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Now that the weather is getting warmer and soil is more likely to dry out, seeds sown directly in the soil give speedy salad and herb crops for a low cost.
Many herbs – coriander and dill, for example – grow fast and flower quickly. Although the flowers are valuable for wildlife and the seeds can be used in the kitchen, frequent sowing (every two or three weeks) in small batches is needed for a more or less constant supply of fresh young leaves. When planning how to use your plot, remember to leave space for future sowings – although it is also possible to sow the earliest crops between rows of slower-growing crops such as Brussel sprouts or peas (officially known as intercropping).
Basil, second only to coriander in popularity, is more tender and best sown in modules indoors, but will succeed outdoors, ideally under a cloche. As it dislikes transplanting, this works well in warm weather.
Chervil and parsley are longer lasting than coriander and two batches – one now and another in July – are often enough. Parsley may not germinate well for some people and if this is the case, pour water just off the boil along the rows over the seeds to leach away germination inhibitors in the seeds.
Fennel and chives are perennials but seed packets cost the same as buying a plant, and you have some surplus plants to swap, give away or sell. The same goes for French sorrel, an interesting attractive perennial salad rather than a herb, which is cut as needed.
Other salads are readily grown from seed; plentiful lettuces are needed in June when their freshness is especially appealing, but also chard, salad onions, radishes, rocket and spinach.
If March sowings were delayed, raising these plants closely-sown in seed trays or other containers for mini-leaves will fill in the gap before the hearting lettuce are ready. They should be ready about a month after sowing. They make useful crops to fill any greenhouse space while the tomatoes and other summer crops are developing.
Other salads that tend to bolt (flower prematurely) when spring sown lend themselves well to growing as mini-leaves; chicory, corn salad, kales, mizuna, mustard and endive. For something less usual, consider winter purslane with fleshy round leaves or red orache, a relative of fat hen with purple young leaves.
Small, “baby” roots also make good salads as well as vegetables. Beetroot, for example, yields thinnings whose leaves make an earthy addition to salads, while the roots are delicious cooked to barely tender when golf ball size. Leave some to attain larger proportions for harvesting later. Beetroot is highly intolerant of competition so pluck plants regularly to avoid overcrowded. Baby carrots and turnips also grow swiftly but avoid overcrowding so they attain usable roots quickly. The same goes for radish which, despite the small root size, need at least 5cm between plants for quick, well-shaped results.
Time now too for cucumbers for later summer salads. Greenhouses, even if unheated, are warm enough for cucumbers. Snack-sized mini-cucumbers are popular with children and even easier to grow than regular cucumbers, seeming quite happy in conditions that suit tomatoes, generally the most important greenhouse summer crop.
Plants from garden centres are inexpensive compared to the enormous crops cucumbers can deliver (three plants are sufficient for most households). Sow outdoor cucumbers such as La Diva and Tanja for high-quality fruits in modules indoors for planting in early June – again crops can be enormous so six plants are usually plenty.
