pick it now!

may

Spinach

Treat as a cut-and -comeagain crop, using medium leaves as needed. Asparagus

Tender, new spears are ready to cut.

June

Broad beans

Once picked, keep in a paper bag in a cool cupboard. They’re at their best picked young, then skinned for cooking. Strawberries

Nothing beats the joy of British strawberries eaten straight after picking – well, it’s a gardener’s prerogative! Garlic

Pick when leaves are yellow, then hang to dry out stems. Kept in the dark, it will last months. Gooseberries

In June, pick and cook alternate fruits to thin out the crop. Next month’s crop will be larger and sweeter as a result.