How to grow catch up crops

Rely on the power of speedy veg this year – they can ensure you have a productive season, even if you’re only starting this month!

For gardeners who have started the season a little later than most, or have experienced some growing disasters, fast-maturing crops are the perfect solution! For a regular supply of delicious edibles, successional sowing is a fantastic option.
This method of growing involves starting seeds in small but regular batches throughout the season to prevent gluts and make the most of any growing space. Understanding the growing cycle of your veg will allow you to use your time wisely and prepare new crops to fill the space of the spent originals. The slightly varying methods can be used to produce the best yields ever.
Focusing on quick-maturing varieties such as radishes and baby carrots in small batches is a highly productive way to practice successional sowing, as they are rather perishable and will rapidly lose their fresh taste and flavour if left in the ground for too long. Depending on the variety of veg you have chosen, and the space you have, seeds can be sown at fortnightly intervals so that yields are produced at alternating times.
Coriander and other crops that are highly prone to bolting benefit from successional sowing and harvesting to reduce the risk of them setting seed due to stressful conditions – the fruit or leaves can be picked as soon as possible to ensure their freshness.

Why not try plug plants?
No matter how much growing experience any gardener has, there will always be the odd crop that causes no end of germination problems. This issue is especially disappointing when the seeds have sprouted, but the resulting seedlings fail to develop fully, wasting weeks of your time and leaving a gap on your plot.
If you find yourself in this situation, plug plants are an excellent alternative, as they will be delivered to your door at the correct time for moving outside, and require less care to produce yields later in the season. If this is your first year of growing your own, these edibles provide a great chance to broaden your experience of caring for a range of different fruit and veg. With any luck, this should give you more confidence for the following year.
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5 fast-maturing crops to try now

LETTUCE
Many types of lettuce are fantastic cut-and-come-again salad crops that are easy to grow and have the potential to provide an abundance of leaves throughout the season. Sow seeds or introduce plug plants from March to August and harvest some early whilst allowing others to mature – this will stagger the production of your veg and create a continuous supply. Varieties such as ‘Cocarde’, ‘Lollo Biondi’, and ‘Lollo Rosso’ are great options for gardeners looking for an unusual addition to their plot.

BEETROOT
This veg is visually stunning with a wonderfully sweet flavour, and they can be enjoyed as mature roots or as tasty baby beets. Try steaming the tender stems and leaves as an alternative to spinach or chard. They will take around three months to mature, depending on variety, and should be picked from the ground anytime from June to October. Make sure you sow seeds fortnightly to make use of the successional method.

CARROTS
Fast-maturing carrot varieties such as ‘Nantes 2’, ‘Amsterdam Forcing’ and ‘Parisian’ are ideal for growing more than one crop in a season. The first sowing under cloches in February or March will give thinnings from mid-May and larger roots from June. Start them outdoors from April to July for an uninterrupted supply through to autumn. Always allow plenty of space to avoid overcrowding and to get more carrots from your packet. If you’re cultivating veg outside, do this every one to four weeks, and if you’re choosing indoor conditions, try to stick to fortnightly intervals.

TURNIPS
This veg is another great option if you’re looking for a bumper harvest past the usual growing season. Sow seeds from June to July and you’ll be pulling up these tasty roots through the autumn and into the winter. ‘Tokyo Wonder’ and ‘Purple Top Milan’ are examples that are easy to cultivate and will produce delicious crops. Turnips take around three months to mature, so a sowing schedule of one row every two weeks throughout the sowing months should be ideal. They’re best taken from the ground when they reach the size of a golf ball, as this is when their flavour is at its greatest.

PEAS
Round-seeded pea varieties are perfect for successional sowing. Try varieties such as ‘Kelvedon Wonder’ and ‘Jaguar’, starting them in September or October for an early crop and then again from January onwards. This will keep your stocks topped up through the winter months and continue the season as other plants become worn out. Try growing them in a zig-zag pattern to allow space for supportive canes as they develop. Crops will be ready to harvest around two months after sowing, so it’s important to cultivate this veg on a fortnightly basis to ensure a constant supply.