Sow salads now

Keep sowing batches of fast-cropping salads and root crops such as radish, beetroot and carrots for a steady supply over the coming months. It’s also time to sow seeds of Florence fennel. The swollen white bulb has a delicious aniseed flavour, but is a notoriously tricky crop to grow as it bolts if stressed. Fluctuating night-time temperatures in May and June can cause it to flower and go to seed, so sow in July when temperatures are more consistent. Sow direct into rich but free-draining soil and water well to encourage the bulbs to swell.