Radishes are great crops for containers. They are the fastest germinating and maturing vegetable of all, grow almost anywhere, and their peppery taste gives salads a real kick.

When to plant: Spring to summer.

At their best: Late spring to early autumn.

Time to complete: 30 minutes.

You will need: Radish seed, low – wide pot, broken clay pot pieces, soil-based potting mix, watering can with fine rose.

Prepare and sow

Cover the base of the pot with broken pot pieces. Fill the container with soil and firm the top lightly. Sow seed on the surface and cover with ½ in (1 cm) of soil. Water with a fine rose.

Thin out

As seedlings germinate and grow, thin them out, leaving the others to mature fully. You can eat the removed seedlings as an extra early salad crop.

Harvest

Water your pot regularly. Radishes are usually ready about five weeks after sowing. Do not allow them to grow for longer than this because their taste becomes hotter and unpleasant, and they lose their crunch. To harvest, simply pull them up when ready. They store well in the refrigerator for a few days.

Tips: Baby beans for containers

‘Hestia’ is one of the smallest runner beans. Being compact and with beautiful flowers, it is well suited to growing in pots. Dwarf runner beans do not climb and need minimal support — just a few short stakes to hold them up in windy weather. Prepare the pot as for radishes. Grow one plant per pot, and water them frequently. Pick regularly once the beans start appearing to prolong the harvest.