There's nothing like pulling a bumper crop of quality home grown produce from the vegetable patch, but it's often the misfits that put the biggest smile on your face come harvest season. We're celebrating vulgar vegetables and phallic fruit in 2016 with a hunt for the nation's naughtiest. Be it a bulbous beetroot, contorted carrot or swollen strawberry, we want to see the 'forbidden fruits' of your labour at the end of the growing season. You don't need to be growing Van Meuwen seeds or plants to take part.

The competition is open to all UK gardeners who happen to have something unusual to show off at the end of the season.Simply submit a photo of your creation at www.vanmeuwen.com/competitions before 18 September for a chance to win the £250 cash prize. Van Meuwen General Manager, Chris Wright said: "There are plenty of rewards out there for the biggest or most beautiful but we 're celebrating veg patch misfits this season. There's no guarantee that you 'll end up with an oddball among your crops, so we're kickstarting our Vulgar Vegetable Competition with the re-launch of an old chilli pepper variety, guaranteed to raise eyebrows and give you a suitably rude contender for the competition. "

All rise for the return of Chilli Willy

There's no avoiding the rude resemblance of the aptly named Chilli Willy. This rare heirloom variety has been grown for many years under various guises. In more innocent times it was known as the Peter Pepper. It is a form of capsicum annuum, though not officially recognised as a cultivar of the species. We've renamed it for a modern audience hoping to see it more widely grown, reducing its rarity both in the market place and in the world of chillies.

The naughty-looking fruits are medium-hot (23,000 scoville heat units), but it's not just about the heat, there's a good depth of flavour too. It's an easy-to-grow variety requiring no special care. Best results will be had in a warm greenhouse but Chilli Willy is ideal for windowsill growing and will also perform on the patio. Wherever you grow it, it's bound to entertain your guests at barbecues and outdoor dinner parties this summer. Limited seed stocks have been made available for the 2016 growing season, with plans to fully stock the variety for the 2017 season.