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If you have never tried to grow this vegetable, you must try Turnip Oasis. Can be picked at any size with a surprisingly sweet juicy flavour similar to a melon. Turnip Oasis is delicious when eaten raw like an apple, or grated and added to salads. Resistant to virus. Ideal for summer and autumn harvests.Sow seeds April through to July, at 4 weekly intervals. Sow seeds thinly, 1cm (½in) deep in drills 30cm (12in) apart.Thin seedlings when large enough to handle to 1-15cm (4-6in) apart.For best results turnips should be grown quickly, help to achieve this by watering well at all stages. Harvest when still medium size for the best flavour. Prefers a well drained, moist, fertile soil. Harvest May to September.

A first-class white, globe turnip. Turnip Snowball is early, juicy and sweet flavoured, will yield a good supply from early summer to early winter, and the tops make most nutritious and tasty 'greens'.Turnips grow best on rich well manured soil but will grow on ordinary fertile soil to which has been added plenty of well rotted compost. Sow seeds in succession from spring to mid summer, 1cm (½in) deep in drills 30cm (12in) apart.Thin out the seedlings to 1-15cm(4-6in) apart.Turnips should be grown quickly and kept well watered. Harvest them before they get too large for the best flavour. For greens follow above instructions but don't thin out. The season can be extended by sowing under cloches in early spring and again in late summer.

Carrot Adelaide is one of the earliest maturing varieties available. Short tops with smooth skinned, cylindrical roots, filling out quickly to give a crunchy sweet flavour. Ideal for sowing early in cold frames. Be the first to pull carrots this spring! Seeds are in the RHS Vegetable Collection.Sow January to February under cloches/frames. Sow March to August outdoors. Sow seeds thinly in well prepared, fertile soil 1-2cm (½ to ¾in) deep In broad drills. No thinning necessary for hunching carrots, otherwise thin to 2-2.5cm (¾ to 1in) or give slightly wider spacings if larger roots are required. Allow 15cm (6in) between each drill.Water only if necessary as excessive water may encourage leaf growth instead of roots. Earth up growing roots to prevent green crowns. Cover later sowings with fleece or fine netting to minimise carrot fly infestation. Water soil beforehand if dry to mPrefers well drained, moist, rich, cool conditions.

An outstanding garden variety, producing a uniform crop of heavy, cylindrical rich orange skinned and fleshed roots of 25-30cm (10-12in) length. A maincrop variety with excellent flavour, roots resist 'greening of crowns' and cracking and have excellent storing capabilities. Sow thinly, 12mm (1/2in) deep in well-prepared soil, in rows 30cm (12in) apart. Thin out seedlings if necessary, to 2.5cm (1in) apart. Water only if necessary as excessive water may encourage leaf growth instead of roots. Earth up growing roots with soil to prevent green crowns. Cover later sowings with fleece or fine netting to minimise carrot fly infestation. Water soil beforehand, if dry, to make lifting easier."SERVING SUGGESTION: Boil, roast, slice or stir-fry, also blend roots for adelicious carrot juice."

This ideal lunchbox snack, with optimum flavour, crunchy but juicy picked and eaten straight from the plant. Wash if necessary but no need to peel these 7cm (3in) 'mini munch cukes'. Each plant is prolific fruiting if picked every other day throughout the summer.Sow seed 1cm deep, in 7.5cm (3.5in) pots of free-draining compost. Place in a propagator and keep at a temperature of around 20-25C (68-77F) until after germination, usually 5-7 days.When first true leaves develop, transplant into 13cm (5in) pots. Finally, plant into 25cm (10in) pots or into growbags. Grow on at a minimum of 15C (59F). Train along wire, allowing the main shoot to reach the tip. Pinch out growing point and allow two sideshoots to trail downwards. Keep plants moist at all times and shade if necessary. Keep humidity high and pick fruits regularly.

A 'charentais' type of cantaloupe melon which can successfully ripen fruit outdoors. Smooth 10-12cm (4-5in) diameter 500g (1lb) fruits, pale cream-yellow skin with dark green striping that turns a more tan yellow when ripe with a sweet aroma. The salmon orange flesh is very sweet, juicy and perfumed. Sow seeds 1cm (1/2in) deep in pots or trays of good seed compost at a minimum of 20C (68F) under glass or in a propagator. Protect emerging seedlings from direct sunlight to avoid scorching. Alternatively only in the warmest areas, sow direct outdoors, 1-2cm (1/2-3/4in) deep from mid-May.Pot individual seedlings into 7.5cm (3in) pots of compost. Keep barely moist to avoid stem rot. Maintain temperature around 20C (68F). Harden off. For earliest crop plant under cloches or in a frame once frost risk has passed, or outdoors through black plastic/mulch and cover with fleece until established. Allow 75cm each way between plants. Pinch out growing point after 4 'true' leaves. Laterals will form. Train 4 laterals to 6 leaf stage then pinch out. Flowers should be pollinated by insects, otherwise hand pollinate using a male flower for up to 4 female flowers (those with a bump under the flower). Keep well watered and feed regularly with potash or tomato fertiliser. Can also be grown under glass.