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Mine put on a good two inches of growth before winter set in and

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Mine put on a good two inches of growth before winter set in and the mild weather has allowed them to progress steadily ever since. This only works with a super-hardy variety such as Aquadulce, which is specifically bred for autumn sowing, and you have to live in a mild area.The earlier you get your parsnips sown the better. For the later-heading kinds, such as Canberra and Autumn Giant, wait until the second half of April.Some of us sowed our first batch of broad beans as long ago as October. If you live in the south and the ground is not too cold or wet, you can start the first batch now. They include the leeks, Brussels sprouts and early peas that I wrote about last week.

You can also make a start on broad beans, cabbages, cauliflower, radishes, turnips and parsnips.When the soil gets warmer, put in lettuce, carrots, broccoli, onions, runner beans and, later still, courgettes, marrows, and pumpkins. None of these are the kind of exotica that draw any gasps of admiration from dinner guests, but they do provide staple fare for the family table from the summer onwards.In choosing varieties, there is a lot to be said for the F1 hybrids, especially for less experienced gardeners. Although they actually cost more than standard seeds, they are bred for vigour and are more likely to produce a viable crop in less than perfect conditions. All Fl hybrids are marked as such on the packet.Be careful not to sow too many cabbages - a few go a long way. Red cabbages, maturing a little later, may be a better bet, and Ruby Ball (Marshalls) is my favourite.

Summer cauliflowers such as Snow Crown and Alpha can also be started soon but they are harder to grow than cabbages, more vulnerable to disease and drought. Today, egged on by food writers and restaurateurs, we are more adventurous with our greens, but the seed companies' sales figures show that most of us still grow primarily the familiar cabbages, sprouts, leeks, lettuce, peas, beans, carrots and potatoes that our grandparents knew Sowing seed outdoors for these staples comes in two stages. Little Gem lettuce is available on the supermarket shelves but is never so good as when it is home grown: if you like Little Gem, Tom Thumb tastes even better. Winter salads, lambs lettuce or corn salad and rocket, which can be picked all year, are a wonderful addition to bought lettuces. Red chicory has a slightly bitter taste but adds untold glamour to winter salad. MKTHE STAPLESWhat Mary describes here as "gourmet vegetables" used to be called "unusual vegetables" in catalogues - if they were felt to merit a mention at all. Corn salad or Lamb's Lettuce is a good alternative to lettuce in the winter.

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