Quick-growing vegetables

Carrots are not the most obvious speedy vegetable, but choose a quick-growing finger-sized variety and you can expect sweet, crunchy roots in just six weeks.

Sow into pots of potting soil, spreading the seed thinly over the surface, then cover with a thin sieved layer of compost. Or sow the seed into drills spaced about 6in (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 keep the flies from laying their eggs. Once the seedlings have appeared, thin them on a rainy day when there will be fewer carrot flies about, or on a still, cloudy day to about an inch (2.5cm) apart. Water afterwards to settle soil back around the roots.

Pull up the tender carrots while they are still young, if necessary using a border fork to first loosen the soil.

Salad leaves

Sowing to harvest: 21 days

Ever-versatile salads present a symphony of leaf shapes, textures and tastes ideal for livening up meal times. Grow individual varieties or create your own salad blend by mixing two or more varieties together before sowing. Suitable salads include lettuce, mustards and other leaves, kale, and rocket.

For the quickest results, sow a mix of salads sold for repeat, or cut-and-come-again harvesting. Sow the seeds very thinly into drills spaced around 6-10 inches, or 15 to 25cm apart. Cover the seeds back over then gently pat the surface of the soil down. Water along the rows then keep the soil moist and weed free as the seedlings grow. If temperatures are high in your area, you may need to wait a few weeks or use shade-cloth to reduce temperatures for germination and good growth.

Harvesting can start just three weeks after sowing. Take two or three outside leaves from each plant at any one time. This allows the remaining leaves to grow on and provide another cut in a few days’ time. Cut little and often for best results.

Spinach

Seed to maturity: 30 days

The smooth, succulent leaves of spinach are extraordinarily versatile. Use them in salads or stirred into risottos or pasta dishes. Start it off once a month to enjoy continuously.

Sow into rows about a foot (30cm) apart. Set the seeds an inch (2.5cm) apart then thin the resulting seedlings to roughly 8in (20cm) apart. Plants can quickly bolt in hot weather, which causes the leaves to turn bitter. Prevent this by sowing in light shade during the heat and by always keeping the ground moist.

Cut the leaves away using a sharp knife or scissors. Do not let the leaves get too big, and remember to harvest little and often. Later sowings can be covered with a row cover or tunnel to help growth along as the weather turns cooler.

Lettuce

Lettuce is one of the fastest and easiest garden vegetables to grow. Lettuce is an easy going plant that does not get too fussy about its growing conditions. It also has a shallow root system, so it’s great for small shaded areas in the garden. Lettuce grows voraciously Position your lettuce containers in partial shade and use a loamy, slightly acidic to neutral potting soil. 

Beets

Beetroots are ready to harvest just 45 days after planting. Beet greens (which are often discarded even though they are packed with nutrients) can be harvested in just two to three weeks. Beets are a root vegetable, so it may come as a surprise to learn that they are well-suited to container gardening, or that they don’t even require especially large containers to develop sizable beets. However, beets don’t need as much space as you might think. In actuality, a single beet plant only needs a container that is at least six to eight inches deep. Place your beet containers in a bright, sunny location in slightly acidic to neutral soil. Beets prefer a loamy, sandy substrate. Beets will produce better roots in full sun, but they will tolerate partial sun as well.

Preparing the ground

Sow your super-speedy crops into well-prepared soil. This simply means ensuring the soil has enough nutrients to support healthy growth and has the right texture to encourage even germination. In most cases all that’s needed to prepare the ground is to sprinkle on a top-up of organic fertiliser before raking the soil surface to a fine tilth.

All of these super-speedy vegetables can also be grown in pots of good-quality, multipurpose compost.

gardening channel & growveg.com