Advice
RHS Help & Advice
Cut and come again vegetables
Leafy
greens and salad vegetables, such as lettuces, do not have to be grown to produce mature heads or hearts. Instead they can be harvested for their young leaves which are tender and mild flavoured.
Several flushes of growth can usually be harvested from each sowing avoiding glut and dearth, common when mature vegetables are grown.
Harvesting at such a young stage allows very close spacing of plants. Allow about 10-15 cm (4-6in) between rows, spacing seeds so that a seedling grows every 1cm (0.5in). Broadcasting the seed is also possible but weeding can be tricky. It is best not to mix seeds as the different plants take different periods to reach cutting size.
Cut and come again leaves take little space and are suitable for the smallest garden, but can be expensive in seeds. Special cut and come again collections can be economical.
Well-drained
moist soils are essential. Raised beds filled with soil, improved with organic matter are ideal. Containers and growing-bags can also be used where space is short or for indoor crops.
Moderate levels of fertiliser are sufficient. Dry soils should be watered and allowed to drain before sowing.
After sowing, a fleece covering will exclude pests and promote growth. Seedlings usually grow so fast that the crop is gathered before slugs can accumulate.
Suitable types to try include:
Amaranth
Beetroot
Chard
Chicory
Chinese cabbage
Corn salad
Endive
Kale - including red kale
Land cress
Leaf Celery
Lettuces
Mizuna
Pak choi
Radish leaves only
Sorrel
Spinach
Spinach beet
Tatsoi
Watering to keep the soil moist is all that is needed once the crop is growing. Pests are unlikely and can be washed off before consuming and these leaves grow too quickly for diseases to be a problem.
Autumn and winter crops can be grown in greenhouses, conservatories or even on bright windowsills.
Harvesting
Gather leaves as soon as they are a worthwhile size, with scissors, at about 2.5cm (1in) high. Foliage often regrows from the base and several crops can be taken from one sowing.
Pick in the morning, before the heat of the day, and store in the refrigerator until mealtimes.
Growing salad crops
For information on this topic visit the BBC gardening website