Food
6 fastest-growing vegetables to sow now and eat in summer
by Christine Faughlin
Do you want to grow your own veg but haven’t the patience to wait for results? Plant these six fast-growing salad staples now and you’ll be eating homegrown salads come summer.
1. Radishes
These are one of the easiest and quickest vegetables to grow. They tolerate most soil types, don’t take up much space and are ready to crop within about four weeks.
2. Cress
Take egg and cress sandwiches to the next level with these fast-growing microgreens. Seeds will germinate in a matter of days, if grown indoors in a warm spot, and they’ll reach an edible size in just two weeks.
3. Rocket
For a continuous supply of this ‘cut-and-come-again’ crop throughout summer, sow seeds every two weeks. They’ll be ready for picking about four weeks after sowing.
4. Spinach
Brilliant in baby leaf salads, you can sow spinach seeds outside any time from March until July. Leaves will be ready to snip and eat within two months.
5. Spring onions
These are best sown little and often for a bumper crop throughout summer. Once sown, they pretty much look after themselves, and are ready to harvest after about eight weeks.
6. Lettuce
Great for growing in containers, just remember to thin out the seedlings when they start to come through, to give them space to grow. Plant a mix of varieties – loose leaf lettuce will be ready to harvest in about six weeks. Hearted lettuce will be ready to harvest in about 10 weeks.
Get loads of inspiration for spring recipes here!
