[music] ah, hello! as summer progresses, gaps inevitablystart to appear as plants are harvested. but leaving theground bare not only attract weeds and leaves thesoil prone to erosion,
easy uk foods, it's also a wasted opportunity to growanother crop. luckily at this time of year, warmth and light are still on our side and there are plenty of vegetables that go from sowing to harvest in very little time at all. in this video, we'll look at 5 of these super-speedyvegetables
that will give you a harvest in just a few short weeks. radishes are one of the fastest vegetables, takingjust 3-4 weeks to reach harvest time. they're also exceptionally easy to grow. seeds can be sown into prepared ground or pots of potting soil. sow the plump seeds very thinly, spacingthem about an inch, or 2cm, apart. sowing small batches every3-4 weeks until the very end of summer will give you a continuous crop of thepeppery roots. the seedlings will pop up within 3-5 days. if necessary, thin the seedlings so theroots have enough room to expand.
keep the ground free ofweeds, and water in dry weather harvest the roots before they get toolarge when they can turn woody in texture and overpoweringly hot. ever-versatile saladspresent a symphony of leaf shapes, textures and tastes, ideal for livening up mealtimes grow individual varieties or create your ownsalad blend by mixing two or more varieties together before sowing. suitable salads include lettuce, mustards and other oriental leaves, kale, and rocket (or arugula). for the quickest results, sow a mix of salads sold for repeat (or cut-and-come-again) harvesting.
sow the seeds very thinly into drillsspaced about 6-10 inches (15-25cm) apart. cover the seats back over then gentlypat the surface of the soil down. water along the rows, then keep thesoil moist and weed-free as the seedlings grow. if summers are very hot in your area, youmay need to wait a few weeks or use shade cloth to reduce temperatures forgermination and good growth. harvesting usually starts just 3weeks after sowing. take 2 or 3 outer leaves from each plant at any one time. this allows the remainingleaves to grow on and provide another cut in a few days'time.
cut little and often for best results. the quickest pods in town, dwarf beans (or bush beans) can be sown immediately after a previous crop to give a speedy picking before the endof the current growing season. taking just 2 months from sowing topod production these trouble-free beans are a must - andkids love them! in summer the beans can be sown directlyinto the ground or into pots of potting soil. poke the seeds into the soil,spacing them 10-16 inches (25-40cm) apart. sow a batch once a month until the endof summer.
the young seedlings look like this, and grow on to produce short, bushy plants which soon come into flower. pick the pods every few days as they appear, so that you enjoy themwhile they're still small and tender. regular picking encourages plants tocontinue forming pods. savour the beans raw in salads, or lightly steamed with a curl of butter and a grind of the peppermill. carrots are not the most obvious speedy vegetable, but choose a quick-growing, finger-sized variety and you can expect sweet crunchy rootsin just 6 weeks.
sow into pots of potting soil, spreading the seed thinly over the surface, then cover with a thin layer of sieved potting soil. or sow the seed into drills spaced about 6 inches (15cm) apart. cover back over, and water. in some parts of the world the larvae of the carrot fly can prove a nuisance, burrowing into the roots and spoiling the crop. a row cover will stop the flies fromlaying their eggs. once the seedings have appeared, thin them on arainy day when there will be fewer carrot flies about,or failing that, on a still, cloudy day,
watering afterwardsto settle the soil back around the roots. thin to around an inch (2cm) apart. pull up the tender carrots while they'restill young. if necessary, use a border fork to firstloosen the soil. the smooth, succulent leaves of spinach are extraordinarily versatile. use them in salads, as a key ingredient to quiches and flans, or stirred into risottos or pasta dishes. start it off once a month to enjoy rightup until the first frosts. sow into rows about a foot (30cm) apart.
space the seeds an inch (2cm) apart within the rows then thin the seedlings to leave 8 inches(20cm) between them. plants can quickly bolt in hot weather,which causes the leaves to turn bitter. prevent this by sowing inlight shade during the heat of summer, and by always keeping the ground moist. cut the leaves away using a sharp knife or scissors. don't let the leaves get too big, and rememberto harvest little and often. later sowings can be covered with arow cover or tunnel to help growth along as the weatherturns cooler.
sow your super-speedy crops into well prepared soil. this simply means insuring your soil hasenough nutrients to support healthy growth and has the right texture to encourageeven germination. in most cases all that's needed toprepare the ground is to sprinkle on a top-up of organicfertilizer before raking the soil to a fine tilth. all of these super-speedy vegetables can be grown in pots of good quality multi-purpose potting soil. while our quintet of super-speedy vegetableswill have little time to attract pests, do take a few precautions.
carrot fly hasalready had a special mention. use the same row covers protecting your carrots to guard against flea beetles on radishes and some salad leaves. slugs can decimate seedlings, so set upbeer traps or shady retreats such as an upturned grapefruit shell, then collect up and discard any you find. don't forget to report any pests you find on our big bug hunt website. we'll use your reports to help us developwarning systems against common pests. even up until surprisingly late in thesummer
it's perfectly possible to grow some of thesesuper-speedy vegetables. try some of these quick croppers for yourself, and get ready for a bonus harvest in just a few short weeks. we'd love to hear what super-speedyvegetables you recommend for your area. please drop us a comment below and tellus. and if you haven't done so already, don't forget to subscribe for more helpful gardening advice.
ConversionConversion EmoticonEmoticon