RUNAWAY SILVERBEET

Longer spring days can trigger bolting in silverbeet, perpetual silverbeet (pictured above) and spinach. The plants decide it’s time to set seed and there’s not much you can do about it. You can slow things down a bit by cutting out the main stem, but it’s a sign the plants have done their dash. Sow spinach seed or pop in some seedlings every couple of weeks for a continuous supply.