Fast food

5 super speedy vegetables to grow

 Abby Beswick

Summer is here and that means abundant, bright, fresh fruit. Imagine if you didn’t need to leave your house to get the best produce summer has to offer and instead you could simply pick them from your backyard. With plenty of long, hot days in summer, some plants require little time from sowing to harvest. Read on to find out which quick-growing vegetables will produce a harvest in just a few short weeks - perfect eaten raw, in your favourite dish or barbecued.

1. Radishes

Radishes are one of the fastest vegetables to grow, taking just three to four weeks to reach harvest time. They’re also extremely easy to grow. The seeds can be sown into prepared ground or in pots. By sowing small batches of seeds every few weeks until the end of summer, you’ll have a continuous crop of these crunchy, peppery vegetables.

2. Beans

Depending on the variety, beans can be fully grown in only a few weeks. They like lots of sun so choose a sunny corner of your vegetable garden or sow in pots. If you don’t have a lot of room, look for dwarf or bush beans, which flourish in small spaces.

3. Spinach

These versatile, dark green leaves, packed with nutrients and vitamins are the perfect accompaniment to a salad, sandwich, quiche or pasta dish. They are a fast-growing, shortlived crop that is easy to grow in the garden or a container. Choose a sunny spot and sow the seeds into prepared soil. Feed every four weeks to keep the leaves in top health. Keep your spinach well watered and pick it regularly to encourage continued growth.

4. Spring onions

This clever little vegetable enhances any meal and the whole plant - leaves and roots - can be used for cooking. Happy in either the garden or a pot, position in full sun and feed regularly with a suitable fertiliser. Keep an eye out for slugs and snails on young seedlings! In just eight weeks your spring onions will be ready for harvest. Pull out the whole plant for cooking or snip the leaves as needed.

5. Cucumber

Who doesn’t love the crunch of fresh cucumber on a salad or in a sandwich? These fast-growers are suitable for pots and garden beds and can be ready to harvest in as little as seven weeks. Plant in full sun, in well-drained, nutrient-rich soil. Give them a trellis to grow on as this improves airflow and discourages fungal diseases. Pick the cucumbers regularly - the more you pick, the more they produce.

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