The rising availability of imported fresh produce means shoppers have little idea about British fruit and veg seasons, new research has found.

Many people haven't a clue when peas, plums or apples are ripe for the picking, according to Gardeners' World magazine.

Nearly two thirds of the 1,007 people questioned had no idea when the ripening season was for a selection of British fruit and vegetables.

Most respondents made an educated guess by naming the summer months as the most likely harvest time for everything, researchers found.

• Cox's Orange Pippin apples proved the most baffling, with only 13 per cent correctly naming their ripening season as being October and November.

• Asparagus also caused confusion, with just 20 per cent of respondents aware that it came into season between April and May.

• Jersey Royal potatoes fared little better with just 31 per cent of interviewees correctly naming their ripening season as April to May.

• Blackberries were the most-understood fruit, with 51 per cent of respondents aware of their August to September ripening season.

• The over 65s were most aware of picking seasons with 71 per cent of people in that age bracket getting the answers right. That dropped to just 26 per cent for the 18 to 24s.

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