If you sow spinach every few weeks in spring and early autumn, and protect it over winter, you can harvest the tender leaves all year.

When to start: Spring or early autumn.

At their best: Summer.

Time to complete: 1 hour.

You will need: Spinach seed, a line of string, trowel, watering can.

Sow in drills

Stretch out your string and use a trowel to make a shallow drill. Sow the seeds into it at 1 in (2.5 cm) intervals. Thin the seedlings to about 3 in (7 cm) apart for baby salad leaves, or 6 in (15 cm) apart for larger leaves to use for cooking. Protect seedlings in winter with a cloche.

Harvesting

You can cut the leaves when they are large enough to eat. Whether you remove individual leaves or cut off the entire plant, new leaves will emerge for a second crop. Regular watering can help prevent plants from running to seed in warm weather.