Cut-and-come-again veg involves just harvesting the older leaves of leafy green veg, such as lettuce, chard and spinach. This allows the centre of the plant to continue to grow and produce new leaves. You can grow your own cut-and-come-again veg by sowing little and often. Only harvest what you need as baby leaves wilt easily.
Lettuce:
Lettuce is quick and easy to grow. This plant is compact for even the smallest garden, balcony or windowsill. It is best to grow it in part shade and to keep the soil moist. There is little maintenance, apart from regular watering.
There is a wide variety of shapes, colours and textures. You can use a few varieties to make a delicious, colourful salad. Lettuce is best eaten fresh, so just pick when needed. If you harvest too much, lettuce with store in the fridge for a few days.
Sow it little and often to enjoy harvesting throughout summer. Loose-leaf lettuce is ready to pick six weeks after sowing. By sowing under insect-proof mesh, you can deter pests, such as aphids, slugs and snails.
Spinach:
Spinach is a compact and speedy crop. As a cut-and-come-again veg it provides you with a plentiful and repeated harvest. Sow little and often for harvests most of the year. By sowing under insect-proof mesh, you can deter slugs and snails.
It is a low maintenance crop, apart from it requires frequent watering. Spinach grows best in part shade. In hot weather, it is prone to bolting (flowering prematurely). When this happens, it puts an end to harvests and the plant should be removed.
You can use young leaves in salads or cook larger leaves and add them into stews, pasta dishes, curries or omelettes. Leaves reduce in volume when cooking, so pick generous quantities. Spinach is best eaten freshly picked for maximum flavour and nutrients, but it does freeze well.
Chard:
Chard is a delicious alternative to spinach. It is easy to grow and needs little maintenance, apart from watering. Like spinach, chard is prone to bolt (start to flower) in hot weather. You can cut off the flower stems to allow the plant to continue to produce tasty leaves. However, if completely flowering, the plant should be removed and composted.
This leafy vegetable has large, lush leaves and stalks in an array of bright colours. Chard is a highly ornamental crop making it a very attractive addition to a veg plot.
You can harvest chard all year round depending on when you sow the seeds. As a cut-and-come-again crop, regular harvesting encourages more leaves to form. The young leaves can be eaten raw in salads. While, you can add the larger leaves to stir-fries, stews, quiches, pasta dishes or omelettes. Chard can be used as a replacement to spinach in recipes.