Moving tiny seedlings from pots or trays into new pots, to give them more room. This is done when the first true leaves appear, as follows: Make holes with a pencil in the compost to which they are to [..]

A plant that lives for one year only. Most vegetables are annuals.

A plant which lasts for two years. The first season is a leaf and shoot growing phase, during which energy is stored for the second season's flowering. Biennial vegetables are cropped after the f [..]

'Running to seed' or flowering before you want. In many cases this will ruin the vegetable you are trying to grow.

Germinating seed before sowing. This is always done for potatoes, and may also be done for other seeds, such as sweetcorn, by placing them in a damp, warm place.

A crop grown specifically for digging back into the soil. These may be grown to protect the ground between crops, to stop nutrients leaking away, or to provide green matter and nitrogen ready for the [..]

Plants unable to survive the winter without protection. Examples include runner beans and sweetcorn.

The gradual acclimatisation of seedlings grown indoors or in greenhouses to outside conditions, before transplanting. This is often done in a cold frame which is gradually opened more and more each da [..]

Plants able to survive the winter without protection. Examples include brussels sprouts and broccoli.

Growing small crops in the spaces alongside larger plants, or alongside plants which are so slow growing that before they reach maturity the smaller crop will have been harvested. Some plants (such as [..]