Image: David McNeil – RHS
Fancy a little bit of salad with that canteen sandwich? Now you can have your veg and eat it at work. Desktop gardening is one of the latest crazes in the wave of enthusiasm for growing your own.
Find a position on your desk with a good light source and sow crops such as cut-and-come-again lettuce 1-2cm deep into a container providing good drainage (and a saucer underneath to prevent a wet keyboard). Use multi-purpose peat free compost, and water frequently enough to keep the soil moist. Lettuce seeds don’t like to be too cosy, so sow in a cool room in the evening for them to germinate well.
Thin out once the plants start developing adult leaves (the thinnings make a great snack), and harvest when the plants have reached 5-6cm high by pinching or cutting the leaves off. As the name suggests, the lettuce will keep producing leaves after each harvest, and the best thing is, the more you harvest, the more they will grow. Far more exciting than a new packet of post-it notes on your desk.
Want to learn more?
Visit the RHS Grow Your Own Veg website for more expert advice
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