Garden News Mini Mag

er salads
Super quick-grow spring
onions are ready in just
over a month
5
SPRING
ONIONS
are compact and simple to
grow, making them ideal in
containers and window boxes, but
in the garden, you’ll need a soil that
can be raked to a fine tilth to get
consistent germination. They’re best
sown in drills 10cm (4in) apart, right
until the end of June, for harvesting
throughout the summer. They first
reach a usable size after about six
weeks and it’s best to pull them
quickly before the bulbs get too big.
TRY ‘White Lisbon’, ‘Ramrod, or
purple-tinged ‘Apache’.
Sweet, crunch
carrots can
produce baby
roots in under
two months
A mix of potted
salad leaves makes
for easy pickings
6 CUT-AND-
COME-AGAIN
LEAVES are ready
in four weeks. A whole variety
of loose-leaf lettuces and other
leaves, such as mizuna, oriental
mustard, pak choi and rocket,
can be sown individually or
mixed for a combination of
colours, flavours and textures.
To harvest, cut young leaves
about 2cm (1in) from soil level,
leaving the central growing
points intact to give two or
three more harvests. Grow in
well-watered pots, window
boxes, or decorative rows in the
garden. Sow every two to three
weeks outdoors until August.
TRY lettuces ‘Green Salad Bowl’
and ‘Catalogna’, rocket ‘Apollo’,
or one of the seed mixes available.
7
BABY
CARROTS have
such a sugary crunch
they’ll be lucky to make it
as far as your salad bowl!
Early, rather than maincrop,
varieties are particularly fast
growing and should produce
baby roots in seven weeks.
Seeds are best sown about
1cm (½in) apart, in shallow
drills 15cm (6in) wide, in
fertile, well-drained soil.
You can do this until the end
of this month. Carrots also
flourish in deep pots, where
their feathery foliage looks
attractive. Protect crops from
carrot fly by growing under
horticultural fleece.
TRY fast-maturing ‘Ideal’
for a rich taste.