Still time to sow...

It's not time to put away your sowing lines and cell trays just yet, as Emma Rawlings suggests a few things you could sow this month

- Emma Rawlings

We all have a big push to get crops sown and planted in spring. These will now be growing well, with some already being harvested - but what could we sow now? If you take a rest at this point and spend your days watering and waiting for harvests to come then that's absolutely fine. But if you want to extend the harvesting period you could keep up the momentum and sow a few things now to fill gaps and extend the growing season as crops are harvested.

Here are a few things you can be sowing this month to keep the growing going.

CABBAGES

It's a good time to sow some spring cabbages now. They will be harvested at a time of year when there is often not too much to pick from the veg plot. Good varieties include 'Wheelers Imperial', a Victorian variety with dense pointed heads that are harvested from March onwards. Other varieties to try include 'April' and 'Durham Early'.

HOW TO GROW

You can sow in a seedbed in a designated area of the veg plot and cover immediately with some fleece or crop protection mesh. As the seedlings emerge thin them out, and when you have some young plants that can be handled easily you can transplant to an area of the plot to grow on. The other method is to start off in cell trays or small pots and transplant the young plants onto the plot when about 15cm (6in) tall. Cover immediately with crop protection or butterfly mesh.

CARROTS