Easy first crops and when to sow them

Hardy or tender

Every vegetable is either hardy or tender. Hardy crops — broad beans, garlic, onions, lettuce, radishes, spinach — survive cold nights and light frost, so they can be sown in early spring, and some in autumn. Tender crops — courgettes, French and runner beans, tomatoes, squash — are killed by frost. They go outside only after your area's last frost date, which in much of northern Europe falls between late April and late May. A local weather service or a nearby allotment society can tell you yours.^[1][4]

Five forgiving crops

Radishes are ready four to six weeks after sowing: the quickest win there is. Loose-leaf lettuce and rocket can be picked a few leaves at a time for weeks. Garlic is planted as single cloves in autumn and simply left until the following summer. Courgettes are tender, but one plant set out after the last frost gives more than most households can eat. Above all, choose crops you like to eat: it is the best reason to keep watering them.^[1][5]

Reading the seed packet

The back of a seed packet is a short course in one crop. It says when to sow, how deep, how far apart, and whether to sow straight into the bed or first in small pots indoors. Sowing straight into the soil where the plant will grow is called direct sowing, and it suits roots such as radishes and carrots, which dislike being moved. The months on the packet are a guide; the soil and the weather have the final say.^[1][2]

Practice: Plan four crops on a calendar

1. Write down four vegetables you like from this Lesson, including one hardy crop you can plant this autumn.
2. Look up your area's average last frost date and mark it on a calendar.
3. Write each crop's sowing or planting month on the calendar, keeping tender crops after the frost date.
4. Pin the calendar where you will see it every week.

1. 1.Which of these is tender, and must wait until after the last frost?
   Garlic bulbsLettuce plantsCourgette plants✓ (correct answer)Spinach plants

   ✓ Correct. Courgettes are killed by frost. Garlic, lettuce and spinach are hardy and cope with the cold.

2. 2.Roughly how long after sowing are radishes ready to eat?
   Four to six weeks✓ (correct answer)Four to six monthsOne to two weeksNine to ten months

   ✓ Correct. Radishes are the fastest crop for a beginner: ready four to six weeks after sowing.

3. 3.How thick should the compost layer be on a new no-dig bed?review
   1 to 2 centimetres40 to 50 centimetres3 to 4 centimetres10 to 15 centimetres✓ (correct answer)

   ✓ Correct. Spread 10 to 15 centimetres of compost over the cardboard — from Lesson 2.