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7 - Growing vegetables Print page Salads Lettuce can be grown outdoors from early April onwards, once the soil has begun to warm up.
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Sowing lettuce seeds To get a succession of salad leaves all summer long, you need to sow seeds at regular intervals of two to three weeks.
Ranks of lettuce Sow in rows, and once the seedlings are up, thin them out so that there’s 20cm to 30cm (8in to 12in) between each seedling – check the packet for details.
Ranks of lettuce There are many different types of lettuce, so you can try a whole range and plant half or whole rows. If you are sowing more than one row, space them 45cm (18in) apart.
Lettuce Lettuce are perfect ‘fillers’. You can sneak a row in between other crops, such as tomatoes, as long as they have enough light. Peas and beans Sow bean seeds from mid-May onwards. With climbing beans put up the support first, either tee-pees or a cross caned row made from bamboo canes, or a bean net strung between poles.
Climbing peas One particular problem can be mice stealing the seed, so cover the rows with a thick layer of holly leaves Once broad beans have set a good crop, pinch out the tips to deter blackfly. Sow pea seeds from April onward in rows at 5cm to 7cm (2in to 3in) spacing, so that the plants will be able to support one another. For a succession of peas, sow at two-week intervals. To aid good pollination, grow sweet peas nearby to attract bees.
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7. The productive garden Introduction Setting up your plot Growing vegetables Salads, peas and beans Root crops, cabbage and onion Growing fruit The kitchen diary Greenhouse growing The herb garden Test your knowledge Go further
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