingsseeds.co.nz\/products\/caper-bush","provider":"Kings Seeds NZ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}