Page 45 - Simply Vegetables Spring 2023

Leeks and radish intercrop
Lettuce crop on bench
once these are cleared the second crop can be sown or planted ready to harvest in the autumn or later. It is surprising how late you can plant leeks and still get a useful crop from them as they will continue to grow into the winter.
Successional Sowing
This is slightly different from the previous two methods in that you sow the same
crop over a period of weeks / months
so that there is a continuous supply over the summer and into the autumn. Typical vegetables that are successional sown are lettuce, radish, chard, spinach, carrots, and beetroot to name a few. Your aim is to sow the next batch of seeds as the previous ones are approx. 25mm high which should be around a fortnight apart. Successional sowing can be sown on fresh ground or
Runner bean and sweet corn intercrop
following a previous crop to make use of any available land. If following a previous crop just remove any crop remains (and compost) lightly cultivate if required, and rake to a tilth ready for sowing.
Successional sowing usually starts
in March and continues through to July, some crops can be sown in late August and September for winter and spring use making use of the ground over winter. To make best use of successional sowing requires a bit of planning and remembering to sow the crops at the right time otherwise there will be a gap between harvests.
Crop Spacing
Books, magazines, seed catalogues and seed packets give a recommended spacing between individual plants and the rows. These distances are based on many
years research and experience at growing the various vegetables and allow for the
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