Harvesting a bundle of baby leeks for roasting is such a pleasing thing. It got us thinking that it is well worth planning your planting for next spring with the idea of harvesting some baby vegetables in mind. It works brilliantly with leeks, carrots and beetroots and it’s a great way of packing in a few extras.
You can do this in one of two ways:
You could grow baby veg by planting a little closer together than normal and then harvesting every other plant midway through the growing season while the root/bulb is still small, leaving the remainder to grow to full size to be harvested later on. This is a great way of packing more in and getting a longer cropping time too.
Alternatively, you could grow baby veg by planting up a dedicated bed/row early in the season, harvesting them all in one go mid-season and then replanting the entire bed with something else. This works really well if you want to plant up extra salads or brassicas in summer to keep you going until autumn.
We wouldn’t advise doing this for crops other than those suggested here, as they wouldn’t grow very well. But for carrots, beetroot and leeks it can work really well.